Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners about the current operation and relevance of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government discusses the international protection system regularly with international partners. As indicated previously, in the answer of 7 July 2026 to Question HL1510, the former Foreign Secretary met the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on 16 June 2026, where they discussed the importance of maintaining an effective international protection system, while also addressing abuse of asylum systems and maintaining public confidence. The Government continues to engage the UN Refugee Agency, refugee-hosting countries and like-minded partners on the continued relevance of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assistance is being provided to crown dependencies in the Caribbean region.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no crown dependencies in the Caribbean region.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether discussions are ongoing with the government of Mauritius over the future of the Chagos Islands.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to engage with Mauritius on issues related to the UK-Mauritius Chagos Treaty.  We do not intend to provide a running commentary on these conversations.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what entry requirements apply to UK citizens travelling to Gibraltar and who will inspect any documents.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Lord to the FCDO travel advice for Gibraltar: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/gibraltar/entry-requirements UK citizens entering Gibraltar must have a passport issued within the previous 10 years and valid for at least 3 months after they depart either Gibraltar or the Schengen Area. They can spend up to 90 days in Gibraltar without a visa. This period will count towards the 90-day limit in any 180-day period for time spent in the Schengen Area. On arriving at the airport, they undergo two checks: Gibraltar immigration controls performed by the Gibraltar authorities, and Schengen immigration controls performed by the Spanish authorities.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK diplomats are accredited to (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many diplomats from (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran, are accredited in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statements by the President of the United States of America regarding the status of Greenland.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
I refer the Noble Lord to the responses I gave to the House in response to oral questions on 8 January, Official Report, vol. 851, cols. 1317-1320.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term consequences of the recent storm damage in Jamaica; and what plans they have to offer long-term financial support and other contributions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
I refer the Noble Lord to my statement to the House on 4 November 2025, UIN HLWS1016. The UK will continue working with Jamaica and Caribbean partners on disaster preparedness and climate resilience to deliver long-term recovery projects, including sustainable infrastructure, and to advocate internationally for increased climate finance for vulnerable states, especially Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had, or are currently holding, discussions with allies about reviewing the terms of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The Government keeps all aspects of the asylum and immigration system under review, and set out its plans for reform of that system in the Immigration White paper, published in May 2025.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the involvement of North Korea in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Russia's increasing reliance on support from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to help wage its illegal invasion of Ukraine demonstrates its underlying weakness. As we have said publicly, the DPRK is believed to have supplied hundreds of ballistic missiles and 20,000 containers of munitions to Russia. This includes millions of artillery and mortar rounds, accounting for around half of those Russia has fired against Ukraine. In addition the DPRK deployed approximately 11,000 combat troops to the Russian oblast of Kursk, sustaining 6000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukraine according to our latest estimates.