Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 ensure that UK businesses do not benefit from child labour in Bangladesh.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to ending child labour globally, including in Bangladesh, and to ensuring UK businesses do not benefit from it.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works with partners to engage businesses and investors to raise awareness of child labour risks in supply chains. This year, we have supported the Child Rights Action Hub in Bangladesh to reduce risks in informal, lower-tier supply chains. The Hub has trained 35 Child Rights Focal Points to identify child labour risks and strengthen community-based referral pathways. It has also engaged major textile industry associations to increase visibility of child labour risks in ready-made garment supply chains and promote sector-led action.
The FCDO's Asia Regional Child Labour Programme, our largest programme on child labour, supported interventions to reduce the vulnerability of children to exploitation across South Asia, including Bangladesh.
We will continue to work with international partners to accelerate progress towards ending child labour in line with Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 (a) provide humanitarian aid and (b) promote compliance with international humanitarian law in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As I stated during the Urgent Question debate on 3 June, the UK is already one of the largest humanitarian donors in Lebanon, and has committed £30 million in additional humanitarian support to respond to this crisis through trusted partners, including the United Nations and the Lebanese Red Cross. We have been clear in our engagements with all parties that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected in line with international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in Sri Lanka regarding water pollution in Chunnakam; and what steps her Department has taken to support improvements in water quality in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the continued concerns about water quality relating to the Chunnakam power plant in Jaffna. Our High Commission in Colombo regularly engages with the Sri Lankan authorities on water management and environmental issues and with local communities on environmental concerns.
The UK supports sustainable water management in Sri Lanka through the 'Improving Groundwater Management in the Jaffna Peninsula' Initiative implemented by the International Water Management Institute. The programme works with local communities, researchers and Sri Lankan government authorities and is helping communities better understand and manage water resources. Officials from our High Commission in Colombo most recently visited Jaffna in February 2026 to assess programme progress and engage with local stakeholders to hear their concerns.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with international partners on (a) support for the Myanmar Cooperation Treaty and (b) efforts to establish a Myanmar-led pathway towards a democratic settlement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave on 10 February in response to Question 109884.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to (a) help stop executions and (b) promote human rights in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international partners to help ensure the safety of people in Cyprus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has made clear that the UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus, and British military personnel and civilians based there. The UK had already deployed additional military capabilities to the region, in January and February, to defend our interests and has deployed further assets. I spoke to Foreign Minister Kombos again this week to assure him of our support for the security and safety of the people of Cyprus.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her international counterparts on the provision of support to Cuba in the context of sanctions imposed on Cuba by the US on 29 January 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to follow developments in Cuba closely, including the impact of the 29 January US executive order. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials engage regularly with UN agencies operating in Cuba, including the UN Children's Fund, the World Food Programme and UN Development Programme, as part of our broader commitment to humanitarian and development assistance. The UK also contributes to global humanitarian financing mechanisms such as the Central Emergency Response Fund and other pooled funds which can provide support where needs arise.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 provide humanitarian aid to people in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer my Hon Friend to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her recent visit to the Chad-Sudan border.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While the UK keeps the list of proscribed organisations under close review, it has been the long-standing policy under successive governments not to comment on whether a specific organisation is or is not being considered for proscription.
On the wider issue of our response to the Iranian regime, I refer my Hon Friend to the Urgent Question debate on 3 February, and to the announcement on sanctions made the previous day: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-announces-sanctions-against-perpetrators-of-human-rights-violations-in-iran.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 international partners on supporting de-escalation and ceasefire negotiations in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026.