Written questions by Shastri-Hurst.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the (a) documentation and (b) investigation of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

The UK is actively involved in initiatives aimed at ensuring allegations of war crimes committed in Ukraine are fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective, and robust legal mechanisms. This includes our work with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, where the UK has provided £11.3 million to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts, including to document, investigate, and prosecute alleged atrocity crimes. The UK also continues to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating allegations of international crimes committed in Ukraine, following the referral of the situation to the Court in February 2022.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) evaluate and (b) mitigate the impact of global health crises on the United Kingdom's (i) national security, (ii) public health, (iii) economic stability, and (iv) military readiness.

The Government recognises the threat global health crises pose for UK national security and prosperity, noting that the threat of another global pandemic is specifically highlighted in the UK National Risk Register. The Government has a multifaceted approach to mitigating this threat which includes multilateral initiatives such as strengthening the World Health Organisation and bilateral initiatives aimed at supporting partner countries and regional institutions to prevent, detect and respond to health threats by building stronger, more resilient health systems.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK sanctions against (a) individuals and (b) entities connected to the Russian Federation; and what steps he is taking to ensure robust enforcement of those sanctions (i) domestically and (ii) in coordination with international partners.

Our sanctions have deprived Russia of at least $450 billion since February 2022. The Russian economy is battling high and rising inflation. High interest rates have made Russian government borrowing extremely costly. This Government is committed to ensuring robust sanctions enforcement. To this end, with the support of Ministerial colleagues, I launched the cross-government review of sanctions at the first Small Ministerial Group on enforcement in October. The review concluded in April and Parliament will shortly be updated on the review conclusions. The UK continues to work with our international partners to share best practice on sanctions enforcement and to ensure that a joined-up approach to enforcement is adopted internationally.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of global health crises on fragile states; and what steps he is taking to support these countries in (a) strengthening their healthcare systems and (b) mitigating the risks to stability and security.

The Government recognises that global health crises pose a major threat to the heath, stability, and economic prosperity of fragile states. Working in fragile states is complex and each setting has its own unique challenges, and where possible the UK works with national health systems. The UK is not prescriptive in terms of our approach to health system strengthening in fragile states, but we focus our funding and technical assistance to ensure our investments are coordinated, context-specific, integrated, adaptive and flexible as changes occur over time. A strong health system supports better mental and physical health for everyone, protects people from financial hardship due to the costs of care, and enhances resilience to threats including infectious disease outbreaks that can occur frequently in fragile states.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine; and what steps his Department is taking to support international efforts to (a) investigate and (b) prosecute those responsible.

The UK has been at the forefront of international efforts to ensure Russia is held to account for its actions resulting from the illegal invasion of Ukraine. We led international efforts by 39 International Criminal Court (ICC) State Parties in February 2022 to refer the situation to the ICC, which expedited the opening of the court's investigation into the situation in Ukraine. We have also provided over £11.3 million in funding to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts, including the work of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated, by independent, effective, and robust legal mechanisms. We are also supporting work towards establishing a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and have played an active role in discussions with Ukraine and close partners to progress this commitment.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support humanitarian efforts and (b) promote peace and stability in the Darfur region of Sudan; and what steps he is taking with international partners to help tackle (i) the ongoing conflict and (ii) human rights abuses in the area.

The human cost of the conflict in Sudan is appalling with the warring parties showing a total disregard for human life. The conflict has caused the largest and most severe crisis globally with 64 per cent of the population in urgent need of assistance. The UK is using all levers at its disposal to act. At last month's London Sudan conference, the Foreign Secretary announced a further £120 million in UK funding which will target over 650,000 people with life-saving aid. The UK continues to use its position as the Sudan penholder at the UN Security Council to address civilian suffering and abuses. Last summer, the UK-led resolution 2736 demanded a halt to the Rapid Support Forces' siege of El Fasher and called on warring parties to implement an immediate cessation of hostilities and ensure safe, unimpeded humanitarian access. In November 2024, the Minister for Africa chaired an open Council meeting focused on protection of civilians in Sudan, laying the groundwork for the UK and Sierra Leone's co-led resolution. This resolution was shamefully vetoed by Russia.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the ODA budget on the level of support provided by the Government for the (a) investigation and (b) prosecution of (i) war crimes and (ii) other serious international crimes in Ukraine.

