Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2026 to Question 101383 on Government Actuary’s Department: Freedom of Information, what the cash terms monetary cost to the UK is of the Chagos Islands deal before the application of the assumed GDP deflator rate and social time discounting.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 February in response to Question 108232.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 68353, what the start date and project completion date of the Department's review of medals available in the British Overseas Territories compared to the UK.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This work is ongoing, as I told him in my response of 24 July 2025 to Question 68353. We will provide further updates in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to pause the passage of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill until the Metropolitan Police investigation into Peter Mandelson has concluded.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 March to question 111415.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Bangladesh Government on the protection of religious minorities in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns all forms of violence. I discussed Bangladesh's commitment to inclusion when I met Prime Minister Rahman in February. We engage with authorities in Bangladesh to ensure accountability, protect and promote interfaith harmony and uphold the rule of law.
Our commitment to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is also demonstrated through our £27 million Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme (2023-2028), which aims to safeguard civic space, encourage inclusive dialogue and address the underlying tensions that can lead to violence.
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Reform UK - East Wiltshire)
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 recent reports of attacks on Hindus during Saraswati Puja in India and Bangladesh.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns all acts of violence targeting religious or ethnic minorities and we have made clear the importance of protecting freedom of religious belief to key stakeholders in Bangladesh.
When I met PM Rahman in February, I discussed the importance of inclusion and protecting minorities, including Hindus, in line with the commitments he made in his victory address to safeguard the rights of all Bangladeshis. In February 2025, the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, visited Bangladesh and held meetings with the Interim Government to discuss issues of justice, accountability, and the protection of fundamental freedoms.
Our commitment to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is reflected in our £27 million Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme (2023-2028), which aims to protect civic space, foster inclusive dialogue, and address tensions that can lead to violence.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason Questions 113021 and 113433 on UNCLOS and the Chagos Islands, tabled on 12 February for answer on 24 and 25 February 2026 respectively, have not been answered; and when she plans to answer them.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The responses to questions 113021 and 113433 were provided to the Rt Hon Member on 10 and 5 March, respectively.Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department has taken to ensure good relations with the government in Cyprus in the context of recent defence decisions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the public and parliamentary statements made by the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Defence Secretary, in which all these questions were addressed in detail. I regularly speak to the Cypriot Foreign Minister on a range of issues.
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Reform UK - East Wiltshire)
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 the Government of China regarding recent legislative and policy developments affecting Tibetans, Uyghurs and other communities with distinct religious identities.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government continues to engage with China on the issues of human rights and freedom of belief. We also continue to champion these issues at the UN and in the G7, as well as through our bilateral engagements.
Asked by: Marie Rimmer (Labour - St Helens South and Whiston)
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 impact of state intimidation on Uyghur families in the diaspora.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate or harm their critics overseas, including the Uyghur diaspora, are unacceptable. The freedom of speech and other fundamental rights of all people in the UK are protected under UK law, regardless of nationality.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has undertaken a review of illegal immigration into the British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 7 January in response to Question 102330, which sets out the action that the Government is taking to support our Overseas Territories in tackling organised immigration crime.