Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether HM Land Registry has a duty to report if property in the UK is purchased by other nation states.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
HM Land Registry records show that The People’s Republic of China is the registered proprietor of 58 registered titles in England and Wales.
Two further titles are registered in the name of The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, and four titles are registered in the name of The National Tourism Administration of the People's Republic of China.
Although HM Land Registry does not have a formal duty to report new acquisitions of UK land registered in the name of foreign states, this information is held by HM Land Registry and can be accessed where required by government and others subject to the general law relating to data protection and freedom of information.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many properties registered with HM Land Registry are owned by the People's Republic of China.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
HM Land Registry records show that The People’s Republic of China is the registered proprietor of 58 registered titles in England and Wales.
Two further titles are registered in the name of The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, and four titles are registered in the name of The National Tourism Administration of the People's Republic of China.
Although HM Land Registry does not have a formal duty to report new acquisitions of UK land registered in the name of foreign states, this information is held by HM Land Registry and can be accessed where required by government and others subject to the general law relating to data protection and freedom of information.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the resilience of UK diplomatic missions’ digital infrastructure against state-sponsored cyber threats.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) maintains a clear and comprehensive strategy to address cyber and information security threats across the global network and continues to deliver an ongoing programme to strengthen resilience and safeguard critical assets. The FCDO's approach aligns with National Cyber Security Centre best practice and includes regular assessments to ensure resilience amid a continuously evolving business, digital and threat landscape.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with Commonwealth partners on strengthening trade resilience amid global supply chain disruptions.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
These issues were discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit (CHOGM) in Samoa in October 2024. Economic resilience is a key area of focus in the Commonwealth Strategic Plan for 2025 - 2030. Since CHOGM we have continued to discuss these issues in international and multilateral fora, and in bilateral conversations with our Commonwealth partners.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 to support persecuted minorities in Bangladesh.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November 2025 in response to Question 86282, and I would add that Baroness Chapman raised the issue of violence towards religious minority groups during her trip to Bangladesh later that month.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether foreign language courses taught at UK institutions are proof of English language for visa applications.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All applicants must be able to demonstrate the required level of English Language for any visa application as per the Immigration Rules.
There are a variety of ways applicants can meet the English language requirement set out on the Immigration Rules, including holding a degree-level qualification. Guidance on how a person can meet the requirements for the route they are applying under is available on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 potential implications for her policies of the humanitarian situation in northern Ethiopia, including the Tigray region; what estimate she has made of the number of internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations currently experiencing acute food insecurity; what steps her Department is taking to provide emergency food, nutrition, and medical assistance; and what steps she is taking to coordinate UK support with the World Food Programme, other UN agencies, and international partners to alleviate hunger in the region.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The ongoing conflict in Amhara has led to significant humanitarian needs, and widespread conflict-related human rights violations and abuses. In Tigray, there are an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
UK Official Development Assistance to Ethiopia in 2025/26 is £172.7 million, of which £95.5 million has been used to provide lifesaving humanitarian aid, focused on emergency health, nutrition, and social protection implemented by a combination of UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the Red Cross.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of imports of bright steel bar on (a) the viability of UK bright drawing businesses and (b) levels of (i) business closures, (ii) administrations, (iii) deactivation of production and (iv) production in the sector since 2021.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2021, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) conducted a transition review of the steel safeguard measure which is applied via tariff-rate quotas. The TRA recommended maintaining protections on steel categories only where justified; bright steel bar (category 27) was among the product categories where evidence did not support continuation of the safeguard. The Secretary of State at the time accepted the TRA’s recommendation.
The UK’s trade remedies system is industry led. Where UK industry believe they are being injured, or there is the threat of injury, from unfair foreign trade practices, I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA. I am not aware of any current applications to the TRA from category 27 producers.
The Department continues to closely monitor market trends and engage with the steel industry to identify and address any significant developments affecting producers and supply chains. The sector is facing a challenging and uncertain global landscape due to significant steel overcapacity. We are therefore developing robust new measures in light of the steel safeguard expiring at the end of June 2026.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of import penetration in the UK bright steel bar market since the removal of safeguarding measures in 2021.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2021, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) conducted a transition review of the steel safeguard measure which is applied via tariff-rate quotas. The TRA recommended maintaining protections on steel categories only where justified; bright steel bar (category 27) was among the product categories where evidence did not support continuation of the safeguard. The Secretary of State at the time accepted the TRA’s recommendation.
The UK’s trade remedies system is industry led. Where UK industry believe they are being injured, or there is the threat of injury, from unfair foreign trade practices, I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA. I am not aware of any current applications to the TRA from category 27 producers.
The Department continues to closely monitor market trends and engage with the steel industry to identify and address any significant developments affecting producers and supply chains. The sector is facing a challenging and uncertain global landscape due to significant steel overcapacity. We are therefore developing robust new measures in light of the steel safeguard expiring at the end of June 2026.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of tariff rate quota safeguarding measures for bright steel bar (category 27) in 2021 on UK producers; and whether he plans to re-introduce safeguarding measures for that product as part of the current review of steel safeguards before their expiry in June 2026.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2021, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) conducted a transition review of the steel safeguard measure which is applied via tariff-rate quotas. The TRA recommended maintaining protections on steel categories only where justified; bright steel bar (category 27) was among the product categories where evidence did not support continuation of the safeguard. The Secretary of State at the time accepted the TRA’s recommendation.
The UK’s trade remedies system is industry led. Where UK industry believe they are being injured, or there is the threat of injury, from unfair foreign trade practices, I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA. I am not aware of any current applications to the TRA from category 27 producers.
The Department continues to closely monitor market trends and engage with the steel industry to identify and address any significant developments affecting producers and supply chains. The sector is facing a challenging and uncertain global landscape due to significant steel overcapacity. We are therefore developing robust new measures in light of the steel safeguard expiring at the end of June 2026.