Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many live export licenses for defence equipment for Israel excluding F-35 parts were reviewed between (a) May and July 2025, (b) February and July 2025 and (c) July 2024 and July 2025 to ensure that equipment was not used for military operations in (i) Gaza and (ii) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data for export licences are published by the Department for Business and Trade. The latest data on Israel export licences was published on 28 August 2025 and can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/israel-export-control-licensing-data-31-july-2025.
All export licences are assessed on a case-by-case basis, based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available at the time. All licences for exports to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are kept under careful ongoing review to ensure they are not being used for military operations in Gaza or the West Bank. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) draws on information from a large variety of stakeholders, including our diplomatic network, other government departments, reporting from NGOs, international organisations and the media.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how often export licenses for defence-related equipment for Israel excluding F-35 parts are reassessed to ensure that equipment is not used for military operations in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data for export licences are published by the Department for Business and Trade. The latest data on Israel export licences was published on 28 August 2025 and can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/israel-export-control-licensing-data-31-july-2025.
All export licences are assessed on a case-by-case basis, based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available at the time. All licences for exports to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are kept under careful ongoing review to ensure they are not being used for military operations in Gaza or the West Bank. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) draws on information from a large variety of stakeholders, including our diplomatic network, other government departments, reporting from NGOs, international organisations and the media.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information he uses to review the use of export licenses for defence equipment for Israel excluding F-35 parts to ensure equipment is not used for military operations in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data for export licences are published by the Department for Business and Trade. The latest data on Israel export licences was published on 28 August 2025 and can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/israel-export-control-licensing-data-31-july-2025.
All export licences are assessed on a case-by-case basis, based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available at the time. All licences for exports to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are kept under careful ongoing review to ensure they are not being used for military operations in Gaza or the West Bank. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) draws on information from a large variety of stakeholders, including our diplomatic network, other government departments, reporting from NGOs, international organisations and the media.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what process is used to review export licenses for defence equipment for Israel excluding F-35 parts to ensure equipment is not used for military operations in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data for export licences are published by the Department for Business and Trade. The latest data on Israel export licences was published on 28 August 2025 and can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/israel-export-control-licensing-data-31-july-2025.
All export licences are assessed on a case-by-case basis, based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available at the time. All licences for exports to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are kept under careful ongoing review to ensure they are not being used for military operations in Gaza or the West Bank. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) draws on information from a large variety of stakeholders, including our diplomatic network, other government departments, reporting from NGOs, international organisations and the media.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the protection of journalists in conflict zones.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns all violence directed against journalists and media workers. Civilian reporters covering conflicts are afforded protection under international humanitarian law. We are therefore appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a recent joint statement with 28 other countries, 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.
The UK has contributed £3 million to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Global Media Defence Fund, benefitting over 9,000 journalists, including time-sensitive emergency support to journalists and media experiencing sudden major crises in Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti. Earlier this year the UK provided funds to UNESCO's Special Fund for Gaza, supporting locally based journalists with vital equipment.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of children expected to be impacted by planned reductions to Official Development Assistance spending on nutrition programmes in 2025-26.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations reflect the first step as we begin to pivot to a lower ODA budget. An Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) - which considers impacts on women and girls and wider equalities - was an essential part of how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) made these decisions. Final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations were published in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts on 22 July alongside the EIA. As confirmed by the EIA, the allocations process for 2025/26 has protected against disproportionate impacts on women and girls and people living with disabilities.
The UK remains committed to tackling gender inequality around the world and we are placing women and girls at the heart of our international work.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in ODA on levels of funding for programmes with gender equality objectives.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations reflect the first step as we begin to pivot to a lower ODA budget. An Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) - which considers impacts on women and girls and wider equalities - was an essential part of how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) made these decisions. Final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations were published in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts on 22 July alongside the EIA. As confirmed by the EIA, the allocations process for 2025/26 has protected against disproportionate impacts on women and girls and people living with disabilities.
The UK remains committed to tackling gender inequality around the world and we are placing women and girls at the heart of our international work.
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, what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterparts on its use of capital punishment in (a) non-lethal criminal cases and (b) other criminal cases.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries as a matter of principle, and in all circumstances. Saudi Arabia is well aware of the UK's opposition to the use of the death penalty. We regularly raise our concerns about the use of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities using a range diplomatic channels, at Ministerial level and through our Ambassador and our Embassy in Riyadh.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure enforcement of international humanitarian law protections for journalists in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns all violence directed against journalists and media workers. Civilian reporters covering conflicts are afforded protection under international humanitarian law. We are therefore appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a recent joint statement with 28 other countries, 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.
The UK has contributed £3 million to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Global Media Defence Fund, benefitting over 9,000 journalists, including time-sensitive emergency support to journalists and media experiencing sudden major crises in Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti. Earlier this year the UK provided funds to UNESCO's Special Fund for Gaza, supporting locally based journalists with vital equipment.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Iranian counterpart on (a) the illegal obtention of (i) property and (ii) assets of and (b) other attacks on the Baha’i community; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the (a) protection of that community and (b) promotion of religious freedom in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our Ambassador in Iran and the former Foreign Secretary raised have human rights directly with the Iranian government and we regularly highlight Iran's repression of Baha'is in multilateral fora, including at the UN Human Rights Council in March. We were integral to the delivery of an Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to investigate a wider breadth of violations, and to establish the facts, circumstances and structural causes of such violations, including discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. On 3 July, the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, met Baha'i International Community UN Representative, Simin Fahandej, to discuss the current and historic repression of Baha'is in Iran, and on 8 July, the Special Envoy delivered a speech where he highlighted Baha'is acute vulnerability to scapegoating, incitement and threats of violence from authorities.