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Written Question
Uganda: Christianity
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support persecuted Christians in Uganda.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We have no evidence of state persecution of Christians based on religious belief in Uganda. However, Uganda faces a terrorist threat, including from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), or Islamic State DRC, which does target Christians, and has carried out attacks against civilians in Uganda in recent years, notably an attack on a school in Mpondwe on 16 June 2023, killing more than 40 people. I condemned this abhorrent attack in the strongest possible terms at the time. The British High Commission remains in close contact with Ugandan security services, who continue to conduct operations against the ADF.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Crime
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many crimes have been reported on the British Indian Ocean Territory in each of the last five years.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is constitutionally distinct and separate from the UK and is administered by the BIOT Administration. The FCDO does not hold a record of how many crimes have been reported on the BIOT in each of the last five years.


Written Question
Asylum: British Indian Ocean Territory
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many people have requested asylum on the British Indian Ocean Territory by nationality in each of the last two years.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As an uninhabited territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) does not have an asylum system as the 1951 Refugee Convention has not been extended to the territory. Where migrants have claimed that they are unable to return safely to their country of origin, their cases are considered by the Commissioner for BIOT in line with BIOT law and international legal obligations. We do not comment publicly on individual claims for protection.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Asylum
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many asylum seekers are registered as living on Diego Garcia.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As an uninhabited territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) does not have an asylum system as the 1951 Refugee Convention has not been extended to the territory. Where migrants have claimed that they are unable to return safely to their country of origin, their cases are considered by the Commissioner for BIOT in line with BIOT law and international legal obligations. We do not comment publicly on individual claims for protection.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Asylum
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department has spent on healthcare for asylum seekers living on Diego Garcia in the last two years.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The FCDO provides funding to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration to help support the good governance of the Territory. This funding includes all costs associated with temporarily supporting the migrants on BIOT and supporting their departure from the territory. The information requested on the breakdown of spending can only be provided at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Asylum
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department has spent on aid for asylum seekers living on Diego Garcia in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The FCDO provides funding to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration to help support the good governance of the Territory. This funding includes all costs associated with temporarily supporting the migrants on BIOT and supporting their departure from the territory. The information requested on the breakdown of spending can only be provided at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Mauritius
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to visit Mauritius.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

It is long-standing policy not to comment on Ministerial travel. To do so could compromise the integrity of protective security arrangements and affect the safety of the individuals involved.


Written Question
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Somalia
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many officials from his Department are stationed in Somalia.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

As of 29/02/2024, the FCDO had between 20 and 29 officials stationed in Somalia.


Written Question
Argentina: Foreign Relations
Friday 8th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to meet the President of Argentina within the next six weeks.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary met President Milei at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, and spoke to Milei in November 2023. I [Minister Rutley] met Milei at his inauguration. The Foreign Secretary also met with Foreign Minister Mondino at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Brazil in February. Statements from these meetings are available on gov.uk. Future ministerial meetings will be announced in the usual way.


Written Question
Albania: Politics and Government
Friday 8th March 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the house arrest of the leader of the Democratic Party of Albania.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Sali Berisha, whose position as Chair of the Democratic Party is contested within the party, was charged with corruption by Albania's Special Prosecutor's Office in October 2023 and currently is under house arrest. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the legal process is underway.