Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much money has been granted to Inter Mediate (a) in what years and (b) for what purposes.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 25 September to question 70453.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many new allegations of (a) torture and (b) mistreatment were received by her Department in relation to British nationals in 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2024, there were 186 new allegations of mistreatment or torture made to consular officers by or on behalf of British nationals detained overseas.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many referrals were made to her Department's (a) Pro Bono Medical Panel and (b) Pro Bono Legal Panel in relation to (i) prisoner welfare and (ii) human rights in each year since May 2020.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All referrals to the Pro Bono Legal Panel were in relation to the human rights of detainees:
All referrals to the Pro Bono Medical Panel were in relation to prisoner welfare:
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the date for publication of the Critical Minerals Strategy.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has engaged extensively with other Departments, particularly the Department for Business and Trade, on the development of this strategy, and it will be published in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Serbian counterpart on recent protests in Serbia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and I look forward to meeting Foreign Minister Djuric at the Berlin Process meeting of Western Balkans Foreign Ministers, that the UK will host next month. In visits to Serbia across the year, the former Foreign Secretary, UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce, and I have stressed to the Serbian leadership that all action to manage protests should be proportionate, legal, and respect fundamental rights to peaceful freedom of expression and assembly. Noting with concern recent violent clashes, including with the police, we have continued to be clear - including in our contact through our Embassy in Belgrade - that incidents should be fully investigated and perpetrators of crimes held to account.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government recognises Milorad Dodik as the President of the Repulika Srpska Entity following the upholding of his prison sentence and ban on holding office.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not recognise Milorad Dodik as the current President of the Republika Srpska Entity. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has upheld the decision of the Central Election Commission to remove Dodik's mandate, following his conviction, and this decision is final. The UK remains committed to the sovereignty, stability, constitutional order and fully supports local institutions in upholding the rule of law in BiH. Our Ambassador in BiH has made this clear in public statements. We call on all actors to respect the decisions of judicial authorities in BiH.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has raised Chinese claims on the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh with his counterparts in the Chinese Government.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's position is that it is for relevant parties to resolve border disputes bilaterally. We support all peaceful means to do so and oppose any attempts to use or threaten the use of force to change the status quo. The UK Government welcomes recent discussions between India and China over the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and agreements to deescalate tensions. We continue to support a peaceful resolution between India and China on the border question.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government accepts the Chinese Communist Party's claim to be able to appoint the next Dalai Lama as legitimate.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all in the UK and abroad, working to uphold the right to FoRB through the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement. For example, on July 2 the UK convened an event in Geneva to reaffirm the right to FoRB for all, including Tibetan Buddhists and the right to choose their own religious leaders.
The UK views the Dalai Lama as a respected spiritual leader and strong human rights advocate. It is our longstanding position that the appointment of the next Dalai Lama is a matter for the Tibetan Buddhist community across the world, in line with FoRB.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide the Intelligence and Security Committee with intelligence assessments conducted as part of his Department’s China audit.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign Secretary has invited the Intelligence and Security Committee to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to receive a briefing from his senior officials on the China Audit.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Ahmed al-Doush.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are providing consular support to Mr Al-Doush and his family and are in contact with the Saudi Arabian authorities. I met the family on 8 July 2025 to discuss the case.