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 Chinese counterpart on releasing Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri and other pastors and members of Zion Church arrested on 10 October 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 75048 on 16 September.
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 he plans to provide technical or financial assistance to support the establishment of the International Claims Commission and its associated compensation fund.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear that Russia must be held accountable for its illegal actions in Ukraine. The UK is a founding member of the Register of Damage and Chair of the Conference of Participants, under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The process to establish a Claims Commission as the next stage in an international compensation mechanism is still ongoing. The UK has participated in all four rounds of negotiations and continues to actively engage.
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 he has considered the practice of forced passportization in territories of Ukraine currently under Russian occupation.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has been widely-documented that residents in Russia-occupied Ukrainian territories are being compelled to take Russian passports to access essential services such as healthcare, education and pensions, with those who refuse facing detention, deportation, and the loss of property rights. This is a clear breach of international humanitarian law, and we continue to condemn it in international fora, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UN.
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 she has had with her Chinese counterpart on the ongoing transnational repression of the Falun Gong; and what steps she is taking to ensure their protection in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 43452 on 09 April.
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 is taking to secure the release of Zhang Yadi; and what steps she is taking to co-ordinate her actions with (a) her French counterpart and (b) SOAS.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is aware of a report concerning the detention of Zhang Yadi, and the case concerning Gui Minhai in China. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities. The UK remains committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally.
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 is taking to secure the release of Gui Minhai in China; and what steps she is taking with (a) Sweden and (b) the European Union to secure his release.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is aware of a report concerning the detention of Zhang Yadi, and the case concerning Gui Minhai in China. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities. The UK remains committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally.
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 she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in Ukraine on an extension of tariff-free access for Ukrainian (a) poultry and (b) egg products, which is due to expire in March 2026.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The extension was raised by the Ukrainians during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Kyiv on 12 September. This information was relayed to the Department for Business and Trade who lead on the UK-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement including the question of the extension of provisions for eggs and poultry. The Department for Business and Trade have confirmed that they will review the options on egg and poultry tariffs before March 2026.
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 trends in levels of people trafficking to work as forced labour in scam centres in Myanmar run by Chinese-organised crime syndicates; and what information her Department holds on whether British nationals have been forcibly trafficked to work in those centres.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is acting in concert with our allies and partners to combat the growing transnational threat from scam centres, including by joining the US in sanctioning the multi-billion-pound Prince Group network in October, and sanctioning 3 individuals in 2023 for their involvement in trafficking to Myanmar-based scam centres. By exposing and severely disrupting such actors, our sanctions act as a strong deterrence and put pressure on the wider scam economy and its enablers, supporting the efforts of affected countries in the region. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Scam centres operating in Myanmar are likely to target a wide range of nationals, including British nationals, as victims of scams and potentially for recruitment into the centres themselves. It is crucial that all British nationals carefully consider job offers in the region, especially where the offer appears too good to be true.
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 potential role of (a) the Chinese Communist Party regime, (b) Chinese transnational organised crime syndicates and (c) Myanmar’s military junta and pro-junta armed militias in the operation of large-scale scam centres in Myanmar.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is acting in concert with our allies and partners to combat the growing transnational threat from scam centres, including by joining the US in sanctioning the multi-billion-pound Prince Group network in October, and sanctioning 3 individuals in 2023 for their involvement in trafficking to Myanmar-based scam centres. By exposing and severely disrupting such actors, our sanctions act as a strong deterrence and put pressure on the wider scam economy and its enablers, supporting the efforts of affected countries in the region. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Scam centres operating in Myanmar are likely to target a wide range of nationals, including British nationals, as victims of scams and potentially for recruitment into the centres themselves. It is crucial that all British nationals carefully consider job offers in the region, especially where the offer appears too good to be true.
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 the report by (a) the Australian Strategic Policy Institute entitled Scamland Myanmar: How conflict and crime syndicates built a global fraud industry, published in September 2024, and (b) the US Institute of Peace entitled Myanmar Scam Hubs Revive Fast After China Eases Pressure on Junta, published on 26 September 2024.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is acting in concert with our allies and partners to combat the growing transnational threat from scam centres, including by joining the US in sanctioning the multi-billion-pound Prince Group network in October, and sanctioning 3 individuals in 2023 for their involvement in trafficking to Myanmar-based scam centres. By exposing and severely disrupting such actors, our sanctions act as a strong deterrence and put pressure on the wider scam economy and its enablers, supporting the efforts of affected countries in the region. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Scam centres operating in Myanmar are likely to target a wide range of nationals, including British nationals, as victims of scams and potentially for recruitment into the centres themselves. It is crucial that all British nationals carefully consider job offers in the region, especially where the offer appears too good to be true.