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, what assessment she has made of the utility of the provisions of Article 298 of UNCLOS for protecting UK interests in a territorial dispute within the jurisdiction of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea in respect of (a) the Falkland Islands, (b) Gibraltar and (c) any other British Overseas Territory.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 February 2026 in response to Question 109960.
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 written answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 104147, what steps she is taking to help ensure transparency and value for money in support of the Howard Hamilton International Airport redevelopment project following the cancellation of the PPP procurement process.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government is responsible for devolved matters, including the Howard Hamilton International Airport redevelopment. Officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are in close contact with TCI Government to understand their decision and stand ready to offer our support to ensure value for money and transparent procurement.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to support Isabel Rose in Hong Kong.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I recognise how distressing it must be for Ms Rose, who has been unable to leave Hong Kong since 2024, and who has now been found guilty of the charges against her. We have provided consular assistance since Ms Rose's initial arrest, signposted her to local support groups, and officers from the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong attended her court hearing on 3 March. We will continue to provide assistance to her and her family while she awaits sentencing in July. We are in touch with the Hong Kong authorities.
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, with reference to page 92 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, how many (a) public engagements and (b) private meetings Ministers in their Department have undertaken related to the national conversation on defence and security.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year engagement designed to embed a whole-of-society approach, where Government, businesses, and the public all play a part in strengthening our resilience. This addresses the risks we face, including threats below and above the threshold of an armed attack. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is actively supporting this work, driving international engagement to tackle global threats to the UK's national security.
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, with reference to paragraph 88 of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan, how many meetings Ministers in their Department have attended related to the Home Defence Programme.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year engagement designed to embed a whole-of-society approach, where Government, businesses, and the public all play a part in strengthening our resilience. This addresses the risks we face, including threats below and above the threshold of an armed attack. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is actively supporting this work, driving international engagement to tackle global threats to the UK's national security.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what engagement has the Government had with Mexican Authorities on the safety of UK football fans attending World Cup matches in Guadalajara.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is working across Government and with sporting bodies to support UK fans travelling to matches for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Our Embassy in Mexico remains in regular contact with the Mexican Federal and State Governments. We are closely monitoring the situation and keep travel advice under regular review to ensure it reflects the latest assessment of risk to British nationals. We encourage those travelling to Mexico to consult our Mexico (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mexico/entry-requirements) and World Cup (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mexico/world-cup-2026) travel advice pages before making travel arrangements.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to enable a) old MRI machines and b) other NHS medical equipment no longer in use to be sent to Ghana.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
NHS medical equipment is owned and managed by individual NHS trusts and organisations, which are responsible for decisions on reuse, disposal or donation under their own governance, safety and regulatory arrangements. Where equipment is donated overseas, this is typically undertaken on a small‑scale basis through direct institutional relationships rather than government‑led schemes.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
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 committing the UK to supporting the development of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response provided on 4 March 2025 to Question 33140.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 24853 on North Korea: Christianity, what assessment she has made of the steps taken by Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in response to her Department's engagement on human rights issues, including on freedom of religion and belief.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of severe persecution in North Korea for those adopting or practicing religion. We welcomed North Korea's participation in the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review's fourth cycle (in November 2024) and continue to urge North Korea to take concrete actions to fulfil its commitment to implement the accepted recommendations. We will continue to raise human rights issues with North Korean officials bilaterally and in multilateral fora, including to allow independent civil society organisations immediate and unhindered access to the country.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2026 to Question 113435 on BBC Monitoring: Finance, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of restoring dedicated funding for BBC Monitoring by her Department.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As stated in previous answers, the Government does not provide core funding for BBC Monitoring which is a matter for the BBC. However, when specific pieces of work are commissioned by Government, they are fully funded.