Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of representation they intend to send to the UN High Level Conference on the two-state solution on 17–20 June.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The two-state solution Conference has been postponed following military escalation in the region. We remain deeply committed to a two-state solution which remains the only way to guarantee security, dignity and a just and lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. We will continue to work closely with France, Saudi Arabia and others to make the conference a success when it is re-scheduled.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the guidance to businesses trading in produce originating from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK Government has a clear position that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law. There are clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity. Goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the UK's current trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
The overseas business risk guidance, available on gov.uk, provides information for UK operators on how goods from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories should be labelled.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of cases in which soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces have used Palestinians as human shields in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply disturbed by reports that soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces have used Palestinians as human shields in Gaza. Use of civilians as human shields is a breach of international humanitarian law. We call on the Government of Israel to fully investigate all such reports and ensure that anyone found responsible is held accountable.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Israeli Defence Force’s reported use of the ‘Dahiya Doctrine’, the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure; and of whether it is compatible with international humanitarian law.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our International Humanitarian Law (IHL) assessments consider Israel's commitment to and compliance with IHL in a number of areas including compliance with the principle of distinction in the conduct of hostilities. We take any allegations of deliberate or indiscriminate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure very seriously. In the context of Gaza, it is also understood that Hamas has extensively embedded its military assets in Gaza's densely built environment, including civilian buildings.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Israel’s decision to build a Palestinian-only bypass road in the E1 area of the West Bank.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemn categorically the development of settlements. Settlements are illegal under international law and do not protect Israel. As the Foreign Secretary said on 20 May, the two-state solution is in peril, endangered not only by the war in Gaza, but by the spread of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts across the Occupied West Bank, with the explicit support of this Israeli government. The Foreign Secretary has been clear with Israeli counterparts that settlement expansion must stop and we continue to monitor Israeli developments in the West Bank.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding plans to build settlements in the E1 area of the West Bank.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemn categorically the development of settlements. Settlements are illegal under international law and do not protect Israel. As the Foreign Secretary said on 20 May, the two-state solution is in peril, endangered not only by the war in Gaza, but by the spread of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts across the Occupied West Bank, with the explicit support of this Israeli government. The Foreign Secretary has been clear with Israeli counterparts that settlement expansion must stop and we continue to monitor Israeli developments in the West Bank.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish a response to the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and when.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion carefully, with the seriousness and rigour it deserves.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative impact of providing (1) a PIN telephone system, and (2) in-cell telephones, on the number of calls prisoners and young offenders make to (a) family members, (b) support workers, and (c) others in the community.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In-cell telephony has now superseded the former PIN system in all prisons in the closed estate. The introduction of in-cell telephony across the prison estate has significantly improved the ability of prisoners and young people to access support, and to establish and maintain relationships.
We know phone calls help prisoners maintain family ties and relationships which are vital to their rehabilitation and, therefore, cutting crime.
The table below provides an annual breakdown of call volumes and time spent on calls, since 2013, in prisons managed by HM Prison & Probation Service. The figure for 2024 (*) covers the six months up to 30 June.
Year | Calls | Minutes |
2024* | 37,876,209 | 263,998,312 |
2023 | 76,813,827 | 528,401,873 |
2022 | 78,485,958 | 563,391,699 |
2021 | 81,386,508 | 576,909,923 |
2020 | 69,111,893 | 465,858,221 |
2019 | 36,183,024 | 187,005,935 |
2018 | 31,454,100 | 155,589,732 |
2017 | 26,503,625 | 123,021,020 |
2016 | 25,004,192 | 109,798,759 |
2015 | 26,500,702 | 112,093,506 |
2014 | 28,164,497 | 117,452,587 |
2013 | 29,776,703 | 126,517,473 |
It would not be possible to provide the requested disaggregation of calls by type of recipient without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to make a further response to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and the subsequent UN General Assembly resolution of 13 September 2024; and what steps they are taking to ensure an end of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion carefully, with the seriousness and rigour it deserves.
We are of the clear view that Israel should bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) as rapidly as possible - but this must be done in a way that creates the conditions for negotiations towards a two-state solution. On settlements, we said in the UN Security Council on 21 March that 'Israel must halt settlements which are illegal and undermine the viability of a Palestinian state and the security of both Israelis and Palestinians. Violent settlers must be held to account. The UK has introduced three rounds of sanctions on violent settlers and their supporters to bring accountability for abuses of human rights, in the absence of sufficient Israeli action. We will consider all further options.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the resumed fighting in Gaza, what plans they have to ensure access to humanitarian aid and a return to a ceasefire.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 20 March, we strongly oppose Israel's resumption of hostilities and urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. We have been clear that Hamas must release all the hostages, negotiations must resume and in all scenarios Israel must allow the entry of humanitarian aid. We are appalled by recent attacks on aid workers and their premises - they must be protected and never targeted. The Government of Israel must urgently ensure that effective deconfliction mechanisms are in place to enable them to conduct their lifesaving work safely. We've repeatedly called on Israel at the UN and elsewhere to immediately allow urgently-needed aid back into Gaza. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer on 20 March and to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 March and pressed them to reopen humanitarian access, restore a ceasefire and work for a negotiated path forward, and has discussed the situation with UN leadership.