Written questions by Jones.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the security situation for the Shia Muslim community in Parachinar.

Promoting the rights and safety of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I raised the importance of religious tolerance and harmony, as well as the impact of rising extremism on vulnerable groups, when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November. The British High Commission continues to raise the security situation for Shia Muslims in Parachinar at the highest levels. UK programmes are also promoting the rights of religious minorities, including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Our Aawaz II programme promotes interfaith harmony by convening influential community and faith leaders and minority representatives to resolve local issues, particularly as religious tensions arise.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support Nigeria to tackle (a) marginalisation of minority faith communities, (b) criminalisation of blasphemy and (c) other systemic violations of freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression.

The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to protect freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. The right of individuals to express their beliefs or non-belief is essential for a free and open society. Our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, is an important part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria. In addition, the UK government funds the provision of legal and judicial expertise for those countries wishing to make legislative changes to protect FoRB, including addressing blasphemy laws. In Nigeria, ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, also impinge on the rights of FoRB. We work closely with the Nigerian security forces on tackling violent extremism, while the UK provides support to locally-led solutions to tackle the complex root causes of intercommunal violence.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much humanitarian aid his Department has allocated to Nigeria for 2025; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that this aid reaches vulnerable communities in (a) Benue, (b) Kaduna and (c) Plateau.

In the Financial Year 2024/25, UK humanitarian support to Nigeria totalled £33.5 million in life-saving assistance. We have reached approximately one million people with our Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP), reducing mortality and increasing resilience, focused on people with the most severe humanitarian needs. At present, our humanitarian aid is not targeted at Benue, Kaduna or Plateau states. The UK is also a donor to the Start Fund which provides rapid financing in response to small to medium scale crises including helping people affected by conflict in central Nigeria.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of restrictions on (a) education, (b) work and (c) public life placed on women and girls by the Taliban in Afghanistan; and what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help tackle violations of women's rights and freedom of religion or belief in Afghanistan.

We condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, which seriously affect their everyday lives. These restrictions and those on freedom of religion and belief and hamper Afghanistan's development. We support the initiative to refer the Taliban to the International Court of Justice for violations of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and are working with international partners ways to hold the Taliban accountable, including supporting the UN Special Rapporteur, Richard Bennett. On 20 January, I convened a meeting with senior representatives from the UN and influential countries to underline the importance of addressing Afghanistan's challenges together.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last made representations to his Chinese counterpart on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims.

This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. The Foreign Secretary has raised this in every meeting with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his visit to China on 18 October. The Prime Minister and Chancellor similarly raised human rights with their counterparts (President Xi and Vice Premier He respectively).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports that Christians are being forced to convert to Buddhism in the Naga self-administered zone of Myanmar; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle religious persecution in Myanmar.

The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion for all in Myanmar, including in the Naga self-administered zone. We remain concerned by the Race and Religion Laws in Myanmar, which are used to discriminate against non-Buddhists, including Christians. We are deeply troubled by the increasing reports of religiously motivated violence, including the destruction of places of worship and the forced conversions of Christians to Buddhism. We provide funding to the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and have established the Myanmar Witness programme to collect and preserve evidence of violations and abuses, including atrocities against religious minority groups.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide funding to help tackle antisemitism in other countries.

Antisemitism has no place in our, or any, society and the UK has a long-standing track record of fighting it.The UK currently holds the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), through which we have worked with IHRA's 35 member states and permanent international partners to promote Holocaust education and research and combat antisemitism across the globe.Under our presidency we also funded IHRA's annual €50,000 Yehuda Bauer Grant, which finances a project aiming to undertake new and significant research on the Holocaust and antisemitism.The FCDO additionally administers the John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for overseas projects focused on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress he has made on supporting (a) Rakhine Muslim and (b) Christian communities in Myanmar.

We are committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all. 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. We continue to stress the need for de-escalation in Rakhine and for civilians to be protected. This was recently reiterated in a joint statement with international partners in January 2025. We continue to condemn the abuses taking place against Myanmar's religious minorities, including its Christian population. In response to the Myanmar military's worsening aerial attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including churches, we announced seven sanctions in October 2024, targeting suppliers of aviation fuel and equipment to the Myanmar military.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on freedom of religion or belief of the imposition of legal restrictions on the Burqa in public spaces in Switzerland; and whether he plans to take steps to help promote freedom of religion or belief in Switzerland in the context of that legislation.

The UK continues to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. We are working to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our important bilateral work. These are ultimately matters for the democratic Swiss authorities but we engage with Switzerland on a range of issues both bilaterally and multilaterally- including human rights and FoRB issues, this includes during the Swiss Chairing of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as well as through our shared membership of the Council of Europe and OSCE.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on helping to improve freedom of religion or belief of minority Buddhist communities in Southeast Asia.

