Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent reports of kidnappings of Christians, including a Baptist minister and Catholic priests, in Cameroon and Nigeria.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK strongly condemns the kidnappings affecting Christian communities in both Cameroon and Nigeria, including schools and churches. Everyone should be safe to exercise their fundamental human rights to education and freedom of worship. The UK is continuing to work with both countries to tackle kidnapping and address the root causes of violence.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to UK citizens travelling to Benue State in Nigeria.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 3 November to Question 85661, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
Nigeria is witnessing rising conflict and insecurity, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence. Violence in Nigeria's North-East is driven by terrorist groups including Boko Haram, who target all those who do not subscribe to their extremist views. These attacks are distinct from the intercommunal violence across Nigeria's Middle Belt. The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to address these challenges by working with Nigeria's security forces, and through peacebuilding efforts to tackle the root causes of violence. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are supporting Nigeria to tackle insecurity and promote human rights. This includes facilitating civil-military cooperation within North-East communities and utilising UK experience to strengthen the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC). Additionally, the UK's Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme ('SPRING') works to address the root causes of intercommunal violence across Nigeria's Middle Belt, through collaboration with local communities to support productive livelihoods for both farmers and pastoralists.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent attacks by militant groups on Christians in Benue State in Nigeria.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 3 November to Question 85661, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
Nigeria is witnessing rising conflict and insecurity, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence. Violence in Nigeria's North-East is driven by terrorist groups including Boko Haram, who target all those who do not subscribe to their extremist views. These attacks are distinct from the intercommunal violence across Nigeria's Middle Belt. The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to address these challenges by working with Nigeria's security forces, and through peacebuilding efforts to tackle the root causes of violence. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are supporting Nigeria to tackle insecurity and promote human rights. This includes facilitating civil-military cooperation within North-East communities and utilising UK experience to strengthen the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC). Additionally, the UK's Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme ('SPRING') works to address the root causes of intercommunal violence across Nigeria's Middle Belt, through collaboration with local communities to support productive livelihoods for both farmers and pastoralists.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop (1) cultural, and (2) trade, links with Tunisia.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK and Tunisia share ambitions to build the bilateral relationship across trade, culture and other areas. Bilateral trade is currently £753 million (Q4 2024) an increase of 8.7 per cent from Q4 2023. There are UK-Tunisia cooperation opportunities in sectors such as agri-food and technology, particularly fintech. The UK will welcome a Tunisian delegation and ten Tunisian tech startups to London Tech Week 2025, bringing together innovators and investors.
Through the British Council's work, the UK supports a growing number of Tunisian artists, arts organisations and civil service organisations to benefit from UK partnerships. Recent collaborations include festival partnerships, youth training and capacity building, and cultural heritage preservation.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Tunisia about the security situation in the southern Mediterranean littoral.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK and Tunisia enjoy a long, enduring and positive defence and security relationship. The UK continues to support the modernisation of the Tunisian military both bilaterally and multilaterally through the delivery of an ambitious NATO Defence Capacity Building package to Tunisia as a Mediterranean Dialogue country and key partner in NATO's southern neighbourhood. During the Defence Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa's (DSAME) visit to Tunisia, discussions were held around strengthening cooperation moving forwards and other areas of common interest.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the religious freedoms in Egypt of (1) Copts, and (2) Roman Catholics.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Egyptian Government has stated a firm commitment to protect the rights of Coptic Christians and Roman Catholics and their freedom of worship, and protections for freedom of religion are enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. There have been positive steps in recent years, including President Sisi's public commitments to uphold minority rights and freedom of religion or belief. The UK champions freedom of religion or belief for all and will continue to make clear to the Egyptian authorities the importance we attach to these issues. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's ability to supply electricity generators to the Ukraine before the winter.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, the UK has committed almost £370 million in grant, in-kind support and loan guarantees to help Ukraine respond to and recover from Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. This includes £20 million for emergency energy needs, announced by the Foreign Secretary during his visit to Ukraine in September.
The UK has donated £64 million to the Energy Community Secretariat's Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which coordinates donations of energy equipment, including electricity generators, in response to Government of Ukraine requests. All donations reflect verified, prioritised needs reported by the Government of Ukraine and draw on international supply chains.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the needs of the energy sector in Ukraine as a result of damage to energy infrastructure by conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Since March 2024 alone, Ukraine has lost over 50 percent of its power generation due to a string of Russian attacks on energy generation facilities. Over the upcoming heating season, Russian attacks and low temperatures risk making access to power, water and heating intermittent, aggravating the humanitarian situation on the ground.
The UK has been working closely with Ukrainian officials and international donors to fund repairs and provide back-up power generation during the colder months, while also supporting humanitarian efforts to ensure that civilians have access to warming points and collective centres are equipped with generators.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of UK citizens seeking to worship in Christian churches and Jewish synagogues in Turkey.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The FCDO routinely updates our travel advice, which provides guidance for British nationals on staying safe abroad, including in Turkey. Our travel advice notes that no travel can be guaranteed safe and in Turkey terrorists may target places visited by foreigners, including places of worship. The UK stands with Turkey against terrorism, and we welcome the Turkish authorities' swift response to security threats, such as the fatal shooting which took place at Santa Maria Church in Istanbul on 28 January. We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Christians and Jews.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much financial aid the United Kingdom has provided to Tunisia in each of the past five years, and on what it was spent.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK does not provide direct financial aid to Tunisia. We provide bilateral Overseas Development Aid (ODA) through Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) to support development projects in areas including economic development, gender equality, education, and marginalised regions in Tunisia. In 2023-24, the CSSF programme totalled £2 million. Over the past five years, the total cumulative ODA spend through CSSF is £32 million.