Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ring-fence enhanced amounts of aid for survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government's determination to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) around the world is resolute. Through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) the UK is committed to driving international action to support survivors, bring the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice, and end impunity.
The PSVI Programme has a £3.85 million budget for financial year 25/26 and allocations for future years will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the amount of aid for survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government's determination to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) around the world is resolute. Through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) the UK is committed to driving international action to support survivors, bring the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice, and end impunity.
The PSVI Programme has a £3.85 million budget for financial year 25/26 and allocations for future years will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much humanitarian aid they delivered to Gaza in November and December 2025.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 24 November in response to Question HL11823.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with representatives of Somaliland in London in the last 12 months.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly engages with the Somali authorities, political parties and civil society, as well as the Somaliland Office in London.
Decisions on Israeli diplomatic recognition are a matter for the Government of Israel. The Foreign Secretary has had no specific discussions with her Israeli counterpart on this subject.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on their diplomatic recognition of Somaliland.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly engages with the Somali authorities, political parties and civil society, as well as the Somaliland Office in London.
Decisions on Israeli diplomatic recognition are a matter for the Government of Israel. The Foreign Secretary has had no specific discussions with her Israeli counterpart on this subject.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, RSF Systematic Mass Killings and Body Disposal in El-Fasher, North Darfur 26 October – 28 November 2025, published on 16 December.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The report referenced by the Noble Baroness has been reviewed as part of our ongoing work to monitor credible information regarding atrocities in Sudan, and take action accordingly.
On 12 December, I wrote to Parliament to outline that the UK would be sanctioning four senior Rapid Support Forces commanders suspected of atrocities.
On further steps the UK has taken to protect civilians and seek accountability for atrocities committed in Sudan, I refer the Noble Baroness to my statement to the House during the Debate on Sudan on 27 November 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what atrocity prevention measures they are taking in Sudan, in particular in Darfur, in accordance with the undertaking to prevent genocide in Article 1 of the Genocide Convention.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The report referenced by the Noble Baroness has been reviewed as part of our ongoing work to monitor credible information regarding atrocities in Sudan, and take action accordingly.
On 12 December, I wrote to Parliament to outline that the UK would be sanctioning four senior Rapid Support Forces commanders suspected of atrocities.
On further steps the UK has taken to protect civilians and seek accountability for atrocities committed in Sudan, I refer the Noble Baroness to my statement to the House during the Debate on Sudan on 27 November 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - 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 29 December 2025 (HL12894), what specific plans they have, if any, to develop the work of the network of Women Mediators Across the Commonwealth in 2026.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We remain committed to UK leadership in defending and driving forward the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, including through our role as penholder on UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The UK's WPS National Action Plan sets out the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's commitment to improving women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in political dialogue and peace processes.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent registration measures by the government of Israel on the ability of international non-governmental organisations to deliver humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Lord Bishop to the statement I made to the House on 7 January.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are supporting the international efforts to demand the halt of executions of women in Iran, including the representation signed by over 400 prominent women on 23 December 2025.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstance as a matter of principle. We continue to play an integral role in the delivery of the UN Third Committee and have repeatedly called on Iran to establish an immediate moratorium on executions, including at the Committee's annual resolution in November 2025. The resolution condemned Iran's application of the death penalty, which is in violation of its international obligations, including executions undertaken against persons on the basis of forced confessions and without fair trial and due process. We will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran to account for its continued human rights violations.