Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on levels of religious freedom in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement with Pakistan. Ministers and senior officials have consistently raised this issue with Pakistani counterparts, including in August 2025 when I voiced concern over violence against the Ahmadiyya community with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister. Our High Commission in Islamabad also continues to engage regularly on the persecution of religions minorities, as well as wider issues of misuse of blasphemy laws, desecration of places of worship, and the need to uphold fundamental rights in line with international standards. The UK Government remains concerned by the FoRB situation in Pakistan and will continue to urge the Pakistani authorities to guarantee the rights and safety of all religious communities.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of state actors in Pakistan targeting UK residents with (a) political intimidation and (b) interference on those residents.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 March 2025 to Question 36232.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether ODA spending for Afghanistan will be ringfenced in the upcoming spending decisions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 September to Question 70974.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will condemn recent comments made by the Kremlin on (a) Mikhail Khodorkovsky and (b) other dissident pro-democratic Russians, in the context of the formal platform of engagement with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to open a formal dialogue with the Russian Antiwar Committee.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s policy paper entitled UK-Occupied Palestinian Territories development partnership summary July 2023, published on 17 July 2023, whether the Palestinian Authority has informed her that it has (a) completed textbook reforms for grade 12 and (b) introduced revised textbooks for grades 1 to 4; and what mechanisms are in place to verify that these materials meet UNESCO standards.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In President Abbas' letter to President Macron, dated 9 June 2025, he set out his commitment to the principles of non-violence, the organisation of elections, the development of a school curriculum that is free from incitement, and the implementation of a new social security system, which will revoke so-called prisoner payments, and ensure that any future welfare payments are needs-based and delinked from violent actions. The Palestinian Authority must now ensure that an independent audit is conducted to verify that these reforms have been completed.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department will provide travel support to elderly British residents seeking to visit (a) family and (b) friends in northern Cyprus.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As stated in our Travel Advice, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) can only provide limited consular support for British Nationals visiting areas in the north of Cyprus that are not under control of the Republic of Cyprus.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK formally recognises Palestinian State, published on 21 September 2025, what (a) technical and (b) financial support she is providing to the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, in which he addressed at length the issues arising from the UK's decision to recognise the State of Palestine. Any further updates will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK formally recognises Palestinian State, published on 21 September 2025, when she plans to take further action to sanction senior figures in the Hamas leadership.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, in which he addressed at length the issues arising from the UK's decision to recognise the State of Palestine. Any further updates will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK formally recognises Palestinian State, published on 21 September 2025, what demands she has made of the Palestinian Authority to conduct extensive reform.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, in which he addressed at length the issues arising from the UK's decision to recognise the State of Palestine. Any further updates will be announced in the normal way in due course.