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: 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 what assessment they have made of the findings of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report Developments in the Economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory on the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the collapse of economic activity in Gaza; and which, if any, of these findings have led to a suspension, revocation or refusal of any strategic export licences to Israel or of applications for export licences to Israel since 30 September.
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 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 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 (HL11731), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what assessment they have made of Israel's compliance with (1) Articles 2 and 11–16 of the UN Convention Against Torture, (2) Articles 7, 9 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and (3) Articles 27 and 32 of the Fourth Geneva Convention; what impact that assessment has on their analysis of the risk of UK-licensed goods being used to commit or facilitate violations of international humanitarian law; and whether they will consider the suspension of extant export licences to Israel, including the Israel Prison Service.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 15 April 2025 to Question HL6259.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether alternative training facilities have been identified to replace Crowborough training camp; and if so, what estimate they have made of the cost and operational impact of redirecting units to those sites.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government takes the safety and wellbeing of all Cadets and Service personnel extremely seriously. The Ministry of Defence continues to work with the Home Office to assess the potential impact that housing asylum seekers on military bases could have on our Cadet Forces and future activities, including training, to develop any necessary mitigation actions. Our priority is to ensure these developments have limited impact on Cadets and we will always apply appropriate safeguarding measures so that we can continue delivering cadet programmes.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a risk assessment was conducted of the effect on reservist, cadet and regular unit training of diverting Crowborough training camp to non-military use; and, if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government takes the safety and wellbeing of all Cadets and Service personnel extremely seriously. The Ministry of Defence continues to work with the Home Office to assess the potential impact that housing asylum seekers on military bases could have on our Cadet Forces and future activities, including training, to develop any necessary mitigation actions. Our priority is to ensure these developments have limited impact on Cadets and we will always apply appropriate safeguarding measures so that we can continue delivering cadet programmes.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on training schedules, capacity and operational readiness as a result of the use of Crowborough training camp for asylum accommodation.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government takes the safety and wellbeing of all Cadets and Service personnel extremely seriously. The Ministry of Defence continues to work with the Home Office to assess the potential impact that housing asylum seekers on military bases could have on our Cadet Forces and future activities, including training, to develop any necessary mitigation actions. Our priority is to ensure these developments have limited impact on Cadets and we will always apply appropriate safeguarding measures so that we can continue delivering cadet programmes.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what definition, guidance, or evaluative standard (1) the Department for Health and Social Care, (2) NHS employers, or (3) the General Medical Council, rely upon when determining whether a (a) statement, (b) social-media post, (c) repost, (d) share, (e) ‘like’, (f) comment, (g) private message, or (h) any other online action, constitutes a ‘pro-Palestinian’ view for the purposes of investigation or disciplinary action.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this data on investigations or sanctions centrally.
The regulators of registered medical professionals, including the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government. The Department does not have oversight of regulators’ guidance, local employment policies, or actions taken by National Health Service employers at a local level.
Healthcare professionals, like all citizens, are entitled to their political opinions and have the right to campaign on issues. However, professional standards require that they must not express their personal beliefs, whether political or otherwise, to patients in ways that exploit their vulnerability or could reasonably cause them distress. The Government is clear that staff must demonstrate the core values of the NHS and demonstrate neutrality in the workplace. This neutrality supports the delivery of the highest quality of patient care, ensures patients can feel comfortable with the care they receive, and promotes strong working relationships with colleagues.