Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what political appointments have been made to roles within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since July 2000; and what the role and remuneration is for each appointee.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
Since July 2000, the following individuals with political backgrounds have been appointed to ambassadorial or high commissioner roles:
Alastair Goodlad, High Commissioner to Australia (2000-2005);
Helen Liddell, High Commissioner to Australia (2005-2009);
Paul Boateng, High Commissioner to South Africa (2005-2009);
Baroness Amos, High Commissioner to Australia (2009-2010);
Edward Llewellyn, Ambassador to France (2016-2021);
Sir George Hollingbery, Ambassador to Cuba ( 2021 - 2025);
Sir Edward Llewellyn, Ambassador to Italy and San Marino (2022 - 2026); and
Lord Mandelson, Ambassador to the United States of America (2025).
Ambassadors and High Commissioners are appointed by His Majesty on the recommendation of the Foreign Secretary under the Royal Prerogative. Most are career members of the Diplomatic Service, although appointments may also be made from outside the Diplomatic Service.
Information relating to the remuneration of individual appointees is personal information and is not routinely disclosed.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2026 to question 17245, to what countries and on what date has the Rapid Deployment Team been sent to provide consular assistance.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office deploys Rapid Deployment Teams when additional support is needed following a crisis or major incident affecting British nationals overseas. Further to my reply on 15 July 2026 to Question 17245, I refer the Honourable Member to the table below, which lists the countries and locations where Rapid Deployment Teams have provided assistance since 2011, the earliest year for which data is available.
Year | Month | Countries and locations | Crisis |
2011 | April | Morocco | Marrakesh bombing |
October | Thailand | Floods | |
2012 | January | Italy | Costa Concordia |
February | France | Reims bus crash | |
November | Israel and Cyprus | Gaza-Israel political crisis | |
November | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Political crisis | |
2013 | January | Algeria | Hostage crisis |
April | France | Alpe d'Huez bus crash | |
July | Egypt | Political crisis | |
September | Kenya | Westgate shopping centre attack | |
November | Philippines | Typhoon Haiyan | |
December | South Sudan | Evacuation | |
2014 | February | Ukraine | Ukraine Crisis |
May | Thailand | Military coup | |
July | Israel | Gaza-Israel | |
July | Ukraine and the Netherlands | MH17 plane crash | |
July | Tunisia and Malta | Libyan rebel insurgency | |
October | Nepal | Annapurna avalanche | |
December | Philippines | Typhoon Hagupit | |
2015 | April | Djibouti | Yemen Crisis |
April | Nepal | Earthquake | |
June | Tunisia | Sousse terrorist attack | |
November | Egypt | Sharm El Sheikh airport crisis | |
November | France | Paris attacks | |
2016 | March | Belgium | Brussels attacks |
July | South Sudan | Evacuation | |
2017 | January | The Gambia | Political unrest |
July | France | Nice attacks | |
July | Turkey | Military coup | |
September | Multiple European countries | Monarch airlines collapse | |
September | Multiple Caribbean countries | Hurricanes Irma and Maria | |
November | Indonesia | Bali volcano eruption | |
2018 | August | Indonesia | Lombok earthquake |
2019 | April | Sri Lanka | Bombings |
August | Hong Kong | Political unrest | |
September | The Bahamas | Hurricane Dorian | |
September | Multiple countries across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, North America and the Caribbean | Thomas Cook collapse | |
2020 | February | China, Cuba, Spain, Peru and Japan | Coronavirus response |
August | Lebanon | Beirut port explosion | |
2021 | February | Myanmar | Military coup |
August | Afghanistan, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates | Evacuation | |
2022 | February | Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova | Ukraine response |
2023 | April | Sudan, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia | Evacuation |
July | Greece | Wildfires | |
July | France | Niger coup | |
August | Egypt | Violent reprisals | |
October | Israel, Cyprus, Jordan and Egypt | Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories crisis | |
2024 | July | Jamaica and Grenada | Hurricane Beryl |
September | Lebanon and Cyprus | Lebanon crisis | |
2025 | June | Israel, Jordan, Cyprus and Egypt | Israel-Iran crisis |
October | Jamaica | Hurricane Melissa | |
2026 | March | Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar | Assisted Departures |
May | Spain | Hantavirus response | |
August | Nepal | Flood response |
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will provide an update on whether there have been any recent military developments in Cuba.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is engaged with FCDO, Cabinet Office and Home Office colleagues in monitoring the situation in Cuba, including the potential for humanitarian impact on our regional overseas territories.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart regarding military developments in Cuba.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The US is the UK’s principal defence and security partner. The Defence Secretary and his officials are in regular contact with US counterparts on a range of topics to ensure coherence and alignment between our two nations, including most recently at the NATO Summit on 8 July.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Question 8103, which foreign missions have i.) requested and ii.) received a personalised registration number; and how many personal registration numbers do each of those foreign missions have.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) may issue a personalised registration number to a foreign mission on request, subject to availability. Any foreign mission is able to have a maximum of two personalised registration numbers at any given time.
