Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens were detained in foreign jails at the end of September.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As of 30 September 2025, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was providing consular assistance to 1,834 British people detained overseas.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to encourage the international community to ensure that the forthcoming elections in Myanmar will be free and fair.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We continue to support the aspirations of the people of Myanmar for a peaceful, democratic future. Any meaningful election needs to be accompanied by an end to violence, a resumption of dialogue among all parties concerned, and it must also address the urgent need to allow access for humanitarian assistance, to end human rights violations, and reverse the collapse of public services. We will continue to engage international partners, including ASEAN and at the UN Security Council, on the challenges facing people in Myanmar.
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 the report on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, "Unspeakable Tragedy", published in June.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK strongly condemns the Myanmar military's use of airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and places of worship. On 13 May, the former Minister for Indo-Pacific called for all parties, particularly the Myanmar military, to refrain from airstrikes, safeguard civilians, and protect civilian infrastructure. Earlier this month, our Head of Mission in Yangon raised concerns over the use of airstrikes against civilians with the Myanmar military regime. Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Since the military coup in Myanmar, the UK has provided over £190 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and work to support civil society and local communities. In response to the earthquake in March 2025, we provided £25 million of life-saving support to those affected. We remain committed to supporting civil society, advocating for the release of those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and working with international partners for accountability. The UK has provided £900,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since 2021 and established the Myanmar Witness program to collect evidence of human rights violations.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will call for an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly to address Myanmar.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to lead efforts at the United Nations to keep Myanmar on the International agenda. In its penholder role, the UK convened six UN Security Council (UNSC) meetings in 2024, including the first open meeting in five years focused on the Rohingya. In 2025, three Council meetings have already been held, alongside a UNSC Joint Press Statement on the Myanmar earthquake. The UK has also co-sponsored multiple Human Rights Council resolutions, most recently in April 2025, condemning ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Myanmar about reported airstrikes in the Kachin and Karenni states, and whether they plan to sanction those responsible for atrocity crimes.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK strongly condemns the Myanmar military's use of airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and places of worship. On 13 May, the former Minister for Indo-Pacific called for all parties, particularly the Myanmar military, to refrain from airstrikes, safeguard civilians, and protect civilian infrastructure. Earlier this month, our Head of Mission in Yangon raised concerns over the use of airstrikes against civilians with the Myanmar military regime. Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Since the military coup in Myanmar, the UK has provided over £190 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and work to support civil society and local communities. In response to the earthquake in March 2025, we provided £25 million of life-saving support to those affected. We remain committed to supporting civil society, advocating for the release of those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and working with international partners for accountability. The UK has provided £900,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since 2021 and established the Myanmar Witness program to collect evidence of human rights violations.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to appoint a special envoy on arbitrary detentions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We are committed to strengthening our support for British Nationals overseas, and we will come forward with further details soon.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of advice issued by Historic England and the Twentieth Century Society relating to the listing of (1) the principal surviving buildings of the former Holborn Union Infirmary and Whittington Hospital at Archway, (2) Medlock Mill in Manchester, and (3) other buildings they have received advice on in the last year, and why they decided to go against this advice.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State is required to consult Historic England before deciding whether to designate a listed building. Decisions are informed by advice from Historic England and relevant representations from other interested parties, including the Twentieth Century Society, then made in accordance with the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and the Secretary of State’s Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings (2018). The Department takes decisions on whether or not to list based on the criteria of special architectural or historic interest.
The reasoning behind the decisions in cases where there is a departure from Historic England's recommendation is detailed in decision letters to Historic England. That reasoning is then shared by Historic England alongside their notifications to interested parties of the decisions made.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the preservation of buildings of historic interest remains a Government priority.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government remains committed to the preservation of buildings of historic interest.
For example, this year we announced nearly £20 million new capital funding to support heritage through the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund and Heritage Revival Fund, and over the last 12 months around 150 buildings were added to the National Heritage List for England.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to revising upwardly the 1850 cut-off date for listed buildings being subject to greater selection, as per the general principles of listing relating to age and rarity.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings set the criteria used to determine whether a building is of special architectural or historic interest. Currently, the Principles of Selection state that “from 1850 to 1945, because of the greatly increased number of buildings erected and the much larger numbers that have survived, progressively greater selection is necessary”. We do not currently have plans to revise this but continue to keep the Principles of Selection under review.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a gendered response to emergency aid given to those affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan and to ensure that no restrictions are applied to women helping the rescue effort in country.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The aftermath of the earthquake in Kunar Province in Afghanistan has been truly devastating and will have a disproportionate and lasting impact on women and girls. We have released £1 million in emergency funding to help our partners deliver critical healthcare and emergency supplies to the most vulnerable, with a significant focus on women and girls. We continue to monitor the situation and will make further allocations if necessary. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will also continue to advocate for unimpeded access for female aid workers in all our communications with the Taliban and partners.