Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the arrest of an archbishop in Armenia on 4 December, what assessment they have made of religious freedom in that country, and what discussions they have had with the government of Armenia about that issue.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Lord Bishop to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 17 November in response to Question 89462, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

The UK is monitoring the situation between the Armenian Government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. We expect all actions to comply with Armenia's constitutional and legal framework, allowing due process to take its course and ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law, with judicial proceedings remaining transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide.

Ministers and officials have regularly discussed a range of issues with our Armenian counterparts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised any concerns regarding the National Security Strategy of the United States of America, dated November, in discussions with that country’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The US remains the UK's most important defence and security ally. The Foreign Secretary met the US Secretary of State in Washington DC on 8 December to discuss cooperation on issues vital to our shared interests and security, and UK ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with their US counterparts on a wide range of areas.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Exchange of notes constituting an agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America concerning the availability for defence purposes of the British Indian Ocean Territory, London, 30 December 1966 on the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, including the term that “The Territory shall remain under United Kingdom sovereignty”.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The Agreement was tested at the highest levels of the United States' security establishment, across multiple agencies, and it has been backed by our key allies and international partners, including the US and all our Five Eyes partners. Talks are ongoing to update the UK-US Exchange of Letters on the operation of the Diego Garcia Base. There are no agreements with the Maldives that would impact the operation of the base.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any extant agreements, notes or exchanges of letters with the government of the Maldives that impact the governance of the British Indian Ocean Territory or the treaty with Mauritius.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The Agreement was tested at the highest levels of the United States' security establishment, across multiple agencies, and it has been backed by our key allies and international partners, including the US and all our Five Eyes partners. Talks are ongoing to update the UK-US Exchange of Letters on the operation of the Diego Garcia Base. There are no agreements with the Maldives that would impact the operation of the base.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why they decided to revoke the draft Order in Council allowing for an interim administration of the British Virgin Islands; and whether they will publish the assessment that led to that decision.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Lord to the statement made to the House on 13 October 2025 (UIN HLWS953). This decision followed a review taking into account a range of factors including public consultations held by the Governor and British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government, a final report from the Governor, and a self‑assessment by the BVI Government, all of which are publicly available.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Ireland regarding their ability to make a financial contribution towards the protection of undersea cables serving the British Isles from sabotage by Russia.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

At the UK-Ireland Summit on 6 March 2025, the Prime Minister and Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced their commitment to deepen cooperation between the two nations, including in the area of defence. The UK and Ireland continue to discuss how we can improve our cooperation in maritime security, including critical undersea infrastructure.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received a request from the government of the Republic of Ireland to provide security support for any events to take place in the Republic of Ireland during its tenure of the upcoming EU Presidency.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

His Majesty's Government has received no such request.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when all British Overseas Territories will be required to publish public registers of beneficial ownership.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Lord to my written ministerial statements on 3 July (UIN HLWS774) and 22 July (UIN HLWS884) which provided an update on progress achieved to date and details of next steps. These issues were most recently discussed at the Joint Ministerial Council, where the Minister for the Overseas Territories and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury again reinforced the need for previously agreed deadlines and commitments to be met, and called for prompt action to do so.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have provided financial support to the World Bank's HEAL project in Ukraine.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

To date, the UK has committed up to £577 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the wider region, including for those who have been forced to flee their homes and are now internally displaced. This funding helps deliver essential services, such as access to food, healthcare, and shelter, through trusted partners working closely with the Government of Ukraine.

The UK has not provided direct funding to the World Bank's Health Enhancement and Lifesaving Ukraine Project, but we work with the World Bank on the delivery of the SPIRIT programme (Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation, and Transformation) and other regional initiatives that strengthen social protection and recovery efforts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support the United Kingdom has given to internally displaced people in Ukraine.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

To date, the UK has committed up to £577 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the wider region, including for those who have been forced to flee their homes and are now internally displaced. This funding helps deliver essential services, such as access to food, healthcare, and shelter, through trusted partners working closely with the Government of Ukraine.

