Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much public money has been spent since the start of the 2017–18 financial year on support for Bahrain’s Prisoners' and Detainees' Rights Commission; and what was (1) the source of funding, including funding provided through any UK Government department or fund, and (2) the amount spent in each financial year.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is firmly committed to supporting human rights reforms and strengthening governance worldwide. Programme funding is allocated and deployed in line with this commitment, ensuring that resources are used to promote transparency, accountability, and respect for fundamental rights. The FCDO is mandated to publish programme and project data for all official development assistance (ODA) funded programmes, and aims to be as transparent as possible, whilst not publishing sensitive details that may negatively impact on the security or safety of the programme, our staff and delivery partners and the recipients of the programme. This mandate is not extended to non-ODA programmes. All funding decisions are made in accordance with FCDO's strategic objectives and financial guidelines to deliver maximum impact and value for money.
The majority of UK funding in support of the Bahrain human rights reform agenda has come from the Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) - and its predecessor the Integrated Activity Fund (IAF) before financial year 2019/20. Further information on the GSF programme is available in the Annual Summaries published on Gov.UK.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the arrest of Ibrahim Sharif in Bahrain; whether they have made any representations to the government of Bahrain about his arrest; and what assessment they have made of the compatibility of his arrest with freedom of expression in Bahrain.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government is aware of reports concerning the arrest of Ibrahim Sharif in Bahrain. We maintain a regular dialogue with the Government of Bahrain on human rights issues, both bilaterally and through multilateral channels. We continue to encourage Bahrain to uphold its international commitments, including respect for freedom of expression, while recognising that these matters are subject to Bahraini law. We will monitor developments and engage with Bahraini authorities as appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Bahrain's revocation of the visa of the Associated Press to cover the Manama Dialogue; and whether they have made any representations to the government of Bahrain about that action and compliance with obligations to uphold freedom of the press.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We are aware of reports that the visa of Associated Press journalists was revoked ahead of this year's Manama Dialogue. The UK remains committed to supporting media freedom and regularly underlines the importance of this principle in our engagement with international partners, including Bahrain.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Foreign Secretary made any representations to the government of Bahrain about high-profile imprisoned activists or human rights issues during the visit to that country.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
During her recent visit to Bahrain, the Foreign Secretary discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues. The UK maintains an open and frank dialogue with Bahrain on human rights.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of South Africa regarding deaths of boys during mass circumcisions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government is deeply concerned by reports of fatalities linked to male initiation ceremonies, which includes circumcision practices in South Africa. We continue to engage through various partners to support efforts that prioritise child protection, uphold human rights and reduce harm from practices that pose serious health risks to children and adolescents.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HL9197 and HL9244), why the Prime Minister raised human rights issues with Saudi Arabia but not Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK and the Gulf countries have close and long-standing relationships. We benefit from a genuine and open dialogue and work together on matters of shared interest in a variety of fora. The depth of our relationships allows us to work together constructively, raising points of difference as and when they arise. The answers provided in HL9197 and HL9244 relate to statements following meetings with our Gulf partners, and included non-exhaustive summaries of the issues discussed. The United Kingdom remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. Continued progress is in the interest of the UK, the Gulf and the international community.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the Gulf Strategy Fund was (1) allocated to Bahrain, and (2) spent in Bahrain, in 2024–25.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
For Financial Year 2024/25, £900,000 was allocated to Bahrain. The actual spend was £896,594.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the names of the Bahraini bodies that have received training or technical assistance from implementing partners under the Gulf Strategy Fund in 2024–25.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Bahrain Gulf Strategy Fund Programme supported the following Bahraini bodies in Financial Year 2024/25: the Ministry of Social Development; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture; the Public Prosecution; Bahrain Space Agency; the National Institute for Human Rights; the Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman Office; the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission; and Civil Society Organisations.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - 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 10 June (HL8925), whether any of the non-governmental actors whom the Director of the Gulf Strategic Fund Programme met in Bahrain have a public record of speaking out on human rights issues in Bahrain.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the response to PQ HL8925, this was a working level visit by the Gulf Strategy Fund Manager, not at senior or Director level. The Government does not hold the information requested on the non-governmental interlocutors he met.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - 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 30 May 2025 (HL6904), on what date they last raised the cases of Abduljalil al-Singace and Hasan Mushaima with the government of Bahrain.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK regularly engages with the Government of Bahrain and, where appropriate, the independent oversight bodies on a range of human rights and governance matters - those with broader societal impact and individual cases. This has included the cases of Abduljalil al-Singace and Hasan Mushaima. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain.