theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) farmers and (b) landowners in Northern Ireland have equitable access to UK-wide (i) environmental and (ii) biodiversity funding streams. \p Daniel Zeichner: The UK Government works closely with ministers and officials in Northern Ireland to engage on environmental topics, including biodiversity. For example, they recently jointly published the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, are collaborating closely on its implementation and producing a 7th National Report on progress. However, there is no funding associated with these activities.

There are relevant Sector Capacity grants which are open to lead applicants based anywhere in the UK (including Northern Ireland). The three grants include:

Information sharing regularly takes place at official level and through the Tree Planting Taskforce to help address UK wide challenges and share lessons learned on grant mechanisms.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will require public bodies to publish annual data on the percentage of British food procured. \p Daniel Zeichner: Public bodies are not required to report on the origin of the food they procure. However, the Government will be reviewing food provenance across the public sector. This will help inform our future approach on public sector food procurement, including any potential considerations for data reporting.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the amount that a person can be fined for having a dangerous dog. \p Daniel Zeichner: Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, there are already strict penalties in place. The owner of any dog that is dangerously out of control may be put in prison for up to 14 years, banned from ever owning a dog and receive an unlimited fine. We have no plans to increase these penalties.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he takes steps to encourage local authorities to support local producers through food contracts for (a) care homes and (b) civic buildings. \p Daniel Zeichner: We recognise the potential benefits of developing stronger ties between local authorities and food producers and support efforts from all parties in strengthening relationships across the supply chains, including into (a) care homes and (b) civic buildings. That is why our national procurement policy statement highlights the role of contracting authorities in driving economic growth and strengthening supply chains by giving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) a fair chance.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered providing fiscal incentives to local authorities that prioritise British food in their catering contracts. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is open to considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. We have already published a new national procurement policy statement. It sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that we think high-quality British producers are well-placed to meet.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 49250 on Plants: Disease Control, what assessment he has made of the the potential impact of the UPOV 1991 convention on small holder and subsistence farmers globally?. \p Daniel Zeichner: Signatories to the 1991 UPOV convention are part of a global plant variety protection system. UPOV’s mission is to encourage the development of new plant varieties for the benefit of society. The assurance that intellectual property will be respected encourages plant breeders to invest in new varieties, critical for all in the face of climate change and food security.

Requirements under UPOV91 apply to new varieties and not existing traditional varieties. The protection of new varieties is voluntary and is a decision made by the plant breeder. To become a member, regulations must align to UPOV91, but there is some degree of flexibility in how national policies are implemented, allowing for local needs to be reflected.

Furthermore, Article 15(2) of the convention contains an optional exception to the Breeder’s Right, allowing farmers to use seed collected from their own crops for their own use with enforcement via domestic legislation.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department for Business & Trade, and Defra are working together to find a balance between protecting plant breeders’ rights, the need for smallholder farmers to have access to better seed varieties, and the sovereignty of informal seed systems, upon which many smallholder and subsistence farmers rely.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the environmental impact of sourcing food from British producers compared to overseas suppliers for public sector contracts. \p Daniel Zeichner: In 2021, Defra assessed the scientific evidence on the environmental impacts of locally sourced food for public food procurement. This analysis considered the positive and negative environmental impacts of both imported and in country produced food, i.e. British. This analysis identified strong evidence and wide academic consensus that sourcing food locally does not necessarily guarantee a better environmental impact than importing: generally, production has a much greater impact on the environmental footprint of food products than the impacts of transport.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the (a) number of food miles and (b) level of carbon emissions generated through catering provided by the public sector in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is currently considering policy options, including how best to demonstrate the beneficial impacts of the new national procurement policy statement, which sets out expectations for Government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards.
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Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 37521 on Import Controls: Northern Ireland, whether EU officials have assessed the completed border control posts. \p Daniel Zeichner: EU officials have assessed the SPS facilities at Foyle and Warrenpoint, we await their formal report.
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of allowing the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to be used for the acquisition of sustainable refrigerated light commercial goods vehicle transport. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will invest £360 million over the next 12 years to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities. We will work with the industry to target investment where it matters most, for example considering investment in new technology and equipment to modernise our fishing fleet. We will provide more detail on this in due course. In the meantime, England’s Fisheries and Seafood Scheme is open for applications and provides grant funding for electric and hybrid refrigerated vehicles.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of British-grown food procured by the public sector. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is open to considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. The new national procurement policy statement sets expectations that government contracts will favour the purchase of food certified to higher environmental standards, which we believe British producers operating to the highest standards will be well-placed to meet.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available for public sector caterers that would like to organise farm visits to help improve local food supply relationships. \p Daniel Zeichner: We are currently considering the policy options available to deliver further on our ambitions for public sector catering, including the potential benefits of developing stronger ties between food producers, caterers, and end consumers.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms exist for (a) developers and (b) local planning authorities to appeal the (i) availability and (ii) cost of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain credits in cases where viable alternatives are limited. \p Mary Creagh: Statutory credits are a last resort way of achieving biodiversity net gain (BNG). They are different from biodiversity units, which are sold in the offsite market. If developers buy statutory credits, this is because it is not possible to restore habitats on-site or units are not available for purchase in the offsite market.

