Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the security of Buddhists in Tibet in (a) November and (b) December 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations, for example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly on 22 October. The Foreign Secretary has raised human rights in every meeting with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his recent visit to China on 18 October.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with his Russian counterpart on the release of James Scott Rhys Anderson.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassy in Moscow requested urgent confirmation of Mr Anderson's detention and location and reminded the Russian Federation of their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Consular officials remain in close contact with Mr Anderson's family to provide assistance.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) diplomatic, (b) humanitarian and (c) other steps he is taking with international counterparts to help secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since day one of this government, we have prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in co-ordination with international partners. The Prime Minister - along with other G7 Leaders - has fully endorsed efforts by the US and regional partners to reach a comprehensive deal in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735. We need the hostages returned immediately and unconditionally. During his most recent visit to the region on 9 October, the Foreign Secretary reiterated the need for an immediate ceasefire to ensure their safe release. We must also see greater protection of civilians, a rapid increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the enabling of UN and humanitarian agencies to operate safely in Gaza.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote the rights of religious minorities in Eritrea.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (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 visit to Eritrea in June. The UK supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the proportion of official development assistance that is provided to global religious minorities.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK 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. The official source of data on UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) is Statistics on International Development (SID). In line with the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) ODA reporting rules, ODA data is categorised using sector (or purpose) codes, which classify ODA activities by the sectors they benefit. These sector codes are not sufficiently granular to enable tracking of ODA provided to religious minorities. The FCDO works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the amount of overseas aid allocated to each recipient country for the most recent financial year available.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Annex A of the FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts 2023-2024 sets out the FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programming outturn for financial year 2023-24, including by country.
Ministers are currently reviewing the FCDO's ODA budget and will publish planned ODA allocations for 2024-25 in due course.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in Eritrea on (a) Christians imprisoned and (b) possible violations of (i) freedom of religion or belief and (ii) other human rights in that country; and what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help prevent unwarranted arrests in Eritrea.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We consistently raise the need to improve the human rights situation with the Eritrean Government. We advocate for national service reform and the end of arbitrary detentions, including detentions based on religion or belief. Eritrea is a priority country in the FCDO Annual Human Rights Report and we support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2024. As we have stated at the Human Rights Council, all those who have been unjustly incarcerated must be released.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the (a) recent sentencing to death on charges of blasphemy of Shaughta Karan in Pakistan and (b) possible violations of (i) freedom of religion or belief and (ii) other human rights in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Pakistan is a FCDO human rights priority country. We work to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. This includes regularly raising our opposition to the death penalty and concerns about the misuse of blasphemy laws, both in principle and in relation to specific cases. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on the 4 September.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on efforts to help end the conflict in Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister recently discussed Ukraine during his visits to Germany, France, Ireland and Italy, and we are in constant contact with the Government of Ukraine. The Prime Minister recently hosted President Zelenskyy in Downing Street, where they discussed the President's victory plan. The Government's support for Ukraine is ironclad. The UK has now committed £12.8 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support. Ukraine has been clear that a just peace must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and the UN Charter.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase levels of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Foreign Secretary's statement on 2 September, it is the assessment of this Government that Israel could reasonably do more to ensure that lifesaving food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza, in the light of the appalling humanitarian situation. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary continue to press Israeli leaders to deliver on their promise to "flood" Gaza with aid, including in two Foreign Secretary visits to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Prime Minister has spoken to PM Netanyahu and PM Mustafa.
The UK trebled its aid commitment to the OPTs in the last financial year and this Government will maintain significant funding this financial year to support trusted aid agencies on the ground. This includes £5.5 million to UK-MED, £6 million for UNICEF, and £21 million new UK funding to UNRWA, which will also support lifesaving work in Gaza.