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
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 steps her Department is taking to help ensure the protection of civilians 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 support unaccompanied and separated children 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 outcomes resulted from engagement with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg in July 2025 in relation to (a) support for Yazidi communities and (b) the location of disappeared persons.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 March in response to Question 117286.
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 Government of Zimbabwe on the attack on Professor Madhuku and other political activists; and whether she is taking steps to help support the protection of freedom of belief in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is aware of the assault on Professor Lovemore Madhuku and other National Constitutional Assembly activists. Freedom of expression is an essential quality of any functioning democracy. Political parties, civil society and journalists in Zimbabwe should be able to operate without harassment. Embassy officials remain in contact with the Government of Zimbabwe on these issues as part of our regular engagement.
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 discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on the arrest and charging of people affiliated with the Atajurt movement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned about human rights abuses in China, including in Xinjiang, where Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities remain subject to arbitrary detention and persecution. We also condemn the use of transnational repression, including the intimidation or harassment by foreign governments of their critics overseas. We continue to raise our concerns with China at the highest levels, most recently in the Prime Minister's meeting with President Xi Jinping in January.
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 his contribution in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Debate, Hansard entry 5th February 2026, Column 522, if he will publish the assessment which he stated has been conducted by the UK Government with regards to the risk of genocide occurring in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's commitment to international law, including the Genocide Convention, is unwavering and we have always acted consistently with our obligations. In relation to the Provisional Measures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of January 2024, March 2024 and May 2024, the UK has been clear that Israel has an obligation to implement these measures.
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 his contribution in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Debate, Hansard entry 5th February 2026, Column 522, if he will publish the Government's criteria with for conducting its assessments of the risk of genocide occurring in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's commitment to international law, including the Genocide Convention, is unwavering and we have always acted consistently with our obligations. In relation to the Provisional Measures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of January 2024, March 2024 and May 2024, the UK has been clear that Israel has an obligation to implement these measures.