Statutory Biodiversity Credits are sold by Defra to ensure developers can meet their BNG obligation in the few instances where suitable units are not available from the market. Defra can review and amend credit prices. Low volumes of Statutory Biodiversity Credits sales suggest that the private market for units is functioning as intended with good availability of a range of habitat types across England.

Biodiversity Units differ in their availability and pricing. Defra is monitoring the availability and pricing of BNG units.

Defra’s consultation on BNG regulations and implementation in January 2022 sought views on the impact of implementing BNG on small and medium-sized developers. Results from the consultation suggested that these developers should remain in scope of the BNG policy but with a simplified process.

The department is currently holding a consultation seeking views on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Overseas Territories on the Darwin Plus programme. \p Mary Creagh: In November 2024, Minister Doughty and Minister McCarthy met with the elected leaders and representatives of the Overseas Territories at the UK Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. The UK Government confirmed that it would continue to work in partnership with the Territories to support the protection of their unique environments and to help address biodiversity loss and noted their strong support for the continuation of Darwin Plus.

As set out in our previous answers to UIN 61101 and UIN 63667, Defra will be finalising plans to fund new Darwin Plus projects with applicants this summer. Whilst decisions have yet to be made on the totality of future funding available to Darwin Plus following the department’s multi-year funding commitment from HM Treasury, the department will engage closely with stakeholders to ensure transparency and support continuity wherever possible.

The department will provide updates in the usual way as soon as they are available.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle fly-tipping in (a) rural and (b) suburban communities. \p Mary Creagh: Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights communities and places significant costs on both taxpayers and businesses.

Local authorities are responsible for tackling fly-tipping in their areas and we want to see an effective enforcement strategy at the centre of their efforts to tackle the problem. We are therefore taking steps to help councils make good use of their powers, including seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance. We are also reviewing their powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course.

Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which we work with a wide range of interested parties, including local authorities and the National Farmers Union to share good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping, including on private land. The NFTPG has developed various practical tools, guidance and case studies highlighting best practice. These are available at: https://nftpg.com/.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme on (a) job creation and (b) other economic developments. \p Mary Creagh: The Final Impact Assessment, published in November 2025, considers the impacts of a DRS on all sectors of society - this includes costs and benefits, and any wider impacts identified.

There are external studies that look at the number of jobs created by DRS which the Impact Assessment draws upon, including the 2011 Eunomia study that estimated that the additional number of jobs created from the introduction of a DRS could be 3,000-4,300 across the UK.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK’s ban on importing ivory on (a) historically and (b) artistically significant ivory. \p Mary Creagh: The Ivory Act 2018 bans dealing in ivory, including imports to and exports from the UK for the purposes of dealing.

The Act includes an exemption to the ban for pre-1918 items of outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value. An exemption certificate must be issued before an item can be legally dealt under this exemption.

Since the Act came into force in 2022, 346 applications for exemption certificates have been submitted and 284 exemption certificates have been issued.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the levels of protection for species-rich meadows in devolved Administrations on UK-wide nature recovery objectives. \p Mary Creagh: As responsibility for the conservation of habitats is a devolved matter Defra continues to be guided by co-ordination and expert advice from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), the UK wide Statutory adviser on Nature. The primary mechanism for assessing the state of change to species rich grasslands across the UK is through reporting obligations under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and related regulations covering Scotland and NI. The next round of reporting under this legislation is currently being undertaken by each country due for publication in 2026. JNCC are providing the co-ordination to maintain sufficient consistency in each country report to facilitate cross UK integration and comparison, enabling the countries to gain insight on effectiveness of country level policies. The previous report (2019) is available through the JNCC website.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy and has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, for which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming autumn. Whilst led by Defra, this is a cross-government effort based on close collaboration between departments and the governments of the Four Nations of the UK.