The impact of Official Development Assistance cuts on specific programmes is being worked through following the decision but the Prime Minister has reassured that Ukraine will remain a priority. The UK is committed to ensuring Russia is held to account for its actions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he has taken to help develop international (a) norms, (b) rules and (c) principles on responsible behaviours in space since 5 July 2024.

The UK has been advocating and building international support for norms, rules and principles of responsible space behaviours at the United Nations to tackle threats to space systems, reduce the risk of conflict and preserve strategic stability. Since 5 July 2024, the UK has:Secured support for the UK-led resolution on responsible space behaviours at the UN General Assembly.Ensured the mandate of the UN Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space in all its Aspects (PAROS) included norms, rules and principles of responsible space behaviours.Used the International Security Fund to support diplomatic engagement with a broad range of countries on how responsible space behaviours can address space threats.Shaped discussion on responsible space behaviours in the Conference on Disarmament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of British diplomats posted to China have language proficiency in Chinese at CEFR level C1 or higher.

As of March 2025, 64 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) staff have achieved qualifications in Mandarin at C1 or C2 level (in the Common European Framework Reference scale) over the past five years. FCDO language qualifications are valid for 5 years.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of British diplomats posted to Russia have language proficiency in Russian at CEFR level C1 or higher.

Around 70 members of staff of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office currently have valid exam passes in Russian at C1 level or above. Exam passes are valid for five years.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of interference by Russia in Georgia.

Georgia remains at the forefront of Russian hybrid aggression, with Russian military units stationed just 30 minutes from the capital, Tbilisi. In December 2024 I discussed with Georgian Dream representative, Maka Botcharishvili, Russian interference in Georgia. The UK remains vocal at the UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), where Russia regularly exerts pressure, in our support for Georgian territorial integrity and sovereignty over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We continue to call on the Russian Federation to withdraw their troops from Georgian sovereign territory and reverse recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetian independence.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to help deter malign Iranian activity in the UK.

Iran's malign activity is unacceptable. In response the to the regime's human rights violations, nuclear weapons programme, malign influence internationally and state threats, the UK has more than 450 sanctions designations in place on Iranian individuals and entities. The UK has also sanctioned the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety.We will continue to use all tools at our disposal, to protect the UK and its overseas interests against any threats from the Iranian state.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to authorise the use of frozen Russian state assets to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine.

This Government is clear that Russia must be held responsible for its illegal war. That includes its obligations under international law to pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine. Working with allies, we continue to pursue all possible lawful avenues by which Russia can be made to meet those obligations. Our agreement with G7 partners to provide approximately $50 billion in additional funding to Ukraine, repaid by the profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets, is an important step towards ensuring Russia pays. Our focus is on delivering this commitment, including the UK's £2.26 billion contribution, as soon as possible.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent proliferation of (a) nuclear and (b) biological weapons.

The UK remains committed to supporting and implementing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a vital pillar of the international peace and security architecture. The NPT has created the non-proliferation framework that has both limited the spread of nuclear weapons and enabled safe access to nuclear technologies for peaceful uses. The UK contributes over £20 million each year to the International Atomic Energy Agency who ensure NPT compliance and hold member states to account on their obligations.The UK is committed to universal implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. We will work with other States Parties to strengthen the Convention in 2025, fifty years after it entered into force. The UK's ambition for enhancing our own resilience, is set out in our Biological Security Strategy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure macroeconomic stability in Ukraine.

Since February 2022 the UK has provided fiscal assistance worth £4.1 billion via guarantees for World Bank lending to support Ukraine's economic stability. This includes multi-year assistance worth $3 billion, which will be delivered in yearly $1 billion tranches. This is part of a collective G7 effort over Ukraine's International Monetary Fund programme.As G7 leaders announced in June, we are working together to implement 'Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration' loans, which will provide approximately $50 billion in additional funding.An overview of UK support is published on gov.uk [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-support-to-ukraine-factsheet/uk-support-to-ukraine-factsheet].