Written questions by Leigh.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to support the humanitarian aspects of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.

Under the 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, the Government of Israel committed to the full entry of aid without interference. It is unacceptable that over the last 6 weeks, volumes entering Gaza are only 35 per cent of the minimum targets agreed in the Plan.This is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and risks undermining the Peace Plan. More crossings and aid corridors must therefore be reopened, and restrictions on humanitarian partners and supplies must be lifted. We will continue to raise these issues directly with the Government of Israel.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of Exchequer on meeting the NATO target of spending five per cent of GDP on defence and national security.

The Ministry of Defence remains in close contact with His Majesty's Treasury and No.10 at all levels of the Department on defence spending. This Government has committed to deliver the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War. In addition, last year the Prime Minister made a historic pledge to spend 5% of GDP on defence and security related expenditure by 2035.

Whether she plans to establish a community liaison group, to be attended by the Home Office and representatives of residents, including local MPs, councillors, Crowborough Shield & other community organisations, in relation to her department’s usage of Crowborough Training Camp as asylum accommodation.

The Home Office has been and continues regular engagement with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, via the Multi Agency Forum and its sub-groups. Regular meetings with the office of the local MP, Parish councillors, the Voluntary Community Sector and non-government organisations are commencing.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterparts on the detention of Pastor Jin Mingri; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure his release.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 75048.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with international counterparts to help ensure the protection of Christian communities in Yemen.

The UK remains committed to freedom of religion or belief for all. We are concerned about the situation facing minority communities in Yemen, including Christians, particularly in areas under Houthi control. Reports indicate that minorities cannot practise their faith freely and that they face harassment and discrimination. We raise these concerns regularly with international partners, including at the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, pressing for respect for human rights and accountability for violations. The UK will continue to use its diplomatic influence and humanitarian support to protect civilians in Yemen, including Christian communities, and to work closely with the UN to press for an inclusive peace process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with her international counterparts to help ensure the protection of Christian communities in Eritrea.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 August 2025 to Question 68341.

What discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on strengthening the Union.

I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on how our two governments are delivering, investing in Wales’s future and strengthening our union.Through a record budget settlement for the Welsh Government, alongside our investment into Welsh rail, Growth Deals, Investment Zones, Freeports, Pride in Place Funds and our Defence Growth Deal for Wales – we are working together to improve public services, support communities, drive jobs, and deliver economic growth.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Egyptian counterparts on the potential impact of the inclusion of religious affiliation on national identity cards on people who convert to Christianity.

The Egyptian Government has stated its commitment to protecting the rights and freedom of worship as well as the protections enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and we continue to regularly raise rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities where appropriate.

What plans his Department has to mark the 200th anniversary of Catholic emancipation.

The 200th anniversary of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 will take place in 2029.The Act removed many of the legal barriers to participation in public life for Roman Catholics and was an important milestone in the development of religious freedom in the UK. While the Government currently has no specific plans to mark the anniversary, the Government engages with the Catholic Church along with a wide range of other Churches at national, regional and local level, and remains committed to valuing the contribution which Christians make to society.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of Uzbekistan on the (a) treatment of Christians and (b) reports of (i) arbitrary arrests and (ii) forced marriage in that country; and what steps she is taking with international partners to promote religious freedom in that country.

The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief for all. We highlight this issue at the UN, G7 and as a member of the Article 18 Alliance. Our Embassy in Tashkent regularly raises human rights with the authorities and maintains a dialogue with local human rights groups. In Uzbekistan's most recent UN Universal Periodic Review, the UK raised concerns over freedom of religion or belief amongst other human rights issues. We continue to seek opportunities to raise concerns at the UN and other international fora.

What assessment her Department has made of the reason for the increased number of asylum seekers in hotels on 30 June 2025 compared with the same date in 2024.

This government inherited a hotels policy which saw 400 hotels opened and a staggering £9million spent a day housing migrants across the country.Instead of clearing the asylum backlog to reduce those costs, the previous government allowed asylum decision-making to fall by 70 per cent in their last months in office.I have been clear that I will do whatever it takes to secure our borders and end the use of hotels. This includes exploring the use of Ministry of Defence sites to get people out of hotels fast.

What steps he is taking to increase the UK’s amphibious capabilities.

Amphibious shipping remains critical to delivering Littoral Strike and supporting NATO and global crisis response. Following the Strategic Defence Review 2025, the Royal Navy is committed to enhancing its amphibious capabilities through investment in new amphibious shipping, Littoral Response Groups and the ongoing modernisation of the Commando Force. Our ambition is to modernise this capability through the Multi Role Strike Ship programme. Final decisions on capability will be informed by the Defence Investment Plan and the resourced Integrated Force Design due in Autumn 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken in response to the persecution of Baha’i and Christian communities in Iran.

