Written questions by Shannon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of targeted sanctions against violators of freedom of religion or belief in Iran.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all in Iran, and beyond. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We condemn Iran's restrictions against FoRB and we are committed to holding Iran to account for its attacks against religious minorities, including at the UN Third Committee.We maintain sanctions on senior Iranian decision makers responsible for human rights violations and will continue to respond to Iran's repression of fundamental rights, including through the potential use of further sanctions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Aid to the Church in Need's report entitled Persecuted and Forgotten?, published on 22 October 2024; and whether he plans to implement the recommendations on helping tackle the persecution of religious minorities worldwide.

We note the recent report by Aid to the Church in Need; "Persecuted and Forgotten?" and are considering its findings and recommendations. The UK government seeks to address the severity and scale of violations and abuses of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We tackle these issues bilaterally through our diplomatic network, and multilaterally, by coordinating with partners at fora such as the UN to promote FoRB. We did so most recently at the UN General Assembly Third Committee, 79th Session, in discussion with the Special Rapporteur for FoRB.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Nigerian counterpart for the release of Mubarak Bala.

Dialogue on human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief, is a vital part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria. The UK Government will proactively raise cases where blasphemy legislation has been used to restrict human rights with the Nigerian authorities, and calls for Mr Bala's immediate release. The right of individuals to express opinions, including expressing their non-belief, is essential to a free and open society.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support (a) religious tolerance and (b) the Rohingya people in (i) Myanmar and (ii) Bangladesh.

The UK is committed to supporting religious minorities in Myanmar and we continue to raise our concerns over discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in international fora. We are deeply concerned about the situation of the Rohingya. Since 2017, the UK has provided over £48 million in aid including cash assistance and water, sanitation and hygiene services to the Rohingya and other Muslim minorities in Rakhine State. In Bangladesh, we have provided £391 million in humanitarian assistance to support the Rohingya since 2017.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Darfur.

The UK condemns the growing body of evidence of serious atrocities being committed against civilians in Darfur and wider Sudan, including in the recent report by the UN Fact Finding Mission. We analyse the conflict and atrocities on an ongoing basis including through funding the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body which is gathering open-source evidence about the ongoing fighting in Sudan, with an eye to future accountability processes. In October, the UK led the mandate renewal of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan (FFM) as part of the 'Sudan Core Group' at the UN Human Rights Council. The FFM is vital for ensuring credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses by all sides, including atrocities being committed in Darfur, are investigated impartially. The UK also continues to provide support to the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that plays a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are working with the UN, key regional actors, and UN Security Council (UNSC) members to shine a spotlight on Sudan during our UNSC presidency. On 12 October, the Minister for Africa chaired an open meeting on protection of civilians at the UNSC, seeking to galvanise greater action on protection and humanitarian access following the publication of the UN Secretary General's recommendations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for the provision of support to Ukraine.

The Government's support for Ukraine is ironclad. The UK has provided £12.8 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine since 2022. We have committed £3 billion a year in military assistance to Ukraine for as long as it takes. The UK will also provide £2.26 billion as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans to Ukraine scheme. This is additional funding on top of our existing £3 billion a year commitment and will be used for Ukraine to procure military equipment via the MOD.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect the religious freedom of adherents of African-influenced religions in Rio de Janeiro; and what discussions he has had with his Brazilian counterpart on religious intolerance in that region.

The UK is committed to protecting freedom of religion or belief, as guaranteed under international human rights law. In July, alongside the Brazilian Minister for Racial Equality Anielle Franco, International Development Minister Dodds visited a 'Quilombo' in Rio de Janeiro home to a community targeted with violence driven by intolerance towards Afro-Brazilian religions. In October, the UK Gender and Equalities Envoy spoke to Minister Franco to further raise awareness of discrimination against marginalised Brazilian communities. The UK and Brazil have also committed to establishing an Open Societies and Human Rights Dialogue, which will deepen collaboration on this issue.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the right to freedom of religion or belief.

This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. The Foreign Secretary has raised human rights with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his recent visit to China on 18 October.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department takes to help ensure continuity of support for delivery of community-led HIV response during (a) conflict and (b) climate disasters.

The UK is a significant funder of the HIV response, and through our support of organisations such UNAIDS, the Global Fund, and Robert Carr Fund (RCF), provides funding to grassroots and community-led organisations to support those at greater risk or living with HIV and who are particularly vulnerable during conflict and climate disaster.For example, for UNAIDS its co-sponsoring organisations, especially WHO and UNHCR, play an important role in supporting community-led organisations within emergency and conflict environments where access to HIV treatment is limited. The Global Fund has also approved over US$130 million through its Emergency Fund in the last 10 years which has enabled quick and flexible financing to countries in emergency situations, ensuring the continuity of HIV programmes and services.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote the World Health Organisation's BPaLM/BPaL regimen to treat multidrug resistant TB.

