Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of allocating the majority of the UK’s pledge to the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in 2028/29 on the ability of the Global Fund to scale up innovations.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations announced by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March take a strategic, multi‑year approach, which will provide greater predictability and support effective planning by our partners, including multilateral organisations such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which the UK continues to back as a high‑impact institution delivering strong results. These allocations were considered in the round alongside other multilateral commitments and priorities, within a highly constrained overall ODA settlement.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations her Department has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia regarding (a) the reported increase in executions in 2024 and 2025, (b) the execution of individuals convicted of offences committed when they were under 18, and (c) the cases of individuals facing execution for protest-related offences.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
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 the Syrian interim government on constitutional protections for the political, cultural and linguistic rights of Kurdish communities as part of the ongoing integration process between the Syrian interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026. I can assure her that we continue to raise the protection of Kurdish civilians and other minority communities, as well as the importance of accountability and rule of law, as a constant subject of concern with the Syrian Government. On 27 February I spoke to Foreign Minister al-Shaibani and raised with him directly my concerns around the humanitarian situation in Kobane and the internally displaced persons camps. I also recently met with members of the UK Kurdish community to discuss their views on the 30 January agreement and their hopes for the future.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to civilian populations affected by recent military operations in North-East Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026. I can assure her that we continue to raise the protection of Kurdish civilians and other minority communities, as well as the importance of accountability and rule of law, as a constant subject of concern with the Syrian Government. On 27 February I spoke to Foreign Minister al-Shaibani and raised with him directly my concerns around the humanitarian situation in Kobane and the internally displaced persons camps. I also recently met with members of the UK Kurdish community to discuss their views on the 30 January agreement and their hopes for the future.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking through diplomatic channels to ensure accountability for attacks on civilian populations in North-East Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026. I can assure her that we continue to raise the protection of Kurdish civilians and other minority communities, as well as the importance of accountability and rule of law, as a constant subject of concern with the Syrian Government. On 27 February I spoke to Foreign Minister al-Shaibani and raised with him directly my concerns around the humanitarian situation in Kobane and the internally displaced persons camps. I also recently met with members of the UK Kurdish community to discuss their views on the 30 January agreement and their hopes for the future.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
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 effectiveness of the United Kingdom’s sanctions regime relating to Sudan in preventing gold originating from that country from entering UK markets, including where such gold has been processed or refined in third countries; and whether she plans to introduce additional sanctions and import controls.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The trade of illicit gold funds conflict, undermines the rule of law, and perpetuates human rights abuses. Gold extraction and smuggling operations represent a significant loss to Sudan and undermine effective resource governance. The UK Government engages with the gold industry, in particular the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and the World Gold Council, as well as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to support responsible sourcing and rigorous due diligence standards to enhance resilience to illicit gold and identify malign actors in the supply chain. As an OECD member, we have committed to businesses in the UK applying the OECD's Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk areas, including the LBMA. The UK is a global leader in tackling illicit gold flows, recently hosting a joint FCDO-HMRC Gold Conference and launching a public-private partnership with industry to clamp down on illicit flows. We will continue to urge all countries to refrain from actions that prolong the crisis, including those that may financially benefit the warring parties. On 20 July 2023, the UK announced sanctions targeting 13 individuals and businesses linked to the actions of Russia's Wagner Group including alleged involvement in the exploitation of gold resources in Sudan. Sanctions policy remains under review. We do not comment on possible plans for future designations.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her United Arab Emirates counterpart on reports of gold originating from Sudan being exported to, processed in and re-exported from the UAE.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The trade of illicit gold funds conflict, undermines the rule of law, and perpetuates human rights abuses. Gold extraction and smuggling operations represent a significant loss to Sudan and undermine effective resource governance. The UK Government engages with the gold industry, in particular the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and the World Gold Council, as well as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to support responsible sourcing and rigorous due diligence standards to enhance resilience to illicit gold and identify malign actors in the supply chain. As an OECD member, we have committed to businesses in the UK applying the OECD's Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk areas, including the LBMA. The UK is a global leader in tackling illicit gold flows, recently hosting a joint FCDO-HMRC Gold Conference and launching a public-private partnership with industry to clamp down on illicit flows. We will continue to urge all countries to refrain from actions that prolong the crisis, including those that may financially benefit the warring parties. On 20 July 2023, the UK announced sanctions targeting 13 individuals and businesses linked to the actions of Russia's Wagner Group including alleged involvement in the exploitation of gold resources in Sudan. Sanctions policy remains under review. We do not comment on possible plans for future designations.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the potential risk of gold imported into the United Kingdom via Switzerland originating from conflict-affected areas of Sudan, including gold transiting through and refined in the United Arab Emirates; whether her Department has assessed the adequacy of due-diligence requirements for transit and refining hubs such as the UAE; and what steps she is taking to improve enforcement and traceability to prevent conflict gold entering UK supply chains.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 4 December 2025 in response to Question 95190.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many letters relating to the British Council were received by her Department in each year from 2019 to 2024, and what proportion received a substantive response in each year.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of ministerial meetings with external individuals and organisations are routinely published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on a quarterly basis. The requested data on correspondence could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings her predecessors held with the Chief Executive or Chair of the British Council in each calendar year from 2019 to 2025.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of ministerial meetings with external individuals and organisations are routinely published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on a quarterly basis. The requested data on correspondence could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.