Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to provide technical or financial assistance to support the establishment of the International Claims Commission and its associated compensation fund.

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

We are clear that Russia must be held accountable for its illegal actions in Ukraine. The UK is a founding member of the Register of Damage and Chair of the Conference of Participants, under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The process to establish a Claims Commission as the next stage in an international compensation mechanism is still ongoing. The UK has participated in all four rounds of negotiations and continues to actively engage.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has considered the practice of forced passportization in territories of Ukraine currently under Russian occupation.

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

It has been widely-documented that residents in Russia-occupied Ukrainian territories are being compelled to take Russian passports to access essential services such as healthcare, education and pensions, with those who refuse facing detention, deportation, and the loss of property rights. This is a clear breach of international humanitarian law, and we continue to condemn it in international fora, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UN.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of drones, including IOTs (small communicating modular devices), procured by the MOD are made with Chinese components.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We do not procure Chinese manufactured drones for use in operations, and we review our critical supply chains regularly to identify and mitigate potential risks to our National Security.

The MOD does not routinely comment on the relative percentages on the origin or percentages of specific components of our planned or in service capabilities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the interest accruing on the frozen proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club is subject to UK taxation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the interest accrued on the frozen proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club is intended to benefit any future foundation established to support victims of the war in Ukraine.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is determined to see the full proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far.

While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible.

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 Chinese counterpart on the ongoing transnational repression of the Falun Gong; and what steps she is taking to ensure their protection in the UK.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 43452 on 09 April.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many properties or other assets belonging to persons affiliated with ISIS have been seized or frozen under UK Government sanctions since March 2011.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury published in its 2024-2025 Annual Review that £19.3 million in assets across multiple sanctions regimes have been reported as frozen as of September 2024. This is an aggregated total of all entities and individuals listed on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets under non specified regimes including the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida regime. OFSI does not hold a comparable figure for 2011.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) properties and (b) other assets belonging to family members of Bashar al-Assad have been (i) seized and (ii) frozen under UK Government sanctions since March 2011.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury published in its 2024-2025 Annual Review that £383 million in assets relating to the Syrian sanctions regime have been reported as frozen as of September 2024. This is an aggregated total of all entities and individuals listed on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets. OFSI does not hold a comparable figure for 2011.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Chinese counterpart on releasing Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri and other pastors and members of Zion Church arrested on 10 October 2025.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 75048 on 16 September.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what legal power the Government seized the property belonging to Rifaat al-Assad in Mayfair, London following his conviction for money laundering and embezzling public funds in France in 2020.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) provides law enforcement agencies with a wide range of powers to freeze, seize and recover criminal assets, such as property.

These include restraint orders, property freezing orders, recovery and confiscation orders. Over 250 agencies have had POCA powers extended to them, including the National Crime Agency, police forces, HMRC and the Serious Fraud Office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, following the seizure of the property belonging to Rifaat al-Assad in Mayfair, London, in 2020 by UK authorities, who is currently the legal owner of that property and who is responsible for managing it.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) provides law enforcement agencies with a wide range of powers to restrain and recover criminal assets, such as property.

Restraint orders ensure that suspected criminal property cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of whilst investigations and other proceedings are ongoing. In some circumstances the Court can appoint a receiver to manage the property during proceedings, including potential sale if a confiscation order is subsequently made, the defendant may also need to sell property without the involvement of a receiver as a result of a confiscation order.

The Home Office cannot comment on individual cases and questions relating to them should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency or prosecutorial body.