Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and if so, when they will announce that appointment.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 27 November to Question HL11898.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announced staff cuts at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps they will take to ensure that gender and conflict considerations will remain central to the UK’s diplomatic and development work.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the announced 15 to 25 per cent staff reduction at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office align with (1) the Government's foreign policy and development priorities and (2) with the Government’s international commitments to women, peace and security, such as the UK’s Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
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 are taking to ensure that staff cuts at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office do not affect the UK's influence on the women, peace and security agenda.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether resources are going to be cut to the women, peace and security agenda; and if so, by how much.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the cuts to staff at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens were detained in foreign jails at the end of September.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As of 30 September 2025, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was providing consular assistance to 1,834 British people detained overseas.
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 will take to encourage the international community to ensure that the forthcoming elections in Myanmar will be free and fair.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We continue to support the aspirations of the people of Myanmar for a peaceful, democratic future. Any meaningful election needs to be accompanied by an end to violence, a resumption of dialogue among all parties concerned, and it must also address the urgent need to allow access for humanitarian assistance, to end human rights violations, and reverse the collapse of public services. We will continue to engage international partners, including ASEAN and at the UN Security Council, on the challenges facing people in Myanmar.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, "Unspeakable Tragedy", published in June.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK strongly condemns the Myanmar military's use of airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and places of worship. On 13 May, the former Minister for Indo-Pacific called for all parties, particularly the Myanmar military, to refrain from airstrikes, safeguard civilians, and protect civilian infrastructure. Earlier this month, our Head of Mission in Yangon raised concerns over the use of airstrikes against civilians with the Myanmar military regime. Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Since the military coup in Myanmar, the UK has provided over £190 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and work to support civil society and local communities. In response to the earthquake in March 2025, we provided £25 million of life-saving support to those affected. We remain committed to supporting civil society, advocating for the release of those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and working with international partners for accountability. The UK has provided £900,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since 2021 and established the Myanmar Witness program to collect evidence of human rights violations.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will call for an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly to address Myanmar.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to lead efforts at the United Nations to keep Myanmar on the International agenda. In its penholder role, the UK convened six UN Security Council (UNSC) meetings in 2024, including the first open meeting in five years focused on the Rohingya. In 2025, three Council meetings have already been held, alongside a UNSC Joint Press Statement on the Myanmar earthquake. The UK has also co-sponsored multiple Human Rights Council resolutions, most recently in April 2025, condemning ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities.