The Minister of State for Trade, Anas Sarwar, leads the Government's policy on responsible business conduct (RBC). The RBC Review assessed the effectiveness of the UK's current framework in addressing harms in global supply chains, including forced labour. The Review considered a range of evidence, including the Joint Committee on Human Rights' recommendations in its July 2025 report, Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains.

The Review has been completed and the Government is considering its findings. We will publish the Review and set out our plans soon.

The UK remains committed to improving health outcomes for women and children globally, including in Sierra Leone. Over the last decade, the UK has helped improve maternal and child health services, including those highlighted in the Channel 4 documentary. This has contributed significantly to a reduction in the maternal mortality ratio from 1,682 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to an estimated 354 in 2025. The UK continues to work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone and multilateral partners, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, GAVI and the Global Fund, to strengthen the delivery of national health services and to increase domestic funding.

The UK is committed to supporting the humanitarian response in Sudan, providing vital healthcare, nutrition, and water. This is why we are providing £146 million of support this financial year and will uphold this figure over the spending period. We have also more than doubled our funding to Sudan's local responders, who are able to provide life-saving aid to communities in the hardest to reach areas, including Darfur. We continue to use all diplomatic levers to secure unimpeded humanitarian access, security guarantees for aid workers and the end to all siege tactics which block the free movement of civilians and aid.

The UK played a leading role in the establishment of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD) and remains committed to securing justice for survivors of Daesh crimes following UNITAD's closure. The UK paid its share of the UNITAD operating expenses on the UN budget. The UK continues to work with the Governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, alongside international partners, to help ensure that Daesh members are held accountable for the crimes they have committed. The UK also continues to support survivor-centred implementation of the Yazidi Survivors' Law (2021).

Our High Commissioner regularly raises human rights with the Cameroonian authorities, including respect for media freedom. We have also called for an end to arbitrary detentions and encouraged the government to investigate reports of unfair treatment. The UK believes that all journalists, including Tsi Conrad, should be able to work without fear of arrest or detention.

The review has been completed and Government is considering its findings. We will publish the review and set out our plans soon.

The Government is aware of reports of clashes and cross-border incursions in Kajo-Keji County along the South Sudan-Uganda border. We are concerned by reports that the clashes have resulted in displacement and heightened tensions in local communities. The incidents appear to be linked to long-standing disputes over the poorly demarcated South Sudan-Uganda border, where similar clashes have occurred previously.

We continue to monitor the situation closely through our Embassies in Juba and Kampala, and encourage restraint and de-escalation by all parties.

The National Security (State Threats) Act 2026 provides a power for the Home Secretary to designate bodies involved in foreign power threat activity, where it is necessary to protect the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.

The designation power and its associated offences are modelled on terrorism proscription. However, the power to designate is fundamentally different to proscription under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the type of harm it addresses and given the different nature of state bodies and terrorist organisations.

This difference is reflected in the offences available under each regime. There is no membership offence in the new Act, reflecting the need to comply with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961.

The new support offence captures, activity where the person engaging in it does so for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK. This reflects the fact that there will be some cases where UK persons need to have legitimate dealings with a state entity. The ‘prohibited purpose’ test protects legitimate conduct without creating loopholes that can be exploited by hostile actors.

In addition, the designated body condition unlocks the offences and powers in the National Security Act 2023, allowing them to be used against designated bodies and those who support them. That means that those carrying out state threat activities such as espionage and sabotage for designated bodies will now feel the full force of the law, including sentences of up to life imprisonment.

We are indeed co-operating with many like-minded allies and countries —for example, the G7 and the OECD, to which the noble Lord referred—on taking forward the AI principles. Those agreed standards are vital for the governance and the effective adoption of AI in all countries. As I mentioned in reference to the question from the noble Earl, we are not a member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. I did review its membership before answering this Question, so I am aware of that. This is a global technology; it is providing opportunities and threats globally. It is very important that, in respect of the UK, we provide advice to our companies and the public sector, so that we can be prepared both for the risks and the opportunities.

