Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Vietnamese counterpart on the case of Greta Marie Otteson.

FCDO Ministers are aware of Ms Otteson's case. FCDO officials are providing support to the family and are in contact with the Vietnamese authorities regarding the case. We are unable to provide comment on the detail of individual consular cases in line with relevant UK data protection legislation: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office/about/personal-information-charter.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the proportion of overseas development assistance that is spent on in-donor refugee costs.

We will use our development spending to achieve better outcomes as part of a coherent international approach, with a strong focus on poverty reduction and accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring asylum costs fall and has already acted. This includes taking measures to reduce the asylum backlog and end the use of expensive hotels. We expect these plans to create more space in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to spend on our international development priorities overseas. The first meeting of the re-established ODA Board, chaired by myself and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will focus on in-donor refugee costs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions the Minister for Development has had with Baroness Shafik during the independent development review.

I have been in communication with Baroness Shafik throughout the review, including discussing review findings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what preparations his Department is making for the Nutrition For Growth Summit in Paris in 2025.

The FCDO is looking forward to the 2025 Nutrition for Growth summit. FCDO officials have been working closely with French counterparts to build momentum in the lead up to the summit. The UK continues to champion the integration of improved nutrition outcomes alongside successes in other sectors - health, agriculture, humanitarian, and climate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department made of the safety of travel to Trinidad and Tobago before issuing recent travel advice.

A factual update to FCDO Travel Advice for Trinidad & Tobago was made on 31 December 2024 and 14 January 2025 as a result of assessments made in the wake of the declaration of and extension of a state of emergency in response to gang-related violence. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is our overriding concern when determining our travel advice. The FCDO keeps travel advice under regular review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to publish the independent development review.

The report is in the form of unpublished independent advice to the Foreign Secretary. A decision on how best to communicate the independent reviews' findings will be taken in due course by the Foreign Secretary.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to discuss the proposed treaty with Mauritius in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory with (a) the new US administration and (b) the Secretary of State for Defence.

We have been clear that this deal protects UK and US national security interests by ensuring the long-term effective operations of the base. However, given the importance of the base to the US, it is right that the new US Administration has the chance to consider the full agreement properly. We look forward to discussing the deal with them, which will include, of course, sharing the full detail of what has been agreed, including the detailed protections we have secured for the base for the next 99 years and beyond. We have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on this and other matters and will continue to do so.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to publish regional bilateral programmes for 2024-25.

The FCDO is finalising Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for 2024/25, and these will be published in the coming weeks. It is right that as a new Government we carefully consider the indicative budgets set by the previous Government.Ministers will consider how to allocate the FCDO's ODA budget for 2025/26 over the coming months ahead of publication in the Annual Report and Accounts in summer 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of Overseas Development Assistance spent on in-donor refugee costs.

We will use our development spending to achieve better outcomes as part of a coherent international approach, with a strong focus on poverty reduction and accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring asylum costs fall and has already acted. This includes taking measures to reduce the asylum backlog and end the use of expensive hotels. We expect these plans to create more space in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to spend on our international development priorities overseas. The first meeting of the re-established ODA Board, chaired by myself and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will focus on in-donor refugee costs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in which regional bilateral programmes he plans to make efficiency savings.

The FCDO is finalising Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for 2024/25, and these will be published in the coming weeks. It is right that as a new Government we carefully consider the indicative budgets set by the previous Government.Ministers will consider how to allocate the FCDO's ODA budget for 2025/26 over the coming months ahead of publication in the Annual Report and Accounts in summer 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals resident in areas of California affected by wildfires.

Firstly, I extend my sincere condolences to all those affected by the wildfires. We encourage British nationals in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas to follow the guidance of the local authorities for the latest advice and continue to check FCDO travel advice for information. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) does not hold information on the numbers of British Nationals affected by the wildfires as the UK Government does not require British nationals to register with the nearest British Embassy or High Commission when overseas. The FCDO stands ready to provide consular support to British nationals abroad 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to update the International Development Select Committee on the independent development review.

Plans to discuss the findings of the development review with the International Development Select Committee are currently being agreed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department took to assess the safety of travel to countries bordering the Red Sea before issuing travel advice on diving and snorkelling in the travel advice on Egypt.

The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overriding concern when determining travel advice. FCDO travel advice is based on objective assessments of the risks to British nationals. These assessments are made by drawing on expert sources of information available to the government including local knowledge from our embassies, information provided by the local authorities in each country, and in some cases information gathered by the intelligence services. Travel Advice for Egypt was updated on 24 December 2024, following a review of incidents on dive boats involving British nationals in 2023/2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19316 on Development Aid: Review, what progress he has made on consideration of the Development Review.

The Foreign Secretary has read the review in detail and is now considering the recommendations with myself and his officials.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications of the number of asylum seekers entering the UK in December 2024 for (a) community cohesion and (b) the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers.

This government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Home Office has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. But this is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was just a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed.It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised. Any incident relating to security or community cohesion is reported to the Home Office immediately, so any necessary changes can be made as soon as possible.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of UK nationals in countries bordering the Red Sea.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not hold this information; the UK Government does not require British nationals to register with the nearest British Embassy or Consulate when overseas.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19313 on BBC World Service: Foreign Relations, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the Soft Power Council.

The Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport have agreed to co-chair the Soft Power Council, and will host its first meeting on 15 January. A Written Ministerial Statement will be issued, setting out the Council's remit and membership.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of an international investigation into the recent Azerbaijan Airlines crash.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident, including the family and friends of those who have died. We support Brazil, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in their work to ensure a comprehensive and independent investigation into the tragedy. My officials remain in close contact with officials in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19316 on Development Aid: Reviews, when he received the Development Review.

The Development Review was submitted to the Foreign Secretary alongside the Global Impact and Economic Diplomacy reviews at the end of 2024. Once the Foreign Secretary has considered their recommendations, he will consider how best to communicate the independent reviews' findings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of accession by China to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership on his Department’s policies on UK-China relations.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) membership is open to all economies able to satisfy the Auckland Principles: preparedness to meet the agreement's high standards; a demonstrated pattern of complying with trade commitments; and recognition that decisions are dependent on the consensus of the CPTPP membership. Discussion among CPTPP members is progressing on how to take forward accessions. Until a decision is reached by CPTPP members on this, it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of any other economies' interest in the agreement.