Reflecting this collaborative and whole-economy approach, officials are working closely with other government departments with strong interests in the delivery of a circular economy, in particular, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Business and Trade, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Department for Transport and HM Treasury to ensure that government is maximising the opportunities to be had from properly joining up and integrating circular economy activity across a range of departments.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the conservation of mountain hares. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to restoring and protecting nature. We will deliver for nature by taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, working in partnership with civil society, communities and businesses to restore and protect our natural world. Later this year we will publish a revised Environmental Improvement Plan which will set out how we will meet our ambitious Environment Act targets.

Defra Ministers support the ambition to introduce a close season for hares in England. England and Wales stand out as being among the few European countries not to have a close season for their resident hares. A close season should reduce the number of adult hares being shot in the breeding season, meaning that fewer leverets (infant hares) are left motherless and vulnerable to starvation and predation.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued to the public on rights of access to (a) coastal paths and (b) beaches. \p Mary Creagh: a) Local highway authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of public rights of way and may issue information locally on these. Defra provides information on National Trails including the King Charles III England Coast Path, including which stretches are open to the public. This information can be found on gov.uk.

b) Access to beaches can vary depending on who owns the land and how it is managed. Many beaches are open to the public, but some may have restrictions.

The Countryside Code also provides guidance for both visitors and landowners when accessing the countryside.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of miles of public beaches that were inaccessible due to (a) private ownership and (b) development on 7 July 2025. \p Mary Creagh: Defra does not hold information on the number of miles of public beaches that were inaccessible due to (a) private ownership and (b) development on 7 July 2025.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Information Commission's Office case reference IC-385446-V5T5, if he will place in the Library a copy of the responses to the consultation on the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. \p Mary Creagh: I will deposit the relevant document in the Commons library.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July to Question 63580 on Public Houses: Recycling, if he will hold discussions with pubs on the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on glass waste in their businesses in Braintree constituency. \p Mary Creagh: The Government has worked closely with industry throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector or specific constituencies and there are no plans for Braintree-specific engagement.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support otter conservation. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to restoring and protecting nature. Later this year we will publish a revised Environmental Improvement Plan which will set out how we will meet our ambitious Environment Act targets. These include legally binding biodiversity targets on species abundance, species extinction, and habitat creation and restoration, which will support many of our priority species including otter.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the cleanliness of beaches in Lancashire. \p Mary Creagh: Responsibility for keeping beaches clear of litter and refuse rests with the landowner or the local council in the case of amenity beaches. The Code of practice on litter and refuse sets out the cleaning standards expected on amenity beaches.

Councils have enforcement powers to deter littering including the ability to issue fixed penalty notices (on-the-spot fines) of up to £500. They can also ban items like disposable barbecues from their beaches.

We welcome all beach litter collection efforts, such as the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean including in Lancashire this week. The UK Government funds the Marine Conservation Society to record litter from sections of our coast which helps us monitor the levels and trends of plastic pollution across several years. This data is used in combination with other monitoring data to inform our decisions about how to tackle marine litter.
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Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the annual administrative cost has been of providing (a) delinked payments and (b) the Basic Payment Scheme since 2020. \p Daniel Zeichner: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK–India Free Trade Agreement on his Department. \p Daniel Zeichner: We are delivering our Plan for Change by striking a new trade deal with the fastest-growing economy in the G20. This comprehensive deal is expected to increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion, and boost wages by £2.2 billion each and every year in the long run. Once the deal is signed, we will publish an Impact Assessment as part of the UK’s standard treaty scrutiny process. This will offer a breakdown of the deal’s impact across sectors and regions. This landmark trade deal is a major boost win for our world-class food and drink industry. British farmers and producers of lamb, salmon, whisky and gin can now benefit from lower tariffs and exciting new opportunities in one of the world's fastest-growing markets. The deal also protects sensitive sectors such as sugar, milled rice, pork, chicken, and eggs by excluding them from liberalisation.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on the Chagos Archipelago of the agreement between France and Mauritius on Tromelin Island. \p Stephen Doughty: The negotiations between the UK and Mauritius were to secure the future of the strategically critical UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The agreement between France and Mauritius concerning Tromelin Island is a separate matter.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to create conditions for the release of people persecuted in Russia for political reasons. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and will continue to call on the Russian government to comply with its international obligations. The Foreign Secretary and I have both been clear that the Russian authorities must release all political prisoners. The UK regularly uses multilateral fora, such as the UN and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to highlight Russia's human rights violations and hold it accountable. On 10 April the UK called for the release of political prisoners in Russia at the OSCE alongside 14 other states and on 14 May the UK Human Rights Ambassador condemned the sentencing of an independent Russian election monitor, Grigory Melkonyants, to five years' imprisonment.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legitimate interest access filters for beneficial ownership registers. \p Catherine West: Please refer to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 July which provides an update and details of next steps.

