Category: Questions

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UIN HL1573, tabled on 29 June 2021

Question
Lord Truscott
Non-affiliated

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to supply Taiwan with COVID-19 vaccines; and what is the timetable on any such plans.

Answer
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Conservative

Answered on
13 July 2021

The UK remains committed to equitable access to safe and effective vaccines and the Prime Minister has stated that we will share vaccines with COVAX and has called on G7 leaders to vaccinate the world by end of next year. We will continue to discuss this issue with our G7 partners and will issue details of the quantities and timeframe for sharing vaccine doses soon.

Taiwan has had one of the lowest incidences of Covid-19 in the world since the outbreak of the pandemic. We are continuing to engage with the relevant authorities locally through the British Office in Taipei as it faces its first significant occurrence of community transmission of the virus. Taiwan has so far received 609,600 doses through the COVAX platform. We will continue to work with all of our international partners to deliver a strong global response to the pandemic.

 

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UIN 24103, tabled on 29 June 2021

Question
Mr Gregory Campbell
Democratic Unionist Party
East Londonderry Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to offer support to the Taiwan people in respect of the current political climate involving China.

Answer
Nigel Adams
Conservative
Selby and Ainsty Commons

Answered on
5 July 2021

HMG considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue. However, we remain concerned by any action which raises tensions and risks destabilising the status quo.

 

Question for Department for International Trade
UIN 12938, tabled on 9 June 2021

Question
Mr David Davis
Conservative
Haltemprice and Howden Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans her Department has to open trade negotiations with Taiwan.

Answer
Greg Hands
Conservative
Chelsea and Fulham Commons

Answered on
14 June 2021

The UK remains committed to strengthening its rich and wide-ranging trading relationship with Taiwan. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Taiwan was £6.1 billion in 2020. The UK is working with Taiwan to deepen its relationship, including through the annual Trade Talks and associated dialogues, ministerial engagement, and through engagements by the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Taiwan.

 

Question for Department for International Trade
UIN 13928, tabled on 10 June 2021

Question
Mrs Heather Wheeler
Conservative
South Derbyshire Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to expand the UK’s trade and investment relationship with Taiwan.

Answer
Greg Hands
Conservative
Chelsea and Fulham Commons

Answered on
14 June 2021

I refer my hon. Friend for South Derbyshire to the answer I gave to my Rt hon. Friend for Haltemprice and Howden on 14 June 2021, UIN: 12938

 

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UIN 10399, tabled on 4 June 2021

Question
Stephen Kinnock
Labour

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that Taiwan can viably access an alternative source of covid-19 vaccine supply to that being offered by the Chinese Government.

Answer
Nigel Adams
Conservative

Answered on
9 June 2021

The UK remains committed to equitable access to safe and effective vaccines and the Prime Minister has stated that we will share vaccines with COVAX and has called on G7 leaders to vaccinate the world by end of next year. We will continue to discuss this issue with our G7 partners and will issue details of the quantities and timeframe for sharing vaccine doses soon.

Taiwan has had one of the lowest incidences of Covid-19 in the world since the outbreak of the pandemic. We are continuing to engage with the relevant authorities locally through the British Office in Taipei as it faces its first significant occurrence of community transmission of the virus. Taiwan has so far received 609,600 doses through the COVAX platform. We will continue to work with all of our international partners to deliver a strong global response to the pandemic.

 

Question for Ministry of Defence
UIN 10212, tabled on 4 June 2021

Question
Tobias Ellwood
Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister is responsible for deciding what Royal Navy ships may pass through the Taiwan Strait in 2021.

Answer
James Heappey
Conservative

Answered on
9 June 2021

As with all operational policy, naval deployments are a Ministry of Defence Departmental responsibility under the Secretary of State for Defence. Where Defence activity has broader policy implications for other Government Departments, it is usual for the Defence Secretary to consult with Cabinet colleagues before issuing his direction.

 

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UIN 7112, tabled on 25 May 2021

Question
Andrew Rosindell
Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent conversations he has had with his counterpart from Taiwan on the cause of a recent increase in cases of covid-19 in that country.

Answer
Nigel Adams
Conservative

Answered on
2 June 2021

Taiwan has had one of the lowest incidences of Covid-19 in the world since the outbreak of the pandemic. We are now engaging with the relevant authorities locally through the British Office in Taipei as it faces its first significant occurrence of community transmission of the virus. We will continue to work with all of our international partners to deliver a strong global response.

 

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UIN 7112, tabled on 25 May 2021

Question
Andrew Rosindell
Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent conversations he has had with his counterpart from Taiwan on the cause of a recent increase in cases of covid-19 in that country.

Answer
Nigel Adams
Conservative

Answered on
2 June 2021

Taiwan has had one of the lowest incidences of Covid-19 in the world since the outbreak of the pandemic. We are now engaging with the relevant authorities locally through the British Office in Taipei as it faces its first significant occurrence of community transmission of the virus. We will continue to work with all of our international partners to deliver a strong global response.

 

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UIN 95, tabled on 11 May 2021

Question
Andrew Rosindell
Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with its counterpart in Taiwan on recent incursions into their airspace by Chinese Military jets.

Answer
Nigel Adams
Conservative

Answered on
18 May 2021

The UK Government considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue. However, we remain concerned by any action which raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait and risks destabilising the status quo.

 

Question for Ministry of Defence
UIN 125, tabled on 11 May 2021

Question
Tobias Ellwood
Conservative

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the Royal Navy to visit the Taiwan strait.

Answer
James Heappey
Conservative

Answered on
18 May 2021

The Royal Navy will next navigate the Taiwan Strait when navigationally expeditious to do so and in accordance with international law and operational requirements.

To preserve operational security, the Royal Navy does not discuss the specifics of the operational routings of ships in advance.