Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 the Government of Bangladesh on the protection of Christian converts and religious minority civil society organisations, following reports of intimidation of a Christian-run youth skills centre, the suspension of women’s discipleship classes, and attacks on Christian leaders in May 2026.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 22 June in response to Question 10876.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
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 Sudanese civil-society dialogue process being established by the Quintet; and to help ensure that it is a diverse and inclusive process for women and young people.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been clear that it must be the people of Sudan who determine Sudan's future. Together with our allies, we stand united in our support for a sustainable resolution for Sudan rooted in an inclusive, civilian-led political process that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people, as set out in our 'Joint Statement on Sudan in Support of a Civilian led Political Process', published on 8 June.
We are coordinating international support for the Quintet's efforts to advance a just civilian transition through the UK-established Contact Group of Civilian-Led Political Dialogue, along with international partners including Norway and Switzerland. The group is committed to genuine inclusivity across political, geographic, gender and ethnic lines and to ensuring that women, youth, and grassroots organisations are included at all stages of the peace process.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 Cultural and Educational Programs on UK soft power in Ireland.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Joint Statement between the Prime Minister and Taoiseach Micheál Martin following the UK-Ireland summit in Cork this March includes a range of cultural and educational initiatives that will enhance the already rich cooperation between our countries in both these fields. In particular, the first Ireland-UK Youth Forum, the next meeting of which will be hosted by the UK in 2027.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to item 105 of the letter sent from Lord Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee to Stephen Doughty MP, Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories regarding the UK-Overseas Joint Declaration, published 17 April 2026, which Ministers have (a) designated responsibility for Overseas Territories matters and (b) attend the cross-governmental Ministerial group on the Territories by Department.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers who currently hold designated responsibility for Overseas Territories matters are: the Cabinet Office Minister of State; Economic Secretary to the Treasury; Ministry of Justice Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sentencing, Youth Justice and International; Home Office Minister of State (House of Lords); Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Climate); Ministry of Defence Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for the Armed Forces); Department of Business and Trade Minister of State (Minister for Trade); Department for Culture Media and Sport Minister of State (Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts); Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Minister of State (Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear); Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature); Department of Health and Social Care Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety; Department for Transport Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation); Solicitor General; Department for Education Minister of State (Minister for Skills); Secretary of State for Scotland and one of the Wales Office Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State.
All these Ministers are invited to attend the cross-governmental Ministerial Group on the Overseas Territories.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department taking to support the inclusion of Syrian youth and women in post-conflict reconstruction and decision-making processes, including funding for locally-led initiatives and civic empowerment programmes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly engages with the Syrian Government to press for an inclusive political transition that protects the rights of all Syrians, including women and young people. This was raised directly with President Al Sharaa during his visit to London on 31 March.
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress her Department has made with Cabinet colleagues on resetting the UK's relationship with the European Union.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our long‑term national interest requires a closer EU partnership, anchored in the Common Understanding and strengthened by new security and defence cooperation.
Our Security and Defence Partnership has delivered a step change in engagement, supporting Ukraine through coordinated sanctions, military assistance, training, and resilience.
While providing a long‑term framework for practical cooperation that protects our citizens and strengthens Europe’s collective defence.
This sits alongside wider progress, including Erasmus+ and negotiations on energy, youth experience, and food and drink.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 help support the inclusion of Syrian youth and women in post-conflict reconstruction and decision-making processes including funding for locally-led initiatives and civic empowerment programmes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, over what period the £14 million allocated to the second round of the OCEAN Grants Programme will be spent.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The following projects have been funded under Round Two of the OCEAN Grants Programme. Funding comes from Defra’s Official Development Assistance budget and is projected to be spent between January 2026 and March 2029. The Round Two projects with signed grant agreements have been awarded the following amounts:
A final list of projects will be available on the OCEAN website in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what Department's budget the £14 million OCEAN Grants Programme funding will be drawn from.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The following projects have been funded under Round Two of the OCEAN Grants Programme. Funding comes from Defra’s Official Development Assistance budget and is projected to be spent between January 2026 and March 2029. The Round Two projects with signed grant agreements have been awarded the following amounts:
A final list of projects will be available on the OCEAN website in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, how much funding has been allocated to each project awarded grants under the second round of the OCEAN Grants Programme.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The following projects have been funded under Round Two of the OCEAN Grants Programme. Funding comes from Defra’s Official Development Assistance budget and is projected to be spent between January 2026 and March 2029. The Round Two projects with signed grant agreements have been awarded the following amounts:
A final list of projects will be available on the OCEAN website in due course.