Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of (a) torture and (b) other human rights violations by Tô Lâm .

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government continues to monitor reports of human rights concerns in Vietnam. We regularly raise these issues with the Vietnamese authorities - including at the highest levels - through bilateral engagement and in multilateral forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Bangkok is following the arrests of Montagnard Protestants in Thailand. This includes liaising with the relevant authorities to understand potential next steps. We continue to urge all governments to uphold their international human rights obligations, including the non-refoulement principle.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of her policies of the recent detention of 70 Vietnamese refugees in Thailand.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government continues to monitor reports of human rights concerns in Vietnam. We regularly raise these issues with the Vietnamese authorities - including at the highest levels - through bilateral engagement and in multilateral forums such as the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Bangkok is following the arrests of Montagnard Protestants in Thailand. This includes liaising with the relevant authorities to understand potential next steps. We continue to urge all governments to uphold their international human rights obligations, including the non-refoulement principle.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings the UK has participated in under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons framework on lethal autonomous weapons systems; what the financial cost of that participation has been; and what progress has been made towards delivering her Department's objectives in those discussions.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Group of Government Experts (GGE) is the appropriate forum to consider the issue of emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). It is inclusive, expert and consensus based which means that as a forum its conclusions will have the most meaningful impact. The UK is an authoritative voice in the GGE, aiming to increase understanding of the related issues and encourage agreement on appropriate norms and standards. We continue to support the fulfilment of the 2023 consensus mandate of the GGE to 'formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS'. The LAWS GGE has made progress in articulating the key aspects of the issue and its current mandate provides a positive basis for progress.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the her Department's objectives are in its engagement with the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Group of Government Experts (GGE) is the appropriate forum to consider the issue of emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). It is inclusive, expert and consensus based which means that as a forum its conclusions will have the most meaningful impact. The UK is an authoritative voice in the GGE, aiming to increase understanding of the related issues and encourage agreement on appropriate norms and standards. We continue to support the fulfilment of the 2023 consensus mandate of the GGE to 'formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS'. The LAWS GGE has made progress in articulating the key aspects of the issue and its current mandate provides a positive basis for progress.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department supports negotiations for a treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems in 2027.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Group of Government Experts (GGE) is the appropriate forum to consider the issue of emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). It is inclusive, expert and consensus based which means that as a forum its conclusions will have the most meaningful impact. The UK is an authoritative voice in the GGE, aiming to increase understanding of the related issues and encourage agreement on appropriate norms and standards. We continue to support the fulfilment of the 2023 consensus mandate of the GGE to 'formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in the area of LAWS'. The LAWS GGE has made progress in articulating the key aspects of the issue and its current mandate provides a positive basis for progress.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the reported attacks by the Armenian government against the Armenian Apostolic Church; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure its protection.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is monitoring the situation between the Armenian Government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. We expect all actions to comply with Armenia's constitutional and legal framework, allowing due process to take its course and ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law, with judicial proceedings remaining transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether future UK-funded capacity-building programmes will be structured to (a) advance Palestinian statehood and (b) support the government of Palestine in building institutions capable of delivering public services across Palestine, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on the Middle East on 18 November, where support for Palestinian institutions was discussed. We will update the House in due course on any further developments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Consul-General in East Jerusalem plans to present her credentials as Ambassador to the President of the State of Palestine; and whether she has had discussions with the Palestinian Authority on that process.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The British Consulate General in Jerusalem has had a special role working to promote and protect UK interests in Jerusalem for almost 150 years. The future status of the British Consulate General, and the Consul General, in Jerusalem will be determined in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will ensure equality of esteem and equal treatment in design, evaluation and implementation of UK-funded programmes in Palestine and Israel; and whether school textbooks in Israel and Palestine will be reviewed for racism and discriminatory content.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary on the Middle East on 18 November, where support for Palestinian institutions was discussed. We will update the House in due course on any further developments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the death of Dr Hamza Shaheen in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We remain deeply concerned about incidents of violence in Syria, including the reports of Dr Shaheen's murder. We continue to advocate for an inclusive political transition, a greater focus in social cohesion, and protection of the rights of all Syrians, regardless of religious or ethnic background. When I met the Foreign Minister and Justice Minister in Damascus in August and during their inward visit in November, I underlined the need for the Syrian Government to ensure that the justice system serves all Syrians.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the expected timetable and procedural pathway for the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to be formally received by His Majesty King Charles III for the presentation of credentials; whether, at the point of presentation of credentials, the United Kingdom will recognise the Ambassador as the representative of the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, as stated in Government policy; and whether the Letters of Credence, the Royal Decree of Agrément, and any associated documentation issued in connection with such recognition will explicitly reference the 1967 borders and the United Kingdom’s position on the applicability of international law, including the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinions on the illegality of the occupation.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK follows the standard diplomatic process of agrément and presentation of credentials, as set out in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We recognise Palestinian statehood over provisional borders, based on 1967 lines with equal land swaps, to be finalised as part of future negotiations.

Councillor Jan Brown

Palestine Action hunger strike

Israel’s use of cluster munitions

Reduction to UK Official Development Assistance

Buying community energy locally

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Two-child limit