Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Venezuela on the (a) vandalism of the Cuasia Church and (b) death threats issued towards Fr. Juan Manuel León.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Protecting the Freedom of Religion or Belief is an important objective for the UK all over the world. As part of our efforts to press for a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela, we will reinforce the importance of ensuring that the rights of all Venezuelans are upheld, including members of the church.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Chancellor's written statement of 5 January 2026, UIN HCWS1219, whether the government's response to the Office for Budget Responsibility's Spring forecast will be an oral or written statement to Parliament.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As set out in a written statement to Parliament last week, the Chancellor has asked the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast for publication on 3 March 2026. The Chancellor will deliver an oral statement to the House in response.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with the Government of Nicaragua on restrictions on the importation and distribution of religious materials; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those restrictions on freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 November in response to Question 85308.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 implications for her policies of recent attacks on Afro-Brazilian religious temples in Brazil; and what discussions she has had with her Brazilian counterparts on protecting freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to protecting freedom of religion or belief, as guaranteed under international human rights law. During the G20 Energy and Environment Working Group in October, the Minister for Equalities met Brazilian Minister for Women Marcia Lopes to discuss challenges faced by marginalised communities. In the build-up to COP30 in November, the UK organised a visit for a group of MPs to a 'Quilombo', home to a community targeted with violence and discrimination. This and other Afro-descendant communities are supported by the Amazon Catalyst for Forest Communities (AMCAT) programme, which strengthens tenure security, territorial governance and personal protection for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in the Amazon Basin. The UK and Brazil remain committed to ensuring the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities are protected.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 Indian counterpart on reports of recent forced burning of Bibles in the Rohtak State of Haryana.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer provided on 27 October in response to Question 83419.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answers of 4 and 12 November 2025 to questions 84180 and 87719 on Alpacas: Bluetongue Disease, if her Department will consider reassessing restrictions for animals in which no cases of Bluetongue Disease have been identified.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As Great Britain is currently not recognised by the EU as bluetongue disease-free, the export of all susceptible live animals from the whole of GB territory, including alpacas, to EU and EFTA countries, is suspended. The same restrictions also apply for imports into GB from EU and EFTA countries. The EU and GB rules for trade from BTV affected territories reflect the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (WOAH) Terrestrial Code that sets international standards for Animal Health.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Mexican Government concerning the proposed restrictions on the online expression of Catholic clergy; and what assessment she has made of the implications for freedom of religion or belief in Mexico.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to promoting freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression globally. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials discussed these issues with the Mexican Government during the Mexico-UK Human Rights Dialogues in January 2024 and May 2025. We understand that the bill proposed in Mexico's Congress to limit online expression by religious groups was withdrawn by its author following his engagement with faith groups. We continue to monitor developments.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 Iranian counterpart on the imprisonment of Aida Najaflou; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure her release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer I gave on 29 October to Question 83265, we are concerned by Aida Najaflou's case and we continue to monitor the situation for Christians in Iran.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85742 on Infected Blood Inquiry, when he expects the report for the Infected Blood Inquiry for the financial year 2024-2025 to be published.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Inquiry 2024-25 financial report was published on 6 November, the same day that the audited figures were approved for publication. The report can be found here: https://www.infectedbloodinquiry.org.uk/about/financial-reports
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85743 on Infected Blood Inquiry, how much remuneration the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry receives for his work on that inquiry each year.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry has been paid at the level of a High Court judge, except that he has declined any pension as a result of his work for the Inquiry. The Ministry of Justice publishes the judicial salaries each year. The Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry is currently receiving one tenth of this salary in recompense for his work.