Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential implications for Syrian Christians and other vulnerable minorities of removing Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham from the UK’s list of proscribed terrorist organisations.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is proscribed in the UK, having been added as an alias of Al-Qaeda in 2017. We will judge HTS by their actions and continue to monitor closely how they and other parties to this conflict treat all civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, in areas they control. The FCDO has consistently underlined the importance of protecting religious minorities publicly and in our engagement with the interim Syrian authorities, regional and international partners. We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they are giving to the new administration in Bangladesh to support reforms and build capacity in (1) their anti-corruption unit, (2) financial intelligence unit, (3) criminal investigation department, (4) national board of revenue and (5) the Attorney General of Bangladesh's Office.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is supporting the Bangladesh Interim Government's work to create a pathway to an inclusive democratic future. We would not comment on any individual Asset Recovery cases, but we are supporting reform and capacity building including providing expertise to the central bank to stabilise the banking system and implement banking governance reforms. We are in discussions with the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the International Centre for Asset Recovery on how to support the Interim Government of Bangladesh. The NCA visited Dhaka in October and November 2024 as part of the UK's effort to support Bangladesh in this area as well as wider engagement on law enforcement issues. The UK and international partners continue to push for progress towards accountability and justice, and due process in Bangladesh, including through an impartial and independent fact-finding mission by the United Nations.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 31 July (HL154), why they have not appointed a Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief; and whether they will set out a timetable for doing so.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government will continue to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Envoy roles will be decided upon in due course. We cannot comment on timelines for individual appointments. In the meantime, we continue to use the strength of our global diplomatic network, including dedicated staff within the FCDO, to promote and protect FoRB around the world.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they have given to the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion and Belief in Berlin on 10 October.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
FCDO officials responsible for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) policy, attended the entirety of the Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, in Berlin 9-11 October. Following the conference, we will build on discussions focused on the implications of artificial intelligence for FoRB. The use of AI presents both opportunities and risks for the enjoyment of human rights. It is important that we champion the positive potential of AI, whilst taking action to mitigate risks. We will do this by working with international partners and through multilateral fora including the UN and regional organisations.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 31 July (HL154), when they expect to announce whether they will appoint a Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government will champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Envoy roles will be decided upon in due course. There is no set timetable for doing so. In the meantime, we continue to use the strength of our global diplomatic network, including dedicated staff within the FCDO, to promote and protect FoRB around the world.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to measure value for money in respect of funding disbursed or provisionally allocated to the Ozanne Foundation for (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–28.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The FCDO's LGBT rights programme aims to transform the lives of millions of LGBT people around the world by reducing violence and discrimination, improving economic and social inclusion and legislative reform. All proposals to the programme are required to set out how they will deliver and measure value for money. Successful partners are required to submit reports for the monitoring and evaluation process. These reports include a results framework or log frame to track progress against targets of the project and quarterly and annual progress reports, which should highlight how they have achieved value for money.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) due diligence, and (2) procurement, processes were undertaken by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office prior to awarding the Ozanne Foundation £805,000 of project funding for the period 2024–28.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The FCDO's LGBT rights programme aims to transform the lives of millions of LGBT people around the world by reducing violence and discrimination, improving economic and social inclusion and legislative reform. Procurement for the first round of funding took place through a call for proposals which went out in June 2023. Following a due diligence process the Ozanne Foundation received £20,000 in 2023/24 to initiate a project to develop a residential course for senior religious leaders from around the world. The final workplan and budget for April 2024 onwards will be agreed after a satisfactory due diligence assessment of the lead programme partner, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford. It was announced by the Cabinet Office Minister on 13 May that all future contracts for external diversity spending will be signed off by ministers.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding has been disbursed to the Ozanne Foundation via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or predecessor departments since 2019; on what evidential basis was that funding released; and what conditions, if any, were attached to that funding.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
LGBT rights are human rights and the UK is committed to championing these rights internationally, supporting those who defend them. The Ozanne Foundation works with religious organisations around the world to eliminate discrimination based on sexuality or gender to embrace and celebrate the equality and diversity of all. Since 2019, the FCDO and predecessor departments have provided the Ozanne Foundation with £207,500, this includes £20,000 for 2023-24. The funding, which was allocated to address the issue of violence and discrimination of LGBT people, has primarily been used for the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT lives which calls for an end to violence and criminalisation against LGBT people. It was announced by the Cabinet Office Minister on 13 May that all future contracts for external diversity spending will be signed off by ministers.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund the Ozanne Foundation via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in 2024–28, and for what purpose.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The LGBT rights programme was publicly announced in November 2023. This programme has been set up to fund a range of partner organisations and is designed to improve the lives of millions of LGBT people around the world by reducing violence and discrimination, improving economic and social inclusion and legislative reform. The Ozanne Foundation works with religious organisations around the world to eliminate discrimination based on sexuality or gender to embrace and celebrate the equality and diversity of all. The Ozanne Foundation submitted a proposal to develop a residential course for senior religious leaders from around the world. The proposal was successful and due diligence of the lead programme partner, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, is currently ongoing. It was announced by the Cabinet Office Minister on 13 May that all future contracts for external diversity spending will be signed off by ministers.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Ozanne Foundation to ensure that that organisation has appropriate financial oversight and management processes in place to manage projects involving large sums of public money received by grant in the 2023–24 financial year.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The FCDO's LGBT rights programme aims to transform the lives of millions of LGBT people around the world by reducing violence and discrimination, improving economic and social inclusion and legislative reform. Following a standard due diligence process the Ozanne Foundation received £20,000 in 2023/24 to initiate a project to develop a residential course for senior religious leaders from around the world. It was announced by the Cabinet Office Minister on 13 May that all future contracts for external diversity spending will be signed off by ministers.