Written questions by Patel.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the prevalence of human right abuses in Hong Kong] and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such instances on civilians.

China's imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong has seen opposition stifled and dissent criminalised. The UK continues to call for the National Security Law to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it, including Jimmy Lai.The UK will continue to stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong. The Foreign Secretary has raised human rights in every meeting with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his recent visit to China on 18 October. I again raised these concerns with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on my visit to Hong Kong on 14-15 November.On Christmas Eve, the Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the Hong Kong police's targeting of individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression and called on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law. Officials have raised concerns directly with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide humanitarian (a) assistance and (b) aid to Afghanistan.

The UK is taking a leading role in the humanitarian response to the people of Afghanistan and has provided over 2.7 million people with humanitarian assistance in financial year 2023/24. The FCDO is planning £161 million of funding to Afghanistan this financial year (2024/25) which includes both humanitarian aid and support for essential services. All funding is provided directly to implementing partners such as UN organisations, the Red Cross and NGOs, and we remain committed that at least 50 percent of people reached are women and girls. We are focused on supporting both emergency relief and strengthening the capacity of Afghan communities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the decision by the Taliban to prohibit women and girls from undertaking midwifery and nursing courses in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

The UK is deeply concerned at reports of a ban on women accessing medical training in Afghanistan, including midwifery education. We have released a statement strongly condemning the decision and officials from the Doha-based UK Mission to Afghanistan have met with Taliban leaders to urge them to reverse this decision. We have made clear that this is yet another affront to girls' right to education and will threaten the lives of countless women and girls who will be denied critical medical care, as well as their children. Officials are working closely with partners to assess the mid to long-term effects. We continue to press the Taliban on all human rights abuses in Afghanistan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to promote the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions and, most recently, at a G7+ meeting of Special Representatives in Geneva on 16 December. As the Foreign Secretary has said, exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is a tragic setback for Afghanistan. Officials from the Doha-based UK Mission to Afghanistan continue to press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on human rights abuses in Afghanistan, including the most recent ban on female medical education. We are committed that at least 50 percent of people reached by our £161 million aid programme in Afghanistan will be women and girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to implement the measures agreed in the Leaders’ Statement and Samoa Communique at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on 26 October 2024.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Leaders' Statement and Communique focused on the need to build societal, democratic, environmental and economic resilience across the Commonwealth. The UK is taking these commitments forward, including by working with partners to bolster human rights and democratic governance. We have pledged further support to the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub, which helps vulnerable member states access funding to tackle the impacts of climate change. We are taking forward the establishment of the UK Trade Centre for Expertise, as well as the Commonwealth Investment Plan of Action to mobilise increased trade and investment across the Commonwealth.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress on delivery of each of the Sustainable Development Goals by (a) the UK and (b) other governments.

Despite significant international development gains over the last 40 years, the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2024 Report found that globally only 17 per cent of the SDG targets with assessable data were on track to be achieved by 2030.As the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary set out at the UN General Assembly in September, the UK is committed to working with partners at home and internationally to accelerate progress towards the SDGs by 2030. Relevant UK government departments report their contribution to the domestic delivery of the SDGs in their Annual Reports and Accounts published on gov.uk.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has received from the Government of Mauritius on the UK and Mauritius Joint Statement on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago dated 3 October 2024; and whether the Government of Mauritius has proposed changes to the terms agreed.

The Governments of the UK and Mauritius issued a joint statement on 20 December setting out their continued commitment to finalising a treaty as quickly as possible, which will ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia. The precise terms of the agreement continue to be the subject of discussions between both Governments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 6 December 2024 to Question 16721 and of 9 December 2024 to Question 16720 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, for what reason he was unable to provide the information requested; and when he plans to make a decision on publishing such details associated with that appointment.

Discussions between the UK and Mauritius on the future exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory remain ongoing. It is not appropriate to provide a running commentary on engagement between UK and Mauritian officials. As set out in the joint statements on 20 December and 13 January, we will continue to work closely with Mauritius to conclude a deal that is in both sides' shared interests. It remains our intention to decide on publication of costs associated with Jonathan Powell's role as the PM's BIOT Envoy at a later date.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what contacts his Department has had with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria.

The Foreign Secretary met the interim Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Shaibani in Riyadh on 12 January, where he discussed the importance of an inclusive political transition and regional security. Senior Foreign Office officials have recently travelled to Damascus in December to meet with the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the interim Minister for Foreign Affairs, to underline the UK's support for the Syrian people and discuss the pathway towards a more hopeful, representative and peaceful future for Syria. The UK stands with the Syrian people in building a more stable, free and prosperous future.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his South African counterpart on that country's objectives for the G20 Presidency.

