Written questions by Rosindell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark on (a) Greenland and (b) the Faroe Islands since taking office.

The UK values its strong partnerships with all parts of the Kingdom of Denmark and engages accordingly. On 13 January, I held my second meeting with Greenland's Foreign Minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, in London, to discuss bilateral relations. This followed our first meeting at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland in October. I also met the Faroese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Høgni Hoydal, in October. FCDO Officials regularly engage with Danish, Faroese and Greenlandic counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of the detention and subsequent release of María Corina Machado; and what representations he has made to the Venezuelan government on the right to free political expression.

The reported arbitrary detention of Maria Corina Machado was unacceptable. The UK already strongly condemns the ongoing repression against civil society and members of the opposition in Venezuela. We regularly call this out in our public statements and we raised it recently at the UN Human Rights Council. We are confident the Venezuelan regime is aware of our position. Along with the UN and international allies, we remain deeply concerned about allegations of serious irregularities in the result of the July Presidential election. On 10 January, the same day that Maduro illegitimately asserted power once again, we sanctioned 15 new members of the regime responsible for undermining democracy and committing serious human rights violations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential geopolitical implications of the expansion of BRICS.

The Foreign Secretary made a speech on 9 January at the FCDO regarding the future of UK foreign policy, where he underlined that we are facing an increasingly volatile world. It remains important for us to understand geopolitical shifts, and ensure the UK remains able to navigate international geopolitics to deliver its domestic missions.Forging close partnerships with emerging powers and the Global South will be critical to progressing UK interests, including growth. The Foreign Secretary's speech made clear how the FCDO is taking this forward, including through showing respect, renewing partnerships, and new agreements, like those he recently launched with India, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) the Minister of State (Europe, North America and Overseas Territories) has met the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark since taking office.

The Foreign Secretary and I have met the Danish Ambassador through our engagements with the European diplomatic community in London.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on Western Sahara of Morocco’s autonomy plan.

The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. The UK strongly supports the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, and continues to encourage constructive engagement with the UN political process. The UK believes this process is the best way to solve the long-standing dispute by delivering a solution agreeable to all parties, one which would contribute significantly to regional security and prosperity.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking in the Turks and Caicos Islands to implement preventative measures against potential (a) human, (b) weapons and( c) drugs trafficking linked to illegal small boat arrivals.

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the capabilities and (b) effectiveness of support for the Turks & Caicos Islands relating to illegal small boats.

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking further action to help reduce the number of small boats travelling illegally from Haiti to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the measures in place in the Turks and Caicos Islands to prevent the overspilling of violent crime from Haiti.

The UK Government is resolutely committed to supporting the security of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), including in addressing the impact of ongoing violent crime and its links to instability in Haiti. I visited TCI in November 2024 to understand better the security situation and I am in regular contact with colleagues in UK Government departments on how best we can collectively support TCI's response. The FCDO's support this past year has included: deploying privately contracted firearms officers; continuing to embed serious crime investigators within the police; and strengthening border security by procuring new marine assets due to arrive by February 2025, delivering advanced coastal sensors, and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. I personally met with the dedicated members of the Royal TCI Police and TCI Regiment and observed their teamwork at close hand, as did HMS Medway when she visited in November. We will continue to explore opportunities to work with the Governor and TCI Government on these challenges.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve (a) communication and (b) coordination with the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands in response to small boat incursions.

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November to Question 12402 on Turks and Caicos Islands: Illegal Immigration, if he would ask the Turks and Caicos Islands government to to make available any data it holds on the number of citizens of) Haiti and b) Dominican Republic that are currently resident in Turks and Caicos.

In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for the TCI Government. Following a 2012 census, the latest published figures recorded the number of citizens from Haiti and the Dominican Republic as 10,928 and 1,541 respectively (or 34.7% and 5.9% of TCI's then population of 31,458).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many small boats landed illegally in the Turks and Caicos Islands in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for TCI Government so the UK does not hold detailed statistics on the number of boats entering TCI waters illegally. In 2023, TCI law enforcement authorities confirmed they had intercepted a total of 4,016 irregular migrants at sea. As of 8 October 2024, they reported 1,142 irregular migrants had been intercepted. The FCDO is unable to provide an estimate of the number of small boat arrivals for 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of small boats that will arrive in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2025.

In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for TCI Government so the UK does not hold detailed statistics on the number of boats entering TCI waters illegally. In 2023, TCI law enforcement authorities confirmed they had intercepted a total of 4,016 irregular migrants at sea. As of 8 October 2024, they reported 1,142 irregular migrants had been intercepted. The FCDO is unable to provide an estimate of the number of small boat arrivals for 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to enhance the capacity of border security forces in the Turks and Caicos Islands to prevent the illegal arrival of small boats.

Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support persecuted Christians in Laos.

The UK is committed to promoting and defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). The UK Embassy in Laos raises concerns about limitations on freedom of expression and other human rights issues, including freedom of religion, on a regular basis, both publicly and in private. We also work through the UN to promote and protect these rights, including raising country specific issues at the UN Human Rights Council.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether the position of Honorary Consul of Kiribati is planned to be filled in the next 12 months.

There are no plans to appoint an Honorary Consul in Kiribati. The British High Commissioner for Fiji is the accredited non-resident High Commissioner for Kiribati.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to meet with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in the next 12 months.

The Foreign Secretary will engage with authorities in Hong Kong where there are clear UK interests, including on international stability, climate, health and bolstering our trade relationship. There are no current plans for the Foreign Secretary to visit Hong Kong or meet any individuals from the Hong Kong Government. Any proposed visits will be made public as and when relevant.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK nationals have requested consular assistance in Somaliland in each of the last five years.

There is very limited in-person consular support available in Somaliland. Consular assistance is overseen remotely from the British Embassy in Ethiopia. As such, our case management system does not enable us to isolate all consular assistance cases from within Somaliland. The FCDO advises against all travel, or all but essential travel in some regions, to Somaliland. British nationals in Somaliland should read our travel advice and sign up for alerts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by Policy Exchange entitled One Family: Harnessing the Strategic Potential of the Commonwealth, published on 17 October 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Commonwealth security and defence co-operation forum to (a) conduct joint military and naval exercises and (b) pool resources for cybersecurity.

The UK works bilaterally and multilaterally with many Commonwealth members on defence and security issues, including through other forums - and attaches great importance to this. The Commonwealth as a collective has also been vocal on security issues facing its members, including providing strong support for Guyana regarding Venezuela's actions in respect to the Essequibo region. On cyber security the UK continues to fund the Global Cyber Programme, which works with countries across the Commonwealth to increase their cyber capacity and resilience to threats.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the conclusions of the report entitled One Family: Harnessing the Strategic Potential of the Commonwealth, published by Policy Exchange on 17 October 2024.

I welcome the contribution of Policy Exchange's 'One Family' report to the debate on the future of the Commonwealth. In particular, I support the report's argument for the Commonwealth to focus on important areas including boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment, protecting the environment and advancing education and skills. At CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) last month the UK demonstrated its commitment across these three priorities by announcing, amongst another initiatives: the Trade Centre of Expertise, the Commonwealth Investment Plan of Action, continued funding for the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub and an improved scholarship offer to empower Commonwealth youth with skills for the future.