Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to citizen-led emergency response rooms in Sudan; and whether mobile financial services are being used to support them.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK is supportive of the citizen-led Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and recognises the critical life-saving work they provide for communities in Sudan. The UK is one of the largest funders of the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which supports the Emergency Response Rooms, as well as a consortium of International non-governmental organisations delivering protection services. Last year, we provided £23 million to the SHF. On 6 August, the Minister of State for Development met with representatives of the ERRs at the forefront of the humanitarian response in Sudan to better understand the challenges they face. We will continue to support the use of cash through a range of partners.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to Saudi Hospital in El Fasher.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK condemns the appalling violence in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, including the impact this has had on the Saudi Hospital. The UK is funding the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which is providing support to the Saudi Hospital. The UK is one of the largest donors to the SHF.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to encourage the government of Iran to respect freedom of religion or belief for Baha'is in that country, in particular with regard to the provision of medical attention for detained citizens, such as Mahvash Sabet; and what they are doing to secure the release of wrongfully detained Baha'i community leaders.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We condemn Iran's restrictions against Freedom of Religion or Belief. The continued systematic targeting of the Baha'i community, which includes unfair arrest and detention, land grabs, and denial of burial rights, is unacceptable. We are committed to working with international partners to hold Iran to account for its repression of the Bahai's, and other religious minorities, including at the UN Third Committee.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Foreign Secretary intends to take steps to ensure that China's actions against Uyghurs is recognised as genocide through international courts and by working with international partners, in accordance with his remarks in March 2023.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether crimes against humanity or genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process.

Regardless of any court's decision, this Government will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang. This includes raising our concerns at the highest levels of the Chinese government, and coordinating efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following recent attacks on Ahmadi Muslim mosques and the desecration of graves in Pakistan, in which police are reported to have been involved, what steps they are taking to urge the government of that country to protect such mosques’ graves and uphold its obligations under international human rights law.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are aware of reports of the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and graves in Pakistan. The UK strongly condemns all instances of hate or violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims and other marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. The Minister for Afghanistan and Pakistan underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when he met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 4 September. On 28 October, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan raised concerns around threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan with the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Alongside our diplomatic engagement, we continue to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, including facilitating interfaith dialogue and protecting marginalised communities from hate speech online.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support calls for accountability for atrocity crimes in Myanmar by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and what steps they are taking to support the case brought by The Gambia in the International Court of Justice against Myanmar for alleged breaches of the Genocide Convention committed against the Rohingya people.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly condemns all human rights abuses in Myanmar. There must be accountability for the atrocities committed. In May, the UK coordinated a statement with partners calling for an immediate end to violence from all sides in Myanmar. In July 2024, the UK's joint declaration of intervention, together with Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, was accepted by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case alleging Myanmar has perpetrated genocide against the Rohingya. The UK has provided £800,000 to the UN's Independent Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) and established the Myanmar Witness programme to gather and preserve evidence of human rights violations in support of future prosecutions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to seek the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Myanmar.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, and all others who have been detained arbitrarily. The charges against her are politically motivated. At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and in a joint press statement with other international partners in July, we have consistently called for the full implementation of UNSC resolution 2669 (December 2022), which demands the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all those arbitrarily detained.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to appointing a special envoy for Myanmar to coordinate a comprehensive policy for that country, and to implementing measures similar to those contained in the BURMA Act of the United States.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Resolving the crisis in Myanmar is an important priority for the UK. Diplomatically, the UK uses its penholder role at the UNSC to support ASEAN's leadership and maintain an international spotlight on the deteriorating situation. We also maintain an embassy in Yangon to manage our wide-ranging humanitarian programmes (over £150 million since the coup). Although the UK has not appointed a separate Special Envoy for Myanmar, we have attended, and will continue to attend, Special Envoys' meetings to help resolve the crisis. We are committed to pressuring the military regime to change course through sanctions targeted at stopping its access to finance, arms and equipment. This includes a recent full sanctions programme announced in October 2024.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to empower the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar, in particular (1) the National Unity Government, (2) the ethnic nationalities, (3) civil society within the country and along its borders, (4) journalists, and (5) human rights defenders, in their work for a transition to genuine federal democracy for all the people of Myanmar.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has announced 19 rounds of targeted sanctions, most recently in October 2024 against suppliers of aviation fuel and equipment to the Myanmar military.  We continue to support all ASEAN efforts, including the 5 Point Consensus. ASEAN have explicitly asked the UK to back their efforts by keeping the UN Security Council united on Myanmar. In October, Indonesia convened a meeting for Special Envoys from across the international community, including the ASEAN Special Envoy and UN Special Envoy. Several international stakeholders, including the UK, sent senior officials to attend the meeting. The UK also provides aid frequently which supports the role of civil society to promote peace and stability in Myanmar.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking in response to the mass killing of Rohyinya people, including mainly women and children, in August by drone and artillery attacks in Maungdaw of the Rakhine State in Myanmar.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are deeply concerned about the Rohingya communities' situation in Rakhine state, Myanmar and were shocked by the attack on civilians fleeing Maungdaw in August. We continue to work with members of the United Nations Security Council and other international partners in calling for the protection of civilians by all parties and the need for unhindered humanitarian access to ensure support can reach the most vulnerable. We will continue to work with international partners to ensure there is accountability for acts committed against the Rohingya, including through the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Since 2017, the UK has provided over £48 million in aid including cash assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene services to the Rohingya and other Muslim minorities in Rakhine state. The UK has announced 19 rounds of targeted sanctions, most recently in October 2024 against suppliers of aviation fuel and equipment to the Myanmar military.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 9 October (HL1436), how many civil servants have currently been granted a formal exemption and are approved to have TikTok on Government devices.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Cabinet Office does not collect this data centrally. Where an essential business requirement necessitates the use of TikTok, this is managed through a formal exemptions and approvals process which takes place at departmental level.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Yellow Card reports of sexual dysfunction and persistent sexual dysfunction the MHRA received for bupropion in each year since 2014; and what consideration NHS England has given to adding sexual dysfunction as a side effect on the patient information leaflets for bupropion.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the United Kingdom there are two authorised products containing bupropion. The first contains bupropion hydrochloride and is prescribed to help individuals stop smoking, when they also have motivational support, for instance through a stop smoking programme. The second is a combination product containing bupropion hydrochloride and naltrexone hydrochloride, and is prescribed in obese or overweight adults to manage weight, together with a reduced calorie diet and physical exercise.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received three Yellow Card reports of sexual dysfunction related reactions suspected to be associated with bupropion hydrochloride, the single constituent, and one Yellow Card report of sexual dysfunction for the combination product, bupropion hydrochloride and naltrexone hydrochloride, between 1 January 2014 and 29 October 2024.

