Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the safety of persecuted religious communities.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Fiona Bruce, as chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, is working to bolster international action on FoRB and seeking to improve the safety of persecuted religious minorities. At the UK-led Ministerial Conference on FoRB last year, we announced funding to support FoRB defenders, and provide expertise to assist countries with legislative changes to protect FoRB. In June we secured language in a Security Council resolution which directly addresses the persecution of religious minorities. We continue to use our position at the UN to highlight FoRB violations and abuses and help improve the lives of those affected.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support religious minorities in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK regularly engages with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level to promote minority rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We prioritise our aid to achieve maximum impact for the people of Pakistan in line with our strategic priorities, including promoting FoRB. Our Accountability, Inclusion and Reducing Modern Slavery programme (£39.5 million over the period 2018-2024) brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance. Our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme (£4.2 million over the period 2022-2025) is working to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online. The UK's programme of support for education has helped thousands of children from religious minorities attend school and gain skills (£130 million over the period 2023-2027). Our bilateral ODA (Official Development Assistance) budget in FY 23/24 is £41.5 million. This is set to more than triple, to £133 million, next year.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of levels of religious freedom in Nepal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Constitution of Nepal declares Nepal a secular state and affirms the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). However, laws that criminalise proselytization and blasphemy can be used to discriminate against religious minorities. Attacks on minorities and places of worship have also been reported, but are relatively rare. We raise concerns with the Government of Nepal and engage with faith groups to demonstrate support for religious freedoms. British Embassy Kathmandu also chairs a Human Rights Core Group of likeminded partners to discuss issues such as freedom of religion, and actions to promote tolerance.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for religious freedom of the removal by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities of a geniza, a resting place for discarded documents containing the name of God, from a Jewish burial ground in Cairo without guarantee of access for the Jewish community.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Mentions:
1: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bshp - Bishops) the past year have been rightly highlighted by the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance - Speech Link
2: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con - Life peer) of religious belief. - Speech Link
3: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con - Life peer) of religious belief. - Speech Link
4: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con - Life peer) of religious belief. - Speech Link
5: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con - Life peer) of religious belief. - Speech Link
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 impact on freedom of religion and belief in Israel and Gaza of the destruction of sites of worship.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have no means of independently assessing the impact of the crisis on freedom of religion and belief however we are aware of reporting that religious sites have been hit. The UK position is clear: civilian infrastructure including places of worship must be protected in conflict. All states, including Israel, must exercise their legitimate right to self-defence in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will continue to engage regularly and closely with their Israeli counterparts on this issue. Our focus right now is getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, securing the release of British hostages and showing solidarity with Israel in defending itself against Hamas.
Mentions:
1: Nickie Aiken (Con - Cities of London and Westminster) Friend agree that the Bill is about not only freedom of religion, but freedom of belief? - Speech Link
2: Fiona Bruce (Con - Congleton) or belief—initiated our monthly “religious prisoners of conscience” scheme. - Speech Link
3: Catherine West (Lab - Hornsey and Wood Green) That is often tied into religious expression. - Speech Link
4: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Con - Berwick-upon-Tweed) She recently concluded her second term as chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer) We have a proud history of promoting religious freedom in the United Kingdom, so we should be doing more - Speech Link
2: Lord Bishop of Oxford (Bshp - Bishops) Religious freedom and tolerance need to be nurtured and guarded nationally and locally. - Speech Link
3: Baroness Sherlock (Lab - Life peer) We can all in this House agree on the important role that freedom of religious belief can play in tackling - Speech Link
4: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) That is where the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance was born. - Speech Link
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of Chinese Communist Party re-education classes for Catholic priests in the Inner Mongolia region.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to monitor the persecution of religious groups in China, including Christians. The freedom to practice, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination is a human right that all people should enjoy.
The space for religious freedom in China continues to deteriorate. For example, recent new Measures on the Administration of Religious Activity Venues legislation includes widespread restrictions on religious practice such as requirements for priests to conduct sermons promoting core socialist values and Xi Jinping Thought.
The British government works with international organisations and networks to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened. This includes work through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 adequacy of rights for religious minorities in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK strongly condemns violence against the Christian community in Pakistan. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Fiona Bruce has said, the UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians in Pakistan, and around the world. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 16 August, the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the government to ensure the safety of Pakistan's Christian community at this worrying time. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UKs commitment to freedom of religion and belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad raised the attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.