Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what formal international defence treaties the UK has outside of NATO.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of how to search for UK treaties can be found via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's dedicated treaty unit at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-treaties
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to (a) support and (b) provide funding to the Pax Silica programme of the US Department of State.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK signed the Pax Silica Declaration in December 2025. The initiative is in its early stages, and no financial contribution has been made.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of further access to MoD establishments, assets and personnel by Chinese foreign students enrolled on MoD courses beyond the scope of that course since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that Defence establishments, assets and personnel are attractive targets for foreign intelligence services and takes the threat they pose extremely seriously. This is reflected in the establishment of the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit in December 2025 which seeks to cohere and strengthen the UK’s counter-intelligence capabilities. All MOD courses are delivered in line with Government security classification standards and nationality requirements to ensure the appropriate protective measures are in place. It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence matters.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the cumulative value of intelligence gathered by Chinese foreign students enrolled on MoD courses since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that Defence establishments, assets and personnel are attractive targets for foreign intelligence services and takes the threat they pose extremely seriously. This is reflected in the establishment of the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit in December 2025 which seeks to cohere and strengthen the UK’s counter-intelligence capabilities. All MOD courses are delivered in line with Government security classification standards and nationality requirements to ensure the appropriate protective measures are in place. It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence matters.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential that Chinese foreign students enrolled on MoD courses since 2010 were Foreign Intelligence Services personnel.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that Defence establishments, assets and personnel are attractive targets for foreign intelligence services and takes the threat they pose extremely seriously. This is reflected in the establishment of the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit in December 2025 which seeks to cohere and strengthen the UK’s counter-intelligence capabilities. All MOD courses are delivered in line with Government security classification standards and nationality requirements to ensure the appropriate protective measures are in place. It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence matters.
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, how many British citizens were murdered in overseas countries in each of the last five years by country .
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since 2021 we have supported bereaved families in approximately 250 cases of the murder or manslaughter of British nationals abroad. To protect the privacy of the bereaved, we do not publish country‑level figures where fewer than five cases are recorded. Fifteen countries recorded more than five such cases since 2021: Pakistan, Spain, the United States, South Africa, Israel, Australia, Jamaica, France, Thailand, Kenya, New Zealand, Mexico, Turkey, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago. All other countries recorded fewer than five cases individually over that time period.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many diplomats from (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran, are accredited in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK diplomats are accredited to (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of restrictions on fuel entering Gaza on civilians in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, and (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
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 diplomatic steps she is taking with regional partners to prevent the re-armament of Hamas in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, and (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.