Every parliamentary written question tabled by Blair McDougall this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 50 · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the Falun Gong community in China.
The environment for freedom of religion or belief across China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.This Government will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We will work to uphold the right to freed...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the statement by the Chinese Embassy to the UK entitled Embassy Spokesperson on a Taiwan-related motion concocted by a handful of British MPs, published on
The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan, as set out in the 1972 Communiqué, has not changed and remains the position of this government.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of recent incursions by the Coastguard of the People's Republic of China into the restricted wate
The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through construct...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support a female appointment as General Secretary of the United Nations.
The UK supports a merit-based appointment for UN Secretary-General, based on principles of transparency and inclusiveness. The Government would like to see women's representation strengthen across the multilateral system, and we welcome the Secretary-Gene...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with international counterparts on the use of force against pro-democracy protesters in Georgia.
In his 9 December statement the Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the excessive use of force against protesters and journalists in Georgia. He also outlined the suspension of programme support to the Georgian government as a result of the crackdown. In...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 34/2024 on Jimmy Lai publish
The FCDO takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's Opinion very seriously. The UK Government has consistently called for Jimmy Lai's release and raised concerns about his case directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.The Prime Ministe...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department's China audit will engage with Hong Kong BNO status holders that live in the UK.
Work on the audit is underway and will involve consultation with a range of experts within and beyond government.The audit will examine the UK's interests with respect to China. This will improve our ability - both inside and outside of Government - to un...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Russian-backed media transmitting on the radio frequency previously occupied by the BBC World Service's Arabic statio
The BBC is editorially and operationally independent and makes its own decisions about where to broadcast, audiences to reach and content. The BBC Arabic language service continues to operate and reaches a weekly average audience of 35 million people acro...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will issue guidance to (a) HSBC and (b) Standard Chartered on ensuring that British National (Overseas) passports are valid documents for Hong Kongers to use to secure
We are aware of the concerning reports that individuals who have chosen to take up the BN(O) visa route are having difficulties in the early drawing down of their Hong Kong MPF savings. We deeply value the UK's growing Hong Kong community and will address...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the government of Italy on that country's recent ban on couples travelling abroad for surrogacy.
As a key ally, we exchange views frankly and respectfully with Italy including on women's empowerment, gender equality and LGBT+ issues. We do this bilaterally and in multilateral fora. The FCDO will continue to discuss a range of issues with Italian cou...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to secure the release of Emily Damari from Hamas captivity.
Since our first day in government we have been working alongside our allies and partners in the region in support of ongoing negotiations to secure the release of the hostages, including Emily Damari and all those connected to British citizens. We appreci...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Qatari counterpart to help secure the release of the 101 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
Since day one, we have been working alongside our allies and partners in the region, including Qatar, in support of ongoing negotiations. The UK welcomes the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States. We need the hostages retu...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with international counterparts on Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
Since day one, we have been working alongside our allies and partners in the region, including Qatar, in support of ongoing negotiations. The UK welcomes the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States. We need the hostages retu...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance he is providing to the Republic of Moldova against potential Russian aggression.
During my visit to Chisinau on 16-17 September, I represented the UK at the Moldova Partnership Platform and met President Sandu, Deputy Prime Minister Popsoi and Defence Minister Nosatii to reaffirm the UK's strong support for Moldova in the face of Russ...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken in the context of the G7's commitment to support Israeli-Palestinian civil society peacebuilding.
The Foreign Secretary and I have stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in our conversations with Israeli, Arab and regional leaders. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this message during visits to the region on 14-15 July and 31 July - 1 August and ...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has taken steps to work with international stakeholders on creating an international fund for Israel-Palestinian Peace.
This government has prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in co-ordination with international partners, since day one. We will continue to use every diplomatic lever to bring about a ceasefire deal as the first ...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of proposals to establish a UN convention on the rights of older people.
The UK is fully committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all people, including older people. Building stronger legal frameworks at the domestic and international level is key. We were an active participant in the work of the UN's Open-Ended Wor...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report entitled China: The top ten priorities for early Labour government action published b
This Government will bring a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, driven by the national interest. We will co-operate where we can, including on global net zero, health and trade; compete where we have di...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report entitled China: The top ten priorities for early Labour government action published by the Coalition on Secure Technology and the Council on Geos
Building economic security is fully compatible with a push for growth. In an age of insecurity, a more resilient economy is essential to avoid geopolitical or climatic shocks leading to economic damage on the living standards of working people. Enhancing ...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of humanitarian workers delivering aid in Gaza.
The UK Government remains concerned about the security of humanitarian workers in Gaza and continues to raise this issue internationally - including at the UK-led session at the UN Security Council on 29 August. Over 280 aid workers have been killed in Ga...