Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which a) governments, b) multilateral organisations, c) private sector companies and d) other key stakeholders, will be invited to participate in the Illicit Finance Summit.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Illicit Finance Summit will take place in London on 23-24 June 2026 and will convene a diverse group of governments, civil society organisations, and private sector representatives to build an international coalition to tackle flows of dirty money around the world and strengthen the UK's national security. Further updates, including details of the invitees, will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the exclusion of Ahmadi Muslims from the National Commission for Minorities in Pakistan; and what recent engagement they have had with the government of Pakistan on this issue.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government is concerned by reports that Pakistan's new National Commission for Minority Rights will exclude Ahmadi Muslims from its protections. We have urged the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all citizens in line with international standards, and our High Commission in Islamabad raises the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims at the highest levels. The Minister for the Middle East has also raised these issues repeatedly with senior counterparts, including most recently with Deputy Prime Minister Dar in August 2025 when he highlighted the importance of safety and dignity for Ahmadis and the need for inclusive institutions. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Lord Pickles (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the IMPACT-se review published in November which reports instances of incitement and antisemitism in the new Palestinian Authority school curriculum; and what are the implications for their policy regarding the Palestinian Authority.
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 18 November to Question 88033, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The Foreign Secretary met with the Palestinian Foreign Minister on 1 November. As part of their conversation they discussed educational reforms. The UK continues to monitor and advance the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on strategic cooperation through an annual strategic dialogue. In the meantime, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, through the British Consulate in Jerusalem, engage regularly with the Palestinian Authority on many areas, including education reform.
Asked by: Lord Pickles (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other donors to UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority regarding attaching conditionality to future funding linked to reforms.
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 18 November to Question 88033, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The Foreign Secretary met with the Palestinian Foreign Minister on 1 November. As part of their conversation they discussed educational reforms. The UK continues to monitor and advance the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on strategic cooperation through an annual strategic dialogue. In the meantime, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, through the British Consulate in Jerusalem, engage regularly with the Palestinian Authority on many areas, including education reform.
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 Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much aid the UK has provided to the Palestinian Authority in each of the last 20 years.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has delivered multiple programmes over the period in question to support Palestinian institutions and humanitarian needs, and the available data shows that £932 million was supplied in aid to Palestine between 2009 and 2024. More detailed breakdowns of individual programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website. We are clear that a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA) is essential to long-term stability in the region and making progress towards a two-state solution.
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: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned a review of the UK's obligations under international humanitarian law or the Arms Trade Treaty as a result of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report Developments in the Economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and if so, whether they will place a copy of the review in the Library of the House.
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 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.