Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with the government of Greece to discuss (1) immigration policy, and (2) how the UK, Greece and the EU can cooperate to reduce illegal migration from North Africa into Europe.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We engage closely with the Greek Government on migration issues and are committed to supporting Greece's efforts to manage migration effectively. At Ministerial level, this has included meetings between our Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers at the end of 2024, and between the Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, and his Greek counterpart (most recently in New York in July 2025). We continue to work with Greek partners to identify opportunities for further cooperation around irregular migration to and through Greece.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the priorities of the Danish presidency of the Council of the European Union, and what plans they have to meet the presidency to discuss those priorities.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Denmark assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July. Under the headline 'a strong Europe in a changing world', the Danish Presidency has two overarching priorities: a secure Europe and a competitive and green Europe. The Government will continue to engage regularly with the Danish Government on our shared priorities, as well as with the EU institutions, as we deliver a long-term UK-EU strategic partnership.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of the National Cyber Security Centre in preventing cyber attacks; and what advice is being provided to (1) individuals, (2) businesses, (3) Government departments and (4) national agencies to prevent cyber attacks and limit any damage caused.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Since its inception in 2016, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has been working to make the UK the safest place to live and work online.
The NCSC continue to provide digital and assured industry services to help bring about a real-world, positive impact against threats and are delivering real benefits for the nation, from dealing with significant cyber incidents to defending citizens against online harm and developing a skills pipeline for the future.
Active Cyber Defence (ACD) continues to be one of the NCSC's most successful ways to help bring about a real-world, positive impact against threats. 2.2 million cyber-enabled commodity campaigns were removed by Takedown Service in 2024, up from 1.8 million from the previous year.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the status of the agreement reached between the UK and Denmark in 1917 on the sovereignty of Greenland.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
There were discussions between the UK and Denmark about Greenland's status in the early 20th Century, but our position remains that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and that the future of their constitutional arrangements is a matter for the people and government of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark as the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, have repeatedly and publicly made clear.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with members of the Nordic Council in regards to (1) achieving peace in Ukraine, and (2) preventing the spread of any hostilities to (a) Scandinavian, or (b) Baltic, countries.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Nordic and Baltic states are key UK partners in regional security, working closely through NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, and together in support of Ukraine. We welcome Nordic countries' support for the G7 Joint Declaration agreeing long-term bilateral security commitments for Ukraine.
In support of regional security and protecting NATO's Eastern Flank, the UK has deployed a significant military presence to Estonia as part of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence. The UK has been committed to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, which will strengthen Euro-Atlantic security. We welcome Finland's membership and are supporting Sweden's swift accession to the Alliance.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Russian activity in Kaliningrad and the possible implications for neighbouring countries.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Kaliningrad is part of the Russian Federation. We will continue to work closely with partners, including those across Europe, to strengthen security in the region.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what the level of funding will be for the BBC World Service from April 2022.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We strongly value the work of the BBC World Service and its independent and impartial broadcasting. In 2021-22, the FCDO is providing a total of £94.4 million to the World Service. The FCDO is committed to providing funding for the BBC World Service through to 2025, with final allocations to be confirmed after the conclusion of the FCDO business planning process.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to prevent the sale of counterfeit drugs to developing countries, and (2) to ensure that only patented drugs are sold to those countries. [I]
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK has long supported strategies to increase access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines to people living in low- and middle-income countries. This includes patented products, and their generic equivalents, which are affordable versions of brand name products. We also work to prevent the spread of substandard, falsified, and counterfeit medicines; for example, through support to the WHO's Global Surveillance and Monitoring System for substandard and falsified medical products.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Greek counterpart on elections in that country in January 2015; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Lidington
Neither the Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) nor I have discussed the Greek elections with our counterparts in Greece. It is for the Greek people to decide on their government. We look forward to working with the Government of Greece after the elections and maintaining the excellent relations that we enjoy between our two countries, including in the context of our cooperation as members of NATO and the EU.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about reforming the European Union.
Answered by David Lidington
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and I regularly speak to our European counterparts on a range of issues, including EU reform. In addition, since July 2014, the Foreign Secretary has been undertaking a series of visits to EU Member States’ capitals to discuss EU reform. During the course of these visits, he has met with the Foreign Ministers of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden. He has raised, with these Foreign Ministers the Government’s position that EU reform is necessary for the EU to become more competitive, democratically accountable and fair for those inside and outside the Eurozone.