Written questions by Gethins.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on helping to ensure the warring parties in Sudan comply with (a) the Jeddah Declaration and (b) their obligations under international humanitarian law.

The Foreign Secretary has engaged with international partners on the importance of holding the warring parties accountable to international humanitarian law and the commitments they made in Jeddah to allow humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians. As penholder at the UN Security Council and leader of the Core Group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK has consistently condemned reported international humanitarian and human rights law violations. The UK Special Representative to Sudan, Richard Crowder, pressed for a resolution to the conflict and for all parties to comply with the Jeddah Declaration when he visited Port Sudan in December - the UK's first official visit to the country since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023. In November 2024, the UK co-led a protection of civilians resolution at the UN Security Council with Sierra Leone, which called on parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and for compliance with the Jeddah Declaration. This received unanimous Council support, apart from Russia who chose to veto it.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to homeowners impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

All building owners are responsible for managing building safety and performance risks of all kinds in their buildings, including reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), in a proportionate, risk-based, and evidence-based manner. To do so, they should continue to follow guidance published by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) to identify, assess, and manage RAAC.The issues with RAAC are longstanding and well known. Our current understanding, shared with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), is that the prevalence of RAAC is low in housing and there have been no known incidents of RAAC panel failure in residential dwellings across the UK.The BSR have a duty under the Building Safety Act 2022 to keep under review the safety and standards of all buildings in England. This includes monitoring risk and advising government on any action required.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of Cyclone Chido on people in southern Africa.

Heavy wind and rain from Tropical Cyclone Chido have caused widespread damage in Mozambique and Malawi, and have resulted in extensive crop and infrastructure damage in parts of the region. Flooding has increased the risk of disease outbreak in a region where cholera is endemic, and cases are on the rise. Northern Mozambique was most affected by Tropical Cyclone Chido; resulting in 120 deaths, and impacting 687,000 people, many of whom are already internally displaced and affected by conflict.To support, the UK has provided £5 million to Mozambique, focusing on providing emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation needs and preparedness building. Barring heavy rain and greater flood risk, Tropical Cyclone Chido has not had a substantial impact on Northern Zambia.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of Cyclone Chido on communities in northern Zambia.

Heavy wind and rain from Tropical Cyclone Chido have caused widespread damage in Mozambique and Malawi, and have resulted in extensive crop and infrastructure damage in parts of the region. Flooding has increased the risk of disease outbreak in a region where cholera is endemic, and cases are on the rise. Northern Mozambique was most affected by Tropical Cyclone Chido; resulting in 120 deaths, and impacting 687,000 people, many of whom are already internally displaced and affected by conflict.To support, the UK has provided £5 million to Mozambique, focusing on providing emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation needs and preparedness building. Barring heavy rain and greater flood risk, Tropical Cyclone Chido has not had a substantial impact on Northern Zambia.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks by Israel on medical facilities in Gaza.

The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the impact of military activity on healthcare facilities in Gaza. Medical staff and facilities must be protected, and civilians should be able to safely access medical treatment. It is unacceptable that northern Gaza now has no functioning major health facilities, following strikes on the Kamal Adwan hospital. In our statement to the UN Security Council on 3 January, we dismayed at the deterioration of the healthcare situation in Gaza, and called on Israel to clarify the whereabouts of medical staff detained from hospitals in the north. I have repeatedly underlined our grave concern about these issues with Israeli counterparts, most recently on 3 January and again today 8 January.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2024 to Question 13191 on Exports: Ukraine, which Departments he is waiting to receive advice on before concluding this export licence application; and what steps

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) is comprised of experts in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and ...

How many export licence applications related to Ukraine are still being assessed (a) three months and (b) six months after submission.

The processing of all export licence applications to Ukraine is being prioritised by ECJU. Within that process, applications for the export of equipment organised between the UK Government and the government of Ukraine through Ministry of Defence procurem...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last had discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on the humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh.

The UK remains in close contact with the Azerbaijani Government on a wide range of issues, including the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. I spoke with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 31 October and discussed the situation in the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the last Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability strategic assessment was carried out on the situation in Syria.

A Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) strategic assessment is an OFFICIAL SENSITIVE paper that is used to underpin UK national security strategies, as well as UK government policy and programming. We do not publicly comment on the timings of s...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the conflict in Myanmar.

Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has provided more than £150 million for life-saving humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education and support for civil society and local communities in Myanmar. UK Ministers and officials work with many internatio...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will list the meetings Ministers in his Department have had with Israeli officials since 7 December 2024.

FCDO Ministers meet with a wide range of officials, but there have been no official meetings with Israeli officials since 7 December 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing environmental adaptation measures in helping businesses build resilience to climate-related disasters.

The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the Secretary of State to produce a National Adaptation Programme in response to the Government’s most recent Climate Change Risk Assessment, on a five-yearly cycle. The third National Adaptation Programme, published i...

Whether her Department is taking steps to strengthen anti-money laundering regulations.

We are committed to ensuring the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing regime is both effective and proportionate. To that end, a consultation on improving the effectiveness of the Money Laundering Regulations closed in June 2024 and ...

If her Department will provide guidance for businesses on the money laundering risks of transactions (a) directly and (b) indirectly linked to Russia.

The Treasury and the Home Office hold joint responsibility for publishing a periodic national risk assessment which sets out the money laundering and terrorist financing risks in the UK. The national risk assessment provides guidance to regulated firms by...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help to low-income countries pursue green industrialisation pathways.

The UK Government is committed to helping low income countries pursue green industrialisation pathways by promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development, and supporting industrial decarbonisation.Examples include raising over £470 million of inv...

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the future of EU fishing rights in the UK's exclusive economic zone.

We have not held discussions with the EU on future access arrangements but have signalled willingness to listen to their proposals.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his department is taking to help countries disproportionately impacted by climate change implement (a) social and (b) economic adaptation measures.

Since 2011, the UK has supported over 110 million people to adapt to climate change.  We support countries to produce and implement whole-of-society national adaptation plans, have several regional programmes supporting climate-resilient economies, and fu...

What her planned timetable is for responding to the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report into changes to women's State Pension age, published on 21 March 2024.

We are actively considering this complex matter and aim to resolve it as soon as possible.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September to Question 3985 on Palestinians: Fire and Rescue Services, if he will take steps to help ensure the delivery of that donation.

The UK continues to call on Israel to increase humanitarian and commercial access into the Occupied Palestinian Territories by ensuring all aid crossings are fully operational, including the port of Ashdod. The Foreign Secretary recently spoke to Israeli ...

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing Russia on a domestic money laundering watchlist.

The UK’s list of high-risk third countries aligns with those countries identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as having strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing regimes, which ensures that the ide...