Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of British National (Overseas) visa holders affected by restrictions imposed by the Hong Kong authorities on the withdrawal of savings from the Mandatory Provident Fund; and whether she has made representations to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on the financial rights of UK-based BN(O) citizens.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the latest edition of the six monthly update on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, published on 23 October 2025.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 (a) the United Nations, (b) the EU and (c) other international partners on protecting (i) journalists, (ii) academics, and (iii) civil society activists in Hong Kong who have been (A) targeted and (B) harassed under national security legislation; and whether she will consider new measures to support the work of (1) independent media outlets and (2) NGOs.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the latest edition of the six monthly update on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, published on 23 October 2025.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 adequacy of China’s compliance with its obligations under the 1984 Sino–British Joint Declaration; and what steps she is planning to take to hold the Chinese Government accountable for its international legal commitments.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the latest edition of the six monthly update on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, published on 23 October 2025.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 81315 on National Identity, whether his Department is taking steps to promote (a) English and (b) British identities in people who do not speak English as a first language.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The below answer refers to funding made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government only for English language provision. The provisions described are in addition to what other departments offer.
Councils receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. Councils can use this funding flexibly which could include supporting guests to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision.
The department provided £11.5 million of funding for English language courses and employment support for over 12,500 Ukrainians across the UK through the ‘STEP Ukraine’ programme. Following that success, the STEP Programme launched earlier this month which will provide intensive English language lessons and employment support for up to 4,000 individuals on Ukraine schemes and Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visas. The department has also allocated £3 million in grant funding to Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) in England to strengthen the capacity of ESOL teachers and expand community-based English language support for eligible Afghans, Ukrainians, and Hong Kong BN(O)s until March 2026. This builds on the £1 million SMP ESOL capacity grant delivered in 2023–24, which trained over 350 teachers and supported more than 2,500 resettled learners
The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Welcome Programme, which is in its fifth year of funding, provides demand led funding to councils in England which can be accessed to cover the costs of English language courses. In 2024-25, the department allocated £4.5m to councils. Continued funding is available in 2025-26.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure representatives of the People’s Republic of China employed in the (a) UK embassy, (b) consulate and (c) Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London do not engage in (i) supranational suppression and (ii) intimidation tactics against Hong Kongers now living in the UK.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The safety and security of Hong Kongers in the UK is of the upmost importance. The UK will always stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong.
We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign state, including China, to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated.
Wherever we identify such threats, we will use any and all measures, including through our world-class intelligence services, to mitigate the risk to individuals.
The UK’s response to tackling state-directed threats is world leading. The National Security Act 2023 ensures that the appropriate tools and system-wide safeguards are in place to robustly counter state threats.
Guidance can be found on GOV.UK providing those who believe themselves to be at-risk of TNR with practical advice for their safety both physically and online.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that no person is extradited to Hong Kong for an act that is not a crime in the UK.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UKs extradition framework, governed by the Extradition Act 2003,enshrines the principle of dual criminality.
This legal requirement means that no person can be extradited from the UK unless the conduct in question would also constitute a criminal offence under UK law.
In addition, all UK extradition cooperation is underpinned by strong legalsafeguards operationalised by independent UK courts who have extensive powers to bar extradition where it is politically motivated or where it would beagainst an individual’s human rights.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken to secure the release of Jimmy Lai from detention in Hong Kong.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jimmy Lai's case remains a high priority for the Government. We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release him. The Prime Minister, and Ministers across Government, have urged the Chinese authorities to release Mr Lai. The Government has discussed the case with our international partners; and we welcome President Trump's public commitment to Mr Lai's release.
Diplomats from our Consulate-General in Hong Kong attended Mr Lai's court proceedings throughout. We continue to press for consular access to our citizen.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 impact of changes to the Hong Kong BNO immigration pathway on diplomatic relations with (a) China, (b) NATO allies and (c) Ukraine.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 22 September to Question 76322.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the level of English language proficiency by women from an ethnic minority background; and whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of the level of English language proficiency by women from an ethnic minority background on barriers to their employment.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Data on English language proficiency falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Census 2021 provides datasets detailing population and proficiency in English. These datasets can be downloaded from nomis. Nomis is a service run on behalf of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) by the University of Durham publishing statistics related to population, society and the labour market at national, regional and local levels, including data from current and previous censuses. Data is freely available. Alternatively, you can obtain census data from the ONS.
The department is supporting cross-government work to invest in ongoing integration support, including English language training, employment programmes, and social integration initiatives, to ensure that people can fully participate in society well beyond their initial arrival. For example, the department provided £11.5 million of funding for English language courses and employment support for up to 12,500 Ukrainians across the UK through the ‘STEP Ukraine’ programme. We have now launched a follow-up ‘STEP’ programme of £4.2m (excl. VAT) for English language courses and employment support for Ukrainians and Hong Kong British Nationals. The aim is for the programme to reach 4,000 participants.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made a recent assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the threat level of the (a) Chinese Government and (b) Chinese Communist Party.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
This Government recognises that China poses a series of threats to UK national security - from cyber-attacks, foreign interference and espionage targeting our democratic institutions, to transnational repression of Hong Kongers. We are also alive to the fact that China presents the UK with opportunities as the world’s second largest economy and - together with Hong Kong - the UK’s third largest trading partner. We will continue to develop a consistent and pragmatic approach to economic engagement without compromising on our national security.