Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 recent killing of Imam Muhsin Hendricks in South Africa; and whether he has had discussions with his international counterparts on the protection of (a) religious and (b) LGBTQ+ communities from targeted violence.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The tragic murder of Imam Muhsin Hendricks on 15 February strengthens our resolve to continue implementing our policies on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and LGBT+ rights to protect, support and promote individual human rights for all. The UK has been, and will continue to be, a vocal and visible supporter of LGBT+ rights and FoRB in South Africa. The Minister for Africa expressed publicly the UK's sadness at the death of Imam Hendricks on 19 February and acknowledged his role as a courageous spokesperson for LGBT+ rights and gender equality in South Africa.
Globally, we remain firmly committed to working with our international partners to promote tolerance and mutual respect in relation to FoRB and LGBT+ rights through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. For example, the joint Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and private philanthropy Equal, Safe and Free Fund is supporting grassroots LGBT+ organisations across Africa, and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, will attend the UN Human Rights Council 58th session in Geneva to discuss FoRB with international partners in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 joint letter of 31 July 2024 issued by 18 United Nations Special Mechanisms, reference AL IRN 14/2024, on the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns Iran's restrictions against Freedom of Religion or Belief. Baha'is face particularly acute repression by the authorities in Iran, which includes but is not limited to unfair arrest, detention, and lengthy prison sentences. We are aware of the UN Special Rapporteurs' joint letter - the increased targeting of Baha'i women is an alarming escalation. We are committed to working with international partners to hold Iran to account for its repression of the Baha'is, and other religious minorities, including at the UN Third Committee. The UK raised ongoing discrimination against minority groups during Iran's Universal Period Review on 24 January.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 security situation for the Shia Muslim community in Parachinar.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting the rights and safety of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I raised the importance of religious tolerance and harmony, as well as the impact of rising extremism on vulnerable groups, when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November. The British High Commission continues to raise the security situation for Shia Muslims in Parachinar at the highest levels. UK programmes are also promoting the rights of religious minorities, including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Our Aawaz II programme promotes interfaith harmony by convening influential community and faith leaders and minority representatives to resolve local issues, particularly as religious tensions arise.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 support Nigeria to tackle (a) marginalisation of minority faith communities, (b) criminalisation of blasphemy and (c) other systemic violations of freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to protect freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. The right of individuals to express their beliefs or non-belief is essential for a free and open society. Our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, is an important part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria. In addition, the UK government funds the provision of legal and judicial expertise for those countries wishing to make legislative changes to protect FoRB, including addressing blasphemy laws. In Nigeria, ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, also impinge on the rights of FoRB. We work closely with the Nigerian security forces on tackling violent extremism, while the UK provides support to locally-led solutions to tackle the complex root causes of intercommunal violence.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much humanitarian aid his Department has allocated to Nigeria for 2025; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that this aid reaches vulnerable communities in (a) Benue, (b) Kaduna and (c) Plateau.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the Financial Year 2024/25, UK humanitarian support to Nigeria totalled £33.5 million in life-saving assistance. We have reached approximately one million people with our Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP), reducing mortality and increasing resilience, focused on people with the most severe humanitarian needs. At present, our humanitarian aid is not targeted at Benue, Kaduna or Plateau states. The UK is also a donor to the Start Fund which provides rapid financing in response to small to medium scale crises including helping people affected by conflict in central Nigeria.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 implications for his policies of restrictions on (a) education, (b) work and (c) public life placed on women and girls by the Taliban in Afghanistan; and what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help tackle violations of women's rights and freedom of religion or belief in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, which seriously affect their everyday lives. These restrictions and those on freedom of religion and belief and hamper Afghanistan's development. We support the initiative to refer the Taliban to the International Court of Justice for violations of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and are working with international partners ways to hold the Taliban accountable, including supporting the UN Special Rapporteur, Richard Bennett. On 20 January, I convened a meeting with senior representatives from the UN and influential countries to underline the importance of addressing Afghanistan's challenges together.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last made representations to his Chinese counterpart on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. The Foreign Secretary has raised this in every meeting with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his visit to China on 18 October. The Prime Minister and Chancellor similarly raised human rights with their counterparts (President Xi and Vice Premier He respectively).
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the report entitled Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Recommendations for future veterinary legislation, published on 13 October 2021; and whether he plans to bring forward a consultation on the reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department acknowledges the calls from the veterinary sector to update the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. Defra is actively engaging with stakeholders, including the RCVS, to explore how legislation can best address the needs of the profession and public, both now and in the future.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 provide funding to help tackle antisemitism in other countries.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Antisemitism has no place in our, or any, society and the UK has a long-standing track record of fighting it.
The UK currently holds the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), through which we have worked with IHRA's 35 member states and permanent international partners to promote Holocaust education and research and combat antisemitism across the globe.
Under our presidency we also funded IHRA's annual €50,000 Yehuda Bauer Grant, which finances a project aiming to undertake new and significant research on the Holocaust and antisemitism.
The FCDO additionally administers the John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for overseas projects focused on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 implications for his policies of reports that Christians are being forced to convert to Buddhism in the Naga self-administered zone of Myanmar; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle religious persecution in Myanmar.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion for all in Myanmar, including in the Naga self-administered zone. We remain concerned by the Race and Religion Laws in Myanmar, which are used to discriminate against non-Buddhists, including Christians. We are deeply troubled by the increasing reports of religiously motivated violence, including the destruction of places of worship and the forced conversions of Christians to Buddhism. We provide funding to the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and have established the Myanmar Witness programme to collect and preserve evidence of violations and abuses, including atrocities against religious minority groups.