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1,897 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUK Citizens in VenezuelaI am not here to second-guess legal advice or the situation in regard to any specific incident in the Caribbean. What the US does with regard to Venezuela and its position on its…04 Dec 2025HANSARDUK Citizens in VenezuelaIt will be updated if it needs to be changed; just because it has not changed does not mean it is not reviewed. Unfortunately, Venezuela is now in an “all but essential” category,…04 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusI think everybody agrees that it would be a positive step, but we do have a special representative in Syria, Ann Snow. As I say, we continue because, as the noble Lord says, there…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusIt is not based on legal advice as far as I am aware; I think it is just about making sure we do things in successful and sustainable way. It shows the reason why we are so…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusThat is a very important point. We were deeply concerned, as I know Members were across this House, about some of the events we saw last summer, particularly the targeting of the…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction BillMy Lords, I begin, as others have done, by congratulating my noble friend Lord Whitehead on his excellent maiden speech. He brings to this House a wealth of experience from his…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusI am very proud of the role this country played in hosting many Syrians at a time of desperate need during the Assad regime. Many Syrians came here, set up businesses and made…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusWe are, of course, and we take our counterterrorism work in Syria and elsewhere incredibly seriously. One of the best things we can do for Syria and the wider region is to do…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusThere was a lot in that question. On the humanitarian question, we do not work directly on humanitarian issues through the Government in Syria, for reasons I think noble Lords…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusMy Lords, we are regular visitors to Damascus through the special representative for Syria and recent visits from the Minister for the Middle East and the former Foreign…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusI take my noble friend’s question as a note of encouragement to the Government to accelerate progress towards establishing a presence in Damascus and to go further than we already…02 Dec 2025HANSARDBritish Embassy in DamascusAs the noble Baroness said, we have an incredibly strong team in Lebanon, and it is important that that continues. The points she makes about the need for a regional approach, the…02 Dec 2025HANSARDAIDSThat was a point very well made and I thank the noble Lord for making it. I am told by my good friends at Terrence Higgins that the rollback of rights and the absence of education…01 Dec 2025HANSARDAIDSThat is such an important point. Noble Lords will have heard the announcement from my right honourable friend Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, this morning about opt-out…01 Dec 2025HANSARDSouth SudanWe continue to encourage all those with any influence over any of the warring parties in Sudan, or the Government or Opposition in South Sudan, to make sure that that influence,…01 Dec 2025HANSARDSouth SudanMy Lords, the United Kingdom is deeply concerned by the deteriorating political and security situation in South Sudan. That is why we, alongside our like-minded international…01 Dec 2025HANSARDSouth SudanThis is essential. We work through the United Nations and other large organisations, but it is important, especially for communities that are difficult to reach or contexts that…01 Dec 2025HANSARDSouth SudanIt is certainly true that humanitarian access is incredibly challenging and, sadly and devastatingly, we are seeing some of the dynamics of the conflict in Sudan showing…01 Dec 2025HANSARDSouth SudanThis really matters, and it is good that there is regional leadership to help try to improve the situation. There is no lasting answer to this that does not involve regional and…01 Dec 2025HANSARDSouth SudanThankfully, we live in a free country and our citizens, sometimes in their wisdom, despite the best efforts of the Foreign Office and the advice given by it, decide to go anyway,…01 Dec 2025