Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the rights and needs of all ages of women, especially older women, in their engagement at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to affirming the principles of the Beijing Declaration and promoting the rights and freedoms of women and girls across the world. We will seek opportunities throughout the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to highlight the rights and needs of older women throughout the UK delegation's engagement. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Office for Equality and Opportunity will consult with a range of civil society organisations, including organisations representing older women, before and during CSW itself.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) issuing and (b) updating travel health advice for Cape Verde on GOV.UK in relation to Shigella infections.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) regularly reviews travel advice to reflect the latest public health information. The travel advice for Cape Verde was initially updated on 15 December 2025, and most recently updated on 6 February 2026, following notification from the UK Health Security Agency of an increase in reports of both the Shigella sonnei and Salmonella infections in travellers returning from the country. The update advises that individuals with underlying health conditions should seek medical advice before travelling. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will update GOV.UK again if further changes are required.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of allegations of harassment by the Government of Uganda against leaders of the opposition and their families.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works with the Government of Uganda on a range of important issues, including trade, development, regional security and refugee response. We also regularly raise concerns about infringements of human rights and restrictions on political activity, including on opposition parties and their supporters. The UK engaged across the political spectrum to advocate for peaceful and credible January 2026 elections, including for opposition candidates to be able to campaign freely and safely, and we continue to press for democratic rights and freedoms, including through our High Commission in Kampala.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of Rwanda on the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Agreement.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
None. The UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Agreement agreed by the Rt Hon Member in April 2022 was scrapped in July 2024, having cost the taxpayer £700 million. During the period it was in place, 84,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats, and the only individuals relocated to Kigali were four volunteers, each given five years of free housing, free food, free healthcare, and free university education, at a cost of £150,000 each.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) Chinese and (b) Japanese counterpart on the maintenance of peace and international law in East Asia.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has emphasised the importance of regional stability in her discussions with Chinese and Japanese counterparts. The Prime Minister also recently visited China and Japan and held relevant discussions on regional security with both leaders.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of human rights abuses in Uganda.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works with the Government of Uganda on a range of important issues, including trade, development, regional security and refugee response. We also regularly raise concerns about infringements of human rights and restrictions on political activity, including on opposition parties and their supporters. The UK engaged across the political spectrum to advocate for peaceful and credible January 2026 elections, including for opposition candidates to be able to campaign freely and safely, and we continue to press for democratic rights and freedoms, including through our High Commission in Kampala.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 92012 on Cabinet Office: training, if he will publish a breakdown of costs for the £5,288.40 spent on the away days.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The cost of Cabinet away days are disclosed in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts. Some of the costs were inadvertently omitted from the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25 due to an administrative error. The total cost incurred was £8,248.40
The Cabinet away day taking place at The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office came at a cost of £2,960 for catering.
The Cabinet away day taking place at Lancaster House came at a cost of £5,288.40, covering expenses for AV, catering, security and staff.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether medical evacuation flights can currently leave from St Helena Airport following the airport regulators downgrade; and what emergency support is being provided to the St Helena Government to ensure medical safety.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is actively providing assistance, working in partnership with the St Helena Government and Governor. I have been in contact with the St Helena Chief Minister to underline our support and met the St Helena Health Minister and London Representative on 11 February. The St Helena airport now has approval to accept small aircraft, including medical evacuation flights from the island in the case of emergencies. We will work together at pace to urgently ensure a return to full operations at the airport.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department is providing to the St Helena Government following the aviation regulator downgrade of St Helena Airport and subsequent suspension of flights.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is actively providing assistance, working in partnership with the St Helena Government and Governor. I have been in contact with the St Helena Chief Minister to underline our support and met the St Helena Health Minister and London Representative on 11 February. The St Helena airport now has approval to accept small aircraft, including medical evacuation flights from the island in the case of emergencies. We will work together at pace to urgently ensure a return to full operations at the airport.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens or former British citizens who are (1) male, (2) female, and (3) minors under 18 years old, have been repatriated from (a) Al-Roj, and (2) Al-Hawl, detention camps in Syria to the UK in the past 12 months; and what were the grounds for those repatriations.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 6 February 2025 in response to Question 27530, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
"Our priority remains to ensure the safety and security of the UK. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect the UK from those who pose a threat to our security.
"All requests for consular assistance from Syria are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant circumstances including, but not limited to, national security."
As a long-standing rule, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not comment on individual cases, or on the number or type of cases.