Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help stop the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan; and if he will have discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on steps to protect Ahmadi Muslims and their mosques and graves, in the context of the recent demolition of an Ahmadi mosque in Daska, Punjab, by local authorities on 16 January 2025.

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

Promoting the rights of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November, and discussed this issue in Parliament on 28 November. We are aware of reports of the desecration of an Ahmadi Mosque in Daska and continue to monitor the situation. In response to this incident, the British High Commissioner raised the issue of Ahmadi Muslim rights in a message to the Punjab Minorities Minister on 23 January. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in accordance with international standards.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of net zero policies since 2000.

Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Net Zero transition is critical to sustainable UK growth because of the economic costs of unmitigated climate change. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its analysis of the cost of reaching net zero by 2050 in chapter 3 of the July 2021 edition of its UK Fiscal Risk Report. As the OBR has noted, “the costs of failing to get climate change under control would be much larger than those of bringing emissions down to net zero.”

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of giving landlords the power to offer students fixed term house in multiple occupation tenancies for the academic year.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 26549 on 6 February 2025.

Found: Deirdre Costigan; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Joe Robertson; Gregory Stafford

Found: Deirdre Costigan; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Joe Robertson; Gregory Stafford

Found: Clifton-Brown Graham Stuart Helen Whately Joe Robertson Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst Wendy Morton Gregory Stafford