Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which countries the UK has prisoner transfer agreements with.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Enhancing our bilateral prisoner transfer capability is a government priority. We remain fully committed to transferring eligible foreign national offenders from the UK so they can serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country, and to repatriating British nationals imprisoned overseas.
Compulsory bilateral agreements
The UK has compulsory bilateral prisoner transfer agreements (PTAs) with Albania, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria and Rwanda. These agreements state that the consent of the prisoner is not required for transfer, although both States must agree to the transfer. The UK has also recently signed a compulsory bilateral PTA with Italy, which is currently undergoing parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet been ratified.
Voluntary bilateral agreements
The UK also has voluntary bilateral PTAs, where the consent of the prisoner to transfer is required in addition to the agreement of both States, with the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, India, Iraq, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand and Vietnam.
Multilateral arrangements
The UK has multilateral prisoner transfer arrangements with all States that are party to the 1983 Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. This includes:
All 27 European Union Member States.
NonEU Council of Europe members: Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye and Ukraine.
Non‑Council of Europe States (as the Convention is also open to non‑Council of Europe members): Australia, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, India, Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Panama, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States of America and Venezuela.
The UK also participates in the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth, which provides prisoner transfer arrangements with: Kenya, Malawi, Maldives, Botswana, Tonga and Uganda.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ships in UK waters suspected of being associated with the movement of Russian oil have been monitored in the last four years; and what steps her Department took in each instance.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Government monitors all vessels in UK waters which are of interest to the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security.
Since October 2024, the Department for Transport’s Voluntary Insurance Reporting Mechanism has challenged over 700 suspected shadow fleet vessels with unknown insurance, a significant portion of the shadow fleet, to provide their insurance as they transit the English Channel.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have sanctioned over 500 shadow fleet vessels, which prohibits these vessels from entering UK ports, and signals to the global maritime community that these vessels are dangerous and should not be interacted with.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £28.7 billion of frozen Russian assets in the UK has been released to support victims of the conflict in Ukraine; and what progress they have made in the transfer by Roman Abramovich of £2.5 billion from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to a humanitarian cause in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OFSI Annual Review 2024-2025 in year reporting sets out that OFSI have been notified of approximately £28.7bn in assets frozen in connection with the Russia sanctions regime since February 2022. Although these assets are frozen and cannot be accessed, they remain the property of the individuals and entities designated under the sanctions.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine the Government has provided £21.8 billion in support to Ukraine and has committed to providing a further £3bn a year for as long as it takes.
The Government has taken significant action to enable the donation of the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to humanitarian causes in Ukraine. On 17 December 2025, HM Treasury issued a licence permitting the transfer of the over £2.5 billion sale proceeds into a new charitable foundation for exclusively humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. The licence provides a clear legal route for the funds to be used as intended, consistent with Abramovich’s commitment that they should benefit victims of the war.
The Government is urging him to act without delay and will consider any proposal he makes to use this route to establish the foundation and transfer the funds.
Should Abramovich fail to free the funds quickly, the UK Government is fully prepared to take him to court if necessary to enforce the agreement reached with him in 2022.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to ratify the convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine; and what assessment they have made of how that convention will build on the Register of Damage for Ukraine to review, assess and determine compensation for losses caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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 27 February in response to Question 113024, copied below for ease of reference:
Russia must be held accountable for its illegal actions in Ukraine. The UK is a founding member of the Register of Damage and I signed the Convention to establish an International Claims Commission for Ukraine on 16 December 2025. We expect to lay the treaty before Parliament in the current parliamentary session, with further domestic steps required for ratification to follow in due course.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the TS Shtandart is prohibited from entering UK territorial waters; if so, what is the legal basis for that restriction, including any sanctions, maritime regulations or national security considerations; whether any guidance has been issued to port authorities or maritime enforcement agencies regarding the treatment of the vessel; and whether any exemptions or conditions exist by which that vessel may be permitted entry.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As the UK is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, any vessel with a valid flag status has the right to innocent passage through the UK’s territorial sea.
Asked by: Baroness Curran (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take further action against Georgian officials who continue to cooperate with recently sanctioned Georgian broadcasters Imedi TV and Post TV.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK takes a strong stand against those promoting the destabilisation of Ukraine, including entities in Georgia that use Russia-aligned misinformation. It is our long-standing policy not to comment on the potential targets of future sanctions, as to do so could undermine their impact.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what additional resources his Department has allocated to domestic enforcement bodies to (a) investigate and (b) prosecute sanctions evasion involving dual-use technologies exported to Russia through Hong Kong.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has invested in strengthening trade sanctions enforcement capacity. The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) was established in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in October 2024. Alongside specialist investigative capacity, OTSI is equipped with powers to enforce sanctions breaches involving the movement of goods and technology via third countries. His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for enforcing export controls and trade sanctions at the UK border.
HMRC has also strengthened its investigative capabilities in this area. DBT and HMRC work closely together to investigate potential sanctions evasion and enforce breaches.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the full scope of the Low-Cost Effectors & Autonomous Platforms’ initiative.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The LEAP initiative is another firm signal of European collective commitments, delivering a united front of deterrence against Russia. LEAP will embrace groundbreaking industry innovation to exploit rapidly evolving technology at pace to deliver capabilities to counter threats posed now and in the future.
The first focus of LEAP is on a new surface-to-air weapon – lightweight, affordable, and designed to counter mass drone and missile threats. Our innovative approach could see the defined effector designs manufactured from 2027. The aspiration is that LEAP will grow into other key low-cost and autonomous areas in the future.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether in future financing for Ukraine, in line with the policy conditions for macro-financial assistance proposed by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe in its ‘Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and the of the Council implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the Ukraine Support Loan for 2026 and 2027’, the UK government will advocate that a proportion of any financial contribution be used to assist in the financing of compensation, as a form of reparation, to victims who have suffered harm as a result of Russia’s armed aggression.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the progress made towards delivery of the EU's €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan: this will be critical to meeting Ukraine's pressing needs. The loan's regulation also makes clear financing may be used by Ukraine to assist in the financing of compensation, as a form of reparations, to those individuals who have suffered damage from the illegal actions of Russia. This includes cases through the Claims Commission for Ukraine established under the auspices of the Council of Europe, of which the UK is a signatory. We remain committed to accountability and the principle that Russia should pay for the damage it has caused. We will continue to coordinate with G7 and EU partners to ensure that Ukraine gets the funding it needs.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she will take to detain sanctioned Russian ships passing through the English Channel.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further action against Russia's shadow fleet is critical to increasing economic pressure on Russia's war machine. We are also clear on the need to crack down on the dangerous and illicit practises that are employed by these vessels to evade sanctions and international safety and environmental rules. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office has worked closely with other departments to increase pressure across the entirety of shadow fleet operations, and we will continue to consider what further actions we can take, in accordance with the UN Convention Of the Law of the Sea.