Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of conditions for freedom of religion or belief in North Korea; and what discussions she has had with her North Korean counterpart on that topic.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer he received on 5 March in response to Question 114767.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for UK foreign policy of the United Nations General Assembly resolution of 25 March 2026 recognising the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity and calling for reparatory justice; and for what reasons the United Kingdom abstained in that vote.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No such assessment is required, but the Hon Member can find the UK's Explanation of Vote at the following link on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/uk-explanation-of-vote-on-the-declaration-of-the-trafficking-of-enslaved-africans-and-racialised-chattel-enslavement-of-africans-as-the-gravest-crime.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will review the adequacy of her Department's travel advice for Hong Kong, in the context of recent reports of enforcement actions, under the National Security Law, regarding electronic devices in the possession of travellers; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of those reports on UK travellers and journalists operating in the territory.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office keeps its travel advice under constant review, and last updated its advice for Hong Kong on 1 April to reflect its assessment of the situation on the ground.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart regarding the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is concerned about recent restrictions on access to holy sites in Jerusalem. Israel must work with religious communities to facilitate access in line with the status quo, and the right to worship must be protected.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the report by Survival International entitled Uncontacted Indigenous Peoples: at the edge of survival, published in October 2025; and what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to raise this issue with international counterparts and other stakeholders.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK voted for the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and supports its principles, including respect for the rights, autonomy and protection of all indigenous people - including those living in voluntary isolation.
The UK raises the rights of indigenous people through ongoing diplomatic engagement and works bilaterally and through multilateral institutions to encourage states to meet their international human rights commitments, including in countries where uncontacted indigenous people are present.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials based overseas have had with the governments of countries with uncontacted indigenous peoples on the protection of the rights of those peoples, including Indonesia, India, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK voted for the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and supports its principles, including respect for the rights, autonomy and protection of all indigenous people - including those living in voluntary isolation.
The UK raises the rights of indigenous people through ongoing diplomatic engagement and works bilaterally and through multilateral institutions to encourage states to meet their international human rights commitments, including in countries where uncontacted indigenous people are present.
Asked by: Lord Bates (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 23 February (HLWS1349), how much Official Development Assistance will be allocated to (1) the Media Freedom Coalition, and (2) the Public Interest Media and Healthy Information Environments programme, in (a) 2026–27, (b) 2027–28, and (c) 2028–29.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statements made by the Foreign Secretary and myself - UIN HLWS1431 - on 19 March outlining the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents setting out the detail of those allocations. Funding for specific organisations over the period in question will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of French and German prosecutions of perpetrators of Yezidi genocide, including by trial in absentia; and why similar prosecutions have not occurred in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answers provided on 12 February to Questions HL13863 and HL13920, and on the work of UNITAD, I refer him to the answers he was provided on 19 September 2024 in response to Questions HL838 and HL839.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the total number of ISIS affiliates freed from prisons in Syria, and (2) the number of British citizens among them.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answers provided on 12 February to Questions HL13863 and HL13920, and on the work of UNITAD, I refer him to the answers he was provided on 19 September 2024 in response to Questions HL838 and HL839.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit the UK; if so, when; and what questions they intend to raise with him.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office on 31 March, which - for ease of access - is reproduced below:
The Prime Minister met the President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Downing Street this morning. The leaders agreed that this was an important moment for the UK-Syria relationship.
On the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, they both affirmed the importance of avoiding further escalation and restoring stability in the region. They discussed the need for a viable plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, in the face of the severe economic impact of prolonged closure, and agreed to work with others to restore freedom of navigation.
The Prime Minister welcomed the Syrian Government's action against Da'esh to date and the progress made on cooperation between the UK and Syria on counter-terrorism. He set out how he hoped to make further progress on the issue of migration, including closer work together on returns, on border security, and on tackling people smuggling networks.
They agreed that regeneration of infrastructure would be vital for Syria's economic transition, and discussed opportunities for British businesses across several sectors to play a role in this.
They agreed to keep in touch.