Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her joint letter with the Home Secretary to the Planning Inspectorate on the Chinese Embassy, dated 14 January 2025, what discussions her Department had with their Chinese counterparts on the planning application for the Chinese Embassy between 5 July 2024 and 14 January 2025.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to question 24158.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will set out her Department's plans for staffing reorganisation including (a) the number of staff in each of the next five years and (ii) total staffing costs in each of the next five financial years.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is undertaking a phased restructure of its workforce in line with the Spending Review settlement. Further details will be set out in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the steps taken by the interim Syrian regime on (a) the (i) identification and (ii) the safe disposal of chemical weapons and (b) the protection of the rights of minorities since December 2024.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK welcomes the Syrian Government's commitment to ridding Syria of the Assad regime's chemical weapons. We continue to engage the Syrian Government to support their efforts to locate, secure and destroy chemical weapons left by the Assad regime. The UK has committed over £2.8 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to support the OPCW's verification of the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria.

The UK welcomes efforts by the Syrian Government to protect the rights of all Syrians, regardless of religious or ethnic background. This includes their investigations into outbreaks of sectarian violence in coastal areas and Suwayda, and their facilitation of the UN to investigate human rights violations. We will continue to judge the Syrian Government on its actions not its words.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister discussed (a) Russian oil imports and (b) the refining of oil from Russia by Turkish-based companies during his meeting with the President of Turkey on 27 October 2025.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on Ukraine made by the Foreign Secretary on 15 October 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made provision in her departmental budget for the cost of payments to Mauritius under the UK-Mauritius Treaty in 2025-26.

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

The payments to Mauritius will be split between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. They will be published in the normal manner alongside other departmental spend in the annual accounts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK-Mauritius Treaty, whether payments to Mauritius will be accounted for as day-to-day spending.

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

The payments to Mauritius will be split between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. They will be published in the normal manner alongside other departmental spend in the annual accounts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with the Government of Mauritius on the potential presence of third countries in the Chagos Archipelago following the transfer of sovereignty under the terms of UK-Mauritius Treaty.

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

The treaty contains robust provisions to protect the base, including a 24 nautical mile buffer zone around Diego Garcia and a ban on foreign security forces anywhere in the archipelago. Any suggestions that Mauritius has been negotiating a lease on Peros Banhos are false. This was confirmed by the Mauritian Attorney General in a public statement on 20 October 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a representative of the government of Mauritius enquired with her Department about visiting the Chagos Archipelago prior to sovereignty being transferred; and whether her Department has been asked to facilitate visits with third countries participating.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. member to the answer given to question 69814.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will set out the technical assistance her Department will provide to Mauritius for the Marine Protected Area under Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius Treaty; and what the estimated (a) value and (b) cost of that support will be in each of the next five years.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to question 70431.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will consider the potential merits of commissioning a study of the environmental condition of the Marine Protected Area around the Chagos Archipelago prior to the transfer of sovereignty under the UK-Mauritius Treaty.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to question 70431.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's joint press release entitled UK removes Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham from terrorist organisation list, published on 21 October 2025, whether she has placed conditions on Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham as part of her decision to deproscribe that organisation.

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

HTS was proscribed as an alias of Al Qa’ida in 2017. The Government no longer assesses HTS to be an alias of AQ.

Deproscription decisions are not taken lightly. The Home Secretary is supported in her decision making by a robust process which involves substantial consultation with operational partners and other Government departments. The decision to deproscribe HTS will support our continued efforts to counter Daesh in Syria and reduce the risk to the UK.

We want to step up our engagement and support to give this transition the best chance of success. Deproscription will enhance our ability to do this. A stable Syria is in the UK's interests, reducing the risk of irregular migration and the threats to our national security.

The Home Secretary reserves the right to review proscription decisions in response to evolving threats. The Government will always act swiftly and decisively in the interests of national security.

Found: first with Gavin Williamson, who changed it marginally, and then I sat down with Ben Wallace and Priti Patel

Found: 2020 the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) wrote to the then Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Priti Patel