The UK has not provided direct funding to the World Bank's Health Enhancement and Lifesaving Ukraine Project, but we work with the World Bank on the delivery of the SPIRIT programme (Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation, and Transformation) and other regional initiatives that strengthen social protection and recovery efforts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will introduce sanctions against senior members of Russia's GUGI agency.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 17 June 2025, the UK sanctioned the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (GUGI). As per the UK's long-standing policy on sanctions, it would not be appropriate to speculate about any future sanctions action.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made on the impact of Ukraine's constrained exports on food-insecure countries; and what contingency plans are currently in place to ensure food-insecure countries are not affected.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine triggered a sharp reduction in global grain supply and a huge shock to global markets. The most recent UN flagship report on global hunger - the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World2025 - has confirmed once again that the war in Ukraine is a major driver of food price volatility and inflation, contributing to rising food insecurity worldwide.

The UK has provided significant support to ensure vital Ukrainian exports continue to reach countries that need them, including coordination with the UN and alignment with EU Solidarity Lanes to maintain export capacity and resilience. Since 2022, the UK has provided £11 million of support for the Grain from Ukraine initiative, and we welcome Ukraine's ambitions in expanding the programme to 'Food from Ukraine'.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Republic of Ireland regarding establishing an inquiry similar to the Operation Kenova inquiry in relation to cross-border collusion.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The Joint Framework agreed by the UK and Ireland contains clear commitments by the Irish Government on legacy, including to facilitate the fullest possible cooperation of the Irish authorities with a reformed Legacy Commission. This will assist many families whose cases involve cross-border activity where information may be held in Ireland.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop the network of Women Mediators Across the Commonwealth in 2026.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

As set out by the Foreign Secretary in her speech on 24 November marking twenty-five years of the UN's Women Peace and Security agenda, the UK is committed to tackling gender inequality and violence against women and girls wherever it occurs around the world, and we will continue to place female empowerment at the heart of our international work.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to align the Africa Approach with multilateral development banks’ capitalisation cycles.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government's new Africa Approach was the subject of extensive consultation with African countries, multilateral institutions and others. The priorities set out in the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) reflect the feedback received during that consultation process, a summary of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-new-approach-to-africa-summary-of-consultation

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their official policy to omit mention of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai when ministers discuss the UK-Hong Kong bilateral relationship in the press.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

On the contrary, ministers and officials regularly raise the continued detention of Jimmy Lai, and China's obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, in interviews with the media, statements to Parliament, public speeches, the government's Six-monthly Reports to Parliament on Hong Kong, and discussions we have with our Chinese counterparts. For example, the Foreign Secretary raised Jimmy Lai's case both in her working dinner with G7 foreign ministers in Canada on 11 November, and a phone call with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on 6 November.

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 UK (i) public and (ii) private finance commitments for renewable energy projects in Africa since launch of the Africa Approach.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) setting out the Government's new Approach to Africa.

The statement recognised that despite its abundant natural resources, Africa has the lowest levels of modern energy access, and the UK is working with the World Bank and African Development Bank to address that issue. We will provide further updates on implementation of initiatives arising from that work.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of African countries with strategic economic development priorities that align with the UK’s Africa Approach.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government's new Africa Approach was the subject of extensive consultation with African countries, multilateral institutions and others. The priorities set out in the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) reflect the feedback received during that consultation process, a summary of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-new-approach-to-africa-summary-of-consultation

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to co-ordinate the Africa Approach with the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government's new Africa Approach was the subject of extensive consultation with African countries, multilateral institutions and others. The priorities set out in the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) reflect the feedback received during that consultation process, a summary of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-new-approach-to-africa-summary-of-consultation

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will undertake a review of its explosive ordinance policies.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government's Global Mine Action Programme has been funding clearance and risk education for over a decade, including in Africa, protecting lives and livelihoods, and supporting our broader humanitarian and development goals. In addition, the Foreign Secretary recently announced a further £4 million in funding for the United Nations Mine Action Service to help clear the estimated 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions which have been preventing the safe passage of aid into Gaza. Future allocations to demining activity will be announced in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of civil servants in her Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Information on the number of civil servants employed on temporary contracts is published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics as part of the quarterly Public Sector Employment statistics. Information can be accessed for September 2025 at the following web address:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/september2025.

