Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking in response to the deaths, injuries, arrests and incarcerations during the protests in Iran, including sanctions, travel bans and initiating investigations into potential international crimes.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to Baroness Chapman's oral repeat of the Foreign Secretary's statement on 15 January.
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 the attacks on a hospital in Ilam, Iran, and the reports that tear gas was used to abduct wounded protestors.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to Baroness Chapman's oral repeat of the Foreign Secretary's statement on 15 January.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 5 January (HL13210), whether in the past 20 years they have undertaken a study of the merits of the UK joining the European Development Bank; if so (1) when this was, and (2) whether a report of the study was laid before Parliament; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
There is no record of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office having undertaken a formal study of the potential merits of membership of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB). The government keeps the potential membership of various international organisations under periodic review but our current position on the CEB remains as set out in our previous responses.
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, what representations her Department has made to the Chinese government on the detention and forcible disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities.
We remain committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally. We continue to work with partners and in multilateral fora to end arbitrary detention, to advocate for those who have been arbitrarily detained to be released, and to demand accountability. We call on all states that engage in the practice of politically motivated detention and enforced disappearance to respect their international obligations and commitments.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, at what monetary thresholds do exit payments to departing Ambassadors or Heads of Mission need to be approved by (a) the Accounting Officer and Permanent Secretary of FCDO and (b) the Chief Secretary to the Treasury; and whether they need to be published by name of the civil servant in departmental accounts.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The guidance governing the approval of such payments is publicly available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-exit-payments-guidance-on-special-severance-payments.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow 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 16 January 2026 to Question 98592, which independent organisation has been contracted to conduct the audit of Palestinian Authority curriculum reform.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 20 January 2026 to Question 104985.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking, bilaterally and with international partners, in response to reports of arbitrary detention, torture and executions of protesters in Iran; and whether she plans to make further designations under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 in relation to individuals responsible.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 13 January, and her responses to the questions raised in that debate.
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, whether she has contingency plans to support individuals fleeing conflict in the event of military intervention in Iran by the United States.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 13 January, setting out our latest assessment of the position in Iran. We will inform the House of any further updates in that assessment in due course, including on the issues that she mentions.
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, how the department has been working with the UK’s international allies to support pro-democracy protestors in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 13 January, setting out our latest assessment of the position in Iran. We will inform the House of any further updates in that assessment in due course, including on the issues that she mentions.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the speech entitled Foreign Secretary's speech to the British Chamber of Commerce, published on 20 March 2025, what (a) programme of domestic roadshows and (b) Lancaster House Business Engagement Series events (i) took place in 2025 and (ii) are planned for 2026.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has a critical role in delivering the Government's Growth Mission internationally. Heads of Mission in 41 markets are using Strategic Economic Growth Plans to identify opportunities for business and attract inward investment. In 2025, the FCDO hosted a UK-ASEAN Business Forum under the Lancaster House Business Engagement Series and delivered 23 Heads of Mission Roadshows across the UK, with further activity being developed for this year. We will provide further updates on the proposed Diplomatic Business Placement Programme in the normal way in due course.