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1058770

registered interest
date	11/02/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect the religious expression of Christians around the world.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	219491
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2019 answer text <p>​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to using our influence to defend Freedom of Religion or Belief as a universal human right which should be enjoyed by everyone. The Government is deeply concerned about the severity of violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in many parts of the world. In recent years we have seen reports of a particular rise in the persecution of Christians. The Foreign Secretary recently asked the Bishop of Truro to conduct an independent global review into the persecution of Christians. The review will provide recommendations on the additional practical steps the FCO can take to support persecuted Christians. The review will provide a report by the summer.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 14/02/2019 17:01:01 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1045792

registered interest
date	22/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to reduce the persecution of Christians overseas.
tabling member constituency	Waveney
tabling member printed	Peter Aldous
uin	908707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has commissioned an independent, global review into the additional practical steps the Government can take to support persecuted Christians. The review will report by Easter.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 22/01/2019 17:06:06 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4069 label Biography information for Peter Aldous

1045794

registered interest
date	22/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to reduce the persecution of Christians overseas.
tabling member constituency	Stirling
tabling member printed	Stephen Kerr
uin	908710
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has commissioned an independent, global review into the additional practical steps the Government can take to support persecuted Christians. The review will report by Easter.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 22/01/2019 17:07:31 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4604 label Biography information for Stephen Kerr

1035256

registered interest
date	04/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to secure religious freedom for Christians throughout the world.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	205199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2019 answer text <p>​Freedom of Religion or Belief is an important part of the work done by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We regularly raise this issue with international counterparts both at ministerial and senior official levels and in multilateral forums.</p><p> </p><p>The respected NGO, Open Doors, estimates that 215 million Christians experience high or extreme levels of persecution around the world. To ensure that the United Kingdom is using its influence to support Christians in the best possible way, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs commissioned an independent, global review into the persecution of Christians on 26<sup>th</sup> December 2018. This review will be led by the Bishop of Truro, the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen will report by Easter the additional practical steps the government can take to support persecuted Christians. Further information can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-announces-global-review-into-persecution-of-christians" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-announces-global-review-into-persecution-of-christians</a></p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 14/01/2019 16:40:04 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

805993

registered interest
date	13/12/2017
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations at the UN on the recent increase in the persecution of Christians worldwide.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	119203
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2017 answer text <p>The Government remains concerned about the persecution of Christians and other individuals worldwide and continues to promote Freedom of Religion or Belief including through the United Nations. We recently worked with international partners to sustain consensus on the adoption and implementation of the European Union-sponsored Resolution on 'Freedom of Religion or Belief' and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation-sponsored Resolution on 'Combating Religious Intolerance'. In his statement in September, at the UN Human Rights Council, Lord Ahmad reiterated the importance of working together towards the full realisation of Freedom of Religion or Belief for all individuals worldwide. We also strongly support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Dr Ahmed Shaheed.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 18/12/2017 16:54:11 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

794078

registered interest
date	22/11/2017
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent the persecution of Christians in countries where they are at risk.
tabling member constituency	Ilford North
tabling member printed	Wes Streeting
uin	115166
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2017 answer text <p>The Government condemns all persecution on the grounds of religious identity, faith or belief and calls upon all state authorities to respect and protect the universal right to freedom of religion or belief. This policy is implemented both in multilateral fora through relevant resolutions at the UN Security Council, most recently Resolution 2379 on 21 September or Human Rights Council, and through raising cases of persecution in individual countries. I regularly raised this issue with my counterparts in the region, including on a visit to Pakistan on 8-9 November 2017. The FCO Magna Carter Fund for Human Rights and Democracy supports projects designed to promote greater tolerance and to create conditions less conducive to extremism and persecution.​</p><p>​</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 27/11/2017 16:30:07 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4504 label Biography information for Wes Streeting