The following table shows the number of suspected Yellow Card reports of sexual dysfunction related reactions and bupropion containing products received by the MHRA between 2014 and 2024:

Source: data provided by the MHRA.
Note: the data includes reactions grouped under the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities’ (MedDRA) Higher Level Terms: erection and ejaculation conditions and disorders; orgasmic disorders and disturbances; sexual and gender identity disorders NEC; sexual arousal disorders; sexual desire disorders; sexual dysfunction NEC; sexual function and fertility disorders NEC; and spermatogenesis and semen disorders.

Persistent sexual dysfunction does not represent a specific medical condition, so this precise term is not a category available to undertake a structured search of the MHRA’s Adverse Drug Reaction database, and would rely on manual assessment of individual cases. The structured data field search terms are drawn from the regulatory drugs dictionary, MedDRA, or from terms adopted in clinical coding guidance such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classification of Diseases.

It is important to note that the inclusion of a particular report on the MHRA’s system does not necessarily mean that the adverse reactions reported have been caused by the suspect drug. Additionally, the number of reports received should not be used as a basis for determining the incidence of a reaction, as neither the total number of reactions occurring, nor the number of patients using the drug, is known.

The product information, which includes the patient information leaflet, for single constituent bupropion reflects the data currently available, and does not include sexual dysfunction as a possible side effect. The product information for the combination bupropion and naltrexone product contains the terms loss of libido, libido disorder, and erectile dysfunction. As with other medicines, the safety of bupropion is kept under review by the MHRA, and consideration will be given to any emerging evidence on this issue.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency about expediting the use of phage treatments in last-resort medical cases.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to supporting innovation and the development of new, safe, and effective medicines. Officials in the Department are working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to explore the use of bacteriophages, also known as phages.

Although there are currently no licensed bacteriophage medicines in the United Kingdom, patients may still access them as part of a clinical trial, as unlicensed medicines, or as medicines prepared under the supervision of a pharmacist.

The MHRA is actively developing non-binding, regulator-agnostic information to help innovators understand what type of quality, safety, and efficacy data is needed by regulators to evaluate phage products for market authorisation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prescriptions for bupropion were issued in each year since 2014; and what was the annual cost to the National Health Service of those prescriptions for each of those years.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The attached table shows the number of prescriptions issued for buproprion and the net ingredient cost (NIC) from 2014 to 2023, and from January to August for 2024, as this is the latest data available.

Based on the information within the Prescription Cost Analysis published statistics from the NHS Business Services Authority, there are two chemical formulations that include buproprion, those being: bupropion hydrochloride; and the combination of naltrexone and buproprion. It should also be noted that the total NIC shown in the attached table is the basic price of the prescribed medicine before discounts, dispensing costs, or fees. This includes items that have been dispensed in the community in England regardless of where prescribed.