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 situation of women, girls and ethnic and religious minorities in Iran following the protests that began in December 2025; and what steps her Department is taking to prioritise women’s and minority rights in its policy and engagement on Iran.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The human rights situation in Iran, including for women, girls and minorities, has long been unacceptable. As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 13 January: it takes huge bravery to protest and to speak out in the face of this oppression - especially for women who continue to endure severe repression in their daily lives. We led the call for a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council during the protests, and supported the continuation of the mandate of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission - to investigate human rights violations on grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion, or belief - and for the Mission to conduct an urgent investigation into human rights violations perpetrated during the protests. We will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran accountable for its repression of women and girls, and minorities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will commit to expanding targeted sanctions against Iranian officials and security force commanders responsible for killings, torture and internet shutdowns during the recent protests; and if she will publish the human‑rights criteria used for future designations.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 February in response to Question 114342. Further to this, I add that the UK seeks to mitigate any unintended negative impacts of sanctions, including on humanitarian delivery. The UK does not sanction food or medicines, and UN and UK sanctions provide for a range of humanitarian exceptions and licensing grounds.

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 humanitarian impact of UK sanctions on Iran; and what steps she is taking to ensure that sanctions are focused on human‑rights violators and security organs and do not unduly harm the general population.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 February in response to Question 114342. Further to this, I add that the UK seeks to mitigate any unintended negative impacts of sanctions, including on humanitarian delivery. The UK does not sanction food or medicines, and UN and UK sanctions provide for a range of humanitarian exceptions and licensing grounds.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding her Department provides to support secure internet access, circumvention technologies and independent Persian‑language media for people in Iran; and whether she plans to increase that funding in the context of recent internet shutdowns and disinformation campaigns.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 23 January, the UK supported UN Human Rights Council resolution SS39/1 calling on Iran to immediately restore full internet access and telecommunications services, and in February, we spoke out as part of the Freedom Online Coalition for the Iranian people's rights to access the Internet.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent, but BBC Persian continues to play a crucial role in ensuring impartial, accurate news is reaching the Iranian people. Despite a tough fiscal situation, we have continued to back the World Service, providing an uplift of £32.6 million this year alone, taking our total funding to £137 million.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS mental health Trusts currently provide a TMS service to people experiencing depression and how many people have received a full course of TMS treatment.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans at present to increase the provision of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for depression based on current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the provision of TMS for depression.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans at present to increase the provision of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for depression based on current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she is providing support to improve security in Burkina Faso in the context of recent attacks conducted by Islamist armed groups.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso, including regular attacks by terrorist groups. This year, the UK provided £173 million to support programmes across the Sahel, including to alleviate the root causes of conflict, help those displaced by it and promote conflict prevention and stability. We have also been working with regional partners to encourage a joined-up response to what is a trans-national problem.

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Coniston Hydro

Funding for rural Britain

Windermere

Waste crime

Water sector reform

Food Bill

Import of goods from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

New US sanctions on Cuba

Found: Defra answered the Committee’s question in response to two recent questions from Tim Farron MP.