Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she has taken with her international counterparts to help ensure the independence of Armenia’s Apostolic Christian Church.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 November 2025 to Question 89462.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 Prime Minister of Armenia moving to enact state control of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 November 2025 to Question 89462.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 state of religious freedom in Armenia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 November 2025 to Question 89462.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Nigerian counterparts regarding the arbitrary detention of Mr Nnamdi Kanu and what steps she is taking to secure his release.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon member to the answer provided for 87707 on 19 November 2025.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with its international partners and relevant authorities on restrictions on girls’ access to education in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government condemns the Taliban's ban on girls' secondary and higher education in Afghanistan. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials consistently raise human rights concerns, including the ban on girls' education, in engagements with the Taliban, including during every visit to Kabul. The UK works closely with international partners to sustain pressure on the Taliban, including through our chairmanship of the G7+ group of countries, our membership of the Afghanistan Coordination Group and engagement through the UN and the Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 potential implications for her policies of reports of Russia sending Ukrainian children to camps in North Korea; and if she will have discussions with her NATO counterparts on demanding the return of those children back to Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
These reports are highly alarming and would represent a further concerning aspect of the deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea. As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 15 October, the kidnapping and forcible deportation of almost 20,000 Ukrainian children by Russia is one of the most disturbing aspects of this war, and we will continue to do all we can to support the return of those children, as well as monitoring the latest reports on their whereabouts and treatment.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department's joint press release entitled UK and US take joint action to disrupt major online fraud network, published on 14 October 2025, what steps she is taking to support international efforts to monitor conditions in Cambodian scam centres and assist victims of torture and other abuses.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer he was given on 3 November in response to Questions 85061-64, and I would add that we are closely monitoring reports of torture, human trafficking and other abuses in Myanmar-based scam centres, working with partners and international organisations to gather evidence of the scale of the problem, and strengthening law enforcement capacity to detect, investigate, and disrupt online trafficking recruitment and illicit financial flows linked to cyber-enabled fraud. All evidence is kept under review, and further action will be taken when needed.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 monitor and prevent the rerouting of assets, including gold reserves, from Cambodia to other jurisdictions following recent sanctions; and whether she is working with international partners to disrupt money laundering linked to cybercrime networks in Cambodia.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer he was given on 3 November in response to Questions 85061-64, and I would add that we are closely monitoring reports of torture, human trafficking and other abuses in Myanmar-based scam centres, working with partners and international organisations to gather evidence of the scale of the problem, and strengthening law enforcement capacity to detect, investigate, and disrupt online trafficking recruitment and illicit financial flows linked to cyber-enabled fraud. All evidence is kept under review, and further action will be taken when needed.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to take further steps beyond recent sanctions to address human rights abuses linked to Cambodian scam centres, including efforts to secure the release of individuals held in conditions amounting to torture.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer he was given on 3 November in response to Questions 85061-64, and I would add that we are closely monitoring reports of torture, human trafficking and other abuses in Myanmar-based scam centres, working with partners and international organisations to gather evidence of the scale of the problem, and strengthening law enforcement capacity to detect, investigate, and disrupt online trafficking recruitment and illicit financial flows linked to cyber-enabled fraud. All evidence is kept under review, and further action will be taken when needed.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 reports of torture and other serious human rights abuses in scam centres operating in Cambodia; and what steps his Department is taking to press for accountability and the protection of victims.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer he was given on 3 November in response to Questions 85061-64, and I would add that we are closely monitoring reports of torture, human trafficking and other abuses in Myanmar-based scam centres, working with partners and international organisations to gather evidence of the scale of the problem, and strengthening law enforcement capacity to detect, investigate, and disrupt online trafficking recruitment and illicit financial flows linked to cyber-enabled fraud. All evidence is kept under review, and further action will be taken when needed.