Written questions by Huq.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Iranian counterpart on (a) the illegal obtention of (i) property and (ii) assets of and (b) other attacks on the Baha’i community; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the (a) protection of that community and (b) promotion of religious freedom in that country.

Our Ambassador in Iran and the former Foreign Secretary raised have human rights directly with the Iranian government and we regularly highlight Iran's repression of Baha'is in multilateral fora, including at the UN Human Rights Council in March. 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 3 July, the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, met Baha'i International Community UN Representative, Simin Fahandej, to discuss the current and historic repression of Baha'is in Iran, and on 8 July, the Special Envoy delivered a speech where he highlighted Baha'is acute vulnerability to scapegoating, incitement and threats of violence from authorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Iranian authorities on attacks on the Baha’i community including the illegal obtention of property and assets; and what steps is he taking to ensure (a) their protection and (b) the promotion of religious freedom in the country.

The UK strongly condemns the repression of religious minorities in Iran, including Baha'is. 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 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 diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure the protection of Greek communities in Northern Cyprus.

As a Guarantor Power and a friend to all Cypriots, the UK fully supports the UN-led Settlement process and stands ready to assist through all diplomatic channels. The best way to improve the lives of all Cypriots, including Greek communities living in the north of the island, is through a just and lasting settlement. I represented the UK at the next round of informal talks on 16 to 17 July 2025 and will continue to encourage the sides to maintain the recent momentum in the UN-led process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to allow British nationals to register their presence in Iran.

We continue to advise against all travel to Iran and have long made it clear that UK Government support is extremely limited in country. British nationals already in Iran, either resident or visitor, should carefully consider their presence there and the risks they take by staying, with land borders potentially closing at short notice. Due to the current security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw our UK staff from Iran. Our Embassy will continue to operate remotely.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the forceful closure of schools administered by UNRWA.

We were dismayed to hear of the forcible closure of six United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools in East Jerusalem on 8 May. These closures will deny 800 Palestinian children their right to education. We stated our strong opposition to the closure jointly with 16 other diplomatic missions, in a statement issued on X. The UK is clear that Palestinian children, like all children, deserve safe, uninterrupted access to school. The Israeli order to close these schools is deeply worrying. The vital work of UNRWA in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education and healthcare must be protected in East Jerusalem, as well as in Gaza and the West Bank. The Foreign Secretary continues to raise these issues with his Israeli counterpart.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he will consider enabling medical evacuations in Gaza for children (a) with life-threatening injuries and (b) with family resident in the UK.

The UK has supported Project Pure Hope's initiative to bring a small number of children from Gaza to the UK for privately funded specialist care. On 1 May, I confirmed that two children had arrived for treatment and also announced a £7.5 million package to strengthen medical care in Gaza and the region, including support for UK-Med, World Health Organization Egypt and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Fund. The UK's Immigration Rules allow entry for private medical treatment, with further requests considered case by case. The Government continues to assess support for Palestinians and urges Israel to allow urgent medical evacuations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department holds information on the quantity of UK-supplied aid which has been distributed in Gaza.

The UK provides humanitarian aid to Gaza through trusted partners, via Untied Nations agencies and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), delivering food, healthcare and shelter. A significant portion of our Financial Year 2024/25 funding has already reached Gaza, including life-saving medical supplies. Some remains prepositioned at border crossings or in regional warehouses. Due to the complex operating environment and limited real-time data, it is difficult to quantify the volume of aid currently awaiting entry. However, partners provide regular updates. On 19 May, the UK issued a joint statement calling for full aid resumption and for Israel to allow UN and NGO partners to operate independently.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the case brought by Sudan against the United Arab Emirates at the International Court of Justice which began on 10 April 2025.

We are fully committed to international justice and respect the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to call upon the warring parties to take concrete and immediate action to respect international humanitarian law and alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the rapid support forces comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736.

The UK continues to use all diplomatic levers at its disposal to press the parties, including the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to comply with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2736. Despite the Russian veto in November of a UK-Sierra Leone led resolution to build on UNSCR 2736, the UK continues to work with UNSC partners to galvanise Council action on Sudan. This includes securing a UNSC press statement on 17 April which called for the end of hostilities in El Fasher and full implementation of Resolution 2736.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representation to his Moroccan counterpart on including freedom of religion or belief during discussions on the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. The recently appointed Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, will play a critical role in promoting this right for all, through and alongside our global diplomatic network, our engagement in multilateral fora, and our important bilateral work. On 25 March, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials met and discussed FoRB with the President of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote freedom of religion or belief in community engagement initiatives in Morocco.

The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. The recently appointed Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, will play a critical role in promoting this right for all, through and alongside our global diplomatic network, our engagement in multilateral fora, and our important bilateral work. On 25 March, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials met and discussed FoRB with the President of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the funding for the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme is allocated to supporting individuals facing violations of freedom of religion or belief.

The UK-funded Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics (BCAPP) programme is a £27 million initiative designed to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief in Bangladesh. Through this programme, the Hunger project has organised a range of initiatives to foster inter-ethnic and religious peace, including peace events, consultation meetings with local authorities, and quarterly meeting focused on local conflict mediation. Whilst a specific breakdown of funding allocated to freedom of religion or belief is currently unavailable, the BCAPP programme helps ensure the rights of minorities are respected, and protected from discrimination.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent student and pensioner protests in Serbia.

We are following closely developments in Serbia where large-scale peaceful street protests have been underway for several weeks, following the tragic collapse of a station canopy last November. When I visited Belgrade last month, I noted the Serbian government's commitment to transparency in investigating the incident and their undertaking to act against corruption. During my visit I discussed with the Serbian government and others the importance of respect for citizens' rights of freedom of expression and assembly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of potential irregularities in the recent elections in Georgia.

I made clear in a statement on 27 October my support for the findings of the preliminary report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights election monitoring mission. I also outlined the need for irregularities to be investigated thoroughly and independently. The Georgian authorities must reverse their declining commitment to democratic values and we will work with our international partners to encourage Georgia to return to a Euro-Atlantic path.