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 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: 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: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether officials submitted to Ministers a written assessment of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report Developments in the Economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory; on what date any such assessment was first submitted; whether that assessment was shared with the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Attorney General; and whether they will place copies of any such assessments 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, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 18 November (HL11601), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what support, if any, they have offered or provided to the authorities of Israel through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to strengthen prevention, documentation, and investigation of sexual violence in detention settings.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In December 2024, a member of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts was deployed to scope options on how the UK could best add value to the international response to conflict related sexual violence (CRSV) in Israel and Palestine, including support for the Israeli authorities, multilateral organisations and civil society, and survivors of CRSV.
Since that deployment, the UK has provided £3 million to the UN Population Fund to support the delivery of three new women and girls' safe spaces and shelters, the distribution of 50,000 dignity kits and 200,000 menstrual hygiene packs, and the strengthening of local capacity to support those affected by CRSV in Gaza.
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: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Palestinian Authority through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative about reports of sexual violence against Israeli hostages in Gaza; and what support, if any, they have provided to Palestine to strengthen the prevention of sexual violence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 19 December in response to Question HL12164.
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: 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.