Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on role that the Rt hon. Member for Tottenham had in the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK Ambassador to the United States of America when he was Foreign Secretary.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12 February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the Government Departments Lord Mandelson could access using his work pass.

As was the case under successive administrations, the Government does not comment on security matters.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on (a) severance and (b) compensation payments received by Lord Mandelson following the termination of his role as the UK Ambassador to the United States of America.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12 February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on (a) the official termination date of Lord Mandelson as the UK Ambassador to the United States of America and (b) the last day Lord Mandelson was paid for this role.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12 February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has she made in building the new British Embassy in Beijing.

I refer the Hon Member to the response to Question 22931 on 16 January 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the policy reasons why his Department commenced negotiations with the Government of Mauritius on the sovereignty of a) Diego Garcia and b) the wider Chagos Archipelago in 2009.

In 2009/10 interactions between the UK and Mauritius focussed on the creation of the Marine Protected Area (MPA), which the UK declared in 2010 and which Mauritius objected to. It was not until 2022, under the previous government, that negotiations regarding sovereignty began.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she expects to have updated the 1966 Exchange of Notes with the United States regarding the ongoing use of Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.

I refer the Hon Member to the Urgent Question debate on 26 January and the Opposition Day debate on 28 January, where these and other issues were addressed at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with Syrian Democratic Forces on the repatriation of Islamic State-linked individuals to the United Kingdom from the al-Roj camp.

I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 28 January on the situation in North-East Syria, and I will provide further updates to the House in due course as the situation evolves.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Islamic State-linked a) men, b) women and c) children have been allowed to return to the UK following detention in camps within Syria.

I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 28 January on the situation in North-East Syria, and I will provide further updates to the House in due course as the situation evolves.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions has she had with her Danish counterparts on support for the nation regarding the sovereignty of the territory of Greenland.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised in that debate, where she set out in comprehensive terms the UK's position on Greenland. The Foreign Secretary and I are in regular contact with our Danish counterparts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) residential and (b) commercial properties in the UK are owned by the Chinese state.

The Government does not control the purchase of private property within the United Kingdom, and keeps no central record of purchases made on behalf of individual nation states.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the new Venezuelan President, Delcy Rodríguez, has had sanctions imposed upon her by the UK Government.

I refer the Hon Member to the current list of designated persons publicly available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/financial-sanctions-venezuela.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of recognising Palestine as a state on the application of the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870 to British-Israeli dual nationals serving in the Israeli Defence Forces in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold specific information on British Nationals who have served in the Israeli Defense Forces, but the UK recognises the right of British dual nationals to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) residential and (b) commercial properties in London are owned by the People's Republic of China.

The Government does not control the purchase of private property within the United Kingdom, and keeps no central record of purchases made on behalf of individual nation states.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the National Security Strategy of the United States of America, published on 5 December 2025, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the US declaration that where necessary the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy will be used to combat cartels on intelligence sharing.

I refer the Hon Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on 3 December.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has she made in fulfilling the UK contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund in 2025-26.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 25 November to Questions 91556 and 91557, which sets out the UK's contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF). In 2025-26, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has so far disbursed £1 million to the CNF.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the benefits of signing the Security and Defence Partnership in May 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 8 December to question 95528.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the merits of providing intelligence support to US forces involved in Operation Southern Spear.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 3 November to Question 85121.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to establish the College of British Diplomacy.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 79228.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the scope of the College of British Diplomacy will be.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 79228.