Asked by: Lord Isaac (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Soft Power Council will re-commence its work.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Work is underway to refresh the Soft Power Council after the initial members' terms came to an end in the summer. The Council is expected to meet again in the coming months.
Asked by: Lord Massey of Hampstead (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider the Houthis to be an Iranian-backed proxy organisation; if so, on what basis they distinguish the Houthis from Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000; and what assessment they have made of the provision of weapons, funding, and training to the Houthis by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran provides political, military and financial support to its proxies and partners, often in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We have condemned the actions of the Houthis inside Yemen, and against regional partners including Israel and Saudi Arabia. Through its support to these groups, including Lebanese Hizballah, the Houthis, Hamas and militia groups in Iraq and Syria, Iran is a destabilising force across the Middle East. Regional stability is one of our top priorities and we remain deeply concerned about the impacts of potential military action. Iran's longstanding financial and military support to the Houthis has enabled and exacerbated Houthi aggression. Iran's long-standing support for the Houthis continues to fuel instability in Yemen. We do not comment on future designations or sanctions.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much was spent on nature through international aid in each of the last ten years in cash terms, and in real terms.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Nature has been a core priority with £3,289 million spent over the 5 years of the International Climate Finance 3 period (ICF3). The figures for ICF3 nature spend for each financial year are outlined in the table below. This goes back to FY2021/22. Data for the period before the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) is unreliable due to the differing departmental processes and cannot provide a clear picture of nature spend.
FY21/22 | FY22/23 | FY23/24 | FY24/25 | FY25/26 |
£267m | £397m | £755m | £898m | £971m |
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the Council of Europe about possible amendments to the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and our membership of the Council of Europe. The Chișinău Political Declaration was agreed by consensus on 15 May 2026. It sets out States Parties' views on the important role that the ECHR plays in promoting rights throughout Europe and independence of the Courts. It also sets out how the ECHR should be interpreted and applied in the context of illegal and mass migration, as well as the deportation of Foreign National Offenders. This should help reset and clarify the approach to Articles Three and Eight, thereby ensuring the Convention remains fit for today's challenges.
The Chișinău Political Declaration articulates how States Parties believe the ECHR should be implemented and is part of a wider package of international and domestic measures supporting the Government's approach to restoring order and control to the immigration system. The Government is now translating that international declaration into practical change, including through the Immigration and Asylum Bill.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2026 Annual Report, published in March, that 64 Jehovah's Witnesses remained detained in Eritrea and what recent discussions they have had with the government of Eritrea on the release of Jehovah's Witnesses detained for their religious activity or conscientious objection to military service.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Lord to HL4019 answer on 26 October which is reproduced here for ease of reference.
"The UK regularly raises concerns about arbitrary arrests and detentions based on religion or belief. We have raised this case directly with the government of Eritrea and at the UN Human Rights Council. The UK also supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2026."
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the People’s Republic of China on its obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is clear that China remains in an ongoing state of non-compliance with the Joint Declaration. The Government raises areas of concern with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on a regular basis at both official and ministerial level; most recently, the minister for the Indo-Pacific did so when she visited Hong Kong on 28-31 October.
In the Six-monthly report on Hong Kong published on 22 October, the Foreign Secretary called for China and Hong Kong to respect the rights and freedoms promised to the people of Hong Kong.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office raised his case with the Israeli Chargé d'Affaires in London and the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raised it directly with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have been clear that the Israeli authorities are responsible for ensuring Dr Abu Safiya is not mistreated and that he receives access to legal, medical and family support. We will continue to monitor developments closely and raise his case with the Israeli authorities.
We continue to call on the Government of Israel to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate, unrestricted access to all detention facilities.
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, for what reason did the Chief Economist, Dennis Novy, appear in the social media post “5 key things that the Budget means for the UK’s place in the world” on 29 October 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The social media post referred was intended to explain Budget measures relevant to international audiences.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government condemns or supports colonialism.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government believes that colonialism has no place in today's world. The Government recognises the painful aspects of colonialism. We support a modern relationship with countries and territories that recognises the past but looks to the future.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what definition of decolonisation the Government uses in the conduct of its foreign policy.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government does not use a particular definition of decolonisation in the conduct of its foreign policy.