It remains our expectation that the Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies will ultimately implement fully public registers. Where OTs are implementing registers of beneficial ownership accessible to those with legitimate interest, we have set out that we expect access to be granted to a wide range of legitimate users, that registers should enable proactive investigations and should act as a deterrent to those seeking to conceal illicit gains.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Chinese ambassador on the case of Anna Kwok. \p Catherine West: The UK Government will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas, including in the UK. Although Anna Kwok is based in the US, the international warrant for her arrest underscores the ongoing erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

The Foreign Secretary has repeatedly raised the UK government's concerns about human rights in Hong Kong directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. We call on China to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 54789 on Government Hospitality: Wines, whether alcohol from the Government Wine Cellar has been consumed at any other event by (a) 10 and (b) 11 Downing Street since 4 July 2024. \p Catherine West: Alcohol from the Government Wine Cellar was served at the following events by a) 10 and b) 11 Downing Street since 4 July 2024:

18 July 2024: Dinner for the President of France hosted by the Prime Minister at the European Political Meeting.

4 February 2025: Dinner for the Danish Prime Minister hosted by the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.

14 May 2025: Reception for the Governors of the Economic Bank for Reconstruction and Development hosted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Lancaster House.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to safeguard the (a) status and (b) interests of Chagossians in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Hon Member to the reply to his question 59998.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to ensure that the current availability of visitation by UK Chagossians to their ancestral islands can continue after any transfer of sovereignty. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 23 June 2025 to question 59998.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if it is his departments policy that Chagossian people must be assured of their right of abode within the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands) before any transfer of sovereignty. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 25 June 2025 to question 59999.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the Chagos Islands deal. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK/Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago and Diego Garcia has not been discussed.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Sanctions and Anti‑Money Laundering Act 2018, what steps his Department will take to ensure British Overseas Territories implement public registers of beneficial ownership in a timely fashion; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of legitimate interest access to beneficial ownership registers on levels of transparency. \p Stephen Doughty: Please refer to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 July which provides an update and details of next steps.

We have made very clear to our partners in the remaining Overseas Territories the importance of delivering on the previously committed to deadlines, and have offered technical support to achieve this. We have communicated that we expect rapid and robust action to be taken, given the crucial importance of tackling illicit finance and increasing transparency. We have set out that we expect access to be granted to a wide range of legitimate users, that registers should enable proactive investigations and should act as a deterrent to those seeking to conceal illicit gains.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have conducted an in-house assessment of the latest policies and proposals from these Overseas Territories against the discussions at the Joint Ministerial Council in November 2024. In addition, we have reviewed feedback from a range of external stakeholders including expert NGOs and parliamentarians. We have also considered emerging international modalities which cover legitimate interest access registers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_303

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62581 on Chagos Islands: Sovereignty, whether his Department has made an estimate of the (a) yearly payment schedules for the duration of the lease and (b) related inflationary uplifts; and what estimate he has made of cash payments to Mauritius in years (i) one to 10, (ii) 11 to 20, (iii) 21 to 30, (iv) 31 to 40, (v) 41 to 50, (vi) 51 to 60, (vii) 61 to 70, (viii) 71 to 80, (ix) 81 to 90 and (x) 90 to 99 of the lease. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer to her previous question 57197.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_304

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA on his Department’s work on human rights. \p Stephen Doughty: We will further human rights by listening to our partners, investing in genuine partnerships, identifying joint goals, and working over the long term to drive meaningful change. We will also encourage states to uphold their international human rights obligations, and to hold those who violate or abuse human rights to account.

The UK remains committed to supporting human rights around the world in line with the five priorities set out by the Minister responsible for Human Rights, in December 2024: 1) civic space; 2) rule of law; 3) equal rights for all; 4) accountable, effective, inclusive institutions; and 5) prioritising human rights and governance principles in responding to global challenges.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_305

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Oral Statement of 7 October 2024 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations, Official Report, column 46, on what evidential basis he stated that Mauritius will authorise us to exercise their sovereign rights and authorities in respect of Diego Garcia. \p Stephen Doughty: This formed part of the negotiations with the Government of Mauritius and was subsequently included in Article 2 of the Treaty.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_306

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the earlier draft of the UK-Mauritius Treaty from October 2024 gave the UK a unilateral right to extend the lease after the initial 99 year period. \p Stephen Doughty: As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement to Parliament in October 2024, the UK negotiated a right to extend the duration of the Treaty beyond 99 years. This was subsequently included in Article 13 of the Treaty.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_307

