Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the contribution of Sudanese diaspora student activists in atrocity prevention initiatives in Sudan.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers and officials continue to meet on a regular basis with a wide range of Sudanese civil society and diaspora groups in the UK and across the region to listen to their concerns, gain their valuable insights, and help to build an inclusive, united approach for transitioning to a civilian-led government once a lasting ceasefire is in place.

Most recently, on 9 March, Minister for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman, met with a number of NGOs, including diaspora representatives, to discuss how to strengthen humanitarian access and overcome restrictions on the entry of aid, as well as how best to drive forward our work to protect civilians and hold perpetrators to account in Sudan, through the UK-led Coalition for Atrocity Prevention.

On 24 February, the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, also hosted an event in Berlin to discuss how to stop Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan, consulting Sudanese activists and diaspora members, civil society representatives, UK and German policymakers and international partners. The event provided a platform for Sudanese women to inform UK and German thinking ahead of the April International Sudan Conference in Berlin.

The policy changes raised by the Rt Hon Member are a matter for the Home Office, along with any assessment of their impact.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the contribution of Sudanese diaspora student activists in pro-peace initiatives in Sudan.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers and officials continue to meet on a regular basis with a wide range of Sudanese civil society and diaspora groups in the UK and across the region to listen to their concerns, gain their valuable insights, and help to build an inclusive, united approach for transitioning to a civilian-led government once a lasting ceasefire is in place.

Most recently, on 9 March, Minister for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman, met with a number of NGOs, including diaspora representatives, to discuss how to strengthen humanitarian access and overcome restrictions on the entry of aid, as well as how best to drive forward our work to protect civilians and hold perpetrators to account in Sudan, through the UK-led Coalition for Atrocity Prevention.

On 24 February, the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, also hosted an event in Berlin to discuss how to stop Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan, consulting Sudanese activists and diaspora members, civil society representatives, UK and German policymakers and international partners. The event provided a platform for Sudanese women to inform UK and German thinking ahead of the April International Sudan Conference in Berlin.

The policy changes raised by the Rt Hon Member are a matter for the Home Office, along with any assessment of their impact.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the outcomes from the Chevening Scholarship program for Sudanese nationals.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers and officials continue to meet on a regular basis with a wide range of Sudanese civil society and diaspora groups in the UK and across the region to listen to their concerns, gain their valuable insights, and help to build an inclusive, united approach for transitioning to a civilian-led government once a lasting ceasefire is in place.

Most recently, on 9 March, Minister for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman, met with a number of NGOs, including diaspora representatives, to discuss how to strengthen humanitarian access and overcome restrictions on the entry of aid, as well as how best to drive forward our work to protect civilians and hold perpetrators to account in Sudan, through the UK-led Coalition for Atrocity Prevention.

On 24 February, the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, also hosted an event in Berlin to discuss how to stop Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan, consulting Sudanese activists and diaspora members, civil society representatives, UK and German policymakers and international partners. The event provided a platform for Sudanese women to inform UK and German thinking ahead of the April International Sudan Conference in Berlin.

The policy changes raised by the Rt Hon Member are a matter for the Home Office, along with any assessment of their impact.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she had with Cabinet colleagues prior to the recent decision concerning Sudanese student visas.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers and officials continue to meet on a regular basis with a wide range of Sudanese civil society and diaspora groups in the UK and across the region to listen to their concerns, gain their valuable insights, and help to build an inclusive, united approach for transitioning to a civilian-led government once a lasting ceasefire is in place.

Most recently, on 9 March, Minister for International Development and Africa, Baroness Chapman, met with a number of NGOs, including diaspora representatives, to discuss how to strengthen humanitarian access and overcome restrictions on the entry of aid, as well as how best to drive forward our work to protect civilians and hold perpetrators to account in Sudan, through the UK-led Coalition for Atrocity Prevention.

On 24 February, the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, also hosted an event in Berlin to discuss how to stop Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan, consulting Sudanese activists and diaspora members, civil society representatives, UK and German policymakers and international partners. The event provided a platform for Sudanese women to inform UK and German thinking ahead of the April International Sudan Conference in Berlin.

The policy changes raised by the Rt Hon Member are a matter for the Home Office, along with any assessment of their impact.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken to carry out inquests.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of inquest delays on bereaved families.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inquests are currently in progress in England as of 11 March 2026.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chief Coroner, Local Authorities and other key partners on reducing the length of time for inquests.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for coroner inquests to be completed on bereaved families in England.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.

The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.