Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK businesses do not benefit from child labour in Bangladesh.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to ending child labour globally, including in Bangladesh, and to ensuring UK businesses do not benefit from it.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works with partners to engage businesses and investors to raise awareness of child labour risks in supply chains. This year, we have supported the Child Rights Action Hub in Bangladesh to reduce risks in informal, lower-tier supply chains. The Hub has trained 35 Child Rights Focal Points to identify child labour risks and strengthen community-based referral pathways. It has also engaged major textile industry associations to increase visibility of child labour risks in ready-made garment supply chains and promote sector-led action.
The FCDO's Asia Regional Child Labour Programme, our largest programme on child labour, supported interventions to reduce the vulnerability of children to exploitation across South Asia, including Bangladesh.
We will continue to work with international partners to accelerate progress towards ending child labour in line with Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.
Asked by: Alan Gemmell (Labour - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the UK's priorities are for this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with Commonwealth partners to ensure this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda addresses the challenges of today's world, in particular delivering increased intra-Commonwealth trade, investment and economic security, strengthening the Commonwealth's commitment to democracy, and deepening collaboration on protecting the environment.
We will set out our priorities for other future international meetings in the usual way in due course, including next year's G20 summit.
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 she has made recent representations to her Vietnamese counterpart on freedom of religion or belief for independent religious communities in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly raises concerns with the Government of Vietnam about freedom of religion or belief for independent religious communities. Vietnam is a focus country in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) Strategy, launched in July 2025, and we raise the issue on a regular basis with the Government of Vietnam. We will continue to urge Vietnam to meet its international human rights obligations. We continue to highlight FoRB violations and abuses on the international stage, through our position at the UN and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking through (a) the United Nations, (b) the Organization of American States and (c) other multilateral institutions to help support members of religious minorities in indigenous communities in Mexico, including their access to basic services, and their forcibly displacement.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has raised with the Government of Cuba the arbitrary detention of Jonathan Muir Burgos on 15 March 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of (a) the assassination of at least 11 religious leaders by illegal armed groups in Columbia over the past 18 months and (b) the continued refusal by the Columbian Government to restore access for religious officials to the government protection scheme; and whether her Department has made representations about these matters with the Government of Colombia.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies towards Nicaragua of requirements for Catholic and Protestant religious leaders to report regularly to police authorities and obtain permission for all religious activities; and whether she plans to raise these restrictions through bilateral or multilateral channels.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Government of Nicaragua on the detention of Protestant Pastor Efren Vilchez.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
Asked by: Alan Gemmell (Labour - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the UK's priorities are for its G20 leadership.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with Commonwealth partners to ensure this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda addresses the challenges of today's world, in particular delivering increased intra-Commonwealth trade, investment and economic security, strengthening the Commonwealth's commitment to democracy, and deepening collaboration on protecting the environment.
We will set out our priorities for other future international meetings in the usual way in due course, including next year's G20 summit.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department’s policies of recent convictions relating to the 2022 attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Nigeria; and what steps her Department is taking to support accountability and protection for communities affected by religion-related violence in Nigeria.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 27 November 2025 (HWCS1105), and the response provided on 5 June to Question 5325.