Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date her Department last raised the issue of the disputed territory of Essequibo with Venezuelan officials.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 January 2026 to Question 103712.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will publish a summary of the legal advice it has received regarding US airstrikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised after that statement.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions or meetings her Department has held with representatives of BP or Shell regarding oil in Venezuela since August 2025.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government regularly engages with major British businesses about their global operations, through different departments, at various levels, and in multiple countries. We do not hold a central register of all the issues discussed.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date her department last had discussions with US officials on the Bank of England holding Venezuelan gold.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There is no record of any such discussions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions or meetings her Department has held with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado since January 2024.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has sought to maintain a constructive dialogue with senior figures in the Venezuelan opposition in recent years, including Maria Corina Machado, and as the Foreign Secretary said in her statement to the House on 5 January, she spoke to Ms Machado in the wake of the removal of Nicolas Maduro to reassure her of the UK's support for a peaceful transition to a democratic government in Venezuela, respecting the will and rights of all its people.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many US military personnel are stationed at (a) RAF Alconbury, (b) RAF Molesworth, (c) RAF Croughton, (d) RAF Fairford, (e) RAF Lakenheath, (f) RAF Menwith Hill, (g) RAF Mildenhall, (h) RAF Barford St John, (i) RAF Welford, (j) RAF Yeovilton, (k) RAF Feltwell, (l) RAF Blenheim Crescent and (m) RAF Northwood.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

There are approximately 11,000 United States Visiting Force (USVF) members in the UK at various defence sites, excluding family members and defence civilian personnel and contractors. In the interests of personnel security, I will not currently share specific numbers of USVF personnel at each individual site.

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