Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a further reduction in development aid for Nepal on their ability to retain that country's consent to continue recruiting Ghurkas.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government will set out details in the coming months of Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2029. We will not engage in speculation in the interim on the impact of hypothetical funding scenarios for different countries or programmes.
Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall and Bloxwich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visitors from (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Bangladesh and (d) Nepal were refused visas in 2024.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Visitor visas, and nationality in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visa applications refused are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of September 2025.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of not providing Gurkha veterans with equal pension benefits to those of other British Army veterans on those veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For those who served prior to 2007, for the large majority, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service.
We continue to work closely with Gurkha representatives and the Government of Nepal on a range of veteran issues and remain committed to ensuring Gurkha veterans are treated with fairness and respect.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to provide Gurkha veterans with pension benefits equivalent to those of their British Army counterparts.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For those who served prior to 2007, for the large majority, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service.
We continue to work closely with Gurkha representatives and the Government of Nepal on a range of veteran issues and remain committed to ensuring Gurkha veterans are treated with fairness and respect.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to review documentation made public following the expiry of the 20-year confidentiality period relating to gurkha pensions and their alignment to British military standards.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government holds the Gurkhas in the utmost esteem and greatly values their exceptional and lasting contribution to the United Kingdom. Their courage, loyalty, and commitment have been an integral part of the British Armed Forces for more than 200 years. The Government remains dedicated to honouring their service and ensuring they are treated with fairness and respect.
Defence has no current plans to review documentation made public following the expiry of the 20-year confidentiality period relating to Gurkha pensions and their alignment to British military standards. Defence considers the Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) to be a fair scheme, tailored to the historical circumstances during which it was open. The terms of the GPS have been challenged in a number of judicial reviews, including a case which went to the European Court of Human Rights and, at all levels, the courts have upheld the Government’s position that the scheme is lawful.
Gurkha service in the British Armed Forces was established under the 1947 Tripartite Agreement between Nepal, the UK, and India. The 1948 GPS was designed to support veterans retiring to Nepal, where their families lived. The Brigade of Gurkhas has been based in the United Kingdom since July 1997 and terms and conditions changed over time to reflect this new reality: Since 2006, Gurkhas have served on the same terms and conditions of service as the rest of the British Army, with certain provisions preserving the Brigade’s unique identity.
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 recent discussions she has had with international partners on the violent crackdown on protestors in Nepal.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has consistently expressed the UK Government's support for democracy and fundamental freedoms in Nepal. In response to the violence and restrictions on peaceful protest that occurred in September, the UK joined international partners (Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and the United States of America) in issuing a statement on 8 September, reaffirming our strong support for the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and urging all parties to exercise restraint. Our Ambassador in Kathmandu has also reiterated the UK's commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and the protection of free speech and peaceful assembly.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding she plans to provide to support development efforts in (a) Pakistan and (b) Nepal in the (i) 2025-2026 and (ii) 2026-2026 financial years.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
For Financial Year 25/26, UK Government development funding for Pakistan is £103 million, and for Nepal it is £47 million. We are currently in the process of allocating budgets for 2026 onwards. The Minister for Development will inform Parliament in the usual manner when these budgets are confirmed.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 Nepalese counterpart on support for (a) democracy and (b) free speech in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office expressed the UK Government's continued support for democracy and fundamental freedoms in Nepal in response to recent incidents of violence and restrictions on peaceful protest in Nepal. Our Ambassador in Kathmandu also reiterated the UK's commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and the protection of free speech and peaceful assembly. The UK continues to encourage all parties in Nepal to uphold these values and to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve tensions peacefully. Our Strengthening Foundations of Federalism in Nepal programme (2019-2025) promotes inclusive decision-making processes and capacity of local governments and state-citizen engagement. We remain committed to working with Nepal to promote democratic governance, uphold civil liberties, and support inclusive development.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with UK-based Nepali community leaders on recent violence in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office expressed the UK Government's continued support for democracy and fundamental freedoms in Nepal in response to recent incidents of violence and restrictions on peaceful protest in Nepal. Our Ambassador in Kathmandu also reiterated the UK's commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and the protection of free speech and peaceful assembly. The UK continues to encourage all parties in Nepal to uphold these values and to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve tensions peacefully. Our Strengthening Foundations of Federalism in Nepal programme (2019-2025) promotes inclusive decision-making processes and capacity of local governments and state-citizen engagement. We remain committed to working with Nepal to promote democratic governance, uphold civil liberties, and support inclusive development.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department supports democracy in Nepal.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office expressed the UK Government's continued support for democracy and fundamental freedoms in Nepal in response to recent incidents of violence and restrictions on peaceful protest in Nepal. Our Ambassador in Kathmandu also reiterated the UK's commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, and the protection of free speech and peaceful assembly. The UK continues to encourage all parties in Nepal to uphold these values and to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve tensions peacefully. Our Strengthening Foundations of Federalism in Nepal programme (2019-2025) promotes inclusive decision-making processes and capacity of local governments and state-citizen engagement. We remain committed to working with Nepal to promote democratic governance, uphold civil liberties, and support inclusive development.