Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has ever considered Matthew Doyle for a head of mission role.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's response to this question at departmental oral questions on 21 April.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what written records, including electronic communications such as emails, text messages and WhatsApp messages, her Department holds referring to an enquiry about a possible appointment for Matthew Doyle.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not routinely publish internal communications on personnel matters. I refer the Hon Member to the answers given on this matter by the Foreign Secretary in the most recent session of departmental oral questions on 21 April.
Asked by: Joani Reid (Independent - East Kilbride and Strathaven)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on the future of FCDO jobs in East Kilbride.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to its three locations in the UK: King Charles Street in London, Hanslope Park in Milton Keynes and Abercrombie House in East Kilbride. Location is not a factor when making decisions in the FCDO restructuring process and all roles will be available to staff across all three locations, except in a very small number of cases where a specific business requirement has been identified. The FCDO has been consulting with trade unions throughout the restructure process and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Joani Reid (Independent - East Kilbride and Strathaven)
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 impact of proposed restructuring within the FCDO on staff based in East Kilbride.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to its three locations in the UK: King Charles Street in London, Hanslope Park in Milton Keynes and Abercrombie House in East Kilbride. Location is not a factor when making decisions in the FCDO restructuring process and all roles will be available to staff across all three locations, except in a very small number of cases where a specific business requirement has been identified. The FCDO has been consulting with trade unions throughout the restructure process and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Joani Reid (Independent - East Kilbride and Strathaven)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent engagement she has had with trade unions representing FCDO staff in East Kilbride on restructuring proposals.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to its three locations in the UK: King Charles Street in London, Hanslope Park in Milton Keynes and Abercrombie House in East Kilbride. Location is not a factor when making decisions in the FCDO restructuring process and all roles will be available to staff across all three locations, except in a very small number of cases where a specific business requirement has been identified. The FCDO has been consulting with trade unions throughout the restructure process and will continue to do so.
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 her Department has conducted a risk assessment on engaging with groups previously designated as terrorist organisations in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to my statement on gov.uk marking the one‑year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime and the written ministerial statement to both Houses on 22 October, which can be found respectively at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/minister-falconer-article-on-syria-anniversary-december-2025 and https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-10-22/hcws977
These set out, respectively, the UK's support for the efforts of the new Syrian government to build a more stable, inclusive, and representative country and the decision that the Government came to on de‑proscription. I emphasised the importance of inclusive political transition during President Al Sharaa's visit on 31 March.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of proportion of women and children among those killed in Lebanon in the current conflict with Israel.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has not made its own estimates, but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has published figures - based on data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health - stating that more than 2,000 people have so far been killed in Lebanon, including at least 172 children and 91 healthcare workers, with more than 7,000 others injured, as of 21 April.
The UNHCR further report that, since early March, over one million people have been displaced across Lebanon, with more than 140,000 individuals currently staying in Government designated collective shelters. Over 280,000 people are reported to have crossed into Syria through the three official border crossings, including almost 238,000 Syrians and around 44,000 Lebanese.
On the UK's support for families displaced by the conflict, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave on 29 April in response to Question HL16505.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of journalists killed across the Middle East during the current conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has not made its own estimates, but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has published figures - based on data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health - stating that more than 2,000 people have so far been killed in Lebanon, including at least 172 children and 91 healthcare workers, with more than 7,000 others injured, as of 21 April.
The UNHCR further report that, since early March, over one million people have been displaced across Lebanon, with more than 140,000 individuals currently staying in Government designated collective shelters. Over 280,000 people are reported to have crossed into Syria through the three official border crossings, including almost 238,000 Syrians and around 44,000 Lebanese.
On the UK's support for families displaced by the conflict, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave on 29 April in response to Question HL16505.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what considerations her Department has made on the potential merits of supporting the reconvening of a United Nations Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
One of the key principles of the International Sudan Conference in Berlin on 15 April was to take collective action to protect civilians, including children, from the horrendous atrocities taking place in Sudan. This is outlined in the Conference Co-Chairs' statement, linked below, issued by the UK, Germany, France, the EU, US, and African Union. A proposal to reconvene the Diplomatic Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan is under consideration by the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice, launched by the UK and partners on 26 February. A meeting between the members and Non-Governmental Organisation partners will take place in due course to discuss and evaluate the proposal. The UK remains firmly committed to the Children and Armed Conflict agenda and we will continue to champion it, ensuring that the rights, safety and future of Sudanese children remain at the forefront of the international response.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-international-sudan-conference-april-2026-co-hosts-statement/third-international-sudan-conference-berlin-co-hosts-statement-15-april-2026
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their cooperation with the government of Tunisia on (1) intelligence, and (2) defence matters.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has engaged in long-standing cooperation with Tunisia across a range of areas, in particular in relation to defence and security. We support the strengthening of Tunisia's capabilities to contribute to regional stability, including through its UN peacekeeping role in Africa. Tunisia is also a Mediterranean Dialogue partner for NATO. The visit of the Defence Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa's (DSAME) in February 2025 included senior level discussions on how to strengthen cooperation moving forward. Bilateral UK-Tunisia defence cooperation is delivered in full compliance with international standards and principles.
As with all countries, we keep our travel advice to Tunisia under regular review.