The UK welcomes South Africa's G20 presidency; the first African presidency. During the Foreign Secretary's visit to South Africa in November 2024 to co-chair the UK-South Africa strategic dialogue, he met Foreign Minister Lamola to discuss South Africa's objectives for the Presidency and how the UK and South Africa could work together to achieve them.During my visit to Rio in July, I discussed South Africa's G20 presidency with both my South African and Brazilian counterpart linking the then current and future G20 president countries.The UK looks forward to working closely with South Africa on its themes of solidarity, inequality and sustainability as Ministers across government visit over the coming year. South Africa's G20 presidency will also provide a platform to advance and focus our shared priorities on addressing climate change, promoting economic growth and promoting an open and stable international order.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the proposals from Brazil during their Presidency of the G20 for an 18th Sustainable Development Goal.

The UK is a long-standing supporter of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as agreed in 2015, including Goal 10: Reducing Inequality, which covers racial inequalities.The UK and Brazil share an ambition to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle inequality. As set out in the King's Speech in July 2024, the Government will introduce a draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which will enshrine in law the full right to equal pay on the basis of race or disability, amongst other measures to tackle racial discrimination. There are no plans for the UK to adopt any additional SDGs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the (a) Chinese Government and (b) authorities in Hong Kong on reports of the Hong Kong Police offering rewards for the arrests of pro-democracy activists residing in the UK and Canada; what discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on such reports; and what steps he is taking to protect people affected living in the UK.

The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 24 December condemning the Hong Kong police's latest arrest warrants and calling on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law. Senior British diplomats have raised these concerns directly with the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities. FCDO officials have discussed the matter with the Canadian government at working level.The UK Government will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas, especially in the UK. The Government will continue to stand with and support members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will list the meetings (a) he and his Ministers and (b) officials have had with representatives of the Chagossian community since 5 July 2024.

I met members of the Chagossian community on 30 September and 3 October. Officials are also in regular contact with Chagossians on a range of issues. There are a large number of Chagossian groups with a spectrum of views. We will continue efforts to engage all groups or representatives with an interest.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what third party contracts are scheduled for commissioning from 2025/26; and what estimate he has made of the value of each such contract.

The FCDO publishes a bi-annual pipeline of projects and the most recent one was in October 2024, available here: [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-commercial-pipeline-october-2024]

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what cash levels of Official Development Assistance he plans to provide in each of the next five financial years.

Our mission is to build partnerships to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. The UK's development spending is central to achieving this mission.The FCDO's planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme budget, including the Integrated Security Fund, is £8.78 billion in 2024/25. This is planned to increase by £450 million in 2025/26 to £9.24 billion, the highest level in recent years.The second phase of the Spending Review, concluding in late spring 2025, will set departmental ODA budgets for future years.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) productivity, (b) efficiencies and (c) savings he plans to make to meet the 2% target for departmental productivity, efficiencies and savings; how much of his budget for 2025/26 is in scope of this target; and what the cash level is of savings targeted.

The Department's 25/26 2 percent productivity, efficiency and savings target applies to the non-ODA RDEL budget of £1,798 million (excluding funding ringfenced for a voluntary exit scheme and funds drawn down from prior year capital receipts). The core FCDO budget 2 percent target is £24 million, apportioned pro rata. The breakdown of how the FCDO will meet its target is not yet known as the budget setting process for 2025/26 is still in progress. However, the Department expects to achieve it through a combination of workforce savings, sustainability improvements to the global estate and the completion of IT programmes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what provision he has made for the costs associated with the proposed Treaty with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory in his Departmental Budget for (a) 2025/26 and (b) future years.

This Agreement will be underpinned by a financial package which will support a new era of economic partnership between the UK and Mauritius and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossian communities.A financial element was crucial to securing the agreement. This government will not scrimp on security.Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the government's fiscal framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14335 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of changes to national insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024 on costs to its suppliers; and if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of those costs on his Department's budget in the 2025-26 financial year.

The Department does not hold the necessary information to estimate the potential impact on its thousands of suppliers. As previously indicated in the response to PQ 14336, the impact of tax changes would be taken into account along with all other changes to their cost base in the usual way through contract negotiations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funds he plans to provide to the Trust Fund for the benefit of Chagossians as part of the proposed Treaty with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the government's fiscal framework.This government is committed to supporting Chagossians. Further details about UK support to Chagossians will be made available in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the occasions on which he has directly raised with his Chinese counterpart the impact of the Hong Kong National Security Law on Hong Kongers.

The UK has called for the National Security Law to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to Beijing on 18 October where he raised serious concerns around the implementation of the National Security Law and the ongoing treatment of British national Jimmy Lai, again calling for his release.