Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the humanitarian situation in northern Ethiopia, including the Tigray region; what estimate she has made of the number of internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations currently experiencing acute food insecurity; what steps her Department is taking to provide emergency food, nutrition, and medical assistance; and what steps she is taking to coordinate UK support with the World Food Programme, other UN agencies, and international partners to alleviate hunger in the region.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The ongoing conflict in Amhara has led to significant humanitarian needs, and widespread conflict-related human rights violations and abuses. In Tigray, there are an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
UK Official Development Assistance to Ethiopia in 2025/26 is £172.7 million, of which £95.5 million has been used to provide lifesaving humanitarian aid, focused on emergency health, nutrition, and social protection implemented by a combination of UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the Red Cross.
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 assessment her Department has made of the resilience of UK diplomatic missions’ digital infrastructure against state-sponsored cyber threats.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) maintains a clear and comprehensive strategy to address cyber and information security threats across the global network and continues to deliver an ongoing programme to strengthen resilience and safeguard critical assets. The FCDO's approach aligns with National Cyber Security Centre best practice and includes regular assessments to ensure resilience amid a continuously evolving business, digital and threat landscape.
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, whether her Department has had discussions with Commonwealth partners on strengthening trade resilience amid global supply chain disruptions.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
These issues were discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit (CHOGM) in Samoa in October 2024. Economic resilience is a key area of focus in the Commonwealth Strategic Plan for 2025 - 2030. Since CHOGM we have continued to discuss these issues in international and multilateral fora, and in bilateral conversations with our Commonwealth partners.
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 steps her Department is taking to support persecuted minorities in Bangladesh.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November 2025 in response to Question 86282, and I would add that Baroness Chapman raised the issue of violence towards religious minority groups during her trip to Bangladesh later that month.
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 steps are being undertaken to promote UK investment in critical minerals and other resources outside of regions where forced labour is a significant risk, such as Xinjiang.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the UK's Critical Minerals Strategy, we are working through bilateral and multilateral initiatives to promote transparent, sustainable, and responsible supply chains that uphold robust labour standards.
Last year the UK worked with multilateral partners to agree the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan, and G20 Critical Minerals Framework. We support global standards such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains which helps businesses operate responsibly in high-risk areas.
In addition, the Modern Slavery Act requires large businesses operating in the UK to report annually on steps taken to combat forced labour in their supply chains, and the Government is reviewing its approach to responsible business conduct as part of the Trade Strategy. This includes assessing the effectiveness of current measures and exploring alternative ways to prevent human rights abuses in supply chains.
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, whether he is taking steps to ensure that bilateral and multilateral mineral-security initiatives signed by the United Kingdom include binding anti-forced-labour standards.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the UK's Critical Minerals Strategy, we are working through bilateral and multilateral initiatives to promote transparent, sustainable, and responsible supply chains that uphold robust labour standards.
Last year the UK worked with multilateral partners to agree the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan, and G20 Critical Minerals Framework. We support global standards such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains which helps businesses operate responsibly in high-risk areas.
In addition, the Modern Slavery Act requires large businesses operating in the UK to report annually on steps taken to combat forced labour in their supply chains, and the Government is reviewing its approach to responsible business conduct as part of the Trade Strategy. This includes assessing the effectiveness of current measures and exploring alternative ways to prevent human rights abuses in supply chains.
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 support her Department is providing to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for the proposed airport expansion in Providenciales.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to expanding economic cooperation with the Overseas Territories, recognising the importance of sustainable economic prosperity to the whole UK family. The 2025 Joint Ministerial Council included discussions with UK Export Finance regarding their infrastructure offer and credit finance opportunities in the UK, as well as a business engagement session involving UK companies with infrastructure expertise, including airports.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) residential and (b) commercial properties in London are owned by the People's Republic of China.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government does not control the purchase of private property within the United Kingdom, and keeps no central record of purchases made on behalf of individual nation states.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) residential and (b) commercial properties in the UK are owned by the Chinese state.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government does not control the purchase of private property within the United Kingdom, and keeps no central record of purchases made on behalf of individual nation states.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to stop goods produced in illegal settlements in the West Bank from entering the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I provided on 15 October 2025 in response to Question 77510.