Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Chinese government on the detention and forcible disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities.
We remain committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally. We continue to work with partners and in multilateral fora to end arbitrary detention, to advocate for those who have been arbitrarily detained to be released, and to demand accountability. We call on all states that engage in the practice of politically motivated detention and enforced disappearance to respect their international obligations and commitments.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 anticipate and pre-emptively mitigate humanitarian crises around the world.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions received from the Member for South Cambridgeshire on 12 January (UINs 105089 to 105096).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 help tackle humanitarian crises caused or exacerbated by climate change.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions received from the Member for South Cambridgeshire on 12 January (UINs 105089 to 105096).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is making to support international peacekeeping efforts globally.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions received from the Member for South Cambridgeshire on 12 January (UINs 105089 to 105096).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 support the rights of women and girls.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions received from the Member for South Cambridgeshire on 12 January (UINs 105089 to 105096).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 tackle global malnutrition.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions received from the Member for South Cambridgeshire on 12 January (UINs 105089 to 105096).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 ensure that Official Development Assistance reaches those most in need.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions received from the Member for South Cambridgeshire on 12 January (UINs 105089 to 105096).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Vietnamese government on the detention of Y Quynh Bdăp.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 7 January in response to Question 101189. Further, on 17 December, the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, raised Mr Bdap's case with the Governments of Thailand and Vietnam, seeking assurances on his location, wellbeing and access to legal counsel.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her international counterparts on respect for freedom of religion or belief among political leaders.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) around the world. On 8 July 2025, the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to support FoRB on the international stage, through our position in the United Nations, G7 and Article 18 Alliance.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 support persecuted minorities in Bangladesh.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November 2025 in response to Question 86282, and I would add that Baroness Chapman raised the issue of violence towards religious minority groups during her trip to Bangladesh later that month.