Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will condemn recent comments made by the Kremlin on (a) Mikhail Khodorkovsky and (b) other dissident pro-democratic Russians, in the context of the formal platform of engagement with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to offer support to members of the Russian Anti-War Committee living in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to open a formal dialogue with the Russian Antiwar Committee.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds data on the number of offenders sentenced to more than four years’ custody for sexual offences against children, broken down by whether the victim was (a) their own child and (b) another child in each year since 2017.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on sentences for sexual offences, including average custodial sentence lengths, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK
It is not possible to identify those who have a parental responsibility status. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish data on (a) the parental responsibility status of offenders sentenced for sexual offences against children under 13 and (b) the number of such offenders who were sentenced to more than four years in custody in each year since 2017.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on sentences for sexual offences, including average custodial sentence lengths, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK
It is not possible to identify those who have a parental responsibility status. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds information on whether offenders sentenced for sexual offences against children under 13 are the parents of minor children; and if he will make it his policy to publish such data.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on sentences for sexual offences, including average custodial sentence lengths, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK
It is not possible to identify those who have a parental responsibility status. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders with parental responsibility for a minor child have received a custodial sentence of over four years in each year since 2017 for a sexual offence against (a) their own child and (b) any child.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on sentences for sexual offences, including average custodial sentence lengths, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK
It is not possible to identify those who have a parental responsibility status. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that immigration rules do not prevent the relocation to the UK of high-profile creative artists in Afghanistan with links to the UK at risk under the Taliban.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those fleeing war and persecution through our safe and legal routes. Since 2021, we have resettled over 34,500 individuals through the UK’s Afghan schemes.
Given the scale of global displacement, it is unfortunately not possible to offer a pathway to the UK for every person who needs it. The UK’s Afghan schemes were never intended to operate indefinitely, and, on 1 July 2025, the Government announced the closure of the schemes.
Afghans wishing to settle in the UK may apply through existing safe and legal routes for work, study and settlement.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the campaign for the (a) protection and (b) resettlement of high-profile creative artists in Afghanistan with links to the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those fleeing war and persecution through our safe and legal routes. Since 2021, we have resettled over 34,500 individuals through the UK’s Afghan schemes.
Given the scale of global displacement, it is unfortunately not possible to offer a pathway to the UK for every person who needs it. The UK’s Afghan schemes were never intended to operate indefinitely, and, on 1 July 2025, the Government announced the closure of the schemes.
Afghans wishing to settle in the UK may apply through existing safe and legal routes for work, study and settlement.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to establish a relocation scheme for high-profile creative artists in Afghanistan with links to the UK facing (a) imprisonment, (b) torture and (c) death.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those fleeing war and persecution through our safe and legal routes. Since 2021, we have resettled over 34,500 individuals through the UK’s Afghan schemes.
Given the scale of global displacement, it is unfortunately not possible to offer a pathway to the UK for every person who needs it. The UK’s Afghan schemes were never intended to operate indefinitely, and, on 1 July 2025, the Government announced the closure of the schemes.
Afghans wishing to settle in the UK may apply through existing safe and legal routes for work, study and settlement.