Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with their Indian counterparts concerning recent reports of increasing arrests of Muslims in BJP-controlled states; and what diplomatic steps they are taking to protect that community.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government is committed to freedom of religion and faith for all, and to the protection of religious minorities. We condemn all forms of intimidation or persecution against individuals based on their religion or belief. Our High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India track developments in this space and engage with civil society organisations and religious representatives to promote tolerance and respect between communities.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide financial and technical support to the National Unity Government, ethnic minorities and civil society in Myanmar, including on international human rights law and standards and other governance-related matters.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to engage with a range of opposition stakeholders, including the National Unity Government, Myanmar diaspora, and civil society organisations. UK Aid supports civil society efforts to promote peace and stability in Myanmar, with over 65 per cent of funding directed to local organisations, including faith and education groups. The UK will continue to provide support on justice, accountability, Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) and capacity building on human rights and governance.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 potential implications for her policies of the (a) physical assault and (b) death threats of 20 Christians on 21 September following the implementation of a new anti-conversion law in Rajasthan, India.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Any reports of physical assaults and death threats are concerning. We condemn all forms of violence and intimidation against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, no matter the individual or faith involved. Our High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India track developments in this space and engage with civil society organisations and religious representatives to promote tolerance and respect between communities. India is one of ten priority countries under the UK's FoRB Strategy, and we continue to monitor developments closely. We urge all governments to uphold the rights enshrined in international human rights law, including the right to practice and propagate one's religion freely and without fear.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
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 her Pakistani counterpart on reports of (a) degrading treatment of and (b) discrimination against (i) Christian and (ii) Hindu prisoners in that country; and what diplomatic steps she taking to help ensure the protection of religious minority prisoners in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is concerned by reports of degrading treatment and discrimination against Christian and Hindu prisoners in Pakistan. Promoting the rights of religious minorities is a core part of our diplomatic engagement and we continue to advocate for their rights with senior Pakistani officials, including in meetings between myself and Pakistan's Human Rights and Interior Ministers earlier this year.
Our High Commission in Islamabad also engages regularly with civil society and human rights defenders to monitor prison conditions and advocate for reforms. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to uphold its international obligations and ensure the safety and dignity of all prisoners, regardless of faith.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) small grassroots organisations and (b) under-represented groups are consulted on the Civil Society Covenant.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Civil Society Covenant was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2025 at a major civil society summit. Its ambition is to strengthen relationships and encourage partnership between civil society and all levels of UK government.
To inform the development of the Civil Society Covenant, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, working with key civil society partners, engaged over 1,200 organisations from across the diversity and breadth of civil society. This included nine roundtables that heard from a diverse set of civil society organisations that may have been under-represented or faced barriers in participating in the engagement process. These roundtables brought together 220 leaders including those from faith communities and those representing ethnic minority groups, as well as people leading small organisations locally in the heart of their communities and Local Infrastructure Organisations.
The views and insights heard through this engagement fed directly into development of the Covenant which includes a commitment to ‘Promote participation and inclusion by involving people in decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and removing barriers to democratic participation’.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to engage faith leaders and organisations who are unaware of the Civil Society Covenant framework launch.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Civil Society Covenant Framework was launched in October 2024 and used as the basis for extensive engagement with over 1,200 organisations across government and civil society’s full diversity, including many faith and interfaith groups. These insights and experiences have helped ensure that the Covenant is inclusive of organisations of all purposes, sizes, geographical locations, and those that are led by underrepresented groups.
The Civil Society Covenant was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2025 at a major civil society summit. As we move forward, we will continue to work with our government and civil society partners, including faith organisations, to raise awareness across their members and networks and drive engagement with the Covenant at national, local and grassroots levels. MPs are encouraged to make organisations in their constituencies aware of the Covenant.
Asked by: Baroness Gohir (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the marches in London led by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon in September, what assessment they have made of the security concerns and fears experienced by diverse communities, and what specific support and reassurance they are providing to those impacted.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law. However, there is no excuse for violence or abuse driven by hatred and discrimination, and we support the police in taking strong action against those crimes.
The police have a range of powers to deal with any behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to others. They also have the power to impose conditions on protests where they reasonably believe the protest may result in serious disorder, serious damage to property, serious disruption to the life of the community, or where the purpose of the protest is to intimidate others.
The government continues to work closely with police and community partners to strengthen protections for communities and challenge hatred. This includes providing up to £50.9 million of funding this year to protect faith communities and safeguard places of worship. We also work with the police to fund True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report.
This government is absolutely committed to protecting our communities and making our streets safer, and we refuse to allow the intolerance of a few to impact the lives of our diverse communities.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the protection of minority Christian communities in Iraq, following the attack on Assyrian Christians in Duhok on 1 April.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government was deeply concerned by this attack. We champion freedom of religion or belief for all and remain firmly committed to protecting ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, including Christian communities. The UK regularly raises threats to minority faith communities when engaging with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. At Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution. Our programme work supports civil society groups advocating for minority rights and promotes local cohesion. We continue to press for justice and accountability for all communities affected by violence and are working with international partners to ensure the safety and dignity of minority groups across Iraq.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the government of India concerning reports of rising attacks in Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh against Christian communities including targeted killings, arbitrary detentions and forced conversions; and what actions they are taking to ensure the protection of religious minorities in those regions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government is committed to promoting and protecting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We are aware of reports of violence and discrimination against Christian communities in parts of India, including Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Our High Commission in New Delhi, along with our network of Deputy High Commissions, monitors the human rights situation closely. We also engage with civil society and faith leaders to support efforts to promote tolerance and respect between communities.
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 potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks against churches in Vietnam; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help (a) ensure the protection of the Christian community and (b) promote religious freedom in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, David Smith MP, closely follows events in Vietnam including restrictions of the freedom for religion and belief of Christians. We are aware of credible reports indicating that members of unregistered religious groups continue to face harassment and intimidation. The UK raises concerns about freedom of religion or belief with the Vietnamese authorities, both bilaterally through the annual UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue and through multilateral forums including Vietnam's 2024 Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Hanoi engages with civil society and the diplomatic community to monitor developments and support dialogue on religious freedom. We continue to urge the Vietnamese government to uphold its international human rights obligations, including those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to ensure that all individuals, including members of the Christian community, can practise their faith freely and without fear of persecution.