Johanna Baxter:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of reports of the alleged use of Ukrainian children by Russian forces in attacks on Ukrainian military assets. \p Stephen Doughty: In Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russian authorities have introduced "military-patriotic" training in schools and in youth groups and expose Ukrainian children to military propaganda, urging enlistment in the Russian armed forces. This is a despicable and systematic attempt to erase Ukrainian identity, and with it, Ukraine's future. We are also aware of reports that Russia is recruiting Ukrainian teenagers and young adults to carry out espionage and sabotage in Ukraine. We are determined to hold those responsible for the militarisation of Ukrainian children to account. In November 2024, we announced a third round of sanctions targeting those attempting to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukrainian children, including through the use of "military-patriotic" education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_308

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius Treaty ,when he expects the Mauritian Government to establish a Marine Protected Area in the Chagos Archipelago. \p Stephen Doughty: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the reply given to her question 59325.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_309

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) international partners and (b) representatives  from the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab Ukraine Conflict Observatory on the future funding of the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab Ukraine Conflict Observatory to support its work on tracking Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is an active member of the International Coalition for the Return of Children, whose work includes supporting initiatives to identify, locate, and return children to their families. On the issue of tracking Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, we are working closely with the Government of Ukraine to identify which Open-Source Intelligence providers will best meet their needs to provide this data going forward.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_310

Monica Harding:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent conflict gold from entering UK supply chains. \p Stephen Doughty: The illicit gold trade fuels corruption and conflict, undermining the rule of law and entrenching human rights abuses such as child labour. Russia uses the illicit gold trade to launder money and evade sanctions, in doing so bolstering Putin's war efforts. The UK has sanctioned Russian gold and targeted illicit gold networks abroad, including through further sanctions in December 2024. The UK works with the London Bullion Market Association and World Gold Council to support responsible sourcing of gold and to build resilience to illicit gold flows. The London Bullion Market Association implements the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) industry-leading Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas to ensure proper risk identification and mitigation for conflict gold.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_311
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_311

Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide assurances that there will be no further delays by (a) Anguilla, (b) Bermuda, (c) the British Virgin Islands and (d) Turks and Caicos Islands to implement Legitimate Interest Access Registers of Beneficial Ownership, following commitments made at the 2024 UK and Overseas Joint Ministerial Council. \p Stephen Doughty: Please refer to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 July which provides an update and details of next steps.

We have made very clear to our partners in the remaining Overseas Territories the importance of delivering on the previously committed to deadlines, and have offered technical support to achieve this. We have communicated that we expect rapid and robust action to be taken, given the crucial importance of tackling illicit finance and increasing transparency. We have set out that we expect access to be granted to a wide range of legitimate users, that registers should enable proactive investigations and should act as a deterrent to those seeking to conceal illicit gains.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have conducted an in-house assessment of the latest policies and proposals from these Overseas Territories against the discussions at the Joint Ministerial Council in November 2024. In addition, we have reviewed feedback from a range of external stakeholders including expert NGOs and parliamentarians. We have also considered emerging international modalities which cover legitimate interest access registers.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_312
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_312

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on continuing to fund the organisations tracking Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK-led multi-donor Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU) is providing more than £5.7 million of funding for support to the return and reintegration of children - of which the UK contributes a third. Through this fund, we have supported Bring Kids Back, Save Ukraine, and other leading child protection civil society organisations.

In addition, the UK is an active member of the International Coalition for the Return of Children, whose work includes supporting initiatives to identify, locate, and return children to their families.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_313

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan; and what steps he is taking to promote respect for freedom of religion or belief in efforts to secure a peaceful resolution. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and urges both sides to sign the agreement as soon as possible in the interest of lasting peace and stability in the region. We remain ready to support further progress wherever it may be helpful. The recent meeting between the leaders in Tirana marked a positive step forward, and we continue to encourage peaceful dialogue to address the remaining challenges. I reiterated this message during my engagements with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in April, as well as with Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Yalchin Rafiyev, on 30 April. The Foreign Secretary also conveyed this message during his phone call with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 17 June.

The UK Government remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief globally.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_314

Monica Harding:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Swiss counterparts on preventing the international trade in conflict gold illicitly mined in Africa. \p Stephen Doughty: Switzerland is crucial to tackling the illicit gold trade as it is a key global gold refining centre, home to the largest gold refiners in the world, and one of the global leaders in implementing multilateral gold standards. The Foreign Secretary has engaged closely with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on tackling illicit financial flows and corruption globally, and will hold further discussions to develop areas for strengthened collaboration and partnership.