Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their role in promoting long-term peace and stability in regions affected by religious persecution.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. Societies that respect and uphold human rights, including FoRB, are stronger, more stable and prosperous.

Faith leaders play a vital role in international mediation and reconciliation. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works internationally with faith-based organisations to support the UK's conflict resolution efforts and build trust and understanding between communities. In Colombia and South Sudan, the UK worked with faith leaders to call on warring parties to negotiate and to support the design and implementation of peace agreements.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to integrate freedom of religion or belief into their broader foreign policy and international development strategies

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. In December 2024, I detailed five Human Rights priorities including defending the rights of people belonging to vulnerable and marginalised groups. By championing FoRB for all, we are fighting back against the threats so many people face for simply what they do, or do not, believe in.

Working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, we are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our multilateral and bilateral engagement. Where FoRB is under attack, other rights are often threatened too. Our policy is to defend the full range of rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in international human rights treaties to which we are a state party - including FoRB. We work to fully integrate human rights across our wider policy and development agendas to support meaningful change on the ground.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Nigeria concerning Leah Sharibu, who was abducted in 2018; and what steps they are taking to support efforts for her release.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government strongly condemns the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu and other children by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) in North East Nigeria, repeatedly calling for their release. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we continue to support the Government of Nigeria's anti-kidnap cell to assist coordination between Nigerian law enforcement agencies responding to kidnap cases.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost of administering the Duty Reimbursement Scheme.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has not made an estimate of the cost of administering the Duty Reimbursement Scheme. Resourcing is spread across several different teams and systems, so it is not possible to apportion the spending related to the Duty Reimbursement Scheme specifically.

HMRC has published extensive guidance on the scheme and will continue to support businesses to use it effectively.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average time taken for a business to reclaim duty under the Duty Reimbursement Scheme from the date of application to receipt of money.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

As of 14 March 2025, the average processing time for a Duty Reimbursement Scheme claim is 16 days.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of Christians in Eritrea, particular with regard to prolonged detention without trial; and what steps they are taking with international partners to seek the release of prisoners of conscience and to hold Eritrean authorities accountable for any violations of religious freedom under international law.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We consistently raise human rights with the Eritrean government, including religious freedoms. We advocate for the end of detentions based on religion or belief, as we have stated at the UN Human Rights Council. We call for all those unjustly incarcerated to be released. The UK's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea raised human rights during her most recent visit to Eritrea in April and the UK supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework: Joint Statement, 10 June 2025, what further work is required for the deployment of new facilitations in the customs area for freight and parcel movements.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The arrangements for the movement of freight and parcels that were agreed under the Windsor Framework came into effect on May 1, 2025. The UK is now finalising the delivery of certain IT systems and we continue to monitor the progress of the systems to support the functioning of the arrangements as agreed in the Windsor Framework.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework: Joint Statement, 10 June 2025, what "significant work remains to be done" in the movement of agri-foods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and what are the "pending issues" for that movement of agri-foods.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Windsor Framework simplified the arrangements for moving retail goods (predominantly agri-food) from Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared to that which was required under the original Northern Ireland Protocol.

As part of the deal, agri-food goods for sale in Northern Ireland need to be labelled ‘not for EU’. These requirements have been phased in over time, with the final phase set to be introduced on 1 July 2025.

We remain committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith, and this includes establishing compliance with the requirements of the simplified arrangements. As part of this we are working closely with industry to monitor and improve application of the Framework. This includes supporting business readiness for the next phase of ‘Not for EU’ labelling commencing on 1 July.

In addition, as set out in our Common Understanding, the Government will take forward a new UK-EU SPS Agreement which will further simplify the movement of agri-food goods within the United Kingdom. As a result, we expect there will no longer be a need for SPS paperwork when moving agrifood or plant products and the requirement to label goods ‘not for EU’ will diminish significantly.

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 in China following the introduction of China’s “Measures for the Administration of Religious Activity Venues” in 2023, which require religious leaders and venues to demonstrate loyalty to the Communist Party.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

Chinese regulations on religious activity severely restrict religious and cultural expression in China. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary have all raised human rights recently with their counterparts.

More broadly, this Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.

Found: June 2025 11.45 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Carlile of Berriew (The Chair); Lord Dodds of Duncairn

Found: June 2025 10.45 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Carlile of Berriew (The Chair); Lord Dodds of Duncairn

Found: June 2025 11.40 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Carlile of Berriew (The Chair); Lord Dodds of Duncairn

Found: 13 June 2025 10 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Carlile of Berriew (The Chair); Lord Dodds of Duncairn

Found: While describing the review as “a significant milestone”, Lord Dodds of Duncairn (DUP) said that the

Republic of Korea APPG
Tuesday 10th June 2025

Found: Kinlochard Crossbench Lord Booth Conservative Lord Watson of Wyre Forest Labour Lord Dodds of Duncairn

Republic of Korea APPG
Tuesday 10th June 2025

Found: Kerr of Kinlochard, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Lord Booth, Lord Watson, Tahir Ali MP, Lord Dodds of Duncairn

Falkland Islands APPG
Tuesday 10th June 2025

Found: Baker MP The Lord Northbrook Ms Sarah Champion MP The Lord Davies of Gower The Rt Hon The Lord Dodds of Duncairn