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB multilaterally, bilaterally and through programme funding. In Southeast Asia, for example, as a member of the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion and Belief in Vietnam, the UK has often worked to raise cases of concern with Vietnamese authorities in this area. The appointment of David Smith MP as the Special Envoy for FoRB is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts in Southeast Asia and across the globe.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with international organisations on potential steps to support Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan.

The UK condemns the persecution of religious minorities and marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. We work alongside the wider international community, including foreign governments and civil society organisations to promote human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief, in partnership with Pakistan. I outlined the importance of protecting the rights of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 19 November. On 20 November, I attended a meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mosin Naqvi, where the British High Commissioner and I raised concerns about threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan. Officials regularly meet with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community both in the UK and Pakistan to listen to their concerns and inform our policy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help secure the release of Ahmadiyya Muslims detained under blasphemy laws in Pakistan.

The UK condemns the persecution of religious minorities and marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. We work to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. This includes regularly raising concerns about the misuse of blasphemy laws against religious minorities, including the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, both in principle and in relation to specific cases. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 19 November. On 20 November, I attended a meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mosin Naqvi, where the British High Commissioner and I raised concerns about threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress he has made on providing support to the Hazara Muslim community in Afghanistan.

The Government continues to call for the human rights of all Afghans to be protected, including those of Hazara communities, most recently in our statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 September. We condemn recent attacks against Hazaras. In line with The Hazara Inquiry report's recommendations, we continue to monitor and document discrimination and abuses against Hazaras, including through our support for the UN Special Rapporteur. Officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press the Taliban on human rights abuses and the rights of minorities in Afghanistan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to prevent the destruction of Ahmadiyya Muslim places of worship in the Punjab region of Pakistan.

We are aware of reports of the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and graves in Pakistan. The UK strongly condemns all instances of hate or violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims and other marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. I [Minister Falconer] underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 4 September. The British High Commissioner to Pakistan raised concerns about threats of violence directed towards Ahmadi Muslims with Minister Tarar on 6 November and with the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif on 28 October. We continue to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, including facilitating interfaith dialogue and protecting marginalised communities from hate speech online.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take at COP29 to help mitigate the impact of climate change on global religious minorities.

Representing over 80% of the world's population, faith and spiritual groups have an important perspective on climate change. We are committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalised groups who are experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis, including religious minorities, women and girls, disabled people and indigenous peoples.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on reversing anti-blasphemy legislation.

Pakistan is a FCDO human rights priority country. We work to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. This includes regularly raising concerns about the misuse of blasphemy laws, both in principle and in relation to specific cases. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 4 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his assessment he has made of the adequacy of the international community's response to (a) attacks on and (b) threats against (i) Shia Muslims, (ii) Christians, (iii) Ahmadis, (iv) Hindus, (v) Sikhs and (vi) other religious minorities in Pakistan.

The UK strongly condemns all instances of hate or violence directed towards minority religious communities in Pakistan, including Shia Muslims, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. We work alongside the wider international community, including foreign governments and civil society organisations, to promote human rights in partnership with Pakistan. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Azam Tarar, on 4 September. Alongside our diplomatic engagement, we continue to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, including facilitating interfaith dialogue and protecting marginalised communities from online hate speech.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary's meeting with Pakistani Human Rights Minister on 4 September 2024 on violations of freedom of religion or belief in that country; and when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary next plans to meet (a) that Minister and (b) his Pakistani counterpart.

I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony in a productive conversation with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Azam Tarar, on 4 September. I regularly meet with my counterparts in the Pakistani Government, including the Human Rights and Law Minister, Interior Minister and Foreign Minister. On 28 October, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan raised concerns around threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan with the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif. We will continue raise freedom of religion or belief in future engagements with the Government of Pakistan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recent arrest warrant issued against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; and whether he has had discussions with his Indian counterpart on the former Prime Minister’s continued presence in India, in the context of the bilateral extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India.

The UK is supporting Bangladesh's Interim Government as it works to restore stability and create a pathway to an inclusive democratic future. We note the arrest warrant issued by Bangladesh; discussions between the Interim Government and India about this are a bilateral matter between them. Any investigation is a matter for the relevant authorities in Bangladesh. The UK and international partners continue to push for progress towards accountability and justice including supporting an impartial and independent fact-finding mission by the United Nations. In August, I spoke to my Indian counterpart and discussed the need for de-escalation of violence in Bangladesh.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports of the destruction of Ahmadiyya Muslim places of worship in the Punjab region of Pakistan.

We are aware of reports of the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and graves in Pakistan. The UK strongly condemns all instances of hate or violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims and other marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 4 September. Officials at BHC Islamabad regularly raise our concerns surrounding the mistreatment of minorities with the Pakistani authorities, including law enforcement officials. We continue to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, including facilitating interfaith dialogue and protecting marginalised communities from hate speech online.