Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with regional partners on improving the security and efficiency of routes for humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, and (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking with international partners to help ensure that humanitarian aid can reach civilians in Gaza safely and at scale.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, and (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 Israeli authorities on the operational role of COGAT in facilitating humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, and (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to formally acknowledge the work of COGAT personnel involved in co-ordinating humanitarian access into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, and (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 adequacy of progress in implementing the international 20-point plan for humanitarian access in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to: (a) the statement I made to the House on the Middle East on 5 January, (b) the joint statement on humanitarian access issued by the Foreign Secretary and nine of her international counterparts on 30 December, (c) the answers that the Foreign Secretary and I gave on these issues at oral questions on 2 December, and (d) the statement that the Foreign Secretary made to the House on Gaza on 18 November. We will continue to update the House on these issues on a similarly regular basis over the weeks and months to come.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to (a) support and (b) provide funding to the Pax Silica programme of the US Department of State.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK signed the Pax Silica Declaration in December 2025. The initiative is in its early stages, and no financial contribution has been made.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what formal international defence treaties the UK has outside of NATO.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of how to search for UK treaties can be found via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's dedicated treaty unit at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-treaties
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many diplomats from (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran, are accredited in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK diplomats are accredited to (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 implications for her policies of the data found in the Co-ordination of Government Activities in the Territories response to the IPC Report, published on 19 December 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In December 2025, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that acute food insecurity and malnutrition remains rife in Gaza, with more than half a million people facing severe food shortages. The IPC use standard global methodology which has been used for many years and trusted by the humanitarian community. We assess this methodology to be robust and do not agree with the COGAT response to it. We continue to call on the Government of Israel to remove restrictions on humanitarian access.