Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the case brought by Sudan against the United Arab Emirates at the International Court of Justice which began on 10 April 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are fully committed to international justice and respect the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to call upon the warring parties to take concrete and immediate action to respect international humanitarian law and alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the rapid support forces comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to use all diplomatic levers at its disposal to press the parties, including the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to comply with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2736. Despite the Russian veto in November of a UK-Sierra Leone led resolution to build on UNSCR 2736, the UK continues to work with UNSC partners to galvanise Council action on Sudan. This includes securing a UNSC press statement on 17 April which called for the end of hostilities in El Fasher and full implementation of Resolution 2736.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representation to his Moroccan counterpart on including freedom of religion or belief during discussions on the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. The recently appointed Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, will play a critical role in promoting this right for all, through and alongside our global diplomatic network, our engagement in multilateral fora, and our important bilateral work. On 25 March, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials met and discussed FoRB with the President of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote freedom of religion or belief in community engagement initiatives in Morocco.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. The recently appointed Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, will play a critical role in promoting this right for all, through and alongside our global diplomatic network, our engagement in multilateral fora, and our important bilateral work. On 25 March, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials met and discussed FoRB with the President of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the funding for the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme is allocated to supporting individuals facing violations of freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-funded Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics (BCAPP) programme is a £27 million initiative designed to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief in Bangladesh. Through this programme, the Hunger project has organised a range of initiatives to foster inter-ethnic and religious peace, including peace events, consultation meetings with local authorities, and quarterly meeting focused on local conflict mediation. Whilst a specific breakdown of funding allocated to freedom of religion or belief is currently unavailable, the BCAPP programme helps ensure the rights of minorities are respected, and protected from discrimination.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent student and pensioner protests in Serbia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are following closely developments in Serbia where large-scale peaceful street protests have been underway for several weeks, following the tragic collapse of a station canopy last November. When I visited Belgrade last month, I noted the Serbian government's commitment to transparency in investigating the incident and their undertaking to act against corruption. During my visit I discussed with the Serbian government and others the importance of respect for citizens' rights of freedom of expression and assembly.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of potential irregularities in the recent elections in Georgia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I made clear in a statement on 27 October my support for the findings of the preliminary report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights election monitoring mission. I also outlined the need for irregularities to be investigated thoroughly and independently. The Georgian authorities must reverse their declining commitment to democratic values and we will work with our international partners to encourage Georgia to return to a Euro-Atlantic path.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK Government's support as it works to restore peace and order and ensure accountability following recent protests. We are aware of reports of human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion. We have expressed support for a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events. Sanctions are one tool in our foreign policy toolkit. Our sanctions policy will be guided by the situation on the ground. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an estimate of the number of unaccompanied children in Gaza that have family in the UK; and whether he is taking steps to support family reunions in those cases.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
Far too many children in Gaza have been orphaned or separated from their parents. We do not have an estimate of how many of these may have family in the UK. The UK is supporting a number of agencies who are targeting funding to respond to the needs of these children. The UK's funding to the Red Cross Movement, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Pooled Fund has supported their work to identify unaccompanied minors, provide care options, and in some cases reunited children with family members.
Palestinians who wish to join family members in the UK may apply to do so via the existing range of routes available. Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules and our suitability requirements. Consideration will be given to compelling, compassionate and exceptional circumstances raised and may be taken into account where certain requirements are not met.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to help evacuate people in Gaza who have permission to enter the UK.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
FCDO staff are working with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to ensure any remaining British nationals and eligible persons that want to leave Gaza are cleared to cross as soon as possible. The Rafah border crossing continues to be open for controlled and time-limited periods to allow specific groups of foreign nationals to cross. Whilst it is for the Egyptian and Israeli authorities to determine who is permitted to cross, and when, we have assisted over 300 people to leave so far.