Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to support unaccompanied and separated children in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the press statement on Lebanon issued by the Foreign Secretary on 15 March (link provided below), and to her oral statement to the House on 17 March.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-situation-in-lebanon--2
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what outcomes resulted from engagement with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg in July 2025 in relation to (a) support for Yazidi communities and (b) the location of disappeared persons.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 March in response to Question 117286.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson returned his (a) laptop, (b) iPhone and (c) iPad after he left the (i) Head of Mission role and (ii) civil service.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 March to question 120357.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support is available to British citizens travelling from countries outside of the Middle East on visas that expire before they are able to return to the UK as a result of journeys that have been cancelled due to the situation in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of the FCDO's crisis response, we have been working with the relevant authorities in various countries to request flexibility for people who might overstay their visas due to disrupted travel plans as a result of the crisis in the Middle East. Any British nationals affected in this way should in the first instance speak to their airlines, travel agents or insurance companies about their situation and flight options. FCDO staff are also available 24/7 via our contact centre in the event that consular assistance is required.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to support the establishment of an international criminal court for crimes against children.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting those responsible for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and achieving justice for victims. The ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including when committed against children. It also has jurisdiction over specific crimes against children including the forcible transfer of children and the conscription or enlisting of children as soldiers. It is important that we build on work already being done and continue to support the crucial work of the ICC. The UK is committed to achieving justice for those children who have been subject to international crimes.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional funding to women-led organisations in Sudan who deliver life-saving assistance, including medical care, food and water, and support local-level governance.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the speech made by the Foreign Secretary to the UN Security Council on 19 February, a copy of which has been placed in the House of Lords library, in which she detailed £20 million of funding for a new multi-year programme, which includes assistance to women and girls affected by sexual violence in Sudan.
I also refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 2 March 2026 in response to Question 114073, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
UK support to channels which provide direct funding to local responders (including through international organisations) totals £55 million from our total £146 million in aid funding for Sudan this financial year. This includes £28 million to the OCHA-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) - to which the UK is the second largest donor - and over £21 million to the Mercy Corps-led Cash Consortium who provide significant support to local actors. The SHF channels 30 per cent of its funding to local actors. We have also recently launched two new partnerships totalling £6 million, through Proximity to Humanity and the First Response Fund, through which we can channel funding more directly to local responders. Under our new programme, HELP-S, we will continue increasing our support to local actors, with the aim that at least 30 per cent of programme spend goes to local actors by the end of the programme in 2029.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 9 March (HL14650), which British embassies currently fund projects supporting the work of the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK funds numerous projects in support of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) through our central programme and posts overseas, including a strong focus on our current PSVI focus countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, South Sudan, and Ukraine - and on current major conflicts in which conflict related sexual violence (CRSV) has become a significant issue. For example, in February, the Foreign Secretary announced £20 million of new UK funding to support survivors of CRSV in Sudan, to be delivered through the British Office Sudan.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they use when determining whether money provided in overseas aid can be counted as climate finance.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We account for all our International Climate Finance (ICF) using internationally agreed OECD guidelines. Programmes (or elements within them) can be counted as ICF if they address the impacts or causes of climate change, and programme teams report against the Rio Markers for adaptation, mitigation, biodiversity, and desertification as appropriate to capture this.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2026 to Question 113793 on Diplomatic Service, how many Notes Verbale have been issued to EU institutions since July 2024.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer he references in his question.
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, whether officials from her Department have (a) met with representatives from the Iranian Embassy in London in 2026 and (b) attended an Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution event with the Iranian Ambassador in 2026.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has made its position on the Iranian regime clear, whether in relation to its state threat activity (see the Security Minister's oral statement on 4 March 2025), its repression of human rights protests at the turn of the year (see the Foreign Secretary's oral statement on 13 January), or its attacks on its Gulf neighbours in recent weeks (see the Prime Minister's oral statement on 2 March).
FCDO officials continue to raise all these issues on a regular basis with the Iranian embassy in London, along with a range of other issues affecting UK national interests, such as the cases of British nationals under detention in Iran. That kind of engagement has been maintained ever since the previous government permitted the Iranian embassy to reopen in London in 2015, as the Rt Hon Member can see from the answers of 20 September 2016 to Question 46281, 16 November 2016 to Question HL3001, 21 November 2017 to Question 113527, 22 January 2019 to Question 208787, 10 November 2020 to Question HL9786, 16 June 2021 to Question 14181, 18 and 19 October 2022 to Questions 59952 and 59003, and 25 May 2023 to Question 185892.
Similarly, she will be aware that representatives from the FCDO have regularly attended the Iran National Day event since the Iranian Embassy was re-opened in 2015, including when the Rt Hon Member was the Home Secretary.