Julian Lewis MP: written questions
119 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Chagos Islands: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126515More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is her policy to prevent the provision of (a) mosquito nets, (b) sunglasses and (c) water purifying systems from entering the British Indian Ocean Territory on ves
Answer: These are operational matters for the British Indian Overseas Territory (BIOT) Authority, discharged under the powers provided in the BIOT (Immigration) Order 2004.
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMoney Laundering: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126514More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Mauritian counterpart on the arrest of the former Prime Minister of that country in relation to money laundering issues.
Answer: These legal proceedings are a matter for the Mauritian authorities.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126513More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the purpose is of the visit to Mauritius by UK officials on 22 April 2026; and what the principal subjects to be discussed are.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 February in response to Question 110763.
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126512More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost was of deploying a patrol vessel and personnel for the interception at sea of humanitarian aid for British Chagossian resettlers on 11 April 2026; and whether a
Answer: These are operational matters for the British Indian Overseas Territory (BIOT) Authority, discharged under the powers provided in the BIOT (Immigration) Order 2004.
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124050More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands being ceded to Mauritius on (a) observance of and (b) the operation of AFCONE’s in
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 February to Question 109503 on the same issue.
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDiego Garcia: Military BasesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124049More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the timing of the public commentary by the government of Mauritius on the Iranian missile att
Answer: None of the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member are matters for the UK Government, and none of them have any bearing on the future status of the Diego Garcia base, or the treaty negotiated with Mauritius.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth Africa: Military ExercisesMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on the Chagos Islands of the joint naval exercises undertaken by South Africa with (a) China, (b) Russia and (c) other BRICS partners i
Answer: There are no implications for the Ministry of Defence's policy on the Chagos Islands of South Africa's joint naval exercises in its waters.
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPaul BérengerForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of (a) the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger in Mauritius and (b) his allegatio
Answer: None of the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member are matters for the UK Government, and none of them have any bearing on the future status of the Diego Garcia base, or the treaty negotiated with Mauritius.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordOutdoor Education: ApprenticesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123109More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will continue to fund the Level 5 Outdoor Learning Specialist Apprenticeship in order to allow (a) the cohort already accepted for the scheme to continue and (b) substantive consultation with the
Answer: Over the past decade we’ve seen apprenticeship starts by those aged 16-24 fall by 40% and over half of all apprenticeship starts are now by learners aged 25 and over. At the same time, we have seen the apprenticeship offer increase to over 700 standards, ...
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Radiation ExposureMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120745More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when Ministers were first made aware of documents (a) confirming abnormal levels of radiation in fish near UK atomic test sites in the Pacific and (b) advising that their contents are incompatible with official s
Answer: I was first made aware of the unfinished draft document relating to historic nuclear testing at Christmas Island in December 2025. Following the release of the draft document by AWE, I wrote to interested MPs and LABRATS advising them of its release and e...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordIran: Unmanned Air SystemsMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119198More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to acquire from Ukraine (a) cheap anti-drone military assets and (b) instruction in maximising their effective operation in order to augment the protection of United Kingdom and allied perso
Answer: This continues to be an extremely challenging and unsettling time for many across the Middle East. The UK condemns Iran’s role in attempting to draw the region into a wider conflict. Our first priority is to protect British nationals, British interests an...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRefugees: Higher EducationHome OfficeTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the likely impact of the recent changes in immigration rules on the practicability of continuing the rescue from oppressive regimes of academics in danger by awarding
Answer: The visa brake will apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, for the Student route, and nationals of Afghanistan for the Skilled Worker route. We understand decision may be disappointing to some people. If fellowship schemes use th...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government’s response to its 2025 public consultation on (a) strengthening local government standards and (b) addressing misconduct and bullying by town and parish counc
Answer: The Government published its response to the consultation “Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England” in November 2025. The response sets out the Government’s intention to introduce measures including a mandatory C...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFuel Oil: Rural AreasDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to support small rural communities dependent on oil supplies whose commercial suppliers have said than none will be available for a period of weeks.
Answer: The Government is closely monitoring heating oil supply and demand in light of instability in the Middle East. The UK benefits from a strong and diverse security of fuel supplies and Ministers have met with and continue to engage with the UK & Ireland...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her US counterpart on the statement issued by the United Nations’ Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 8 December 20
Answer: Ministers and officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are in constant discussion with their US counterparts across a wide range of issues.
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBritish Indian Ocean Territory: Visits AbroadForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118144More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the last trip was organised by the Government to the British Indian Ocean Territory for Chagossians to visit their homeland; and how many Chagossians participated in tha
Answer: The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration is responsible for immigration matters in BIOT.The last Heritage Visit for Chagossians to visit the Archipelago took place in February 2020, and was attended by 27 Chagossians. Heritage visits were ...
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBritish Indian Ocean Territory: VisitsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118143More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many applications were made by (a) Chagossians and (b) other nationalities to visit the British Indian Ocean Territory in each of the last 5 years; and how many of those
Answer: The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration is responsible for immigration matters in BIOT.The last Heritage Visit for Chagossians to visit the Archipelago took place in February 2020, and was attended by 27 Chagossians. Heritage visits were ...
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Written QuestionsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117231More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason Questions 113021 and 113433 on UNCLOS and the Chagos Islands, tabled on 12 February for answer on 24 and 25 February 2026 respectively, have not been answered
Answer: The responses to questions 113021 and 113433 were provided to the Rt Hon Member on 10 and 5 March, respectively.
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Written QuestionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117230More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason Question 113434 on UNCLOS and the Chagos Islands, tabled on 12 February for answer on 25 February 2026, has not been answered; and when he plans to answer it.
Answer: I responded to the right hon. Member on 4 March 2026.
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBBC Monitoring: FinanceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 116690More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2026 to Question 113435 on BBC Monitoring: Finance, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of restoring dedicated fu
Answer: As stated in previous answers, the Government does not provide core funding for BBC Monitoring which is a matter for the BBC. However, when specific pieces of work are commissioned by Government, they are fully funded.
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMyanmar: Military CoupsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115781More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of differences between the (a) former State Administrative Council and (b) current State Security and Peace
Answer: The UK Government uses sanctions to achieve a range of foreign and security policy objectives. We consider designations under our sanctions regimes, including the Myanmar Sanctions Regulations, as guided by the evidence and the objectives of the sanctions...
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordJimmy LaiForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115780More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the representations made by the Government to the Chinese authorities (a) before and (b) since the imposition of t
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the responses given in the Urgent Question debate on 9 February. We will continue to update the House on Jimmy Lai's case.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMyanmar: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115779More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department last published a report on religious persecution in Myanmar; and for what reason the frequency of such reports has reduced.
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not produce reports on religious persecution in Myanmar.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMyanmar: Military CoupsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115778More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she (a) has taken and (b) intends to take to persuade (i) India and (ii) China to cease providing armaments to the Burmese military regime; and for what reason tha
Answer: The UK regularly raises the Myanmar crisis with China and other neighbouring countries, including at the UN Security Council (UNSC). Most recently, in December 2025, the UK convened a UNSC meeting, where we condemned military airstrikes against civilians....
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordProperty: National SecurityHome OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115777More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) steps she will take and (b) powers she possesses to protect (i) military bases and (ii) other sensitive locations from the threat posed by the piecemeal purchase of properties in their vicini
Answer: The first duty of Government is national security. We take the protection of sensitive locations extremely seriously, and we work closely with the police and operational partners to ensure they have the powers they need.The National Security and Investmen...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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