The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answers on 10th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government whether they provide assistance to parliamentarians visiting Iraqi Kurdistan.
Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab, FCDO): The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) can support parliamentarians’ visits overseas that support parliamentary business and the UK’s objectives. An appropriate level of assistance from the FCDO is dependent on resource implications and capacity issues of individual missions, including the British Consulate General in Erbil.
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposed changes to the Personal Status Law on the rights of women and children in Iraq.
Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK continues to assess the implications for minorities’, women’s and children’s rights following the amendment to Iraq’s Personal Status Law was passed by Iraq’s Parliament on 21 January. We have long emphasised the importance of any legislative change to be compatible with Iraq’s international obligations.
We urge all our partners to uphold international norms, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq on the case for legislation that protects children, especially girls, from the harmful impacts of early marriage.
Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is committed to protecting women and girls’ rights and supports projects that strengthen women-led organisations, support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and increase women’s participation in political life.
Through our diplomatic presence, we regularly encourage the Iraqi authorities’ role in safeguarding the human rights for all. Countering the rollback of and promoting the rights of women and girls is a key focus of the UK’s programming and policy work in Iraq. Following successful lobbying by the UK and our international partners, the amendment to the Personal Status Law maintained the same age of marriage as the current law (18, with 15 on exception).
We urge all our partners to uphold international norms, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
The Church of England in Parliament 
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