Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made recent representations to her Vietnamese counterpart on freedom of religion or belief for independent religious communities in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly raises concerns with the Government of Vietnam about freedom of religion or belief for independent religious communities. Vietnam is a focus country in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) Strategy, launched in July 2025, and we raise the issue on a regular basis with the Government of Vietnam. We will continue to urge Vietnam to meet its international human rights obligations. We continue to highlight FoRB violations and abuses on the international stage, through our position at the UN and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Home Office and Department for Education on establishing and funding a safe, facilitated departure scheme for the 2026 cohort of students from Gaza with fully funded scholarships to universities in Scotland and across the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to my answer of 12 January in response to Question 103313, a total of eight cohorts of students and qualifying dependants have so far been supported to leave Gaza to take up their university places in the UK for the 2025/26 academic year. The future nature of this support will be announced to Parliament in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government will support a facilitated departure of students from Gaza with fully funded scholarships to universities in Scotland and across the UK this year.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to my answer of 12 January in response to Question 103313, a total of eight cohorts of students and qualifying dependants have so far been supported to leave Gaza to take up their university places in the UK for the 2025/26 academic year. The future nature of this support will be announced to Parliament in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Honduras published in April 2026, what representations her Department has made to the government of Honduras on the protection of Indigenous leaders, campesino communities and human rights defenders from violence, attacks and forced eviction.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 28 April, the Minister of State for International Development met with Peace Brigades International and Honduran human rights defenders in London to discuss the report in question, and she reinforced the UK's calls for stronger protections for human rights defenders and indigenous groups in Honduras.
All UK companies operating overseas, including those with investments, direct operations, and supply chain links in Honduras, are expected to respect human rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Through the Trade Strategy, the Government is reviewing its approach to responsible business conduct, including options to strengthen human rights and environmental due diligence in global supply chains. The Department for Business and Trade will update the House in due course.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Six-Monthly Report on Hong Kong published on 26 March 2026, what diplomatic steps she is taking to secure the release of Jimmy Lai following reports that he will not appeal his conviction under Hong Kong’s national security legislation.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 April in response to Question 127084.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Honduras, entitled "Our Determination Outweighs Our Fear": Agrarian conflict and the criminalisation of Indigenous and campesino communities, published in April 2026, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK companies with (a) investments, (b) direct operations and (c) supply chain links in Honduras are undertaking enhanced human rights and environmental due diligence, particularly in the agro-industrial and extractive sectors.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 28 April, the Minister of State for International Development met with Peace Brigades International and Honduran human rights defenders in London to discuss the report in question, and she reinforced the UK's calls for stronger protections for human rights defenders and indigenous groups in Honduras.
All UK companies operating overseas, including those with investments, direct operations, and supply chain links in Honduras, are expected to respect human rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Through the Trade Strategy, the Government is reviewing its approach to responsible business conduct, including options to strengthen human rights and environmental due diligence in global supply chains. The Department for Business and Trade will update the House in due course.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
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 recent Israeli legislation introducing the death penalty.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK opposes capital punishment in all circumstances, and we have raised our concerns directly with the Israeli Government about the recently-passed Death Penalty Bill.
In a joint statement with Australia, France, Germany, Italy and New Zealand on 29 March, we highlighted the discriminatory character of the bill, and urged the Government of Israel to abandon it.
And on 30 March, the Foreign Secretary raised the bill in a call with Foreign Minister Sa’ar, and highlighted Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help ensure unrestricted humanitarian access in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the press statement on Lebanon issued by the Foreign Secretary on 15 March (link provided below), and to her oral statement to the House on 17 March.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-situation-in-lebanon--2
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the press statement on Lebanon issued by the Foreign Secretary on 15 March (link provided below), and to her oral statement to the House on 17 March.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-situation-in-lebanon--2
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to increase bilateral and multilateral humanitarian assistance to Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the press statement on Lebanon issued by the Foreign Secretary on 15 March (link provided below), and to her oral statement to the House on 17 March.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-situation-in-lebanon--2