Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the value of charitable donations made to the Disasters Emergency
Committee appeal for Ukraine; and what plans they have to
increase their commitment to match donations.
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office () (Con)
My Lords, it is testament to the great generosity of the British
public that the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for Ukraine
reached £100 million in just four days. This is a hugely valuable
contribution and public donations have been boosted by £25
million of government funding, the largest ever aid match
donation by any British Government. As of yesterday, the DEC
Ukraine appeal stood at £121.5 million, including the FCDO UK aid
match contribution of £25 million. Of course we have also
committed more support to Ukraine during this crisis, which has
reached almost £400 million.
(Con)
I thank the Minister for his Answer, which is a tribute to the
generosity of the British people. One problem has been the number
of people sending goods rather than money. I hope the Government
can encourage people to make cash donations, which are much
easier to process. Is the FCO supporting people on the ground to
buy up goods with the money donated so that it is spent in the
most effective way for the relief of the people of Ukraine?
(Con)
My Lords, if I may, I must first correct my noble friend: it is
the FCDO. The development element of our work is extremely
important and it links in with the humanitarian support. I
confirm that through rapid deployment teams, including the
assessments they are making, we are working directly with the
Ukrainian authorities and the Ukrainian Government to determine
exactly what is required on the ground. I agree with him; as my
right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has said, what is
best for the Ukrainian people is for people to make cash
donations, and the DEC appeal demonstrates the importance of
that.
(LD)
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord and his colleague alongside
him—the noble Baroness, Lady Williams—for their help in relation
to a case flagged to me by World Jewish Relief, and which I
flagged in your Lordships’ House on Monday, of an elderly lady in
her 90s who was waiting for a visa in Warsaw. What action is he
taking to ensure that the system to assist refugees in such a
desperate situation is fit for purpose and properly funded, so
that we do not have to come to him and his colleague with
individual cases?
(Con)
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for flagging that issue. I
speak for my noble friend as well as myself, and I know that I
speak for the whole of the Front Bench in saying that wherever
there are issues it is our job to respond to Members’ inquiries
directly to us in our own roles. If we can assist, as we have
managed to do in this case, that is a tribute to the noble
Baroness and indeed to the whole of your Lordships’ House about
the importance of working collaboratively on this crisis. My
noble friend will be taking an Urgent Question shortly on fitness
for purpose, but I am assured by her and the Home Office that,
for example, visa applications are being received. Over 10,000
people have already started their applications, and as of this
morning over 1,000 visas had been issued by the United
Kingdom.
(Lab)
My Lords, the incredible generosity of the British people in the
donations that we are discussing is equally matched by the desire
of business, of faith and community groups, and of families to
take hold of and be able to use the sponsorship scheme that was
announced this time last week but about which we have no detail.
Surely we should be matching the financial contribution with the
personal giving that people are now offering to those who will
come to their home and receive sustenance and support from the
British people.
(Con)
My Lords, I agree. Again, through this crisis we have seen the
best of humanity as people have opened up their doors and given
their homes and support to people they do not
know—strangers—across Europe. That applies equally to the United
Kingdom. I know that my noble friend will be providing the House
with an update shortly on the very point that the noble Lord
raises.
(Con)
My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to my noble friend , who has been such an
inspiration to so many of us on the Government Benches for so
very long. We were all deeply moved yesterday by the words of
President Zelensky. I am sure his words will lead to further
donations to the committee. Sadly, the torrent of words which
have registered support for Ukraine has not always been matched
by action. Given the lamentable decision of President Biden to
veto the ability of Poland to send its MiG-29s to an American
base in Germany, will Her Majesty’s Government match the courage
of the Government of Poland—not to mention of the Government of
Ukraine—and make available facilities in this country to which
those MiGs could be flown and collected by Ukrainian pilots, then
flown to Ukraine?
(Con)
My Lords, I join my noble friend in the tribute he paid to my
noble friend . I remember that one of my
first appearances at the Dispatch Box was reflective of an
ongoing cricket analogy that we have played out. I greatly
respect the support that he has given to me over the years. I am
sure I speak for many across the House in paying tribute to my
noble friend for his services to your
Lordships’ House and the country over many years. On the specific
question, the United Kingdom has been at the forefront of support
for Ukraine, including supporting its defence requirements.
Defence is playing a central role in the UK’s response to the
Russian invasion. We are working very closely with our allies and
partners to fully understand the nature of what is required on
the ground. We were reminded of this by President Zelensky, who
is in daily contact with my right honourable friend the Prime
Minister. I listened very carefully to what my noble friend Lord
Howard said, and I will certainly take that back to the Ministry
of Defence.
(CB)
My Lords, I will follow up the question asked by the noble Lord,
. Yesterday the Government
made the very welcome announcement that they are opening out this
humanitarian sponsorship scheme, but they did not say anything
about how all these people who want to offer their homes can link
with those who want to come here. Are the Government yet able to
reveal how this contact is to be made?
(Con)
I know that my noble friend Lady Williams and my colleagues in
the Home Office are working on the very points that the noble and
right reverend Lord raises about the detail of the scheme. I am
sure that she will update the House on progress very shortly.
(Lab)
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Howard, mentioned President
Zelensky’s moving address to Parliament yesterday. He described
the horrific conditions—the killing of children, the bombing of
orphanages, schools and hospitals. Earlier this week UNICEF
called for greater protection for unaccompanied and separated
children crossing borders. What will the Government do to support
those children to get to a place of safety?
(Con)
My Lords, I join the noble Lord; I am sure I speak for the whole
House when I say that we are taken by the horror of what is
happening in Ukraine, particularly the targeting of humanitarian
corridors, the specific targeting of civilian centres of
population and the tragedy we now see of families being
separated. He is right to raise the issue of vulnerable children,
particularly unaccompanied minors. We have RDTs working on the
ground in all neighbouring countries. I am in regular touch with
all the UN agencies. Only this morning I exchanged messages with
Filippo Grandi on specific requirements. I assure the noble Lord
that I will provide regular updates on the specific support we
are giving to particular vulnerable communities and, most
importantly, to vulnerable children.
(Con)
My Lords, while I agree with what my noble friend said—that it would be better if
donations were given in cash rather than goods—my noble friend
will be aware that a number of individuals, charities and
companies have attempted to supply goods and medicines through
the EU to the people of Ukraine or people on the border, but have
experienced great difficulty with customs and form-filling. Will
my noble friend look at this and see what could be done to
simplify the administrative burden for those who are trying to
supply goods in kind?
(Con)
My noble friend makes a very important practical point. I will
certainly take that up. Later today I am leaving for meetings in
Vienna with European partners at the OSCE. I am sure this point
will be raised, particularly when we look at the OSCE’s set-up on
civil society groups’ support for humanitarian efforts, which are
also based across the border in Poland. I will update my noble
friend accordingly. He makes a point which I am aware of, and we
are working with European partners to unlock this particular
issue.
