Written questions by Osamor.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase supplies of (a) potable water and (b) electricity in North Kivu.

The UK is a leading partner for the humanitarian response in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is deeply concerned by the humanitarian impacts of the current situation in North Kivu. We are already the second largest donor in country, allocating over £62 million of assistance this year through capable partners. This includes providing £8 million to fund water and sanitation infrastructure to displacement sites, and £10 million to assist with food security, shelter, healthcare and protection. As a result of this humanitarian programming on water supply development, hundreds of thousands of affected people have been supported with clean drinking water through this crisis period. Our partners are now restarting their work to deliver life-saving infrastructure to scale across North Kivu. UK funds have also supported the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to re-establish electricity access there by at least 75 per cent.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of allegations of serious human rights abuses and atrocities committed by the Ethiopian Government in

The UK is aware of reports of human rights violations in Amhara, and we are engaging all sides to call for peace and accountability. The Minister for Africa raised the issue when he met Prime Minister Abiy in October 2024. To help alleviate suffering, we ...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to declassify documents on Hong Kong dated prior to 1 July 1997.

Documents created about Hong Kong pre 1997 are part of the FCDO's ongoing high priority transfer programme to The National Archives. Currently we have transferred documents up to 1994 (Link to catalogue: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that humanitarian funding is allocated based on assessed needs.

The FCDO is committed to being a principled humanitarian donor, prioritising humanitarian assistance to people in greatest need by using data and evidence to guide allocation decisions.We have announced a doubling of support for people hit by the humanita...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to expand routine immunisation programs across northern Nigeria.

The UK supports immunisation programmes in Nigeria through our contributions to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world's children against some of the world's deadliest diseases. The UK...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what bilateral funding to tackle malnutrition levels across northern Nigeria will be in 2025/26.

The UK is committed to tackling the increasing levels of malnutrition across northern Nigeria. The FCDO will make funding decisions for programming in 2025/26 in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to expand (a) inpatient, (b) community-based, (c) outpatient and (d) other nutritional treatment services across northern Nigeria.

The UK supports access to essential life-saving health services in northern Nigeria through the Lafiya Programme. Lafiya supports the states of Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Borno and Yobe to strengthen their health systems to improve access for the poorest and m...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle malnutrition in northern Nigeria.

The UK is providing support to tackle malnutrition in north-east Nigeria through the Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP).In 2024/25, the UK provided £12 million through HARP to UNICEF's Multisectoral Integrated Nutrition Action for Children, Adol...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the matters raised in the Human Rights Watch report entitled Hopeless, Starving and Besieged:

We have not made an assessment of the matters raised in the Human Rights Watch report entitled Hopeless, Starving and Besieged: Israel's Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, published on 14 November 2024. However, the Government has been clear, th...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the matters raised in the Amnesty International press release entitled Ethiopia: Human rights

The Amnesty International press release on 6 August has drawn attention to the conduct of actors across northern Ethiopia. Their reporting is consistent with UN investigations which found that all sides committed major human rights abuses, some of which m...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on the conflict in Amhara region.

The UK regularly discusses the conflict in Amhara with the Ethiopian government, condemning violence and calling for a peaceful resolution. On 15 August, the Foreign Secretary discussed the conflict with the then Ethiopian Foreign Minister, including its ...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that UK aid is able to pass into the Amhara region of Ethiopia.

With active conflict leading to humanitarian access restrictions across much of Amhara, we are aware that aid agencies struggle to deliver assistance to civilians across the region. We are providing funding for a UN-led civil-military coordination team in...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Defense for Children International - Palestine entitled Targeting childhood, Pal

The UK is deeply worried by the situation in the West Bank. The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. The allegations in this report are deeply disturbing. Israel has a right to self-defence in line with international law, ...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Save the Children's press notice entitled Physical abuse, infectious disease spreading as conditions for Palestinian children in Israeli military detention deteriorate, published on 22 July 2024.

We engage regularly with Save the Children and received this report directly from the organisation. Save the Children is part of the BOND Occupied Palestinian Territories working group, and regularly raises the impact of the conflict on children. The most effective means of addressing these concerns is through UK funding to humanitarian partner organisations, and our advocacy work.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Save the Children's press notice entitled Gaza's missing children: Over 20,000 children estimated to be lost, disappeared, detained, buried under the rubble or in mass graves, published on 24 June 2024.

The Government is deeply concerned by the devastating impact of the conflict on children in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has publicly condemned the tragic loss of civilian life since this war began and has made clear that all parties must comply with International Humanitarian Law. On 2 September, the Foreign Secretary noted in his Statement on the Middle East that Israel could reasonably do much more to ensure life-saving food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza.Israel must respect the rights and vulnerabilities of children and the critical infrastructure that serves their basic needs. On 7 August, during her visit to the region, the Minister of State for Development announced £6 million in funding for UNICEF to support vulnerable families in Gaza with lifesaving water, healthcare and specialist treatment for malnourished children. On 4 September I signed an agreement with Kuwait to deliver £4.5 million of joint support via UNICEF into Gaza and Yemen.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of potential implications for his policies of the human rights situation in Tibet.

This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.We will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the preservation of the Tibetan language and culture across Tibet.

This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.We will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect freedom of religious belief in Tibet.

This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.We will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Prosperity Fund in 2021 on his Department's work to reduce poverty.

The cross-government Prosperity Fund ended on 31 March 2021 and prosperity programming moved to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. While some programmes closed, other programmes continued to run and continue to support fighting global poverty.The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) regularly reviews FCDO programming. Their 2023 impact review, covering the organisation's reports from 2019 to 2023, noted that, despite pressures, many aid programmes are still making a positive difference globally.The new government is committed to strengthening international development work within the FCDO. We will continue to prioritise support for economic transformation, tackling unsustainable debt, empowering women and girls, supporting conflict prevention, and unlocking climate finance.