Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of attacks and sexual violence against the Kurds in North East Syria; and what discussions they have held with the governments of Turkey and Syria about these attacks.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to my written ministerial statement HLWS1285, made on 28 January.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the new government of Syria regarding the protection and political inclusion of the Kurds and other minorities in the new government.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to my written ministerial statement HLWS1285, made on 28 January.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their latest assessment is of the political situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains deeply concerned about the evolving situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. We speak to all parties on a regular basis, and we continue to support efforts to implement the African Union-led Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, including through funding for monitoring and compliance mechanisms, and the safe, voluntary and dignified returns of Internally Displaced Peoples.
However, implementation of that agreement remains slow, and preparations for the national elections scheduled for 1 June have been hampered by disagreements over security assessments and the registration status of the Tigray People's Liberation Front. In the last week of January, clashes between Tigrayan Forces and the Ethiopian National Defence Forces occurred in the disputed areas of Western and Southern Tigray. While these appear to have subsided, they contribute to a highly fragile and unpredictable security environment.
The Foreign Secretary raised these issues with the Government of Ethiopia during her recent visit to Addis Ababa.
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 representations her Department has made to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their proxies about the registration of international non-governmental organisation activity in Darfur, Sudan, and ensuring humanitarian access.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided by the Foreign Secretary to her question during Topical Questions on 20 January. The UK continues to use all diplomatic channels to maintain pressure on the warring parties to allow unrestricted humanitarian access. The UK Special Representative to Sudan regularly engages with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and regional partners, making clear the UK's demands for urgent humanitarian relief, a civilian-led transition, and adherence to international law.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make a statement on the recent ministerial visit to Yemen.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I updated the House on my visit to Yemen in November in my oral statement on 5 January, and my responses to oral questions on 20 January.
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, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress work on a draft bill on Antarctic Activities and Environmental Protection Law on British sovereign interests in the Antarctic.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All Antarctic Treaty Parties have a responsibility to ensure their activities in Antarctica are undertaken in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty and its Environmental Protocol.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Resilience and Reconstruction entitled Disinformation, UK Democracy, and Attitudes toward Ukraine & Russia in the UK, published on January 2026; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of social media platform algorithms on the spread of misleading or hostile state-aligned narratives in relation to (a) the war in Ukraine and (b) other matters.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 January to Question 105450. As concerns the algorithms of social media platforms, the Online Safety Act gives Ofcom the power to request information on their design, including as this relates to allegations of illegal mis- and disinformation.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 the transfer of Diego Garcia to Mauritius on the risk of nuclear proliferation across the African continent, in the context of the influences of (a) Iran, (b) Russia, (c) China and (d) other actors.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 September 2025 in response to Question 70432.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what reassurance they have had from the government of Mauritius in relation to its capabilities to prevent illegal fishing in the Chagos Islands marine protected area since July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given in the House of Commons on 21 November 2025 to Question 90684, which is reproduced below for ease of reference:
We welcome the 3 November announcement by the Mauritian government confirming plans for the establishment of a Marine Protected Area after entry into force of the Treaty. The proposed zones of the future protected area will utilise the internationally recognised categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
There will be no commercial fishing across the entire 640,000 square kilometre area. The Great Chagos Bank will be given one of the highest levels of protection, with the rest of the Marine Protected Area categorised as a highly protected conservation zone. There will be limited provision for controlled levels of artisanal fishing in confined zoned areas intended for resettlement, to allow for subsistence fishing by any Chagossian communities that resettle, while maintaining the commitment to nature conservation.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what commitments they have had from the government of Mauritius since July 2024 in relation to the conservation of the marine environment of the Chagos Islands marine protected area.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given in the House of Commons on 21 November 2025 to Question 90684, which is reproduced below for ease of reference:
We welcome the 3 November announcement by the Mauritian government confirming plans for the establishment of a Marine Protected Area after entry into force of the Treaty. The proposed zones of the future protected area will utilise the internationally recognised categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
There will be no commercial fishing across the entire 640,000 square kilometre area. The Great Chagos Bank will be given one of the highest levels of protection, with the rest of the Marine Protected Area categorised as a highly protected conservation zone. There will be limited provision for controlled levels of artisanal fishing in confined zoned areas intended for resettlement, to allow for subsistence fishing by any Chagossian communities that resettle, while maintaining the commitment to nature conservation.