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: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) region, (2) ethnicity, (3) religion, (4) age, and (5) disability of parents with families of three children or more.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics related to households on Universal Credit with three or more children, affected by the Universal Credit two child limit policy, are published annually. The last publication was published on 10 July 2025 with data for April 2025.
The relevant information is shown in the data tables attached:
1, table 10A for country and region
2, table 09A for ethnicity
4, table 07A for age group of any claimant
5, table 04A for health and disability benefit entitlement
The full publication is available here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK
Data broken down by 3) religion is not available.
Alternatively, statistics for the number of households on Universal Credit by family type and number of children are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore. Universal Credit statistics are available in the Households on Universal Credit dataset.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (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 12 November, whether they will now answer the question put, namely, on how many occasions their representatives have met or had discussions with members or representatives of Hamas since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We are clear that there can be no role for Hamas in the governance of Palestine. Hamas is a terrorist organisation whom we proscribe in its entirety. We have a long-standing policy of non-engagement with Hamas.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what options they are considering for the future of the RFA Argus.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary continue to work alongside DE&S, surveyors and commercial partners to assess the cost and value of effecting the required repairs.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions their representatives have met or had discussions with members or representatives of Hamas since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to engage with international and regional partners to support a framework for peace and transitional governance in Gaza. Discussions have focussed on supporting the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate governing body on the vital reforms they have committed to make. We have made clear that Hamas will play no future role in the governance of a Palestinian state.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with leading Palestinian groups about the next stages of governance in Gaza and support against Hamas for those groups.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to engage with international and regional partners to support a framework for peace and transitional governance in Gaza. Discussions have focussed on supporting the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate governing body on the vital reforms they have committed to make. We have made clear that Hamas will play no future role in the governance of a Palestinian state.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what impact assessments they have carried out in relation to a wealth tax.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to making sure the wealthiest in our society pay their fair share of tax. That is why the Chancellor announced a series of reforms at the Budget in 2024 to help fix the public finances in as fair a way as possible. These and other decisions announced at the Budget in 2024 will help repair the public finances and fund public services such as the NHS and education.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what business representative bodies they have met to discuss the impact of the Employment Rights Bill, and whether they will publish the minutes of those meetings.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government has engaged and consulted with many business representative bodies across a wide variety of sectors on the Employment Rights Bill. The Government continues to be committed to publishing details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations. Further details of such meetings can be found in departmental transparency returns on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the letter from Lord Leong dated 19 June on "Business Support for the Employment Rights Bill", whether they will provide a list of privately owned small and medium-sized enterprises which have publicly expressed for the employment provisions in the Employments Rights Bill.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government has engaged and consulted with businesses of all sizes and will continue to do this. Many small and medium-sized enterprises support the aims of the Employment Rights Bill (the Bill) and Ministers have specifically named such businesses throughout the passage of the Bill and on other occasions in Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 7 May (HL Deb cols 1637–1638), whether they have had contact with any Palestinian representatives, other than from Hamas, in their efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
A long-lasting ceasefire is the only credible pathway towards a sustainable peace, a two-state solution and the reconstruction of Gaza. The Government regularly engages with counterparts in the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Fatah in support of this. The Foreign Secretary has engaged with President Abbas and Prime Minister Mustafa, including during Prime Minister Mustafa's visit to the UK on 28 April 2025. Minister Falconer also met Prime Minister Mustafa in Madrid on 25 May. An effective Palestinian Authority is vital for lasting peace and progress towards a two-state solution, and the UK has offered its support to the Palestinian Authority as it delivers much-needed reforms.