Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle the issue of online platforms facilitating information on how to conduct abuse against women, including drug-facilitated sexual assault, especially within intimate partner relationships.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Online Safety Act 2023 requires all in-scope companies, including social media platforms, to take swift and effective action against criminal online abuse. Under the Act, online platforms must put in place systems and processes to reduce the risk of their services being used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it appears.
This includes content that facilitates, encourages or provides instructions to carry out a criminal offence under UK law, including drug-facilitated sexual assault. If platforms do not comply, Ofcom can fine up to £18m or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue (whichever is higher). They may also apply to the courts for business disruption measures that require third parties to withdraw their services from, or restrict access to, non-compliant services in the UK.
The Home Office will continue to work with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and others to explore how online platforms can do more to protect women and girls via the Online Safety Act and other means.
Drawing on the tactics used to tackle child sexual abuse online,“Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy”, which we published on 18 December 2025, committed the Government to expanding the use of specialist Undercover Online Officers to address VAWG.
Delivering on this commitment, the Home Office will pilot a brand-new network of officers with technical capability to target the highest harm, most technologically sophisticated offenders. The pilot will help improve capabilities to counter and reduce the highest harms posed to the UK public from VAWG, and insights from the pilot will be shared with Ofcom to help address the use of online platforms to cause harm.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ease with which people can access drugs that can be used for drug-facilitated sexual assault.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling all illegal drugs, which is key to delivering our missions to make our streets safer and to improve our nation’s health.
We have commissioned the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review the effect of controlled drug use on women and girls, including links to domestic abuse and wider violence, and to make recommendations.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have put in place to ensure a rapid response to international humanitarian emergencies, in the light of (1) the number of global active conflicts and atrocity crimes, and (2) budget cuts to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK remains committed to support conflict and atrocity prevention to help save lives, uphold international law and prevent cycles of violence that drive displacement. The UK can rapidly deploy a range of assistance in response to humanitarian emergencies. This includes aid items such as tents and blankets, the UK Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT), and the UK International Search and Rescue Team, as well as technical experts specialising in disaster management, conflict, and health, among others. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) holds the Humanitarian Crisis Reserve, designed to enable rapid responses to new or emerging humanitarian crises, such as a natural disasters, disease outbreak, or spike in conflict.
We are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. ODA is only one element of how we deliver impact. It is the combination of defence, politics, development, diplomacy and policy levers, which will maintain the UK's effectiveness amongst international partners and within the multilateral architecture.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, RSF Systematic Mass Killings and Body Disposal in El-Fasher, North Darfur 26 October – 28 November 2025, published on 16 December.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The report referenced by the Noble Baroness has been reviewed as part of our ongoing work to monitor credible information regarding atrocities in Sudan, and take action accordingly.
On 12 December, I wrote to Parliament to outline that the UK would be sanctioning four senior Rapid Support Forces commanders suspected of atrocities.
On further steps the UK has taken to protect civilians and seek accountability for atrocities committed in Sudan, I refer the Noble Baroness to my statement to the House during the Debate on Sudan on 27 November 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what atrocity prevention measures they are taking in Sudan, in particular in Darfur, in accordance with the undertaking to prevent genocide in Article 1 of the Genocide Convention.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The report referenced by the Noble Baroness has been reviewed as part of our ongoing work to monitor credible information regarding atrocities in Sudan, and take action accordingly.
On 12 December, I wrote to Parliament to outline that the UK would be sanctioning four senior Rapid Support Forces commanders suspected of atrocities.
On further steps the UK has taken to protect civilians and seek accountability for atrocities committed in Sudan, I refer the Noble Baroness to my statement to the House during the Debate on Sudan on 27 November 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes about the situation in Sudan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I welcome the report on Sudan issued by the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes last month and look forward to engaging with them on this issue. Sudan remains a top priority for this Government, as reiterated in my statement to the House during the Debate on Sudan on 27 November 2025, where I also laid out further steps the UK has taken to protect civilians and seek accountability for atrocities committed in Sudan. Furthermore, on 12 December, I wrote to Parliament to outline that the UK - as part of our determined commitment to prevent atrocities and hold perpetrators to account - would be sanctioning four senior Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanders suspected of atrocities in Sudan.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to ratify the 2019 amendment to Article 8 of the Rome Statute.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government's position on these issues was set out most recently by Lord Collins of Highbury in response to a House of Lords debate on the use of starvation as a weapon of war held on 16 October 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to Article 3, on the prohibition on torture, of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of children and refugees, and preventing torture and we continue to play a leading role in supporting international conventions and alliances that uphold these goals.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to Article 8, on the qualified right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence, of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of children and refugees, and preventing torture and we continue to play a leading role in supporting international conventions and alliances that uphold these goals.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review how the European Convention on Human Rights has been implemented in practice.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of children and refugees, and preventing torture and we continue to play a leading role in supporting international conventions and alliances that uphold these goals.