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, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 June 2025 on Afghanistan, HCWS703, what (a) recommendations and (b) actions were agreed as part of the dialogue on food insecurity.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of its response to the dire food security and nutrition situation in Afghanistan, the UK is convening a range of stakeholders to explore how we can collectively maximise the impact of our work on this issue. These discussions are ongoing and will conclude in October where we hope to secure joint commitments from donors and partners to work together to improve the situation, particularly for women and children.
As part of this initiative, my colleague the Minister of State for International Development has invited you and fellow interested MPs and Peers to join the United Nations Children's Fund, and partners for the UK Launch of First Foods Afghanistan in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 17 July - I do hope you will be able to join this important presentation and discussion.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total funding contribution provided to Mauritius through (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral institutions (i) since July 2024, (ii) for 2025-26 and (iii) for each of the next five financial years.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK Official Development Assistance can be found in the "Statistics on International Development (SID)." The UK Official Development Assistance spend in Mauritius from July 2024 is not yet available on SID and the latest data is up to 2023.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that any produce originating in Western Sahara is labelled as such.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring that UK consumers are not misled about the origin of the food they purchase. In accordance with retained EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, food labelling must not be misleading, including in relation to the origin or provenance of food. The UK is responsible for enforcing this regulation within the UK.
On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. In that context, we continue to support the parties and the UN to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff hours in his Department were allocated to (a) drafting, (b) reviewing and (c) promoting the LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook; and what estimate he has made of the total cost of this.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works with a range of organisations globally to protect and promote the human rights of the most vulnerable communities. The Legal Guidebook in question was developed by external partners, with no HMG staff time allocated to drafting. A small amount of staff time in our Embassy in Manila was allocated to hosting the launch event, part of HMG's efforts to advocate for human rights-compliant laws and policies around the world.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts on ensuring authorisation for UK contractors to access the British Embassy in Beijing to undertake repair and maintenance work.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK contractors routinely visit our overseas missions around the world, including in China, to carry out maintenance and repairs. We have not had cause to raise this with the Chinese authorities.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the recent excavations of a mass grave of Chemmani in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is deeply concerned by the recent discovery of the mass grave in Chemmani. We remain committed to supporting accountability for human rights violations and we regularly meet the Government of Sri Lanka to discuss reconciliation and accountability and to press for tangible progress, particularly on cases of enforced disappearances. In January, I visited Sri Lanka and met a range of stakeholders including the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, civil society organisations, as well as political leaders in the north of Sri Lanka to discuss human rights. Officials at our High Commission in Colombo maintain close contact with families of the disappeared from across the country, working to ensure their voices are heard, and have raised this issue with the Government of Sri Lanka. We continue to lead international efforts such as at the UN Human Rights Council alongside the Core Group to ensure perpetrators are held to account.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 monitor the (a) situation and (b) safety of British nationals in (i) Israel and (ii) the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Consular teams have worked round the clock to support British nationals in the region. As soon as Israeli airspace re-opened UK government charter flights left Israel carrying over 340 British nationals on six flights. In allocating seats, we prioritised those who were most vulnerable, including those with medical needs, children, and the elderly. At this time, no further flights are planned. Commercial flights are now available. This remains a fast-moving and fragile situation, and plans will be kept under constant review.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the (a) arrest of the father of Anna Kwok and (b) additional charges laid against Joshua Wong.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is closely monitoring the prosecution of Kwok Yin-sang, father of US-based Anna Kwok, and is deeply concerned by the news of further charges against Joshua Wong who is currently detained in Hong Kong. China's imposition of the National Security Law has significantly eroded the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers, a situation that has worsened with the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. We call on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) his US counterpart and (b) other international partners on the compliance of US military strikes on Iran with the United Kingdom’s obligations under international law; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of those strikes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK did not participate in the US' strikes. The Foreign Secretary has been engaging with Secretary of State Rubio on a regular basis, to discuss the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and to make progress on a lasting settlement, to address Iran's nuclear programme. The legal basis for the US' action is a matter for them.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's news story entitled LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook launched in Philippines for Pride Month, published on 23 June 2025, how many similar foreign LGBTQIA+‑related publications his Department has produced in the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office-funded projects and programmes, delivered through external partners, routinely produce a variety of internal and external research, evidence, reports, and toolkits to support UK work on human rights and equality for all, including on LGBT+ rights. Due to the volume of documents produced and the sensitivity of the issues being considered, we do not hold a comprehensive list of similar reports produced across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over the past five years.