Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 support the British Council.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I provided on 28 October in response to question 906060, and to the oral evidence provided to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 9 December by the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and on 16 December by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, where this issue was addressed at length.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many letters to her Department relating to the British Council have received a substantive response since 5 July 2024; and what the average response time was.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Minister responsible, I have had a number of meetings with the leadership team within the British Council, details of which are routinely disclosed in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's quarterly publications of ministerial transparency data. My office also deals with a large amount of correspondence relating to the British Council and my other areas of responsibility, all of which we seek to respond to as promptly as possible.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings she has held with the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Chair of the British Council since 5 September 2025.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Minister responsible, I have had a number of meetings with the leadership team within the British Council, details of which are routinely disclosed in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's quarterly publications of ministerial transparency data. My office also deals with a large amount of correspondence relating to the British Council and my other areas of responsibility, all of which we seek to respond to as promptly as possible.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many letters relating to the British Council were received by her Department in each year from 2019 to 2024, and what proportion received a substantive response in each year.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of ministerial meetings with external individuals and organisations are routinely published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on a quarterly basis. The requested data on correspondence could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings her predecessors held with the Chief Executive or Chair of the British Council in each calendar year from 2019 to 2025.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of ministerial meetings with external individuals and organisations are routinely published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on a quarterly basis. The requested data on correspondence could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to reports of a mass release of Daesh members in Syria, what assessment they have made of whether any of those released have British citizenship or residency.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We continue to engage with the Syrian Government and Syrian Democratic Forces, and regional and international partners, to press for an immediate end to hostilities, the protection of civilians, and a return to negotiations in support of a sustainable political agreement.
The Foreign Secretary conveyed these messages to Syrian Foreign Minister al Shaibani on 20 January, and underlined the importance of developing a clear plan to secure control of the detention facilities and camps, and ensure the protection of Kurdish rights. We also reiterated these points at the UN Security Council on 22 January.
While we are keeping the situation in Syria under close review, we do not publicly comment on the timings or content of specific Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) assessments.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 21 January (HL13311), whether they have formally lodged a statement at the United Nations and with China about a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in the case of Jimmy Lai; and if not, whether they intend to do so.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Following Beijing's imposition of the National Security Law (NSL) on Hong Kong, the UK declared China to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration. The UK raised concerns about the NSL and Joint Declaration during the 2020 UN Human Rights Council sessions. This government has repeatedly called for China to return to its commitments under the Joint Declaration, for the NSL to be repealed, and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it, including British national Jimmy Lai.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the decline in native wild birds in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) the British Isles.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets which will support the recovery and conservation of native wild birds.
At a local level, Defra has supported Somerset Council in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which also covers the Yeovil constituency. Publication is expected shortly. The strategy will set out priorities for nature recovery and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will benefit many species including native wild birds.
Nationally, government action to restore and create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042, alongside projects funded through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, will further support the conservation and recovery of a wide range of bird species. Within the farmland environment, Environmental Land Management schemes include actions that provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for a range of bird species.
In addition, to support delivery of our statutory species targets, Defra is developing a detailed Threatened Bird Recovery Plan. This plan aims to improve coordination, and drive the effective delivery, of actions to recover our most threatened bird species.
Asked by: Lord Brady of Altrincham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to set out in detail the Anti-Corruption Champion’s proposals concerning the development of tourism sectors in the British Overseas Territories; whether the territories were consulted before these recommendations were made or the related strategy launched; to what extent the success of such proposals depends on overseas territory participation; and whether His Majesty’s Treasury will provide financial or technical assistance to support their implementation.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government has regular discussions with the Overseas Territories (OTs) about ways in which they can strengthen and diversify their economies, attract increased investment, and improve transparency. The Anti-Corruption Champion's remarks on economic development, including opportunities in the tourism sector, are a welcome contribution to those discussions.
At the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council, we discussed with the OTs the infrastructure and credit finance offer from UK Export Finance (UKEF), and organised a business engagement session delivered with British Expertise International to enhance trade and investment links. We will continue to work in partnership with the OTs and consider requests for technical assistance, capacity building support, or, where eligible, financial instruments such as those available through UKEF. We remain committed to supporting the OTs in strengthening their economic resilience, and delivering sustainable long-term prosperity.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total value of all active asylum-related contracts currently held by her Department is, broken down by supplier and contract type.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The contract values for asylum contracts are available in the public domain and can be viewed at:
Serco -
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder
Mears -
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder
CRH -
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder
CTM -
CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder
Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder
PFS -Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder
Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder
British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder
The Big Word Group Limited - Contract for the provision of Language Analysis Services - Contracts Finder
VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder