Asked by: Lord Udny-Lister (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the UK has a strong relationship with Morocco.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 2 September in response to Question 905377, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below. Since then, we have continued to reaffirm our shared ambition to deepen cooperation, including at the ministerial meeting of the UK-Morocco Association Council on 12 November.
On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary co-hosted the UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue in Rabat, where he signed agreements on education, healthcare, infrastructure and trade. This signalled a step change in the relationship. The Foreign Secretary also endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara and committed UK support to the parties and UN to reach a mutually acceptable resolution. We are taking this work forward together and remain in frequent contact.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many strategic export licences to Israel are affected under each sub-paragraph of the strategic export licensing criteria relating to serious violations of international humanitarian law; and on what basis Ministers concluded that there remained no clear risk that UK-supplied items might be used in the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Export licensing decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, using the most up-to-date information and analysis available at the time. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office draws on information from a large variety of stakeholders, including our diplomatic network, other government departments, reporting from non-governmental organisations, and international organisations. We took decisive action in September 2024, stopping exports to the Israeli Defence Forces that might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Detailed data on export licences is published regularly on gov.uk, including with refusal criteria. Additional Israel data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/israel-export-control-licensing-data-31-july-2025.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington (HL12024), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what assessment they have made of the findings of the report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education, Review of Pakistani Textbooks, published in August; and what discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan about reports of harmful and discriminatory content in the curriculum.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As I stated in my response to Question HL11399, all our education programmes in Pakistan are subject to due diligence, and any materials provided under those programmes are reviewed for equity across gender, ability, ethnicity, and religion before being shared with government counterparts.
On the broader issue of textbooks used in Pakistani schools, we are clear that any incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable and has no place in education, and we urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure that all teaching materials used in their schools meet the relevant United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standards.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington (HL12023), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what verification of education materials funded through UK aid in Pakistan has been undertaken; whether it has been verified that those materials meet UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, and equality; and what plans they have to publish the outcome of any such verification.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As I stated in my response to Question HL11399, all our education programmes in Pakistan are subject to due diligence, and any materials provided under those programmes are reviewed for equity across gender, ability, ethnicity, and religion before being shared with government counterparts.
On the broader issue of textbooks used in Pakistani schools, we are clear that any incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable and has no place in education, and we urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure that all teaching materials used in their schools meet the relevant United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standards.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Prime Minister's statement on 21 September that he had "directed work to sanction other Hamas figures in the coming weeks", what plans they have to review (1) the continued presence in the United Kingdom of members of Hamas and (2) the continued citizenship of Hamas members who hold British passports but are resident overseas.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Home Department, rather than the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is responsible for all matters concerning the UK residence and nationality status of alleged members of proscribed organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports alleging torture and unlawful killing of civilians by Hamas in Palestine following the October ceasefire; and what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority about compliance with international law, including the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned by reports of torture and unlawful killings of civilians in Gaza following the ceasefire. We condemn all such acts, and reiterate that international humanitarian law must be upheld by all parties. We urge full compliance with the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Protecting civilians is essential, and we support all efforts to uphold their fundamental rights.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent military intervention following elections in Guinea-Bissau; and what (1) actions they intend to take, or (2) representations they intend to make to representatives in Guinea-Bissau following the recent military intervention in elections.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I provided on 15 December to Question HL12476.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government for what reasons they were unable to conclude negotiations with regard to the United Kingdom’s accession under Articles 16.10 and 16.11 to the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) through the Reinforcement of the European Defence Industry Instrument.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided by the Ministry of Defence in the House of Commons on 4 December in response to Question 95829, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The Security and Defence Partnership agreed with the European Union on 19 May is an example of this Government's commitment to delivering on its manifesto pledges to strengthen European security, support economic growth, and reinforce NATO.
We are working swiftly with the EU to implement the Partnership and are prioritising cooperation on key areas, including support for Ukraine, countering hybrid threats, and promoting stability in the Western Balkans.
As the Minister for the Cabinet Office set out in his Written Ministerial Statement on 1 December, the Security and Defence Partnership also unlocked the possibility for enhanced UK participation in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument. Earlier this autumn, the UK and the EU entered into formal negotiations on a bilateral agreement to facilitate UK participation in SAFE. The UK entered these negotiations in good faith, reflecting our shared strategic interests. However, it was not possible to conclude these negotiations with an agreement.
This Government has been clear that we will only enter into agreements that serve the national interest. In this case, the negotiations did not yield an agreement that met this standard.
It is disappointing that an agreement on UK participation in the first round of SAFE could not be reached; however, the UK's defence industry will retain access to SAFE under standard third-country terms, with the potential to contribute up to 35% of the content of SAFE contracts.
This Government remains committed to pursuing cooperation with the European Union on defence and security that aligns with our NATO First policy, supports our defence objectives and delivers for the UK taxpayer.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens are being held in detention without justification by the Government of Iran; and what representations they have made to the Government of Iran on their behalf.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In recent years, the Government has worked on a number of cases of British nationals and British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran, where those detainees or their families have requested consular support. The UK has not historically published either the number of live cases, or the details of each one.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and entities directly involved in planning or implementing the construction of the Shdema settlement near Bethlehem.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 3 July 2025 in response to Question 62975, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
We are deeply concerned by the levels of settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank and continue to urge the Government of Israel to stop settlement expansion and take action to hold violence to account. Settlements are illegal under international law. On 20 May the UK imposed sanctions on three individuals, two illegal settler outposts and two organisations supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. On 10 June the UK, acting alongside partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, imposed sanctions on Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in their personal capacity, in response to their repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
The UK does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Israeli settlements, as part of Israel. Goods imported from the settlements are therefore not entitled to benefit from trade preferences under the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The UK also supports accurate labelling of settlement goods, so as not to mislead the consumer.
Sanctions can be used to achieve a range of foreign and security policy objectives. We use sanctions when they complement other tools as part of a wider strategy. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact. We have been clear that we keep these issues under close review.