Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of Russia’s military presence in Belarus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given on 1 December 2025 to Questions 92971-73.
Belarus continues to support Russia's aggression towards Ukraine, including the stationing of Oreshnik missiles on its soil, and we remain clear that Belarus must end that support and return to compliance with international law.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help support independent media and political prisoners in Belarus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given on 1 December 2025 to Questions 92971-73.
Belarus continues to support Russia's aggression towards Ukraine, including the stationing of Oreshnik missiles on its soil, and we remain clear that Belarus must end that support and return to compliance with international law.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for her policies of the United States’ recent decision to ease sanctions on Belarus following the release of political prisoners.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the release of political prisoners in September, secured through US diplomatic efforts in close coordination with the UK and other international partners, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk regularly attends trials and engages with the families of political prisoners.
We regularly engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.
We do not comment on other countries' sanctions. To date, the UK has issued over 200 sanctions in response to human rights violations in Belarus and activities destabilising or threatening to destabilise Ukraine, including through the Government of Belarus' support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the release of political prisoners in September, secured through US diplomatic efforts in close coordination with the UK and other international partners, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk regularly attends trials and engages with the families of political prisoners.
We regularly engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.
We do not comment on other countries' sanctions. To date, the UK has issued over 200 sanctions in response to human rights violations in Belarus and activities destabilising or threatening to destabilise Ukraine, including through the Government of Belarus' support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the release of political prisoners detained in Belarus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the release of political prisoners in September, secured through US diplomatic efforts in close coordination with the UK and other international partners, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners. Our Embassy in Minsk regularly attends trials and engages with the families of political prisoners.
We regularly engage with Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.
We do not comment on other countries' sanctions. To date, the UK has issued over 200 sanctions in response to human rights violations in Belarus and activities destabilising or threatening to destabilise Ukraine, including through the Government of Belarus' support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the potential risk of hybrid threats, including migration pressures, at the EU–Belarus border and their potential impact on UK security.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
National security is the first priority of any government and a foundation of our Plan for Change. We take any malicious activity that might pose a significant threat to our security and public safety extremely seriously and are committed to strengthening our defences against state threats. This includes continuing to implement measures contained in the National Security Act 2023, which make the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts.
The Home Office and its partner agencies continue to work closely with their international counterparts, including those working at the EU external border, to understand the drivers behind migration patterns, assess risks, and develop our responses accordingly.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have sufficient Poseidon aircraft to meet anti-submarine needs and to fly missions along the borders of Belarus and Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The RAF P-8 Poseidon fleet procurement is complete, and all purchased aircraft are in service. Poseidon is therefore resourced to deliver against Defence tasking as directed and aircraft are tasked according to Defence priorities. For reasons of operational security, specific details about operational areas and missions are not publicly disclosed.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) location of re-education camps for deported Ukrainian children in Russia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
According to the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, around 8,000 Ukrainian children have been sent to re-education camps in illegally annexed Crimea and mainland Russia. We note, with concern, reports that Ukrainian children have also attended so-called recreation camps in Belarus. We call upon Belarus to ensure that no Ukrainian children are forcibly transferred to, or via, it's territory and upon Russia to return all of Ukraine's children to Ukraine and to their families. In March, I met with representatives from 'Save Ukraine' and 'Bring Kids Back', alongside Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa and senior officials from the Ministry of Justice, to discuss child deportation. We will continue to play our full part in international efforts to reunite these children with their families and to pursue justice for them all.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to increase the number of available appointments at the Visa Application Centre in Minsk, Belarus.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) monitor the number of appointments released in Minsk on a regular basis and work with our supplier, VFS, to provide additional slots where this is possible. UKVI review appointment requests for those customers with compelling or compassionate circumstances, where there is an urgent need to travel, as well as applications from family members of British nationals or those applying for a EUSS Family permit to prioritise these customer groups.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of appointments at the Visa Application Centre in Minsk, Belarus.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Appointment capacity is agreed by UK Visas and Immigration. Where demand for appointments in Belarus is high customers may need to keep checking to find the next available appointments, which are opened 4 weeks in advance.