445525

registered interest
date	18/01/2016
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusions of the report from Open Doors, Freedom of Religion and the Persecution of Christians; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Mrs Anne Main
uin	22877
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2016 answer text <p>The Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief around the world, and to being a strong voice internationally in defence of this fundamental right. We value our close working relationship with organisations such as Open Doors and their insights from practical work around the world. We welcomed their recent report, which Baroness Anelay of St Johns, FCO Minister for Human Rights, was pleased to discuss with Open Doors on 13 January.</p><p>Our new strategic approach to human rights refocuses our work around three themes: democratic values and the rule of law; strengthening the rules-based international system; and human rights for a stable world. Our work on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is integral to all three of these themes.</p><p>We have an active programme of religious literacy training amongst staff from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and across Whitehall, including through our new Diplomatic Academy.</p><p>Multilaterally, we are working through the UN General Assembly to establish an internationally agreed set of principles for promoting tolerance through education. We also carry out project work in a range of countries, working with non-governmental organisations on issues such as promoting better understanding between faiths, bridging sectarian divides, promoting dialogue between faith groups and government and offering technical advice on amending discriminatory laws. Earlier in January, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office announced an uplift to £10.6 million for the 2016/17 programme, named the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. We are encouraging strong bids for projects focused on promoting freedom of religion or belief, and promoting FoRB as one way of tackling the root causes of extremism.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 27/01/2016 14:04:43 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1568 label Biography information for Mrs Anne Main

445159

registered interest
date	15/01/2016
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the UN Human Rights Council on the persecution of Christians.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Mrs Anne Main
uin	22719
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2016 answer text <p>The UK has a strong record of supporting freedom of religion or belief, including christianity, at the Human Rights Council. We supported the resolution on freedom of religion or belief in both the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly in 2015, and will look to do so again in March 2016. The UK also supported the appointment of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, who is tasked with monitoring and reporting these issues worldwide.</p><p>In addition, we regularly support language in country specific resolutions about the importance of protecting religious minorities, as evidenced in the Syria resolution of September 2015. We also regularly work with EU partners to ensure a strong EU position on freedom of religion or belief at the Human Rights Council.</p><p>When raising persecution faced by one faith group, we endeavour to frame our remarks in the wider context of the rule of law and freedom – making the point that when one faith community is persecuted, the liberty of all is jeopardised.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 25/01/2016 15:16:07 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1568 label Biography information for Mrs Anne Main

174579

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to tackle the persecution of Christians overseas.
tabling member constituency	South Down
tabling member printed	Ms Margaret Ritchie
uin	907111
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>Freedom of religion or belief is a human rights priority. At all levels of Government, we regularly urge the protection and the right of all, including Christians, to practise their religion or belief without discrimination.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 20/01/2015 16:42:55 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

172901

registered interest
date	09/01/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent of persecution of Christians in (a) Nigeria and (b) Iran.
tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
uin	220309
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2015 answer text Freedom of religion or belief is a key human rights priority for this Government. We regularly urge governments at senior levels to uphold the rights of all, including Christians. We work to build international consensus on freedom of religion or belief in multilateral bodies such as the UN, and support practical projects with civil society and faith groups. In Nigeria the two main religions, Christianity and Islam, have a history of tolerance and coexistence. Boko Haram are attempting to challenge Nigeria’s secular state and democratic constitution by attacking all Nigerians who do not follow their extremist and intolerant views. Their activities, which do not command widespread support, have caused immense suffering in both Muslim and Christian communities. We are committed to playing our part in helping Nigeria combat these extremists. In Iran, we are disappointed that comments made by President Rouhani in 2013 in support of the rights of religious minorities have not brought any change in his government’s approach over the past year. Christians, although recognised under Iranian law, have continued to be persecuted. Evangelical Christians, Iranian converts to Christianity and those involved in house churches have found themselves particularly singled out for harassment and arrest. The UK has repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians. answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 16/01/2015 12:42:26 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard