Written questions by Rosindell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to increase Parliamentary oversight of the BBC World Service.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office holds the BBC World Service to account through published Objectives, Priorities and Targets which include targets for reach, quality, impact and value. In addition, there are regular meetings - quarterly, annual and ad hoc between the Foreign Secretary, Ministers, BBC Seniors and officials to monitor performance. The forthcoming Charter Review, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), will provide an essential opportunity for the Government to consider a range of issues relating to the BBC, including how the BBC is accountable to those who fund it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for BBC (a) Arabic and (b) Persian services on his Department's strategy in those regions; and whether he plans to maintain levels of funding for those services in the next funding cycle.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office received its funding settlement for financial year (FY) 26-27 to FY 28-29 on 11 June. The Department is now starting work to determine future allocations for all spend, including the World Service language services such as Arabic and Persian, which are part funded by BBC Licence Fee and Grant in Aid. We expect this process to conclude and final allocations to be announced in the Autumn.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Hong Kong National Security Law on British businesses operating in Hong Kong.

The UK Government has been clear in its opposition to the National Security Law (NSL). China's imposition of the NSL on Hong Kong has seen opposition stifled and dissent criminalised. Alternative voices in Hong Kong's executive, legislature, civil society, and media have been all but extinguished. The UK has called for the National Security Law to be repealed.The UK Government provides a range of services and advice to support companies doing business in Hong Kong, through our extensive network, both in the UK and at our Consulate-General in Hong Kong. In addition to our digital platforms, such as Great.gov.uk and the Digital Exporting Programme, the Overseas Business Risk (OBR) service provides information on political, economic and security risks when trading overseas. The OBR refers to the NSL under Section 4. Business and human rights.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Caribbean governments on tackling irregular migration.

The Foreign Secretary has discussed concerns over Haiti with Caribbean Ministers, including its instability and subsequent effect on illegal migration into British Caribbean Overseas Territories particularly the nearby Turks and Caicos Islands. Officials working in the Caribbean raise irregular migration concerns with their hosts when necessary, most recently with Trinidad & Tobago ahead of the UK's decision to implement a visa regime due to the significant increase in individuals from Trinidad & Tobago seeking to misuse our immigration system.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support civil society organisations in Venezuela.

Further to my answer given on 15 May 2025 to question 50066, the UK is firmly committed to championing democracy and human rights around the world, including in Venezuela. We remain deeply concerned by the repression of civil society in Venezuela, including the harassment and intimidation of political figures, journalists, and human rights defenders. The UK has repeatedly called for an immediate end to repression and the unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained, most recently through a UK statement at the Human Rights Council on 27 June.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy political party has been disbanded; and if he will have discussions with (a) the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and (b) his Chinese counterparts on the role of Hong Kong’s National Security Law on this decision.

The League of Social Democrats (LSD) is a concerning development that further demonstrates how China's imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong has stifled opposition and criminalised dissent. Alternative voices in Hong Kong's executive, legislature, civil society, and media have been all but extinguished. The UK has called for the National Security Law to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it, and we regularly raise our concerns with the Chinese government and with Ministers in the Government of Hong Kong.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Hong Kong officials on the use of arrest warrants against British citizens.

The UK Government is clear that it will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas, especially in the UK. The Government will continue to stand with and support members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK.The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 24 December 2024 condemning the Hong Kong police's latest arrest warrants and calling on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law. UK Ministers have repeatedly raised our opposition to these actions with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities; most recently, I did so directly with Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration on 30 May.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the BBC World Service has a role on the Soft Power Council; and what progress that Council has made since its establishment.

Harnessing all of our soft power assets in a more purposeful manner is crucial if we are to maximise growth, security, and global impact for the UK. That is why the Foreign Secretary has established the UK Soft Power Council and commissioned a Soft Power Strategy. The BBC is a key part of this, represented on the Council by Tom Fussell from BBC Studios. The BBC World Service is contributing in various ways, including through the Director of the World Service, Jonathan Munro, acting as a member of the Council's working group on Hinge Markets.The Council is now fully operational, bringing together expertise from various sectors and shaping enhanced delivery through its working groups. We are producing a long-term shared Strategy between Government and soft power sectors to deliver tangible impact for the UK's objectives. That will be reviewed at the Council's next Ministerial meeting on 23 July.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Chinese ambassador on the case of Anna Kwok.

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.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60010 on British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004 and with reference to the UK/Mauritius Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to (a) amend and (b) repeal the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004.

The government introduced the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill on 15 July.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last met with his United Arab Emirates counterpart to discuss that country's actions to deescalate tensions between Israel and Iran.

The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with his Emirati counterpart. They spoke most recently on 23 June to discuss regional tensions and the importance of de-escalation and diplomacy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received assurances from the Syrian Interim Government that people responsible for recent attacks on religious minority communities are (a) not affiliated with and (b) supported by that administration.

The UK strongly condemns the terrorist attack at Mar Elias Church and remains committed to combatting terrorism. The Syrian Government's response was swift and robust, issuing an official statement of condemnation and call for unity, and announcing a three-day period of national mourning. The violence earlier this year, in the predominantly Alawite coastal region of Latakia, and against Druze in Southern Syria, was appalling. We continue to press the Syrian Government to improve their response to sectarian violence, protect civilians from violence and hold those responsible to account.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Syrian Interim Government on the commitment to (a) publish a report on the reported killings of (i) Christians and (ii) Alawites in Latakia Governorate and (b) bring those responsible to justice.

We continue to press the Syrian Government on the need to improve their response to sectarian violence and hold those responsible to account. We welcomed President Al-Sharaa's establishment of a Fact-Finding Committee to investigate the sectarian violence in the coastal regions in March 2025, and we look forward to its conclusions. We also welcome the swift and decisive action taken in response to the terrorist attack against Mar Elias church, including the tasking of specialist teams to investigate the incident.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the safety of religious minority communities in Syria following the reported attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus.

The UK strongly condemns the terrorist attack at Mar Elias Church and remains committed to combatting terrorism. We are concerned by reports of attacks on different religious groups by different actors. We have consistently underlined the importance of protecting all civilians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Syrian Government. The Foreign Secretary raised this most recently during his visit to Damascus on 5 July. We continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in the Syrian interim government on taking steps to ensure that they will not be influenced by radical Islamist groups following the lifting of certain sanctions on Syria.

On 5 July, the Foreign Secretary met President Al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister al-Shaibani to reiterate the importance of an inclusive and representative political transition. The UK has consistently advocated for this and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians. We welcome provisions in the Constitutional Declaration on freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief, as well as on guaranteeing the cultural diversity of Syrian society and the linguistic rights of Syrians. We continue to press the Syrian Government to prioritise inclusivity and representation in the appointment and election of People's Assembly members.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the reported naturalisation of former members of (a) Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and (b) other extremist groups into the Syrian armed forces on the UK's national security.

We welcome the Government of Syria's announcement on 30 May introducing a new Code of Conduct for Syria's armed forces and expect all those serving to abide by it. The UK Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa travelled to Damascus on 9 July to discuss defence, security and areas for future cooperation with the Chief of Defence. A stable Syria is in the UK's interests and we are pressing the Syrian Government to make progress in combatting terrorism and extremism.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support transparent investigations into the (a) recent attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus, (b) reported killings of Christians and Alawites in Latakia Governorate in March 2025 and (c) reported violence against the Druze community in southern Damascus in May 2025.

We continue to press the Syrian Government on the need to improve their response to sectarian violence and hold those responsible to account. We welcomed President Al-Sharaa's establishment of a Fact-Finding Committee to investigate the sectarian violence in the coastal regions in March 2025, and we look forward to its conclusions. We also welcome the swift and decisive action taken in response to the terrorist attack against Mar Elias church, including the tasking of specialist teams to investigate the incident.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Syrian counterpart on the status of investigations into the reported killings of Christians and Alawites in Syria’s coastal region in March 2025.

We continue to press the Syrian Government on the need to improve their response to sectarian violence and hold those responsible to account. We welcomed President Al-Sharaa's establishment of a Fact-Finding Committee to investigate the sectarian violence in the coastal regions in March 2025, and we look forward to its conclusions. We also welcome the swift and decisive action taken in response to the terrorist attack against Mar Elias church, including the tasking of specialist teams to investigate the incident.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the scientific evidence underpinning the prohibition of kava-kava under the Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002.

The UK Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 3170 The Medicines for Human use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 prohibits the sale, supply, and importation of Kava-kava for use in unlicensed medicines in the United Kingdom. The Prohibition Order was reviewed after it had been in force for two years by an Expert Working Group of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, which announced in February 2006 that the prohibition was justified and proportionate and should remain in place. No further review of the prohibition order has been made. The 2002 Prohibition Order does not exclude applicants applying for a traditional herbal registration or a marketing authorisation under Regulation 125 or Regulation 49, respectively, of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Should a traditional herbal registration or a marketing authorisation application for a Kava-kava medicinal product be submitted to the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, its safety would be reviewed on an application-specific basis and based on the currently available evidence.

Whether his Department has received any representations from (a) medical and (b) ethnobotanical researchers on the potential therapeutic uses of Kava since 2020.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, this includes the regulation of herbal medicinal products.The MHRA received requests in 2023 and 2024 to reconsider or remove Kava-kava from the UK’s list of restricted or banned herbal products, in order to allow the traditionally prepared beverage containing Kava-kava, used medicinally to treat anxiety and insomnia, to be marketed in the UK.The MHRA indicated that an application for a marketing authorisation or a traditional herbal registration would be required to place any medicinal product on the UK market, and provided information about the requirements. Applications for authorised products are exempt from the Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 3170 The Medicines for Human use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002. However, no application has been received by the MHRA.