Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has issued guidance to civil servants on resigning if they disagree with government policy.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign Secretary has not issued guidance to staff on this matter. The Permanent Under-Secretaries did respond to a series of letters from a group of staff to the Foreign Secretary raising concerns about the UK's Middle East policy, however, setting out the many avenues and options available to staff who have concerns about the UK Government's policy, particularly in relation to the Civil Service Code.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost was of the summer reception at Lancaster House on 1 July 2025.
Answered by Catherine West
The total cost of the Foreign Secretary's Summer Reception on 1 July 2025 was £49,069.88.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 54789 on Government Hospitality: Wines, whether alcohol from the Government Wine Cellar has been consumed at any other event by (a) 10 and (b) 11 Downing Street since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Catherine West
Alcohol from the Government Wine Cellar was served at the following events by a) 10 and b) 11 Downing Street since 4 July 2024:
18 July 2024: Dinner for the President of France hosted by the Prime Minister at the European Political Meeting.
4 February 2025: Dinner for the Danish Prime Minister hosted by the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.
14 May 2025: Reception for the Governors of the Economic Bank for Reconstruction and Development hosted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Lancaster House.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on first cousin marriage involving UK and Pakistani nationals.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has not held recent discussions with the Government of Pakistan on first cousin marriage involving UK and Pakistani nationals. The Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill, currently under consideration in the UK Parliament, is a domestic legislative matter.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51155 on MI6: Stonewall, if he will make it his policy to request MI6 cancel their Stonewall contract.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to question 51155.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of time spent in Gibraltar counting towards the 90-day limit for Schengen short stays on British citizens with (a) residential, (b) family and (c) personal times to EU countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
To unlock the benefits of a fluid border, everyone arriving at Gibraltar's airport will undergo dual immigration controls, allowing them to move freely into the EU if they wish to. As visitors will be free to cross into Spain without checks, time spent in Gibraltar will count towards the EU's 90 in 180 requirement. This approach reflects the unique situation in Gibraltar, ensuring a fluid border and delivering certainty for Gibraltar's people and businesses.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the proposed deal with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands amends the status of (a) the waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory's Water and (b) the Blue Belt Programme.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The agreement will be supported by an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius on conservation. This partnership will prioritise high conservation standards, with the UK supporting Mauritius' ambitions to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that protects the globally significant ecosystems in the Chagos Archipelago.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with Inter Mediate on de-sanctioning the Syrian regime since July 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not routinely disclose the content of private discussions with external organisations.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department engages with Client Earth.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office engages with a range of non-governmental organisations on environmental issues, including ClientEarth. For example, in February we hosted ClientEarth and other conservation organisations for a roundtable discussion as part of our consultation on the UK's approach to Africa.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government Art Collection (a) reference number and (b) title is of each item (i) installed and (ii) removed from each (A) Embassy, (B) High Commission and (C) residence since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Catherine West
The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.