The table below show which foreign missions have been issued with one or two personalised registrations.
Foreign missions with one personalised registration | |
Afghanistan | Korea |
Angola | Kosovo |
Antigua & Barbuda | Kuwait |
Argentina | Latvia |
Armenia | Lebanon |
Australia High Commission | Lesotho |
Austria | Liberia |
Bangladesh | Libyan |
Belgium | Lithuania |
Belize | Luxembourg |
Bolivia | Madagascar |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Malaysia |
Botswana | Maldives |
Brazil | Malta |
Bulgaria | Mauritania |
Burundi | Mauritius |
Cambodia | Mexico |
Cameroon | Moldova |
Canada | Morocco |
Chile | Mozambique |
China | Montenegro |
Columbia | Myanmar |
Commonwealth Secretariat | Nepal |
Cote d’Ivoire | Norway |
Croatia | Oman |
Cuba | Pakistan |
Cyprus | Panama |
Czech Republic | Papua New Guinea |
Democratic people`s republic of Korea | Peru |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Philippines |
Denmark | Qatar |
Dominica High Commission | Romania |
Dominican Republic | Rwanda |
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts | Saint Kitts & Nevis |
Ecuador | Senegal |
El Salvador | Sierra Leone |
Estonia | Singapore |
Ethiopia | Slovakia |
European Delegation to the UK | Slovenia |
Fiji | South Africa High Commission |
Finland | South Australia |
France | Spain |
Gabon | Sri Lanka |
Gambia | St Lucia |
Georgia | St Vincent & Grenadines |
Germany | Sudan |
Greece | Sweden |
Grenada | Tajikistan |
Guinea | Tanzania |
Guyana | Tonga |
Haiti | Trinidad & Tobago |
Honduras | Tunisia |
Hungary | Turkmenistan |
Iceland | Uganda |
International Maritime Organisation | Ukraine |
India | Uruguay |
Indonesia | Uzbekistan |
Iran | Victoria (consulate) |
Italy | Vietnam |
Jamaica | Western Australia |
Japan | Yemen |
Jordan | Zambia |
Kazakhstan | Zimbabwe |
Kenya | |
Foreign missions with two personalised registrations | |
Brunei | |
Ghana | |
Netherlands | |
New Zealand | |
Nigeria | |
Portugal | |
Russian Federation | |
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on improving humanitarian access to Cuba.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses I gave in the Urgent Question debate on 8 June.
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 her Department is taking through (a) the United Nations, (b) the Organization of American States and (c) other multilateral institutions to help support members of religious minorities in indigenous communities in Mexico, including their access to basic services, and their forcibly displacement.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
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, whether she has raised with the Government of Cuba the arbitrary detention of Jonathan Muir Burgos on 15 March 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
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 she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of (a) the assassination of at least 11 religious leaders by illegal armed groups in Columbia over the past 18 months and (b) the continued refusal by the Columbian Government to restore access for religious officials to the government protection scheme; and whether her Department has made representations about these matters with the Government of Colombia.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.
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 she has made of the implications for her policies towards Nicaragua of requirements for Catholic and Protestant religious leaders to report regularly to police authorities and obtain permission for all religious activities; and whether she plans to raise these restrictions through bilateral or multilateral channels.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A number of Parliamentary Questions have been asked in recent months around the persecution of members and leaders of Christian congregations and other religious groups in Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba, and these are issues the Government continues to take very seriously as part of our commitment to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. Specifically, on each of the countries raised by the Hon Member, I refer her to the answers provided to Questions 5332 and 5388 on 8 June, Question 5283 on 4 June, and Question 66106 on 17 July 2025.