Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about allowing international media access to Gaza.
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 October 2025 in response to Question HC76551, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The UK is appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the State of Palestine. We have called on all parties to fully uphold International Humanitarian Law and ensure protection of civilians including journalists. In a recent joint statement with 28 other members of the Media Freedom Coalition, we called on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to make every effort to ensure that media workers in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem can conduct their work freely and safely. The statement also called for all attacks against media workers to be investigated and for those responsible to be prosecuted in compliance with national and international law. Earlier this year the UK provided funds to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Special Fund for Gaza, supporting locally based journalists and providing vital equipment.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental implications of attacks on Kharg Island.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
No such assessments are available at this time, but the UK continues to (a) work for a resolution of the conflict in the Gulf, and (b) call on Israel to respect Syria's territorial integrity, and lay out timelines for their withdrawal from the Area of Separation.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK's 1 June 2025 update on its position on the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK wants to see a lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict. We assess that our endorsement of Morocco's autonomy plan - as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting solution - supports that objective. It is for this reason that we also welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on 31 October, extending the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate for 12 months. We continue to engage with all relevant parties in support of the UN-led process to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on the potential impact of withheld tax revenues for the Palestinian Authority on the education of Palestinian children in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly raise concerns about civilian casualties with Israeli counterparts and continue to call for full adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for any alleged incidents to be investigated transparently. The UK is also concerned by the worsening economic situation in Palestine and have urged the Government of Israel to release withheld tax and clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority. We also continue to work with international partners to support implementation of the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made diplomatic representations to her Israeli counterpart on the withholding of tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly raise concerns about civilian casualties with Israeli counterparts and continue to call for full adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for any alleged incidents to be investigated transparently. The UK is also concerned by the worsening economic situation in Palestine and have urged the Government of Israel to release withheld tax and clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority. We also continue to work with international partners to support implementation of the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart on reports of civilian casualties in the Gaza strip since the October ceasefire.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly raise concerns about civilian casualties with Israeli counterparts and continue to call for full adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for any alleged incidents to be investigated transparently. The UK is also concerned by the worsening economic situation in Palestine and have urged the Government of Israel to release withheld tax and clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority. We also continue to work with international partners to support implementation of the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has discussed the humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps with her Algerian counterpart.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps. I discussed the political and humanitarian implications of the Western Sahara conflict with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf during my visit to Algeria in October 2025. Our embassy in Algiers also regularly discusses the humanitarian situation with representatives of Algeria and the United Nations, as well as visiting the camps in Tindouf, most recently in November 2025.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 22 August 2025 to Question 69070 on Syria: Inter Mediate, whether there are any conditions on Inter Mediate receiving funding from foreign governments.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The same rules apply to Inter Mediate as all other UK charities, namely that they are free to receive funding from other governments, but have a responsibility to: (i) ensure that it is in the best interests of their charity when deciding whether to accept or refuse a donation, (ii) undertake necessary due diligence on the sources of funding, and (iii) comply with relevant legislation.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to introduce temporary or emergency exemptions to existing rules preventing pets from travelling on evacuation flights.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All relevant requests for consular assistance are considered on a case by case basis, depending on the circumstances.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction in regional bilateral aid to the Middle East and North Africa on women and children’s access to lifesaving health services.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statement made to the House on 19 March (HLWS1431) outlining the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and the accompanying documentation setting out the impact of those allocation decisions. I also refer him to the evidence provided by the Foreign Secretary and myself to the International Development Committee on 24 March, where we addressed questions at length about the Government's ODA policies and allocation decisions.