The UK strongly condemns the repression of religious minorities in Iran, including Baha'is and Christians. On 18 March, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN highlighted the continued systematic targeting and repression of religious minorities at the UN Human Rights Council. We were integral to the delivery of an Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to investigate a wider breadth of violations, and to establish the facts, circumstances and structural causes of such violations, including discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. On 23 April, the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), the Hon. Member for North Northumberland, hosted an event in Parliament on FoRB violations in Iran, including against Christians, in partnership with Open Doors and Christian Solidarity Worldwide. On 3 July, the Special Envoy met Baha'i International Community UN Representative, Simin Fahandej, to discuss the current and historic situation of Baha'is in Iran, and on 8 July, delivered a speech where he highlighted Baha'is acute vulnerability to scapegoating, incitement and threats of violence from authorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart on the forced disappearance of eight people in Guaviare Department on 4 and 5 April 2025; and whether he has had discussions with that counterpart on investigations into those disappearances.

We are concerned at the increasing rate of violence in Colombia, including the killing of eight social leaders in Guaviare. We work closely with the Attorney General's Office and Colombian authorities who are investigating the killings, and through our peace programme, we are working to support the Colombian government to tackle the root causes of violence to prevent such attacks. Our Embassy in Bogotá regularly engages with the local government, the church, victims, and ex-combatants in Guaviare. At the Human Rights Council and UN Security Council, we regularly call for greater protection of social and community leaders and to secure lasting peace by implementing the 2016 Peace Agreement. Through the UN Multi Partner Trust Fund, the UK supports projects to reduce violence and improve security in the department of Guaviare.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor UK funding in the People's Republic of China; and how much has been allocated to the provinces of (a) Tibet and (b) Xinjiang.

As an open economy, the Government welcomes foreign trade and investment where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security.The Government expects all UK businesses to respect human rights and the environment throughout their operations and supply chain relationships in line with the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.The UK's Overseas Business Risk guidance makes clear to UK companies the risks of operating in certain regions and urges them to conduct appropriate due diligence when making business decisions. The UK also has reporting requirements for companies with a turnover of £36 million or more under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act.This Government stands firm on human rights, including the repression of people in Xinjiang and Tibet. We are committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from human and labour rights abuses.

What steps he plans to take to help increase levels of defence manufacturing.

Our UK industry partners are at the heart of our One Defence approach. This Government is committed to supporting defence manufacturing in the UK and will bring forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned.

What assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of abolishing business rates.

The government will create a fairer business rates system that protects the high-street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. Autumn Budget 2024 announced the first steps including an intention to introduce permanently lower multipliers for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties from April 2026. To fund this sustainably the government also intends to introduce a higher multiplier on properties with Rateable Values (RV) of £500,000 or more. During the interim period, for 2025-26, RHL properties will receive a 40% relief on business rates bills up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. The small business multiplier paid by properties with RVs below £51,000 will also be frozen for a further year. The government published a discussion paper at Budget which sets out priority areas for further reform and invites stakeholders to a conversation about transforming the system over the Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports of violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt.

The UK will champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including through the UN, G7, in multilateral fora and in bilateral relationships. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. The Egyptian Government has stated a firm commitment to protect the rights of Coptic Christians and their freedom of worship. Protections for freedom of religion are enshrined in the constitution. President Sisi has publicly committed in recent years to uphold minority rights and FoRB. I will continue to make clear to the Egyptian authorities the importance we attach to these issues.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of age-based eligibility criteria for the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine.

In June 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) suggested an initial respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme to potentially vaccinate a cohort aged from 75 to 79 years old, and then for those turning 75 years old in subsequent years. The Department accepted the JCVI’s advice, and this is the current policy for the programme.The JCVI has not provided advice on other groups, as the analysis that informed their advice looked at burden by age. The JCVI noted that the burden of RSV in older adults is comparatively less well understood than in infants, and is considered to be underestimated by existing routine surveillance. The committee agreed that more work was required to obtain better estimates of the RSV burden in adults. These analyses will include people in clinical risk groups.RSV vaccination programmes to protect older adults and newborn babies, via maternal vaccination, began on 1 September in England. The Department will consider any further JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation, as the committee continues to keep the evidence under review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have (i) met and (ii) had discussions with UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

I am not aware of any recent meetings by FCDO Ministers or senior officials with UNSR Francesca Albanese. The Foreign Secretary regularly engages with UN representatives to discuss aspects of shared interests and concerns. Minister Dodds and I met Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, on 21 October, where we highlighted the urgent need to increase aid and protect civilians in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Secretary-General António Guterres on 16 October, to discuss the indispensable role of the UN in addressing the challenges in the Middle East.