Written questions by Swayne.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of attacks affecting Orthodox Christian communities in Ethiopia’s Arsi Zone in May and

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Government of Russia on the use of administrative penalties to fine religious organisations and confiscate or destroy religious liter

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 1 June in response to Question 2671, and - as I said in my further response to him on 16 June - we will keep him updated if and when there are further developments to report.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding the seizure of land in Silwan residence owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchies, the removal and destr

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided on 23 June and 24 June in response to Questions 10663 and 10665.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Government of Russia on the prosecution of (a) Jehovah’s Witnesses and (a) other religious groups under extremism legislation in t

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 1 June in response to Question 2671. We will update him if and when there are further developments to report.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of insecurity in Mali on Christian communities; and what steps her Department is taking with international partners to support the

The UK is gravely concerned at the fragile security situation in Mali, including reports of rising attacks against religious minority groups. We raise our concerns about protection of minority communities and social cohesion directly with the Government o...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made recent representations to her Nicaraguan counterpart on the release of Efrén Antonio Vílchez López.

As set out in the UK's statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 16 March, we remain deeply concerned by the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Nicaragua. This includes ongoing harassment and the arbitrary detention of members of t...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations she to the Government of Russia on the prosecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other peaceful religious groups under extremism legislation

The Government champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad and regularly condemns the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record in international fora. Last month, the UK and its allies at the OSCE reiterated our call for the Russian au...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made regarding the protection of Christian communities and other religious minorities in Sudan .

The UK continues to use our position as penholder at the UN Security Council and leader of the core group on Sudan at the Human Rights Council to keep a spotlight on, and take actions in response to, the human rights situation in Sudan. In November 2025, ...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will review the adequacy of her Department's travel advice for Hong Kong, in the context of recent reports of enforcement actions, under the National Security Law, regarding electronic devices in the possession of travellers; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of those reports on UK travellers and journalists operating in the territory.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office keeps its travel advice under constant review, and last updated its advice for Hong Kong on 1 April to reflect its assessment of the situation on the ground.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will increase humanitarian support to Myanmar’s refugees, internally displaced people and civil society in 2026.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 April in response to Question 124595.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she is taking diplomatic steps to hold the recently inaugurated President of Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, accountable for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 April in response to Question 124592.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Government of China on the potential merits of the release of Pastor Ezra Jim Mingri.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 75048 on 16 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of attacks on places of worship for Christian communities in Ethiopia.

We remain concerned about attacks on places of worship in Ethiopia, and their impact on civilians. We note the 4 November statement of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia condemning recent attacks on Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Muslim communities. We continue to call on all parties to engage in dialogue to address the underlying causes of conflict. Through our Human Rights and Peacebuilding Programme, the UK supports dialogue efforts by local peacemakers, women's groups and the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia. The UK also supports the investigative capacity of Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to follow up on reports of violations affecting civilians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the proposed visit to China later this month is planned to be proceeded with irrespective of the outcome of His Majesty’s Government’s determination of the planning application for China’s new embassy.

The Prime Minister's travel will be confirmed in the usual way.This Government is taking a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can and challenge where we must.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking in collaboration with the Government of Nigeria to address violence and discrimination affecting Christians in northern Nigeria.

I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement published on 27 November 2025 (HCWS1105).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Nigerian counterpart on the recent abduction of students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure their release.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 27 November 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she had had with her counterpart in Bangladesh on recent targeted attacks on St Mary’s Cathedral and St Joseph’s School in Dhaka; and what steps she is taking to help ensure the protection of Christians in Bangladesh.

We condemn all acts of violence in Bangladesh, including those on 7-8 November, and we regularly raise issues of justice, accountability and the protection of fundamental rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), with Bangladesh's Interim Government.In February 2025, the UK's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, discussed these issues on her visit to Bangladesh, and during her visit on 13-14 November, the Minister of State for International Development and Africa highlighted to Chief Adviser Professor Yunus the importance of democratic transition, human rights and reconciliation.The UK's commitment to these issues is also reflected in our £27 million Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme in Bangladesh, which aims to protect civic space, foster inclusive dialogue and address tensions that can lead to violence.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions has he had with the Palestinian Authority on ensuring that content which promotes hatred is excluded from the Authority's school curriculum.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 29 October to question 79968.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Nigeria on the detention of eight children from the Du Merci Christian orphanage; and whether she is taking diplomatic steps to secure their release.

The UK government welcomed the return of eight children to the custody of the Du Merci Centre. We are aware that a further eight children remain in the custody of Kano State authorities as court proceedings are ongoing. We have raised this case at senior official level with the Nigerian authorities and stressed the need to prioritise the welfare of the children involved. The enforcement of the court ruling is however a matter for the Nigerian authorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, following the Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority of April 2025, what step she is taking to help to ensure that content which promotes (a) hatred and (b) is excluded from the Authority's school curriculum.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 83047 on 29 October 2025.