Written questions by Holden.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 129518, which posts and locations are classified as qualifying hardship posts for the purpose of additional journeys for s

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with stakeholders on Western international broadcasting capacity in i.) Africa ii.) The Middle East iii.) South and South East Asia.

The Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions relevant to the Rt Hon Member's request.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve co-ordination across UK instruments of foreign and international policy, including development finance and trade and diplomacy.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the speech made by the Minister for International Development and Africa at the Global Partnerships Conference in London on 19 May, a link to which is provided below:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-chapmans-spe...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) multilateral and (b) bilateral institutions in delivering (i) development outcomes and (ii) value for money.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the speech made by the Minister for International Development and Africa at the Global Partnerships Conference in London on 19 May, a link to which is provided below:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-chapmans-spe...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of locally informed partnership approaches which draw on the UK’s in-country diplomatic expertise; steps she is taking to

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the speech made by the Minister for International Development and Africa at the Global Partnerships Conference in London on 19 May, a link to which is provided below:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-chapmans-spe...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to counter misinformation being spread globally by a) Russia, b) Iran and c) Afghanistan; and whether she plans to take further such steps.

As set out in our response to the Foreign Affairs Committee's report published on 27 March, this Government recognises the seriousness of the threat posed by foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), including mis- and disinformation, to t...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what visits have taken place to Afghanistan by Ministers in her Department since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministers' overseas travel are published on a quarterly basis in the Department's transparency returns. No UK Government Ministers have travelled to Afghanistan during this period.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether the privileges and immunities granted to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices under the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Act 19

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 May in response to Question 724.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department takes factors other than merit into consideration when it comes to (a) appointments and (b) promotions.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office seeks to maintain the highest standards of integrity, fairness and impartiality in such matters, in line with Civil Service Recruitment Principles, and I would be happy to compare these processes with the m...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its public bodies has spent on lanyards since 4 July 2024; what designs of lanyards have been purchased; and what the co

The requested information is not centrally held, and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2026 to Question 1715, if she will make an estimate of the number of oil tankers required annually to transport Russian crude oil used in the

No such estimate is readily available, but as I said during our last session of departmental oral questions on 21 April, the collective sanctions action on a range of individuals and entities, across a wide range of economic sectors, taken by the UK and o...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support Somaliland in achieving (a) international recognition and (b) membership of the Commonwealth.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 February in response to Question 108575.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has considered imposing targeted sanctions on Russian judges, prosecutors and other officials involved in the prosecution and sentencing of Ukrainian p

Together with our international partners, we have already imposed on Russia the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. However, it is the UK's long-standing policy not to speculate about any future sanctions designat...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123722, what meetings with a) officials and b) ministers are scheduled.

The nature of our dialogue with close overseas partners, both at Ministerial and Official level, is such that not every routine bilateral engagement is scheduled in advance, but we will always of course inform Parliament if there are significant exchanges...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with international partners to secure International Committee of the Red Cross access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia, includ

Russia must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, in its treatment of prisoners of war. Under the Geneva Conventions, all parties must allow the International Committee of the Red Cross safe, u...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, where the G20 Summit in 2027 will take place.

Details of next year's UK-hosted G20 summit will be announced in the usual way in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Russian counterpart on reports by the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine that 95 per cent of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by

The UK continues to raise our serious concerns about these reports of widespread torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the international stage. We strongly condemn any torture or ill-treatment of prisoners of war, and we continue to make clear that suc...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the use of a Russian shadow fleet to evade oil sanctions; and whether she (a) plans to restrict

The Russia sanctions regime prohibits Russian ships, and other ships specified by the Secretary of State, from entering ports in the United Kingdom. We recently enhanced our powers to impose additional prohibitions when sanctioning vessels, including proh...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with Inter Mediate on de-sanctioning the Syrian regime since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was given on 3 June 2025 on the last occasion he asked this question (UIN 52690).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department has to hold (a) discussions and (b) summits with the Government of South Africa on providing it with (i) aid and (ii) development.

Ministers and officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continue to work closely with their South African counterparts on a wide range of issues.