Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the extensive damage in Sri Lanka from torrential rain and a cyclone, what consideration they have given to providing extra and urgent practical support.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the topical statement made by the Foreign Secretary in departmental oral questions on 2 December, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
"May I send my condolences and those of the Government to all those who have lost loved ones in the deadly storms in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam? Many have lost homes and livelihoods. I praise the emergency responders who have worked tirelessly and are committed to helping those affected, often at great personal risk.
"In response to requests for support that we have already received, the UK is providing £1,000,000 to address immediate humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka and has contributed £800,000 in response to the multiple typhoons that have struck Vietnam. The UK is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide further support as needed."
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the UK Special Representative to Sudan has met representatives of the Sudanese diaspora in Uganda, Kenya, Chad, Egypt and the UK since September 2024, and who he met as part of any such meetings.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 8 December to his previous question, HL12222, where I outlined the wide-ranging nature of our Special Representative for Sudan's engagements with civil society and diaspora across the region and in the UK. These meetings are necessarily confidential.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have held with the government of India regarding the judgment of the Supreme Court of India in the case of Lieutenant Samuel Kamalesan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 17 November to Question HL10967.
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, with reference to the National Security Strategy of the United States of America, published on 5 December 2025, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the US declaration that where necessary the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy will be used to combat cartels on intelligence sharing.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on 3 December.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will have discussions with her United States counterpart on the impact of US military action against drug cartels off Latin America since September 2025 on trans-Atlantic illegal drug smuggling.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on 3 December.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 help rescue Melanie Watters and Janine Reid in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
My officials were in direct contact with Ms Watters and Ms Reid and worked with the local authorities in Sri Lanka who evacuated them from the affected area they were staying. They have now departed from Sri Lanka. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works tirelessly to support British nationals in distress overseas. We prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our citizens, and our consular teams are available 24/7 to provide advice and assistance.
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, with reference to Q260 of the oral evidence given by her Department's Permanent Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 3 November 2025, HC385, if he will publish Lord Mandelson’s form.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As explained in the response to Question 91401 on 25 November, it has not been the policy under any government to publish the employment forms relating to individual members of staff.
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 her Department is taking to help ensure access of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to conduct an investigation in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have expressed our concern over reports of the use of Chemical Weapons in Sudan, most recently at the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention held in The Hague from 24-28 November. We note that the Sudanese authorities in Port Sudan have established a national investigative committee to investigate reported use of chemical weapons. We have urged them to investigate fully and promptly.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has drafted a response to the ICJ opinion of 22 October 2025 entitled Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The purpose of the Advisory Opinion is to inform the work of the UN General Assembly, and as such there is no requirement for the UK to draft a response. Since this Government came to office, we have been very clear that Israel has an obligation under International Humanitarian Law to ensure the provision of aid in Gaza and that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has a critical role in delivering the humanitarian response. This was reflected in our oral statement to the Court on 1 May. The Court's Advisory Opinion confirms that view. As the Foreign Secretary said on 2 December, we continue to urge the opening of all crossings and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of Iranian state and proxy support for (a) Hamas and (b) other armed groups operating in Gaza and across the region; and what diplomatic or sanctions measures the UK is considering in response.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran continues to destabilise the region through political, financial and military support for its proxies and partners - in direct contravention of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions. We will continue to work alongside international partners to hold Iran to account for this escalatory behaviour and call on Iran to cease this activity. The UK has to date sanctioned over 450 Iran-linked individuals and entities. We do not comment on prospective sanctions as to do so would risk reducing their impact.