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 support was agreed with his Bahraini counterpart for the future Royal Navy presence at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain during the UK Bahrain Strategic Dialogue on 24 November 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At the UK-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue on 24 November, the UK thanked Bahrain for hosting our regional naval base, and there was mutual reference to the importance of our continuing cooperation on maritime security. The UK signed an updated Defence Cooperation Agreement with Bahrain in the summer of 2025, and at the same time completed accession to the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, becoming the third party to this agreement with the US and Bahrain.
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 impact of de-proscribing Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on the UK's foreign policy objectives in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to my statement on gov.uk marking the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime and the written ministerial statement to both Houses on 22 October, which can be found respectively at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/minister-falconer-article-on-syria-anniversary-december-2025 and https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-10-22/hcws977
These set out, respectively, the UK's support for the efforts of the new Syrian government to build a more stable, inclusive and representative country and the decision that the Government came to on de-proscription.
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 he has made of the effect of British Council office closures in Europe and North America on cultural and educational cooperation with the UK.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 906060.
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 she has made an estimate of the level of additional funding needed to maintain British Council operations in all current locations.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 906060.
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 her Department plans to restore British Council funding to pre-pandemic levels.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 906060.
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 her Department is taking to prevent the closure of British Council offices.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 906060.
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 she has made of the impact of reductions in British Council funding on the UK’s global soft power.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 28 October to Question 906060.
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, if she has made an assessment of the legality of the proposed changes to business licence legislation within the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I met Premier Misick of the Turks and Caicos Islands at the recent Joint Ministerial Council (JMC). Total trade between the UK and the Overseas Territories is worth around £17 billion annually, supported by tariff-free access to the UK for Overseas Territory exporters. The JMC included sessions with British Expertise International, UK Export Finance and a business engagement and networking event with UK companies. Supporting economic growth and diversification is a key UK Government priority.
Business licensing is a devolved matter for the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
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 she is taking to support the economic stability and continued growth of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I met Premier Misick of the Turks and Caicos Islands at the recent Joint Ministerial Council (JMC). Total trade between the UK and the Overseas Territories is worth around £17 billion annually, supported by tariff-free access to the UK for Overseas Territory exporters. The JMC included sessions with British Expertise International, UK Export Finance and a business engagement and networking event with UK companies. Supporting economic growth and diversification is a key UK Government priority.
Business licensing is a devolved matter for the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
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 she has made of February 2025 changes to the licencing of real estate brokers within Turks and Caicos; and whether she has recently consulted with industry representatives.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I met Premier Misick of the Turks and Caicos Islands at the recent Joint Ministerial Council (JMC). Total trade between the UK and the Overseas Territories is worth around £17 billion annually, supported by tariff-free access to the UK for Overseas Territory exporters. The JMC included sessions with British Expertise International, UK Export Finance and a business engagement and networking event with UK companies. Supporting economic growth and diversification is a key UK Government priority.
Business licensing is a devolved matter for the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.