Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
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 policies of allegations of harassment by the Government of Uganda against leaders of the opposition and their families.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works with the Government of Uganda on a range of important issues, including trade, development, regional security and refugee response. We also regularly raise concerns about infringements of human rights and restrictions on political activity, including on opposition parties and their supporters. The UK engaged across the political spectrum to advocate for peaceful and credible January 2026 elections, including for opposition candidates to be able to campaign freely and safely, and we continue to press for democratic rights and freedoms, including through our High Commission in Kampala.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
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 policies of reports of human rights abuses in Uganda.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works with the Government of Uganda on a range of important issues, including trade, development, regional security and refugee response. We also regularly raise concerns about infringements of human rights and restrictions on political activity, including on opposition parties and their supporters. The UK engaged across the political spectrum to advocate for peaceful and credible January 2026 elections, including for opposition candidates to be able to campaign freely and safely, and we continue to press for democratic rights and freedoms, including through our High Commission in Kampala.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the government of Iran to restore internet access and international communications to allow people to search for missing family members after recent protests.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Lord Bishop to the statement from the Foreign Secretary that I provided to the House on 15 January, and the answers I gave in the subsequent debate which can be found here: Iran - Hansard - UK Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to take further action against the government of Iran, including sanctions and other measures, in response to human rights abuses against protestors by the security forces.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Lord Bishop to the statement from the Foreign Secretary that I provided to the House on 15 January, and the answers I gave in the subsequent debate which can be found here: Iran - Hansard - UK Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to include religious leaders and faith based civil society groups from Israel and Palestine that are committed to peace building and reconciliation in the conference at Lancaster House on 12 March regarding the establishment of an international peace fund for Israel and Palestine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We will announce further details in the near future of the 12 March conference to help establish an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to consult with Palestinian civil society and Israeli human rights groups ahead of the peace building conference at Lancaster House on 12 March.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We will announce further details in the near future of the 12 March conference to help establish an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her planned timetable is for disbursing the humanitarian assistance package for El Fasher.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In response to the humanitarian crisis in El Fasher, the Foreign Secretary announced on 1 November a £5 million uplift to UK humanitarian support, including £3 million to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund and £2 million to the International Rescue Committee. We also mobilised £23 million in existing UK humanitarian aid to further support the emergency response in North Darfur. In total, the UK has provided £146 million in this financial year.
The distribution of our funding is ongoing and we continue to work through a combination of multilateral organisations, international non-governmental organisations, and local responders to ensure that our support reaches those most in need, including people in hard-to-reach areas such as El Fasher, delivering life-saving food and health assistance, as well as support for survivors of sexual violence through partners such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, and Cash Consortium Sudan.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance her Department provides on the potential impact of Article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on British maritime logistics taking place in (a) the Falkland Islands, (b) Gibraltar and (c) other British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The United Kingdom is a Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), having ratified it in 1997. The United Kingdom's position regarding Article 298 of UNCLOS is set out in the UK's formal declarations dated 7 April 2003 and 31 December 2020.
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 address the rights and needs of all ages of women, especially older women, in their engagement at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to affirming the principles of the Beijing Declaration and promoting the rights and freedoms of women and girls across the world. We will seek opportunities throughout the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to highlight the rights and needs of older women throughout the UK delegation's engagement. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Office for Equality and Opportunity will consult with a range of civil society organisations, including organisations representing older women, before and during CSW itself.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether UK humanitarian aid for Gaza is diverted to Hamas or Hamas-linked individuals operating in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We have robust processes in place to prevent the diversion of UK aid. All aid partners are subject to thorough due diligence checks, and programmes are continually monitored to make sure money is spent as intended.
Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, and funding or supporting it is a crime. We have been clear that Hamas must play no role in the future of Gaza, and no UK funding goes to Hamas or its affiliates.