Every parliamentary written question tabled by Blair McDougall this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 61–80 of 120 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support a female appointment as General Secretary of the United Nations.
The UK supports a merit-based appointment for UN Secretary-General, based on principles of transparency and inclusiveness. The Government would like to see women's representation strengthen across the multilateral system, and we welcome the Secretary-Gene...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with international counterparts on the use of force against pro-democracy protesters in Georgia.
In his 9 December statement the Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the excessive use of force against protesters and journalists in Georgia. He also outlined the suspension of programme support to the Georgian government as a result of the crackdown. In...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 34/2024 on Jimmy Lai publish
The FCDO takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's Opinion very seriously. The UK Government has consistently called for Jimmy Lai's release and raised concerns about his case directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.The Prime Ministe...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department's China audit will engage with Hong Kong BNO status holders that live in the UK.
Work on the audit is underway and will involve consultation with a range of experts within and beyond government.The audit will examine the UK's interests with respect to China. This will improve our ability - both inside and outside of Government - to un...
What support her Department has provided to British citizens from Hong Kong living in the UK who have had bounties placed on their heads by the Chinese government.
It is the first duty of government to keep its citizens safe. Attempts to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK by foreign powers, including China, are unacceptable. The protection of individuals’ freedoms, and safety is of the upmost importance. W...
What support her Department provides to UK residents threatened by agents of authoritarian regimes overseas.
The first duty of any government is to keep the country safe and protect its citizens. The UK does not tolerate attempts by any state to threaten or intimidate UK residents. We continually assess potential risks and take the protection of individuals’ rig...
Whether her Department issues guidance on (a) identifying and (b) tackling political interference from international actors to academic institutions.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government works in partnership with the sector to support institutions to make informed decisions on international collaborations and manage national security ...
What steps he is taking to (a) reduce waiting times for gynaecological procedures and (b) help support women's health.
Nearly 600,000 women are on gynaecology waiting lists. It is unacceptable that patients are waiting too long to get the care they need. Cutting waiting lists, including for gynaecology procedures, is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Russian-backed media transmitting on the radio frequency previously occupied by the BBC World Service's Arabic statio
The BBC is editorially and operationally independent and makes its own decisions about where to broadcast, audiences to reach and content. The BBC Arabic language service continues to operate and reaches a weekly average audience of 35 million people acro...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will issue guidance to (a) HSBC and (b) Standard Chartered on ensuring that British National (Overseas) passports are valid documents for Hong Kongers to use to secure
We are aware of the concerning reports that individuals who have chosen to take up the BN(O) visa route are having difficulties in the early drawing down of their Hong Kong MPF savings. We deeply value the UK's growing Hong Kong community and will address...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the government of Italy on that country's recent ban on couples travelling abroad for surrogacy.
As a key ally, we exchange views frankly and respectfully with Italy including on women's empowerment, gender equality and LGBT+ issues. We do this bilaterally and in multilateral fora. The FCDO will continue to discuss a range of issues with Italian cou...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to secure the release of Emily Damari from Hamas captivity.
Since our first day in government we have been working alongside our allies and partners in the region in support of ongoing negotiations to secure the release of the hostages, including Emily Damari and all those connected to British citizens. We appreci...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Qatari counterpart to help secure the release of the 101 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
Since day one, we have been working alongside our allies and partners in the region, including Qatar, in support of ongoing negotiations. The UK welcomes the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States. We need the hostages retu...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with international counterparts on Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
Since day one, we have been working alongside our allies and partners in the region, including Qatar, in support of ongoing negotiations. The UK welcomes the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States. We need the hostages retu...
Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative changes to enable the viewing of films in communal spaces in sheltered accommodation without a licence.
This is a devolved area of competence in Scotland. Decisions about introducing legislative changes would be for the Scottish Government.In England and Wales, the exhibition of films in communal spaces is regulated through the Licensing Act 2003. Local aut...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance he is providing to the Republic of Moldova against potential Russian aggression.
During my visit to Chisinau on 16-17 September, I represented the UK at the Moldova Partnership Platform and met President Sandu, Deputy Prime Minister Popsoi and Defence Minister Nosatii to reaffirm the UK's strong support for Moldova in the face of Russ...
How much the Government has spent on advertising on X.com since October 2022.
The full Governmental spend on X is not centrally held.There has been zero Cabinet Office spend with X in the last 12 months.
What assessment she has made of the potential suitability of the private sector for delivering services under a Modern Slavery Victim Care contract.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. The programme to procure a replacement for the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (Support for Victims of Modern Slavery (SVMS)) is following th...
What discussion she has had with Cabinet colleagues on preparations for the next Modern Slavery Victim Care contract.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. The programme to procure a replacement for the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (Support for Victims of Modern Slavery (SVMS)) is following th...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has taken steps to work with international stakeholders on creating an international fund for Israel-Palestinian Peace.
This government has prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in co-ordination with international partners, since day one. We will continue to use every diplomatic lever to bring about a ceasefire deal as the first ...