Every parliamentary written question tabled by Brian Mathew this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–15 of 15 · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her Department's policies on (a) water management practices between Israel and Palestine and (b) the salinity of Gaza's aquifers.
Awaiting answer.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support victims of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
Last week, at the International Sudan Conference in Berlin, the Foreign Secretary announced £146 million of new humanitarian funding for Sudan this year, which will reach more than 1.8 million people.This includes doubling UK support for local Sudanese responders delivering vital aid in the hardest-to-reach areas.But funding alone cannot stop this man-made crisis. That is why, at the same conference, the Foreign Secretary also urged the renewal of diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire, allow urgent, safe and unrestricted access for humanitarian relief agencies, and negotiate a lasting resolution to the conflict in Sudan.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the UK's planned multilateral development financing will be spent on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March outlining the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents setting out the detail of those allocations. I also refer him to the evidence provided by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for International Development at the International Development Committee on 24 March, where they addressed questions at length about the Government's ODA policies and allocation decisions.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of the WASH4Health Programme on i) supporting women and girls and ii) tackling global health threats.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March outlining the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents setting out the detail of those allocations. I also refer him to the evidence provided by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for International Development at the International Development Committee on 24 March, where they addressed questions at length about the Government's ODA policies and allocation decisions.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support partner governments and organisations whose WASH4Health Programme has been cancelled.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March outlining the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents setting out the detail of those allocations. I also refer him to the evidence provided by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for International Development at the International Development Committee on 24 March, where they addressed questions at length about the Government's ODA policies and allocation decisions.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the UK's International Development Association contribution will be spent on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programmes.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March outlining the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents setting out the detail of those allocations. I also refer him to the evidence provided by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for International Development at the International Development Committee on 24 March, where they addressed questions at length about the Government's ODA policies and allocation decisions.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the humanitarian situation in Sudan including i) increasing humanitarian access for INGOs and ii) increasing humanitarian funding.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her recent visit to the Chad-Sudan border.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the budget for humanitarian aid to Myanmar; what steps are taken to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the people who are most in need and is not blocked or diverted by the military; and whether she intends to increase aid to Myanmar.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications of her policies of the elections being held in Myanmar and their impact on human rights in (a) Myanamar and (b) regions of Myanmar excluded from those elections.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she if taking with her international counterparts in response to the military regime’s elections in Myanmar.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking in response to the case of genocide brought by the Gambia against Myanmar currently being heard in the International Court of Justice; recent universal jurisdiction cases to prosecute Myanmar’s mass atrocity crimes in several jurisdictions; the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s application for a warrant for the arrest of General Min Aung Hlaing; and whether the United Kingdom invoke Article 14 of the Rome Statute to seek a referral of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the United Kingdom will seek to place Myanmar as an urgent item on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council, in the context of the human rights and humanitarian situation in that country.
I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on the fifth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-military-coup-in-myanmar) and the answers provided in the House of Lords in February in response to the similar set of Questions HL13818-20, HL13821, and HL13859.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recent fighting in el-Fasher, Sudan.
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to the Urgent Question on Sudan: Protection of Civilians on 30 October.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Ministerial roundtable on water security, 13 March 2025: outcome statement, published on 14 March 2025, what steps his Department is taking to fulfil those outcomes in the next 12 months.
On 13 March 2025, the Minister for Development chaired a high-level roundtable, bringing together international Ministers and senior representatives from countries and multilateral institutions to discuss how to drive progress tackling the global water security crisis.The UK is active in this sector, driving systems transformation to protect freshwater ecosystems and global water supplies, and build resilience for the most vulnerable. Through our Just Transitions for Water Security programme, we are bringing governments, private sector, and civil society together to shape policy, strengthen governance and accountability mechanisms, and shift markets to leverage critically needed investments in water. The UK is also working with international partners to ensure climate-resilient and sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in up to 10 countries.Alongside this we are working to strengthen the integration of water across the three Rio Conventions on climate, biodiversity, and desertification, as well as within G7, G20 and the UN system.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, who has been appointed as Special Representatives for Nature and Climate; what their qualifications for these posts were; what their budget is; what their (a) aims and (b) objectives are; and whether any of these have been achieved.
Rachel Kyte CMG and Ruth Davis OBE were appointed as the UK's Special Representatives for Climate and for Nature, respectively, on 21 October and 15 November.Their biographies and objectives are set out at https://www.gov.uk/government/people/rachel-kyte and https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ruth-davis.These roles are covered by wider Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) budgets. The Special Representatives have agreed priorities with departments, which are being implemented.