Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has taken in the context of deaths among (a) political and (b) religious prisoners in Nicaragua.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned about the relentless deterioration of human rights in Nicaragua, including reports of the deaths of political and religious prisoners. We continue to raise concerns over arbitrary detentions and restrictions on freedom of religion, including at the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February, and at the Organisation of the American States General Assembly on 25 June. We will continue to urge the Nicaraguan authorities to restore democratic freedoms through our engagements in-country and with their Embassy.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publication of the animal welfare strategy.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require that any confidentiality clause within an (a) employment and (b) settlement agreement (i) cannot be (A) requested and (B) required by an employer and (ii) may only be included at the request of the complainant.
Answered by Justin Madders
Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination.
The Government intends to consult on the regulations that will set out the criteria for when an NDA can still be validly entered into in the case of relevant harassment and discrimination. The regulations are aimed at shifting the balance of power away from employers who misuse NDAs.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what matters he plans to consult on in relation to the regulations required under Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders
Under Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill, the Secretary of State will be able to set conditions for when an NDA can still be validly entered into in the case of relevant harassment and discrimination. ('excepted NDA'). Regulations can also be made to specify who workers with excepted NDAs can speak to, for which purposes and/or in which circumstances. Finally, they can also be made to expand the types of individuals the legislation applies to beyond the standard definitions of "employee" and "worker" in the Employment Rights Act 1996.
The Government will consult on the regulations in respect of these powers.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to include non-disparagement clauses within the definition of contractual duties of confidentiality in Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders
Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination.
Where an agreement includes a non-disparagement clause, this would be void in so far as it limits a worker's ability to speak out about relevant harassment, discrimination or their employer's response to it.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 (a) monitor and (b) respond to threats to religious freedom for Christian and other minority faith communities in Iraq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. On 8 July, the Government publicly set out its approach to FoRB, providing a framework for UK engagement, including for countries navigating the impact of conflict, both past and present, such as Iraq.
In July 2025, the Minister for Human Rights and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB met with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg, the Prince of the Yazidis. We also raise threats to minority faith communities into regular engagements with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. For example, at Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 with international partners to defend vulnerable religious groups in north-east Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Alongside our international partners the UK has consistently advocated and offered support to the Syrian Government to deliver an inclusive political transition. We have underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, including vulnerable religious groups in the north-east, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government, including during the Foreign Secretary's recent visit. We remain deeply concerned about tensions between communities in Syria and the impact this may have for Syria's stability. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian assistance his Department has provided to support religious minority communities affected by conflict in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not provide targeted humanitarian assistance for religious minority communities in Syria. The FCDO uses data and evidence to guide humanitarian allocations, ensuring that resources are directed to where they are most needed, in line with humanitarian principles. Our humanitarian funding in Syria provides urgent humanitarian aid to millions of Syrians across the country, as well as support for Syria's longer-term recovery through education and livelihoods initiatives. We continue to focus our diplomatic efforts on advocating and supporting the Syrian Government to ensure an inclusive, representative and non-sectarian political transition which respects the rights of all Syrians.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what initiatives his Department is funding to (a) monitor and (b) support the (i) registration and (ii) legal recognition of religious communities in Vietnam.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK Government is committed to promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) globally, including in Vietnam. During Vietnam's 2024 Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK put forward recommendations urging Vietnam to take steps to ensure the protection of the right to freedom of religion. Bilaterally, the UK raises FoRB concerns with Vietnamese counterparts. Our Embassy in Hanoi engages with the diplomatic community and civil society to monitor developments and support dialogue on religious freedom.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with (a) devolved administrations, (b) conservation organisations and (c) local communities to facilitate effective species reintroduction programmes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra enables and facilitates effective species reintroduction programmes through its arms-length bodies.
Regarding (a), Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and NatureScot meet quarterly to discuss species reintroductions. The England Species Reintroduction Taskforce and the National Species Reintroduction Forum (for Scotland) collaborate informally, with representatives attending each other's meetings to improve knowledge exchange. The Taskforce is beginning a formal collaboration with NatureScot on two key projects: developing a database for UK species reintroduction projects and developing a framework and guidance for conservation introduction.
Regarding (b), Natural England has a key role in advising partners including conservation organisations on species reintroductions, including as formal partners and funding some projects through the Species Recovery Programme. Natural England advice ranges from ensuring the Reintroductions Code is being followed to bringing stakeholders together to discuss individual projects. Forestry England works in partnership with conservation organisations to deliver nature recovery projects – including species reintroductions - in the nation’s forests.
Regarding (c), a requirement of the Code is to undertake effective engagement and consultation with stakeholders. This includes encouraging projects to engage with local communities to help create mutual understanding, offer a sense of shared purpose and benefits, and reduce the risk of future conflicts.