Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what initiatives his Department is funding to (a) monitor and (b) support the (i) registration and (ii) legal recognition of religious communities in Vietnam.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is committed to promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) globally, including in Vietnam. During Vietnam's 2024 Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK put forward recommendations urging Vietnam to take steps to ensure the protection of the right to freedom of religion. Bilaterally, the UK raises FoRB concerns with Vietnamese counterparts. Our Embassy in Hanoi engages with the diplomatic community and civil society to monitor developments and support dialogue on religious freedom.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for artificial Intelligence to replace the use of animals in medical research.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use, we support approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research, including via artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan in January to drive AI development and deployment. The Government co-funds seven Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), two focusing on AI which will support alternative method development. Internal allocations of DSIT’s spending review settlement will determine future investment.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what proportion of the £22.6 billion increase to research and development funding by 2029-30 will be allocated to support the (a) development, (b) validation and (c) uptake of alternative methods to animal testing.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) invests to support research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. These are categorised as basic research, so calculating funding for alternative methods specifically is not possible. Future investment will be determined by internal allocations of DSIT’s spending review settlement announced on 11.06.25. UKRI also invests £10 million annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and is conducting a five-year review to guide future investment.

The Government will publish a strategy to support non-animal alternatives later this year.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with (a) devolved administrations, (b) conservation organisations and (c) local communities to facilitate effective species reintroduction programmes.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra enables and facilitates effective species reintroduction programmes through its arms-length bodies.

Regarding (a), Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and NatureScot meet quarterly to discuss species reintroductions. The England Species Reintroduction Taskforce and the National Species Reintroduction Forum (for Scotland) collaborate informally, with representatives attending each other's meetings to improve knowledge exchange. The Taskforce is beginning a formal collaboration with NatureScot on two key projects: developing a database for UK species reintroduction projects and developing a framework and guidance for conservation introduction.

Regarding (b), Natural England has a key role in advising partners including conservation organisations on species reintroductions, including as formal partners and funding some projects through the Species Recovery Programme. Natural England advice ranges from ensuring the Reintroductions Code is being followed to bringing stakeholders together to discuss individual projects. Forestry England works in partnership with conservation organisations to deliver nature recovery projects – including species reintroductions - in the nation’s forests.

Regarding (c), a requirement of the Code is to undertake effective engagement and consultation with stakeholders. This includes encouraging projects to engage with local communities to help create mutual understanding, offer a sense of shared purpose and benefits, and reduce the risk of future conflicts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on freedom of religion or belief of (a) reports of the escalation of violence against Hindu communities in Bangladesh since August 2024 and (b) the response of the interim government.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. We support the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and their report on the violations that occurred in Bangladesh in July and August 2024. In October 2024, we were pleased to see the establishment of a special policing unit by the Interim Government in the lead up to Durga Puja to protect Hindu worship sites.

In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities with Chief Adviser Yunus and UK Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders visited Bangladesh in February. The UK-funded £27 million Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme is contributing to protecting and promoting freedom of religion or belief. Through this programme, the Hunger project has organised a range of initiatives to foster inter-ethnic and religious peace. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government on ensuring minority voices are meaningfully included in the reform process and that these communities feel both protected and represented.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of redevelopment plans impacting Sikh families in the Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar area of Mumbai.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the redevelopment of Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar in Mumbai, and its potential impact on Sikh families. While this is a matter for the Indian authorities, we continue to monitor developments affecting minority communities globally. We encourage all redevelopment efforts, wherever they occur, to be conducted transparently and with full consideration for the rights and welfare of affected residents.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to lay the Activity Regulations required to give effect to the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023; and which activities he plans to prioritise.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to take forward changes to low-welfare activities abroad.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian assistance his Department has provided to support religious minority communities affected by conflict in Syria.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not provide targeted humanitarian assistance for religious minority communities in Syria. The FCDO uses data and evidence to guide humanitarian allocations, ensuring that resources are directed to where they are most needed, in line with humanitarian principles. Our humanitarian funding in Syria provides urgent humanitarian aid to millions of Syrians across the country, as well as support for Syria's longer-term recovery through education and livelihoods initiatives. We continue to focus our diplomatic efforts on advocating and supporting the Syrian Government to ensure an inclusive, representative and non-sectarian political transition which respects the rights of all Syrians.

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 (a) monitor and (b) respond to threats to religious freedom for Christian and other minority faith communities in Iraq.

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

The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. On 8 July, the Government publicly set out its approach to FoRB, providing a framework for UK engagement, including for countries navigating the impact of conflict, both past and present, such as Iraq.

In July 2025, the Minister for Human Rights and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB met with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg, the Prince of the Yazidis. We also raise threats to minority faith communities into regular engagements with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. For example, at Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution.

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 with international partners to defend vulnerable religious groups in north-east Syria.

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

Alongside our international partners the UK has consistently advocated and offered support to the Syrian Government to deliver an inclusive political transition. We have underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, including vulnerable religious groups in the north-east, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government, including during the Foreign Secretary's recent visit. We remain deeply concerned about tensions between communities in Syria and the impact this may have for Syria's stability. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee

Found: Dear Ruth Jones, Dominic Hamspon – Smith and Wales YFC would like to take this opportunity to thank

Found: Ein cyf/Our ref JMHSC/00901/25 Ruth Jones MP Chair Welsh Affairs Committee 08 May 2025 Dear Ruth

Found: Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee House of Commons Palace of Westminster London

Found: of State for Public Health and Prevention 39 Victoria Street London SW1H 0EU Ruth Jones

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Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Jones (Chair); David Chadwick; Gill German; Simon Hoare; Claire

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