Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the documentary by Channel 4 News and The Fuller Project A matter of life or death: giving birth in Sierra Leone, in particular its findings regarding the impact of cuts in UK humanitarian services on maternity services in Sierra Leone, and (2) the effects of Concern Worldwide’s decision to cease funding 27 clinics in Darfur due to aid cuts.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to improving health outcomes for women and children globally, including in Sierra Leone. Over the last decade, the UK has helped improve maternal and child health services, including those highlighted in the Channel 4 documentary. This has contributed significantly to a reduction in the maternal mortality ratio from 1,682 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to an estimated 354 in 2025. The UK continues to work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone and multilateral partners, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, GAVI and the Global Fund, to strengthen the delivery of national health services and to increase domestic funding.
The UK is committed to supporting the humanitarian response in Sudan, providing vital healthcare, nutrition, and water. This is why we are providing £146 million of support this financial year and will uphold this figure over the spending period. We have also more than doubled our funding to Sudan's local responders, who are able to provide life-saving aid to communities in the hardest to reach areas, including Darfur. We continue to use all diplomatic levers to secure unimpeded humanitarian access, security guarantees for aid workers and the end to all siege tactics which block the free movement of civilians and aid.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of funding they provided for the establishment and running of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) until it was closed in 2024; and what conversations they have had with their counterparts on how to continue using the evidence gathered by UNITAD to ensure justice for the Yazidis and other ethno-religious minorities targeted by Daesh.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK played a leading role in the establishment of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD) and remains committed to securing justice for survivors of Daesh crimes following UNITAD's closure. The UK paid its share of the UNITAD operating expenses on the UN budget. The UK continues to work with the Governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, alongside international partners, to help ensure that Daesh members are held accountable for the crimes they have committed. The UK also continues to support survivor-centred implementation of the Yazidi Survivors' Law (2021).
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the government of Cameroon about the case of journalist Tsi Conrad; and what response they received.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our High Commissioner regularly raises human rights with the Cameroonian authorities, including respect for media freedom. We have also called for an end to arbitrary detentions and encouraged the government to investigate reports of unfair treatment. The UK believes that all journalists, including Tsi Conrad, should be able to work without fear of arrest or detention.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any reports of border incursions and attacks at Nyaigamuda, Goloko, Pure, and Andejo in South Sudan; if so, what assessment they have made of those reports, and of whether any seizures of territory have been motivated by the presence of valuable minerals
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is aware of reports of clashes and cross-border incursions in Kajo-Keji County along the South Sudan-Uganda border. We are concerned by reports that the clashes have resulted in displacement and heightened tensions in local communities. The incidents appear to be linked to long-standing disputes over the poorly demarcated South Sudan-Uganda border, where similar clashes have occurred previously.
We continue to monitor the situation closely through our Embassies in Juba and Kampala, and encourage restraint and de-escalation by all parties.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Stockwood on 13 July (HL1372), when they will publish the findings of the responsible business conduct review.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The review has been completed and Government is considering its findings. We will publish the review and set out our plans soon.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the power to designate an entity involved in foreign power threat activity in accordance with the National Security Act 2023 differs from the power to proscribe an organisation in accordance with the Terrorism Act 2000; and what extra powers, if any, are available to them in respect of proscribed organisations that are unavailable in respect of designated entities.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Security (State Threats) Act 2026 provides a power for the Home Secretary to designate bodies involved in foreign power threat activity, where it is necessary to protect the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.
The designation power and its associated offences are modelled on terrorism proscription. However, the power to designate is fundamentally different to proscription under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the type of harm it addresses and given the different nature of state bodies and terrorist organisations.
This difference is reflected in the offences available under each regime. There is no membership offence in the new Act, reflecting the need to comply with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961.
The new support offence captures, activity where the person engaging in it does so for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK. This reflects the fact that there will be some cases where UK persons need to have legitimate dealings with a state entity. The ‘prohibited purpose’ test protects legitimate conduct without creating loopholes that can be exploited by hostile actors.
In addition, the designated body condition unlocks the offences and powers in the National Security Act 2023, allowing them to be used against designated bodies and those who support them. That means that those carrying out state threat activities such as espionage and sabotage for designated bodies will now feel the full force of the law, including sentences of up to life imprisonment.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify and prevent the importation of goods which have been made with forced labour.
Answered by Lord Stockwood
The Government is committed to tackling forced labour in UK and global supply chains. The UK has a range of measures in place to combat forced labour, including through the Modern Slavery Act, Procurement Act, Great British Energy Act, and NHS (Procurement, Slavery and Human Trafficking) Regulations. The Immigration and Asylum Bill further strengthens reporting requirements for modern slavery statements, extends obligations to the public sector, and introduces fines for non-compliance.
The Responsible Business Conduct review assessed the effectiveness of the current framework and options to strengthen and modernise it. The Government is considering the review’s findings and will set out its plans in due course.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report from Dr Laura Murphy, The Manifest Modernization Act: Enhancing Visibility Into Forced Labor Risks in U.S. Supply Chains, published on 8 December 2025, and of the benefits of publicly available manifest data for air, rail and road.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The Government is committed to rooting out forced labour, human rights abuses, exploitative environmental practices, bribery and corruption. These abhorrent practices have no place in UK supply chains or the global economy, and we recognise the importance of transparency and effective due diligence in identifying and addressing those risks. We also engage with our partners internationally on these issues, including the United States.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to let British National Overseas passport holders use e-Passport Gates at UK airports.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps eGate eligibility under review to ensure we are balancing border security and passenger flow. We have recently passed legislation to lower the eGate eligible age from 10 to 8 years old for those nationals who can currently use eGates to enter the UK.
We are continuing to explore options to increase the use of automation and eGates at the UK border, including to British National (Overseas) passport holders.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they hold shipping manifest data; and if so, why they do not publish that data.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office receives shipping manifest data from parts of the maritime sector. However, coverage is not universal, and the use of such data is governed by legal and operational requirements.
The Government recognises the importance of tackling forced labour in supply chains. However, shipping manifest data may contain personal information protected under data protection legislation, as well as commercially sensitive information. There are currently no plans to publish detailed shipping manifest data.
Home Office does not routinely assess whether goods entering the UK may have been produced using forced labour. However, Home Office works closely with law enforcement and other government partners to share intelligence and support compliance activity where relevant information is identified.