Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (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 on 26 September (HL10094), how often they will monitor the Palestinian Authority's implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation between the UK and the Palestinian Government, published on 28 April, and what methods they will use to monitor that implementation.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statement made on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, in which he addressed at length the issues arising from the UK's decision to recognise the State of Palestine. Any further updates will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (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 on 26 September (HL10094), when they expect the independent audit of the completion of the reforms in the Palestinian Authority's National Program for Development and Reform to be conducted.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statement made on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, in which he addressed at length the issues arising from the UK's decision to recognise the State of Palestine. Any further updates will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (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 on 26 September (HL10094), on how many occasions and over what time period the Palestinian Authority has committed to reform prisoner payments; how those reforms were audited; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those reforms.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In President Abbas' letter to President Macron, dated 9 June 2025, he set out his commitment to the principles of non-violence, the organisation of elections, the development of a school curriculum that is free from incitement, and the implementation of a new social security system, which will revoke so-called prisoner payments, and ensure that any future welfare payments are needs-based and delinked from violent actions. The Palestinian Authority must now ensure that an independent audit is conducted to verify that these reforms have been completed.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of reports that the Palestinian Authority is making monthly payments to the families of Hamas fighters killed during the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to long-term stability in the region and making progress towards a two-state solution. The UK welcomes the Palestinian Authority's commitment to deliver its ambitious and necessary 'National Program for Development and Reform' in full as a matter of priority in the short, medium and long term. We welcome the important commitments made by the Palestinian Authority to reform prisoner payments so that welfare payments are needs-based and delinked from violent actions. The Palestinian Authority must now ensure an independent audit verifies that the reforms have been completed. Alongside our partners, the UK will continue to support the Palestinian Authority as it delivers its important reform agenda.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people who were charged with offences related to Palestine Action before 5 July are (1) on remand, and (2) on bail; and how many of those people have been awaiting trial for (a) less than three months, (b) 3–6 months, (c) 7–12 months, (d) 13–24 months, (e) 25–36 months, and (f) more than three years.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This information is not centrally held. To obtain the requested data would involve a manual inspection of court records, involving disproportionate cost to the Department.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to appeal the decision by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) to overturn the Home Office’s revocation of Dana Abuqamar’s visa.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is His Majesty’s Government’s long-standing position not to comment on individual cases.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Ofsted about schools allowing pupils to be absent to attend protest marches, what assessments Ofsted and schools should make of safeguarding issues arising from pupils being allowed to attend such events, and what advice the Department for Education is planning to issue to schools in this regard.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The government is clear that missing school for events such as political protests is unacceptable and should not be condoned.
The department has been monitoring events closely and has written to all schools and local authorities supporting leaders and teachers in taking firm action. The department encourages schools and local authorities to set clear expectations to parents on attendance, confirming that absence for this kind of activity should be treated as unauthorised. The department has been clear that school leaders and local authorities should be enforcing attendance policies, and they should take immediate action where these policies have been breached. In the most egregious cases this can mean fines or prosecution. The department has shared this communication with Ofsted to ensure all inspectors are clear on the position.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reconsider their funding of the Council for British Research in the Levant, given that Council’s decision to arrange a seminar by Dr Salman Abu Sitta at Edinburgh University on 8 November.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government does not directly fund or have a relationship with the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL). The Government only has a funding relationship with the independent British Academy, who in turn fund hundreds of researchers across the humanities and social sciences, as well as eight British International Research Institutes (BIRI), including the CBRL. These connect researchers and support world-leading research. They are independent organisations, overseen by Boards of Trustees. However, the Academy undertakes regular reporting, evaluation and monitoring of their funding through which issues can be raised or assurances sought on any aspect of delivery.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for cooperation on education between the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK supports the Kurdistan Region of Iraq's education sector and recently hosted the Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Kurdistan Regional Government and discussed opportunities for collaboration in education. In discussions with the Secretary of State for the Department for Education we agreed to work closely to further expand our collaboration. Our Consulate in Erbil continues to identify opportunities for and work with UK institutions that offer both academic and vocational training programmes, including City and Guilds who now have established an office in Iraq.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for gas from the Kurdistan region to diversify the supply of gas to the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Great Britain has highly diverse sources of gas supply. These include pipelines from the UK and Norwegian continental shelves (UKCS & NCS), interconnection with the European continent, and three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals, providing the UK with one of the largest LNG import infrastructures in Europe.
The UK’s diverse range of sources of gas supply is a strength to the Government’s approach to energy security. The integrated nature of the global gas market, and the fact that it is an internationally traded commodity, ensures that the UK continues to work closely with all its international partners.