The Government is committed to tackling forced labour in UK and global supply chains. The UK has a range of measures in place to combat forced labour, including through the Modern Slavery Act, Procurement Act, Great British Energy Act, and NHS (Procurement, Slavery and Human Trafficking) Regulations. The Immigration and Asylum Bill further strengthens reporting requirements for modern slavery statements, extends obligations to the public sector, and introduces fines for non-compliance.

The Responsible Business Conduct review assessed the effectiveness of the current framework and options to strengthen and modernise it. The Government is considering the review’s findings and will set out its plans in due course.

The Government is committed to rooting out forced labour, human rights abuses, exploitative environmental practices, bribery and corruption. These abhorrent practices have no place in UK supply chains or the global economy, and we recognise the importance of transparency and effective due diligence in identifying and addressing those risks. We also engage with our partners internationally on these issues, including the United States.

The Government keeps eGate eligibility under review to ensure we are balancing border security and passenger flow. We have recently passed legislation to lower the eGate eligible age from 10 to 8 years old for those nationals who can currently use eGates to enter the UK.

We are continuing to explore options to increase the use of automation and eGates at the UK border, including to British National (Overseas) passport holders.

The Home Office receives shipping manifest data from parts of the maritime sector. However, coverage is not universal, and the use of such data is governed by legal and operational requirements.

The Government recognises the importance of tackling forced labour in supply chains. However, shipping manifest data may contain personal information protected under data protection legislation, as well as commercially sensitive information. There are currently no plans to publish detailed shipping manifest data.

Home Office does not routinely assess whether goods entering the UK may have been produced using forced labour. However, Home Office works closely with law enforcement and other government partners to share intelligence and support compliance activity where relevant information is identified.

The Home Office receives shipping manifest data from parts of the maritime sector. However, coverage is not universal, and the use of such data is governed by legal and operational requirements.

The Government recognises the importance of tackling forced labour in supply chains. However, shipping manifest data may contain personal information protected under data protection legislation, as well as commercially sensitive information. There are currently no plans to publish detailed shipping manifest data.

Home Office does not routinely assess whether goods entering the UK may have been produced using forced labour. However, Home Office works closely with law enforcement and other government partners to share intelligence and support compliance activity where relevant information is identified.

The Government welcomes research that helps improve our understanding of the experiences of Ukrainians in the UK, including the University of Birmingham’s report Displaced Ukrainians in the UK: Experiences and Future Intentions. We continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, local authorities, charities and Ukrainian community organisations, to inform our understanding of the needs and experiences of those affected by the conflict.

The Government notes the report’s recommendations, including those relating to longer-term immigration status and support for integration, as part of its wider engagement with stakeholders on support for Ukrainians in the UK.

The Ukraine Schemes were established to provide temporary sanctuary to those displaced by Russia’s illegal invasion. As a result, the schemes do not lead to settlement and time spent on them does not count towards the long residence route. To ensure Ukrainians can continue to live, work and study in the UK, the Government has introduced a further 24 month permission to stay through the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting integration. Ukrainians in the UK have access to public services and support, including English language provision funded through local authorities. This includes Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government providing £11.5million of funding for English language courses and employment support for over 13,000 Ukrainians across the UK through the ‘STEP Ukraine’ programme.

We continue to work closely with stakeholders and partners to understand emerging needs and share effective practice, helping to ensure support remains responsive to both Ukrainians and host communities.

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 10 July in response to Question 15963, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

"The UK is deeply concerned by the violence that took place in Haut-Mbomou Prefecture on 29 June and the reports of civilian casualties. We remain in regular contact with the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) on the security situation in CAR, including in Haut-Mbomou. At the UN Security Council briefing on CAR on 23 June 2026, the UK raised ongoing protection concerns in Haut-Mbomou and asked how the Government of CAR and MINUSCA were working together to strengthen security and protect civilians. We continue to support MINUSCA's mandate to protect civilians and promote stability."