Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there has been Ministerial level contact between the UK Government and the Mauritian Government since 20 January; and if so, which Ministers and which interlocutors.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There has been no Ministerial level contact between the UK Government and the Mauritian Government since 20 January.
All ministerial meetings with external organisations, and relevant Special Adviser meetings, are published in the usual way on gov.uk. Details of ministerial overseas visits are routinely published in each department's quarterly transparency releases
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial and strategic implications of transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has set out its assessment on numerous occasions, including in the Explanatory Memorandum that accompanied the Diego Garcia Treaty. Maintaining long-term operational control of the Diego Garcia base is the entire basis for the UK-Mauritius Treaty.
Asked by: Lord McLoughlin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have (1) had contact, and (2) held meetings with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; and, if so, in what capacity, and on which occasions.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is a valued partner of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). FCDO Ministers and officials routinely hold meetings with counterparts to discuss shared priorities such as global health, education, climate change, and women and girls. Our engagement with the CIFF includes co-hosting the Global Partnerships Conference in May 2026, alongside South Africa and British International Investment, and a range of co-funded initiatives. For example, the CIFF is working with the FCDO's Women's Integrated Sexual Health Dividend programme in West and Central Africa by providing over $150 million in parallel funding through the 'Challenge Fund'.
Asked by: Lord McLoughlin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation has received in grants, subsidies, or any other public funding.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is a valued partner of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). FCDO Ministers and officials routinely hold meetings with counterparts to discuss shared priorities such as global health, education, climate change, and women and girls. Our engagement with the CIFF includes co-hosting the Global Partnerships Conference in May 2026, alongside South Africa and British International Investment, and a range of co-funded initiatives. For example, the CIFF is working with the FCDO's Women's Integrated Sexual Health Dividend programme in West and Central Africa by providing over $150 million in parallel funding through the 'Challenge Fund'.
Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the conversion of international finance grants to loans remains classed as official development assistance; and, if not, whether the official development budget will decrease.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Loans are classed as Official Development Assistance (ODA) where they meet the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) criteria for ODA eligibility, including being provided on concessional terms and having the promotion of economic development and welfare as their primary objective.
Under current OECD rules, only the grant-equivalent element of an eligible loan is recorded as ODA, rather than the full value of the loan.
Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will seek new legal advice on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory following the appointment of a new Attorney General on 20 July.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's position in relation to the UK-Mauritius treaty has been informed by legal advice throughout. A summary of the Government's legal position was set out on 22 May when the treaty was signed, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-secures-future-of-vital-diego-garcia-military-base-to-protect-national-security. In accordance with the long-standing convention, adhered to by successive governments, whether or not the Law Officers have been, or will be, consulted, and the substance of any such advice is not disclosed outside government.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the case of Naama Asfari with the government of Morocco.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports concerning the case of Naama Afsari and continue to monitor this. The UK remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally. Officials, including up to ambassador level regularly engage on human rights issues with the Moroccan Government and authorities, most recently during the visit of the UK's Human Rights Ambassador in June 2026. At the most recent UK-Morocco Human Rights Dialogue in November 2025, officials discussed various human rights issues, including freedom of expression, rights of minorities, women's rights, media freedom, and judicial reforms.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the documentary by Channel 4 News and The Fuller Project A matter of life or death: giving birth in Sierra Leone, in particular its findings regarding the impact of cuts in UK humanitarian services on maternity services in Sierra Leone, and (2) the effects of Concern Worldwide’s decision to cease funding 27 clinics in Darfur due to aid cuts.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to improving health outcomes for women and children globally, including in Sierra Leone. Over the last decade, the UK has helped improve maternal and child health services, including those highlighted in the Channel 4 documentary. This has contributed significantly to a reduction in the maternal mortality ratio from 1,682 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to an estimated 354 in 2025. The UK continues to work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone and multilateral partners, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, GAVI and the Global Fund, to strengthen the delivery of national health services and to increase domestic funding.
The UK is committed to supporting the humanitarian response in Sudan, providing vital healthcare, nutrition, and water. This is why we are providing £146 million of support this financial year and will uphold this figure over the spending period. We have also more than doubled our funding to Sudan's local responders, who are able to provide life-saving aid to communities in the hardest to reach areas, including Darfur. We continue to use all diplomatic levers to secure unimpeded humanitarian access, security guarantees for aid workers and the end to all siege tactics which block the free movement of civilians and aid.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of funding they provided for the establishment and running of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) until it was closed in 2024; and what conversations they have had with their counterparts on how to continue using the evidence gathered by UNITAD to ensure justice for the Yazidis and other ethno-religious minorities targeted by Daesh.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK played a leading role in the establishment of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD) and remains committed to securing justice for survivors of Daesh crimes following UNITAD's closure. The UK paid its share of the UNITAD operating expenses on the UN budget. The UK continues to work with the Governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, alongside international partners, to help ensure that Daesh members are held accountable for the crimes they have committed. The UK also continues to support survivor-centred implementation of the Yazidi Survivors' Law (2021).
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that their priorities are furthered by multilateral official development assistance spending contributions; and how will UK contributions will be recognised.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains committed to multilateral institutions. I refer the noble Baroness to the reply to HL2775, which affirms the Foreign Secretary's commitment to international institutions, as set out in a statement on 21 July. On 27 July, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced that the Foreign Secretary will take on the role of UK Governor to the World Bank, which provides around $100 billion in finance per year. In the announcement, the Foreign Secretary stated that in taking on this role, he wishes to send an unambiguous signal regarding this Government's commitment to global leadership on development and climate.