The UK has arranged several assessments of the impacts of nuclear testing in the Pacific region and it has been the UK Government's position since 2008 that any remediation work required due to UK nuclear tests in Kiribati has been completed. There are no plans for the UK Government to undertake a further assessment of the health of the population or environment of that nation. The UK is committed to creating long standing partnerships with Pacific Island countries including Kiribati, and supporting their priorities including tackling environmental and climate related issues.

There are no plans to appoint an Honorary Consul in Kiribati. The British High Commissioner for Fiji is the accredited non-resident High Commissioner for Kiribati.

The Government does not believe the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will bring us closer to a world without nuclear weapons. The UK will not sign or engage with the Treaty. The Government firmly believes that the best way to achieve our collective goal of a world without nuclear weapons is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step-by-step approach, under the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The effects and consequences of nuclear testing are not part of the NPT. The Treaty related to the cessation of nuclear testing is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The UK has had a moratorium on nuclear testing since 1991, and was one of the first to sign and ratify the CTBT in 1998. We call on all States who are yet to ratify the CTBT to do so as soon as possible, so that it can enter into force.

Ministers have not discussed this topic with Kiribati counterparts. The UK government appreciates the importance of the biodiversity and cultural value of the many islands that make up the Republic of Kiribati including those affected by nuclear testing in the pre-independence period and acknowledges the Line and Phoenix Islands Integrated Development Strategy 2016-2036. The UK hopes that its increased funding for environmental and climate related initiatives in the Pacific region will be able to contribute to the achievement of this strategy in line with the needs of Kiribati communities in the islands.

Ministers have not discussed this topic with Kiribati counterparts. The UK government appreciates the importance of the biodiversity and cultural value of the many islands that make up the Republic of Kiribati including those affected by nuclear testing in the pre-independence period and acknowledges the Line and Phoenix Islands Integrated Development Strategy 2016-2036. The UK hopes that its increased funding for environmental and climate related initiatives in the Pacific region will be able to contribute to the achievement of this strategy in line with the needs of Kiribati communities in the islands.

The UK does not have a bilateral aid programme in Kiribati. Most of our support to Pacific Island Countries (PICs), including Kiribati, is provided through multilateral institutions and key climate change funds, which have a strong presence and deep expertise in the region.

The UK is acutely aware of the unique vulnerabilities that climate change poses to Kiribati and other PICs and we are actively using our influence in the UN and multilateral development banks to raise their concerns on issues such as natural disasters and climate change.

The UK is the largest contributor to the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank’s International Development Association, and the largest European donor to the Asian Development Fund, which have all provided a significant increase in support to the Pacific over recent years. This support is helping the most vulnerable countries like Kiribati adapt to climate change, including to human displacement and risks related to rising sea levels.

The Republic of Kiribati remains a valued partner for the UK. We work closely, bilaterally and in multilateral fora.

I last met the President of Kiribati at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, 2018. We covered issues of mutual importance, particularly climate change and oceans. As my honourable friend will be aware, Kiribati is under significant pressure from the threat of rising sea levels. The UK’s Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme is funding a project to map Kiribati’s seabed to support new maritime infrastructure.

I have also worked with Kiribati at the United Nations General Assembly, the Pacific Island Forum and our recent UK and New Zealand Wilton Park Conference on Pacific resilience. As we continue to expand our diplomatic presence in the Pacific we expect our engagement to further increase.

Our first priority is to deliver continuity in our trading arrangements on leaving the EU. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries once we leave the EU. This will provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme by granting duty-free, quota-free access to 48 Least Developed Countries, including Kiribati.

In addition, the existing EU-Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), currently in effect between the EU, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, provides for other Pacific countries to apply to accede to it, including Kiribati. The new UK-Pacific States EPA, signed on 14 March between the UK, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, carries over this accession commitment.

Work to combat violence and discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people forms an important part of our wider international human rights work. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works through our Embassies and High Commissions, and through international organisations, including the Commonwealth, the EU and the UN, to promote tolerance and non-discrimination against LGBT people and to address discriminatory laws, in particular those that criminalise homosexuality.

The UK has been a member of the LGBT core group in Geneva since 2011, playing a key role in passing the UN’s first ever resolution on LGBT rights and recently joined its counterpart group in New York.

Within the Commonwealth we continue to encourage the Secretariat and the Secretary-General to do more to promote the rights of its LGBT people. The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt hon friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (William Hague), wrote to the Commonwealth Secretary-General in March urging him to take concrete action to address this issue within the Commonwealth.