Written questions by Forster.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people have contacted her Department, including for consular assistance, because they or their family members are unable to travel to the UK following the changes to immigration rules for dual nationals that came into effect on 25 February 2025.

Immigration rules are a matter for the Home Office. Our records show that Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Consular Contact Centre have passed 6,097 enquiries related to these changes to the Home Office since September 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the EU freezing assets, assigning criminal liability and enforcing travel bans on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Any impact of EU sanctions is a matter for the EU.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her department has made of the adequacy of the Government’s sanctions decisions following United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803.

We keep the impact of all UK sanctions designations under constant review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what formal international defence treaties the UK has outside of NATO.

Details of how to search for UK treaties can be found via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's dedicated treaty unit at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-treaties

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to review sanctions on Russian assets: and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation licensing rules to require owners to maintain sanctioned properties.

We keep our sanctions powers, regimes, designations and measures under review to respond to new developments and changing circumstances.The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) may issue general or specific licences on behalf of His Majesty's Treasury to allow activities otherwise prohibited by an asset freeze, such as payments for existing obligations or property maintenance. However, a licence only permits these actions - it does not require the designated person to carry them out. Maintenance or repairs will occur only if they choose to do so.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage Pakistan to respect (a) democracy, (b) human rights and (c) the rule of law.

Promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan, and we regularly engage Pakistan on these issues at the highest levels. The former Foreign Secretary raised human rights, democracy and the rule of law in meetings with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister when he visited Pakistan in May. I raised these issues with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister last month and with the Interior Minister on 31 March. The UK Government consistently urges Pakistani authorities to act in line with their international obligations and respect fundamental freedoms and human rights. Through UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), we are supporting progress on human rights in Pakistan through dialogue, technical assistance, and targeted programming. We will continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, in accordance with international standards.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when did his Department last raise concerns with his Pakistani counterpart about former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his supporters.

While judicial matters are for Pakistan's courts, the UK has consistently emphasised to its counterparts in Pakistan the need for due process, fair trials, and humane treatment for all, including Mr Imran Khan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure the safety of British nationals in Iran and (b) provide safe routes for (i) those nationals and (ii) their families to return to the United Kingdom.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overriding concern when determining travel advice. However, the FCDO does not have the jurisdiction to guarantee the safety of British Nationals overseas, which is the responsibility of local authorities.The FCDO has long been clear that the support we are able to provide in Iran is extremely limited. In an emergency, we will be unable to provide face-to-face assistance for British nationals in difficulty, or to assist with evacuations. We continue to advise against all travel to Iran, where British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at very high risk of arrest, questioning and detention. During the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, the FCDO updated travel advice for Iran to note the temporary withdrawal of UK staff from Iran, the status of Iran's land borders and the closure of Iranian airspace, which re-opened in early July.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will summon the Israeli Ambassador to explain ask why (a) Israeli armed forces seized the British-flagged ship Madleen and (b) arrested British citizens on board that ship.

The Minister for the Middle East summoned the Israeli Ambassador on 20 May to make clear that the UK stands firmly against Israel's resumption of military action in Gaza, its wholly inadequate plan for aid delivery and to demand that a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid into Gaza takes place immediately.We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces. We understand that this happened without serious incident or injury to any passenger. There were no British Nationals aboard.We pressed the Israeli authorities to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law. We will continue to urge that any Israeli actions following the interception of the vessel and arrest of its passengers must be in line with International Law.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect British citizens abroad from (a) cybercrime and (b) digital asset theft.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides country specific travel advice and consular assistance to British nationals abroad. The FCDO also works in partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and other agencies to raise public awareness through guidance and advice on global threats to help individuals, the public sector, and the Government to stay secure online. This guidance is applicable worldwide and addresses a range of cyber risks. If British nationals overseas are affected by cybercrime while overseas, they should contact the local police and, if necessary, seek consular support in line with our published services on gov.uk.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to recognise the State of Palestine following the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in Madrid.

The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering. On the 25 May at the Madrid conference, I met with partners to discuss how to deliver a two-state solution with a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas.  We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace. We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process. UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right so that it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We are continuing to engage all partners on advancing a two-state solution and supporting the foundations of Palestinian statehood.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support people affected by political persecution in the India- Pakistan conflict.

The agreement to cease further military action reached on 10 May is a hugely welcome development. The UK's long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.The UK Government recognises that there are human rights concerns in both India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. We continue to encourage all states to ensure domestic laws are in line with international standards.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to seize Russian oligarchs’ UK homes to house Ukrainian refugees.

Since the launch of the UK's Ukraine schemes, 219,400 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK as of December 2024, in part thanks to the immense generosity of the British public.Designated individuals and entities do not forfeit ownership of assets frozen in the UK. However, the UK has legislation in place allowing us to keep sanctions in place.Russia's obligations are clear: it must end its illegal war of aggression and pay for the damage it has caused Ukraine. We continue to work with our allies to pursue all lawful ways to ensure that Russia does so.The UK has now disbursed over half of the UK's £2.26 billion contribution to the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme. That contribution will be repaid by the profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British aid workers are in Gaza.

We do not have exact figures for the number of British aid workers in Gaza. Humanitarian partners in Gaza are not required to provide staffing numbers to the UK government.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to formally respond to the International Court of Justice judgment on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories.

The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion carefully, with the seriousness and rigour it deserves.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Turkey.

The Government is closely monitoring the situation in Turkey. The UK expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes. We have been engaging with the Turkish government and there has been Ministerial contact with counterparts in recent days to raise these issues. The UK supports democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the world and will always support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media freedom. Travel advice for British nationals has been updated to include reference to the recent protests.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen diplomatic cooperation with European allies in the context of US foreign policy.

In March, the Prime Minister convened international leaders to shape our support for Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary met EU High Representative Kallas, spoke to his Polish and French counterparts, and attended a Weimar+ meeting in Madrid. We are setting up structures to ensure our partnerships deliver in the long-term, including through summits with Ireland, France and the EU, and groups like the European Political Community, Calais Group and Joint Expeditionary Force. We look forward to re-starting negotiations on a UK-Germany treaty once the new German government forms. We continue to work closely with European partners in multilateral fora such as the Council of Europe and OSCE.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to provide funding to help (a) track and (b) return children kidnapped following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The UK has supported 'Save Ukraine', an NGO which helps to return Ukrainian children, and 'Bring Kids Back UA' through The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine. We were pleased to see another group of children returned via Qatari mediation in September 2024, and are grateful for Qatar's continued engagement. UK efforts also focus on communications, sanctions, and accountability. The UK is a member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, and in November 2024 we announced a third round of sanctions targeting those attempting to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukrainian children.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department (a) monitors and (b) reviews the granting of visa applications to British citizens by the Government of India.

The UK government does not monitor or review individual visa applications made by British citizens to the Government of India.