Written questions by McDougall.

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 29 November 2024, what the Government's policy is on whether Taiwan is a province of China.

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, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the role of that country’s Islamic Council in the persecution of Uyghur Muslims.

The UK remains deeply concerned by the discrimination faced by marginalised religious communities around the world. In Pakistan, we work to promote the rights of religious minorities through diplomatic engagement and programme funding. I raised the issue of religious tolerance when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister when I visited this year. The UK also stands firm on human rights in China, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns with China at the highest levels - the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts.

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 waters of the Kinmen islands.

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 constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, including increased Chinese assertiveness towards Taiwan.

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-General's ambition for gender parity. We encourage member states to nominate women for the top jobs. The UK is proud to continue to support the objectives of the UN's Senior Women Talent Pipeline (SWTP), including programme funding totalling £50,000 in the current financial year.

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 my 3 December statement, I made clear our support for the Georgian people's European future, and I condemned the excessive force used against protesters and journalists. Protesters in Georgia are making clear their opposition to Georgian Dream's decision to stall the country's progress towards EU membership, directly undermining the Georgian Constitution. We are in regular contact with international partners regarding the situation. I continue to call on the Georgian authorities to listen, de-escalate, and reverse this harmful trajectory away from European values.

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 published on 26 September 2024.

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 Minister raised Jimmy Lai with President Xi at last week's G20 Summit in Brazil and the Foreign Secretary raised his case with Wang Yi during his visit to Beijing on 18 October.

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 understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses. The audit is due to report in early 2025.

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 station in Lebanon on British influence in the region.

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 across the Middle East and North Africa and more widely.Russia's disinformation tactics are well-documented. It is using disinformation and other malign tactics to advance its influence, sow discord and undermine global rules and norms worldwide.HMG works with diverse media outlets that represent different perspectives across MENA aiming to mitigate Russia's influence. This also includes working with digital and traditional media platforms as well as radio, ensuring all media are covered.

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 early withdrawals of their Mandatory Provident Fund savings after permanently leaving Hong Kong.

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 their concerns where we can. Whilst documentary requirements for withdrawing funds are a matter for the Hong Kong authorities, officials continue to raise this issue directly with the Hong Kong Government to encourage a pragmatic solution, and UK officials and Ministers continue to discuss the matter with the banks.

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 counterparts.

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 appreciate the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States, and continue to use all diplomatic avenues to further our aims. We condemn Hamas' continued holding of hostages in Gaza. Hamas must release all the hostages now, and a ceasefire deal must be agreed urgently to end the suffering. The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed to Israeli Foreign Minister Katz in Israel the UK's support in working together to deliver the return of all the hostages. The Foreign Secretary and I have also met the families of hostages with links to the UK, whose loved ones have been murdered or taken by Hamas, to express our deepest sympathies and to highlight the diplomatic efforts underway.

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 returned immediately and unconditionally. We must see greater protection of civilians, a rapid increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to enable the UN and humanitarian agencies to be able to operate safely in Gaza. During his most recent visit to the region on 9 October, the Foreign Secretary reiterated the need for an immediate ceasefire to ensure their safe release.

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 returned immediately and unconditionally. We must see greater protection of civilians, a rapid increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to enable the UN and humanitarian agencies to be able to operate safely in Gaza. During his most recent visit to the region on 9 October, the Foreign Secretary reiterated the need for an immediate ceasefire to ensure their safe release.

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 Russian hybrid aggression. This year alone, the UK is providing £27 million of humanitarian, development and defence support to Moldova, including £4.3 million through the Good Governance Fund to strengthen Moldova's capacity to respond to threats. In September, I announced that at least £8 million of our humanitarian support to Ukraine would be used in interventions in Moldova.

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 step towards long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, and the wider region. The Foreign Secretary has raised the issue of securing long-term peace in all his meetings with counterparts across the region, in addition to the US, Germany and France. The UK will play our full diplomatic role in ending this conflict and creating a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

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 during his joint visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories with his French counterpart on 16 August. The Prime Minister has also joined international leaders in this call.

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 Working Group on Ageing and we welcomed the consensus adoption by the General Assembly in September of its recommendations. The UK seeks to play a constructive role on these issues and we are open to considering further standard-setting, including the possibility of a multilateral instrument to help further address the issues faced by older people.