Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK aid spent on supporting Christian communities facing violence or persecution in central and northern regions of Nigeria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's humanitarian support in Nigeria focuses on supporting the most vulnerable, including people and communities affected and displaced by violence and conflict. Through our Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP), we have reached approximately 1 million people, increasing resilience for people with the most severe humanitarian needs in North East Nigeria. Additionally, through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme (SPRiNG) the UK is providing funding to help tackle the root causes of intercommunal conflict, including security, justice, and natural resource management challenges. Whilst SPRiNG is still in the early phases of implementation, its partnership with the Institute For Integrated Transitions (IFIT) has achieved some encouraging results. Mediation efforts in Nasawara State have fostered a negotiated agreement between the Bassa and Egbura People, enabling the return and resettlement of 5000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making aid available to Christian communities facing violence or persecution in central and northern Nigeria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's humanitarian support in Nigeria focuses on supporting the most vulnerable, including people and communities affected and displaced by violence and conflict. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP) in Nigeria has reached approximately 1 million people, increasing resilience for people with the most severe humanitarian needs in North East Nigeria, in line with the UN Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Additionally, the UK's Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme ('SPRING') is working to reduce rural violence in northwest and north-central Nigeria, including supporting collaboration and productive livelihoods for both farmers and pastoralists.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to increase security cooperation with India to help tackle terrorism.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April. Our thoughts are with those affected, their loved ones and the people of India. The UK and India have a long-standing security relationship, including on counter-terrorism and we work together both bilaterally and through multilateral mechanisms. We continue to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to take decisive and concerted action against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities. India hosted the sixteenth meeting of the UK-India Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in New Delhi in May 2024. We look forward to hosting the seventeenth Joint Working Group this year in London.
Ensuring the utmost safety of British nationals - and the protection of British interests - in India will continue to inform our deepening relationship with the Government of India.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to improve accountability measures against (a) state and (b) non-state actors that sponsor terrorism.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's Counter-Terrorism strategy, CONTEST, seeks to reduce the risk from terrorism to the UK, its citizens and interests overseas, so people can live freely and with confidence. The UK, thus, prioritises international terrorism that affects us and our interests. The overwhelming majority of the terrorist threat to the UK is from non-state actors such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda. However, the lines are increasingly blurred between state and non-state threats. The UK has multiple tools to reduce terrorism risk under the four CONTEST pillars of Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare, and these can be applied in certain cases in a threat agnostic manner. Accountability measures come under Pursue: to disrupt and degrade. We work with and through bilateral and international partners to build capacity to support the investigation and prosecution of terrorists in a rule of law and human rights compliant manner, in efforts to hold them accountable by bringing them to justice. Another tool in Pursue is multilateral (UN Security Council Resolution 1267) and sovereign 'CT2' sanctions, which we use to build international solidarity and to disrupt terrorists' activities. Significant international terrorist threats to the UK, regardless of ideology, are listed under the CT2 regime.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that consular support is available to British tourists travelling in Pahalgam following the attack near Pahalgam on 22 April 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has processed over 2000 consular enquiries since the escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. We continue to monitor developments closely and British nationals should stay up to date with our travel advice and follow the advice of local authorities. British nationals affected can contact the FCDO for emergency help both in country and from the UK, 24/7. Travel Advice advises against all travel to the region of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pahalgam.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help ensure the protection of (a) Hindu communities and (b) other religious minorities in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities, including Hindu communities, with Chief Adviser Yunus who has been vocal about support for minorities.
The UK is providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We also support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and their report on the human rights violations that occurred last year. We will continue to engage with Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart on the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to promoting and protecting human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We monitor human rights in Bangladesh closely, including following student-led protests in Bangladesh. I understand the concerns about the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das. In November, during my visit to Bangladesh, I discussed the importance of protecting religious minorities, including the Hindu community with Chief Adviser Yunus. I underlined the UK Government's commitment to religious freedom in Bangladesh. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help ensure the protection of (a) Hindu communities and (b) other religious minorities in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Following the student-led protests in July and August, we have been closely monitoring the situation for minorities in Bangladesh. In November, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities, including the Hindu community, with Chief Adviser Yunus. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) international partners and (b) human rights organisations on the ongoing violence against Hindu communities in Bangladesh; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help tackle that violence.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and I have raised concerns publicly and privately about the recent unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in Bangladesh. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports of (a) human rights violations against Hindus, (b) the destruction of religious sites and (c) targeted violence in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and I have raised concerns publicly and privately about the recent unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in Bangladesh. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.