Written questions by Rosindell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people are employed as technical cooperation officers to support the Government of Saint Helena; and what the total cost of of those posts is.

The St Helena Government employs technical cooperation officers in key positions across its portfolios including health, education, legal chambers and the police where it is not possible to recruit locally. The St Helena Government has responsibility for the recruitment of its human resources and the remuneration provided.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the (a) pay and (b) benefits of (i) UK and (ii) Saint Helenian police officers of the same rank serving in Saint Helena are comparable.

In St Helena, a locally recruited Police Constable's starting salary is £12,049 per year, which is above the national average salary (£9,970). The St Helena Government has responsibility for setting pay and benefits levels for members of The Royal St Helena Police Service, including those appointed as technical cooperation officers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve the provision of renewable energy on St Helena.

The St Helena Government is responsible for energy generation and has set out the ambition for generating 80 per cent of its local energy production from renewable energy sources by 2027/2028. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, through its £30 million Economic Development and Investment Programme, is supporting the St Helena Government to progress capital investment in a range of renewable sources.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of cryptocurrency theft by North Korea; what steps he is taking to (a) trace the assets and (b) prevent further illicit transactions; and whether he has considered (i) the imposition of sanctions on (A) cryptocurrency and (B) related entities linked to North Korea and (ii) other steps to help strengthen security regulatory protocols.

The UK has been consistent in challenging malicious cyber activity carried out by North Korean groups. This has included exposing and sanctioning North Korean actors for disruptive attacks that impacted the National Health Service. The National Cyber Security Centre has also issued multiple Cyber Security Advisories specifically on threats from North Korean groups, informing the UK technical audience on the way these groups operate and ways to defend against them.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help reduce the cost of fuel on St Helena.

The St Helena Government sets the wholesale fuel price and the island's fuel retailers set the commercial price. The St Helena Government has set out the ambition for generating 80 per cent of its local energy production from renewable energy sources by 2027/2028. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, through its £30 million Economic Development and Investment Programme, is supporting the St Helena Government to progress capital investment in a range of renewable sources.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the affordability of imported consumer goods on St Helena.

The St Helena Government is responsible for the island's freight services and has appointed a shipping supplier. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to help fund the construction of a new port and cargo handling facilities (£4.79 million to date), to improve island access and shipping transfers for the benefit of St Helena consumers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason income tax on St Helena is levied at higher rates than on other British Overseas Territories.

The St Helena Government is responsible for its public finances and therefore sets its own income tax rates.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support (a) subsistence and (b) commercial agriculture on St Helena.

The St Helena Government is responsible for its agricultural policy. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is providing £30 million between 2019-2028 in support to St Helena, including funding for agricultural initiatives. This contributed to an increase in agricultural production of £380,000 from Financial Year 2020/21 to Financial Year 2023/24.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps help prevent the depopulation of St Helena.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is actively supporting St Helena towards financial self-sustainability. A thriving island population is central to that. The FCDO works in partnership with the St Helena Government to invest in key areas such as education and tourism, helping to maintain the population and attract new visitors and revenue to the island.

o ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to reduce St Helena's dependence on imported oil.

The St Helena Government has responsibility for energy generation and has set out the ambition of generating 80 per cent of its local energy production from renewable energy sources by 2027/2028. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, through its £30million Economic Development and Investment Programme, is supporting the St Helena Government to progress capital investment in a range of renewable sources.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help increase employment opportunities in St Helena.

The St Helena Government is responsible for its employment portfolio. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works in partnership with the St Helena Government to increase employment opportunities, including through programmes which invest in infrastructure and help build technical expertise.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to the interim Syrian Foreign Minister on the potential merits of establishing independent oversight mechanisms to monitor the protection of religious minorities.

We welcome the Syrian Government's reassurances to the Syrian population and international community that they will protect all civilians in Syria, and their establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the violence in early March. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government and with regional and international partners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the interim Syrian Government’s capacity to implement security measures to protect (a) Alawite, (b) Christian and (c) Druze communities in controlled areas.

We welcome the Syrian Government's reassurances to the Syrian population and international community that they will protect all civilians in Syria, and their establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the violence in early March. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government and with regional and international partners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues on how the UK can help to protect the Christian minority in Sudan.

Our Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), David Smith, met with the UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB in Geneva in March, where he reinforced the UK position that there is no space for religious intolerance in pluralistic, modern societies. He also made a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 4 March, highlighting our concerns regarding the coercion of non-Muslims in Sudan to change their beliefs through denial of work, food aid, and education. We continue to champion the right to FoRB for all by promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. We will continue to recognise the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 38547 on China: Cook Islands, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that strategic agreement on his negotiations on the proposed treaty with the Government of Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Under the agreement we will retain full control over Diego Garcia with robust provisions to keep adversaries out. These include unrestricted access to and use of the base for the UK and US; a buffer zone around Diego Garcia; a comprehensive mechanism to ensure no activity in the other islands threatens base operations; and a ban on the presence of any foreign security forces. This will ensure the long term secure and effective operation of the base well into the next century.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Indo-Pacific counterparts on the risks of increased geopolitical competition over island territories.

Geopolitical competition and its implications are a consistent and central focus of engagement with the UK's Indo-Pacific partners. The Foreign Secretary regularly engages with his counterparts in the region, including most recently with the Foreign Ministers of China, Japan, India and the Philippines.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2024 to Question 9120 on Francesca Albanese, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have (i) met and (ii) had discussions with UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese since 24 October 2024.

There have been no meetings between FCDO Ministers/Officials and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese since 24 October 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to the United Nations on statements by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on (a) Israel and (b) the causes of the 7 October attacks.

The Foreign Secretary has not made representations to the United Nations (UN) on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has met with the Human Rights Council of the United Nations to discuss the reappointment of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

The Foreign Secretary has not met with the Human Rights Council to discuss the reappointment of the UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. UN Appointments are a matter for the UN.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to the United Nations on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

The Foreign Secretary has not made representations to the United Nations (UN) on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.