Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Niger concerning the recent abduction of American missionary Kevin Rideout; and what diplomatic steps are they taking to secure his release.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Kevin Rideout is a US national so the response to his abduction is being led by the US. We have updated our Niger Travel Advice page to highlight the risk of kidnapping throughout Niger, including Niamey.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what quantity of humanitarian aid entered Gaza in each of the past six months.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Quantifying how much aid has entered into Gaza is difficult, due to the complex operating environment and limited real-time data, as well as Israel's restrictions on humanitarian workers and monitors. All allocations from the UK's Humanitarian Programme are available publicly on the Development Tracker website.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid are open.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Border crossing access remains limited and only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings are currently operational. The UK continues to put pressure on Israel at official and ministerial levels to open all border crossings, and allow the unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of plans for Mauritius to join China's belt and road initiative.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answers provided on 16 June to Question HL7997, and on 3 July to Question HL8281.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Hamas fighters they estimate have been killed since 7 October 2023; and what they estimate is the current size of their military force following likely recent recruitment.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not produce estimates on these figures.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 ensure that the results-based target for improving nutrition for women and children is measurable and time-bound.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 November to Question 89032.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 the Child Nutrition Fund to ensure safe and nutritious diets are accessible to more women and children.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 November to Question 89032.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much she has (a) committed and (b) disbursed to the Child Nutrition Fund.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 November to Question 89032.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan concerning blasphemy charges against Rasheed Masih; and what steps they are taking to ensure his release.
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 12 June in response to Question 58220, which I have reproduced below for ease of reference:
The UK Government remains deeply concerned by the use of blasphemy laws to undermine human rights in Pakistan. We regularly raise this issue at the highest levels - pressing for due process to prevent wrongful convictions and ensure fair trials for those accused. In March 2025, the Minister for the Middle East raised the heated discourse around blasphemy with Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior. Lord Khan of Burnley raised the misuse of blasphemy laws when he met Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs in April 2025. We are not prepared to discuss the detail of individual cases where to do so could put individuals and their families at risk.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Iran about the resentencing of Anisa Fanaian, and what steps they are taking to ensure her release.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Further to the answer provided on 7 March to Question HL5221, we are concerned by Anisa Fanaian's case and we continue to monitor the situation for Baha'is in Iran.