Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to Reza Pahlavi on the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has already spoken to his Israeli, American, and Iranian counterparts and will continue to call for restraint and for all parties to step back. Now is the time for restrain, calm and a return to diplomacy. Our priority is stability in the Middle East. We are clear that a widening of this conflict is in nobody's interests, and that immediate de-escalation is vital for both regional stability and global security.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the British Overseas Territories to enforce sanctions against Venezuela.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 10 January, the UK sanctioned 15 new individuals associated with Maduro's contested regime responsible for undermining democracy and committing serious human rights violations. The UK and Overseas Territories Governments work closely to apply UK sanctions across the Territories. The UK Government has been providing technical support to teams across the Overseas Territory Governments to build capability and to strengthen sanctions enforcement.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote (a) digital connectivity and (b) internet access in (i) small island development states and (ii) other nations in the Commonwealth.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office supports the inclusive, responsible, and sustainable digital transformation of partner countries.
Our Digital Development Strategy 2024-2030 aims to support last-mile connectivity, to help close the digital divide in a world where 2.6 billion people are still offline.
Through our Digital Access Programme, we catalyse sustainable, scalable technology and business models that enhance access to inclusive and affordable Internet connectivity.
We work with telecoms regulators in developing countries, facilitating peer learning with Ofcom, and sharing approaches to spectrum management that enable internet service providers to serve remote low-income areas.
To drive safe and productive use of digital connectivity, we support digital skills and cyber-hygiene awareness, with a focus on underserved communities and marginalised groups, for example women and persons living with disabilities.
The Digital Access Programme has sustainably improved the digital inclusion of over 15 million people, within 5,000 communities across 5 countries, including 3 Commonwealth members: Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
In Indonesia, we supported 'community networks' that use local recyclable materials and renewable energy for local internet infrastructure; and we're sharing this knowledge through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific.
Working with the Commonwealth Telecoms Organisation we are engaging with its 33 member states (including SIDS) to support policies, strategies, and regulations that create a conducive environment for inclusive connectivity and affordable digital access.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 58607 on Saint Helena: Politics and Government, how many of those constitutions include a provision for special responsibility for finance being vested in the Governor; and for what reason such wording is retained in the Constitution of Saint Helena in the context of its ministerial system of government.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Each Overseas Territory's constitution is unique. In relation to the 2021 amendment to the Constitution of Saint Helena, the Governor, in concert with the Legislative Council, commissioned an independent review of governance arrangements by the Westminster Foundation of Democracy. The findings are now with the Legislative Council for consideration and to determine if further constitutional amendment is required.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK-EU Summit - Common Understanding, published on 19 May 2025, whether he plans to incorporate the proposed security and defence partnership with the EU into the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on UK compliance with EU (a) foreign and (b) defence policy in the context of trade restrictions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A broad and ambitious Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) was adopted at the UK - EU Summit on the 19 May, stemming from a shared commitment to safeguard European security and support Ukraine. There are no plans to bring the SDP under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department defines the Chagossian people as a distinct racial group of shared ethnic and cultural origin who are entitled to (a) recognition, (b) consideration and (c) treatment as such.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government provides a range of support to people who were born on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) / Chagos Archipelago and their descendants. The government has also maintained the current route to British citizenship for Chagossians until it expires in 23 Nov 2027.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it his Departments policy to permit the Chagossian people a say over their self-determination.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
These negotiations were necessarily between the UK and Mauritius. We continue to engage with Chagossian communities. The Foreign Secretary and I met groups on 22 May 2025.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on their offer to host a UK technical delegation to assess migration and border control improvements.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean has discussed migration and border control issues with her Colombian counterparts, including the potential for a technical visit from the UK to Colombia. We also regularly engage on these issues with the Colombian Government through our Embassy in Bogotá. Tackling irregular migration into the UK remains our top priority. The UK Government keeps its visa and immigration system under constant review given our commitment to border security.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50072 on Syria: Druze, what assurances his Department have received from the Syrian Government on the protection of the Druze minorities.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have been clear that violence earlier this year against Syria's diverse communities, including the Druze, was appalling. In our engagement with the Syrian government we emphasise that the protection of all Syrians and their full inclusion in the transition process is vital for peace in Syria. There has been some positive progress, including a commitment made in the Constitutional Declaration to the protection of freedom of religion and belief. We will continue to judge the Syrian Government by its actions.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proscription of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on UK relations with the Syrian Government.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As both the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary have said, the fact that Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a proscribed terrorist group does not prevent the UK from engaging with it nor the Syrian government that includes HTS. We continue to engage the Syrian government because we want to promote stability in Syria, which is in the UK's interests, including through protection of human rights, unfettered access for humanitarian aid, safe destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles, and combatting of terrorism and extremism.