Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding persistent attacks by Israeli settlers on Taybeh in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government condemns settler violence. We regularly raise settler violence with Israeli ministers and officials, and we are clear that the Israeli government must clamp down on settler violence and settlement expansion. The UK has taken action to hold perpetrators and supporters of settler violence to account. On 10 June, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions against Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in their personal capacity for inciting violence towards Palestinians. This was alongside action from our partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting individuals, illegal settler outposts and organisations supporting violence against Palestinian Communities in the West Bank.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has raised the religious persecution of Leah Sharibu in bilateral discussions with President Tinubu of Nigeria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns Leah Sharibu's abduction and has repeatedly called for her release and the release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA). We have raised Leah's case with the Government of Nigeria, and the Minister for Africa will continue to do so in future engagements. More broadly, we continue to engage with the Government of Nigeria to support efforts to tackle insecurity and prevent further kidnappings, which includes support to Nigeria's anti-kidnap cell, through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Syrian counterpart on the murder of Mahmood Ghassa; and what steps he is taking to support the protection of religious minorities in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is engaging privately and regularly with the Syrian government at every level. We have consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians. I raised this with Syrian Foreign Minister Al Shaibani when we met in March and pressed the Syrian Government to take concrete action following the horrific violence committed against the Alawite community. The UK Special Representative for Syria visited Damascus last week to discuss developments.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will add irreplaceable meadows to the list of irreplaceable habitats.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Irreplaceable habitat includes some of England’s most ecologically valuable habitats. The list of irreplaceable habitats in the biodiversity net gain regulations reflects the non-exhaustive list of examples of irreplaceable habitat in the National Planning Policy Framework. Given the breadth of habitats which could be considered irreplaceable the government plans in due course to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats to ensure it is robust and comprehensive to support decision makers.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take diplomatic steps to support Christians in northern Cameroon who are facing (a) violence from and (b) displacement following Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help tackle religious persecution in that region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is supporting the Cameroonian authorities in the fight against terrorism in the Far North region of Cameroon, and assisting communities affected by violence and displacement. This includes via regular diplomatic engagement, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora, and through frequent visits to the region to engage with communities and authorities. Over the past five years, the UK has provided £20 million in humanitarian and development assistance to Cameroon, much of it focused on the Far North, and continues to back stabilisation efforts in the Lake Chad region. More broadly, the UK Government continues to monitor civil and political rights in Cameroon and is committed to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). This includes advocating for the protections of all vulnerable communities through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as bilaterally with the Government of Cameroon and other influential parties.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Last December, I laid a proposal for a draft remedial order in Parliament, representing the first step in fulfilling the Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act.
I am continuing to speak to all interested parties about our forthcoming primary legislation, which will ensure we have legacy mechanisms in place that are lawful and in which people can have confidence in.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of Estradot for women who react poorly to other HRT treatments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy products, and the vast majority are in good supply. Currently, there are limited supplies of Estradot (estradiol) patches, which may be available to local pharmacies to order. We are working with the sole supplier of Estradot to expedite further resupplies where possible, however, supply issues are anticipated for the remainder of the year.
We have a range of well-established processes to manage supply issues when they arise, working closely with industry, the National Health Service, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to resolve issues as soon as possible. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to the NHS, which includes advice for prescribers to review patients individually if they are unable to tolerate suggested alternative products.
We have also issued Serious Shortage Protocols for Estradot 25, 50, 75, and 100 microgram/24 hour patches, allowing community pharmacists to supply the equivalent strength patch of an alternative brand without the need for a new prescription.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 58548 on Insulation: Housing, if he will hold discussions with mortgage providers on the provision of advances for properties with timber roofs insulated with sprayed foam.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Officials continue to engage with lenders and the industry to seek a resolution for those facing difficulties.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with mortgage providers on making advances on properties with timber roofs insulated with sprayed foam.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to inform the public about the level of risk of (a) moisture and (b) timber degradation following the application of sprayed foam insulant to typical domestic timber roofs.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Building Safety Regulator published research in March 2024 on the moisture risks from spray foam insulation, which showed that there are many situations where moisture risks are likely to be low, including when insulations are made in line with BS 5250:2021. This research did indicate there is a potential for risks to develop dependent on the specifics of roof assembly, temperature, and humidity conditions.
The research can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/moisture-risk-of-spray-foam-insulation-applied-to-timber-sloped-roofs.
All measures installed under government schemes must be installed by TrustMark registered installers and meet the industry standard for installation. If a product has been installed to the standard it should not require removal as a surveyor should be able to use the inspection protocol now available to make an assessment.
Where the measure has not been installed correctly, homeowners should contact their installer or use the TrustMark dispute resolution process to seek redress (https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowner/information-guidance/if-things-go-wrong).