The UK's funding to the TB Alliance (around £70 million over 6 years) contributed to the development of the BPaLM/BPAL regimen. Our £1 billion contribution to the Global Fund is supporting countries to use BPaLM/BPAL for the treatment of multi-drug resistant TB and our funding to the Clinton Health Access Initiative has provided technical support to help countries introduce the regimen at optimal prices. In addition, our support to MedAccess helped secure a 34 per cent reduction in the price of one of the critical drugs - pretomanid - used in the regimen.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) the Global Fund and (b) other multilateral organisations to eliminate TB.

The UK is a leading donor in the fight against tuberculosis (TB). Our £1 billion commitment to the Global Fund (2023 to 2025) will provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB and provide 41,800 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. This is complemented by our investment in Unitaid to improve access to key TB products and support to WHO and others to strengthen health systems.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the rollout of new medicines developed in the UK to tackle malaria.

British science was key to the development of the first two vaccines ever to be recommended for use by WHO to prevent malaria. The UK's £1.65 billion funding to Gavi is also helping to fund the rollout of malaria vaccines and will immunise more than 6 million children by the end of 2025. Our funding to the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), in partnership with more than 40 UK organisations including GSK and the University of Dundee, is developing a new generation of antimalarial medicines to address the emerging threat posed by drug resistance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) the Global Fund, (b) Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and (c) other multilateral organisations to eliminate malaria.

The UK is a leading donor to the fight against Malaria. Our £1 billion contribution (2023-2025) to the Global Fund will distribute 86 million treated mosquito nets, provide 452,000 doses of seasonal malaria chemoprevention and treat for 18 million cases. I recently met the Gavi CEO, Sania Nishtar, and discussed our £1.65 billion investment (2021-2025) and Gavi's rollout of malaria vaccines, which will support the immunisation of more than 6 million children by the end of 2025. This is complemented by investments in UNITAID, WHO and others to strengthen health systems and improve access to malaria products.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle (a) forced disappearances, (b) the prolonged detentions of monks and nuns and (c) other suppression of (i) freedom of religion or belief and (ii) human rights in Tibet.

This Government will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.The Foreign Secretary raised human rights in his first meeting with China's Director of Foreign Affairs Commission Office and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, on 26 July.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) human rights conditions and (b) respect for international law in the South Caucasus.

Long-term human rights concerns persist across the whole South Caucasus region. The UK Government regularly raises human rights obligations and commitments with the Governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as discussing such matters with international counterparts. For example, I [Minister Doughty] spoke to Georgian Foreign Minister Darchiashvili on 9 October. I shared with him my deep concerns about the negative implications of Georgia's recent laws on Transparency and Foreign Influence and on Family Values and highlighted our concerns regarding the pressures being applied to civil society which undermine the Georgian people's ambition for a modern, inclusive and Euro-Atlantic future.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps with his Azerbaijani counterpart to help tackle corruption by politicians in that country.

The UK acknowledges that like many countries around the world, Azerbaijan faces challenges with tackling corruption. We remain in close contact with the Azerbaijani authorities and stand ready to provide support and expertise in tackling this issue.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Georgian counterpart on human rights in that country.

I [Minister Doughty] spoke with Georgian Foreign Minister Darchiashvili on 9 October. I shared with him my deep concerns about the negative implications of Georgia's recent laws on Transparency and Foreign Influence and on Family Values. The pressures being applied to civil society and on human rights protections undermine the Georgian people's ambition for a modern, inclusive, Euro-Atlantic future. More needs to be done to embed Georgia's previous impressive progress - on combating corruption, improving prison conditions, and launching a human rights strategy - into reforms that enhance judicial independence and political freedoms, and protect minority rights.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the initiation of supervisory proceedings against Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark.

The FCDO is aware of supervisory proceedings against Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark. We are committed to the safeguarding of all vulnerable people, as well as promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) around the world. We will continue to monitor developments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help support families affected by the recent landslide in southern India.

The UK is a major contributor to the Start Fund which has allocated over £200,000 to Caritas India and SEEDS India. These two non-governmental organisations are providing support to vulnerable communities that were severely affected by the landslides and flooding in Wayanad District in Kerala. This included basic household goods, such as bedding, kitchen and hygiene items, and cash assistance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Nigerian counterparts on (a) violence by non-state actors and (b) freedom of religion for minority communities.

The UK continues to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all in Nigeria, and beyond. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. We work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and bilaterally in Nigeria. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria to address ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to FoRB. In September, the Foreign Secretary had an initial conversation with his Nigerian counterpart on security issues and will be seeking to engage proactively on FoRB in upcoming discussions.