Departmental expenditure on consultancy is published within the Annual Report and Accounts. The latest report for Financial Year 2024/25 can be found at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what conversations she has had with her international counterparts on (a) the impact of global aid cuts to humanitarian aid and (b) the impact those cuts will have on landmine disposal.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government's Global Mine Action Programme has been funding clearance and risk education for over a decade, including in Africa, protecting lives and livelihoods, and supporting our broader humanitarian and development goals. In addition, the Foreign Secretary recently announced a further £4 million in funding for the United Nations Mine Action Service to help clear the estimated 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions which have been preventing the safe passage of aid into Gaza. Future allocations to demining activity will be announced in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a global programme supporting civilian victims of landmines.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government's Global Mine Action Programme has been funding clearance and risk education for over a decade, including in Africa, protecting lives and livelihoods, and supporting our broader humanitarian and development goals. In addition, the Foreign Secretary recently announced a further £4 million in funding for the United Nations Mine Action Service to help clear the estimated 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions which have been preventing the safe passage of aid into Gaza. Future allocations to demining activity will be announced in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of reducing humanitarian aid funding in Africa on landmine disposal.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government's Global Mine Action Programme has been funding clearance and risk education for over a decade, including in Africa, protecting lives and livelihoods, and supporting our broader humanitarian and development goals. In addition, the Foreign Secretary recently announced a further £4 million in funding for the United Nations Mine Action Service to help clear the estimated 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions which have been preventing the safe passage of aid into Gaza. Future allocations to demining activity will be announced in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to monitor implementation of the Africa Approach across Government departments.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 15 December (UIN HCWS1168) setting out the Government's new Approach to Africa.

The statement recognised that despite its abundant natural resources, Africa has the lowest levels of modern energy access, and the UK is working with the World Bank and African Development Bank to address that issue. We will provide further updates on implementation of initiatives arising from that work.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with regards to the Prime Minister's announcement on the 15th April 2025 to spend £120M in emergency aid Sudan, a) which governmental budget this originates from and b) which budgetary line emergency humanitarian aid appears under in the FCDO annual report and accounts published on the 31st March 2025.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The £120 million Sudan allocation announced in April 2025 is funded from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

Humanitarian ODA allocations are included in country programme budgets, as set out in the FCDO annual report and accounts (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025). Additional emergency humanitarian support comes from the crisis reserve, which is also set out in the FCDO annual report and accounts.

Data on ODA spend for 2020 to 2024 is published in Statistics on International Development (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-final-uk-oda-spend-2024), including breakdowns by country and region.

Figures for 2025 and 2026 will be published in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much total spend, and predicted spend in Sudan, originating from the FCDO ODA budget for bilateral aid there was, and will be, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The £120 million Sudan allocation announced in April 2025 is funded from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

Humanitarian ODA allocations are included in country programme budgets, as set out in the FCDO annual report and accounts (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025). Additional emergency humanitarian support comes from the crisis reserve, which is also set out in the FCDO annual report and accounts.

Data on ODA spend for 2020 to 2024 is published in Statistics on International Development (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-final-uk-oda-spend-2024), including breakdowns by country and region.

Figures for 2025 and 2026 will be published in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote and encourage private investment in Ukrainian agri-processing through UK Export Finance and British International Investment.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

At the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced expansion of British International Investment's (BII) remit to support private sector investment in Ukraine. BII has worked with the European Bank of Reconstruction to establish the Ukraine Investment Platform to facilitate co-investment in Ukraine from G7 and European countries including in infrastructure, financial services and agriculture. BII's investment in Ukraine to date includes providing trade finance to local banks to support trade flows of critical goods and supporting a leading Ukrainian agribusiness producer to help it maintain and expand exports to over 70 countries, benefitting more than 2,000 small retail stores and 2,500 farmers. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has made £3.5 billion of financial capacity available to support Ukraine throughout the war, supporting national priority projects for the Government of Ukraine. UKEF's financing has directly enabled Ukraine to access world-class UK defence, infrastructure, and energy capabilities.

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Found: Introduction  The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes the UK Sanctions List

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