Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab that a drone typically operated only by the Chinese army is being used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur; whether this constitutes a breach of the United Nations embargo on the sale of armaments to parties engaged in the conflict; and whether they intend to raise this with the warring parties.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains extremely concerned about reports of external support to the warring parties in Sudan, and we have repeatedly called on all international actors to end the supply of weapons, finance, and personnel, and use whatever influence they have to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.
Last year, we worked closely with international partners to secure the renewal of the long-standing UN arms embargo on Darfur. The UK will support its further renewal in September and will continue to push for the embargo to be extended to the whole of Sudan. We expect all countries to comply with their obligations under UN sanctions regimes.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan to ensure that those responsible for the deaths of at least 30 people and injury of more than 60 people in drone strikes thought to have been carried out by the Rapid Support Forces in North Darfur are brought to justice.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We remain concerned about the pattern of drone warfare in Sudan including attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Co-hosting the International Sudan Conference in Berlin on 15 April, we joined other participants in calling on the warring parties to end the conflict and adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law. Previously, on 26 February, we launched the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan, bringing together likeminded partners to press for accountability, advance justice and bolster local peacebuilding and protection efforts.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for freedom of religion or belief of the new criminal court procedures issued in Afghanistan by the Taliban in January, including rules relating to corporal punishment and religious practice.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Afghanistan is a focus country for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's strategy on freedom of religion or belief, announced in July 2025, and officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. We work with international partners to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their oppressive restrictions, including new criminal court procedures. We continue to support the United Nations Special Rapporteur and his mandate to document human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Human rights and basic freedoms are not only a moral imperative but also essential for building a stable, inclusive and prosperous country for all Afghans. Without inclusive governance that reflects Afghanistan's religious, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity, we will never see an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of UN Watch in its report From Watchdogs to Ideologues, published on 26 May, of a pattern of ideological bias and financial conflicts of interest relating to 13 UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteurs; and what action they intend to take in response.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to welcome the crucial role played by the United Nations' network of special rapporteurs and experts in several countries and regions around the world, as well as on specific issues of concern. However, in order to maintain the confidence of the international community in those roles, it is important that each rapporteur or expert upholds the highest standards of independence and objectivity, and we will always make clear when we believe any individual has fallen short of those standards.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the UN Watch report From Watchdogs to Ideologues on 26 May, whether they support the calls of UN Watch to create a coalition of democratic states to regularly assess, publicly rate, and hold UN experts accountable; to impose a ban on UN experts receiving earmarked funding from governments or other external entities; to establish an independent external mechanism to review, audit, and discipline mandate-holders; and to establish an independent system of external vetting of candidates by democracies.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to welcome the crucial role played by the United Nations' network of special rapporteurs and experts in several countries and regions around the world, as well as on specific issues of concern. However, in order to maintain the confidence of the international community in those roles, it is important that each rapporteur or expert upholds the highest standards of independence and objectivity, and we will always make clear when we believe any individual has fallen short of those standards.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a public service interpreter working for 101 made political remarks about China in a call with Hong Qi, a Chinese pro-democracy activist; and what action, if any, they plan to take.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Matters relating to the conduct of individual police officers, staff, or those working on behalf of the police are for the relevant police force to consider through established complaints procedures. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on the detail of the case raised.
If an individual believes that a public service interpreter has acted inappropriately during a police interaction, they can make a complaint directly to the relevant police force or via the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Information on how to do so is available on the IOPC’s website at https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints/submit-a-complaint, including an online complaints form and guidance on the complaints process.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether United Solar Polysilicon has supplied solar energy or other energy-related projects into the UK market; and how they are ensuring compliance with the prohibition on the purchase of goods made by slave labour.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government's longstanding position is that no UK businesses should be complicit in forced labour and human rights violations. The UK's current legislation under Section 54 of the 2015 Modern Slavery Act drives industry action to use due diligence and transparency as the means of tackling forced labour in global supply chains.
Although Government itself does not hold information on specific operators, Government is clear that all UK businesses should respect human rights throughout their operations and supply chain relationships with overseas suppliers in line with the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Government continues to tackle forced labour violations head on and launched the Responsible Business Conduct Review in last year's Trade Strategy. The appraisal is ongoing and will provide an actor agnostic and neutral appraisal of the UK’s current policy. It will consider alternative options for enhancing UK’s role in reducing forced labour in global supply chains.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Human Rights report Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains, published on 24 July 2025, in particular its recommendation that Great British Energy and other public buyers "must ensure that solar procurement decisions are made on the basis of independent assessments and not rely solely on the Solar Stewardship Initiative to provide assurance of supply chains”.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
The Government welcomes the recommendations made in the report, Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains. We are taking these into account as we progress the Responsible Business Conduct Review.
We have already taken action in the new Procurement Act to strengthen rules around excluding suppliers linked to modern slavery. Great British Energy (GBE) is establishing its own requirements of partners and will set out further detail over the coming months. While GBE considers the Solar Stewardship Initiative a valuable tool and partner, it is not currently a member.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the judgment in the Maira Shahbaz case with Pakistan’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief and the rights of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise concerns about the protection of religious minorities, including forced marriage and conversion, with the Government of Pakistan at senior levels, and consistently encourage it to guarantee the rights of all people in line with its international human rights commitments. We also support efforts to address these issues through our development programming, including the Aawaz II programme, which works with communities to promote the rights of women and girls, support victims, and challenge harmful practices.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding the protection of girls from minority communities following the ruling in the Maira Shahbaz case in March 2026.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief and the rights of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise concerns about the protection of religious minorities, including forced marriage and conversion, with the Government of Pakistan at senior levels, and consistently encourage it to guarantee the rights of all people in line with its international human rights commitments. We also support efforts to address these issues through our development programming, including the Aawaz II programme, which works with communities to promote the rights of women and girls, support victims, and challenge harmful practices.