Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on recent military strikes in (a) Syria and (b) Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to urge the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 23 August to press for the restoration of humanitarian access in Gaza and to raise serious concerns about the impact of military operations on civilians. We continue to call on Israel to respect Syria's territorial integrity and address security threats through diplomatic means. The Government wants to see a peaceful, secure and stable Syria for the Syrian people. Diplomacy, not hostility, is the best way of achieving this. The UK will continue to pursue a positive future for Syria and the region and we are urging Israel to do the same.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on (a) the numbers of Palestinians detained without charge or trial, (b) the conditions of Israeli detention centres and (c) the treatment of prisoners under international law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment of detainees. The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities and we continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to Questions (a) 58600 and (b) 58602 tabled by the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton on 10 June 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's written parliamentary questions. I issued responses to the hon. Member on 4 and 6 of August 2025.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on the killing of (a) medical workers and (b) journalists in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Gaza remains the deadliest place for humanitarians, and we continue to urge that humanitarian workers must be protected, and medical and aid workers must be able to do their jobs safely.
The Foreign Secretary and I have also both paid tribute to journalists risking their lives to report in Gaza. Journalists covering conflicts and medical workers in conflict zones are afforded protection under humanitarian law. The media have a right to report freely, and we urge all parties to permit journalists to carry out their crucial role. The UK remains committed to media freedom and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. Independent media is essential to a functioning society and there must be safe access for journalists to conflict situations in order to independently cover events. We continue to engage with our Israeli counterparts on these issues, including when the Foreign Secretary spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 July to stress the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 58603 on Occupied Territories: Arms Trade, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterparts on (a) the use of military equipment supplied before the suspension of certain export licences and (b) that equipment supplied by remaining export licences must not be re-assigned to support military operations in (i) Gaza and (ii) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I regularly engage with my Israeli counterparts on a range of issues including the Israeli Defence Forces' (IDF) conduct in Gaza. We continue to urge that any Israeli actions must be in line with International Law. Subject to the specific measures taken to protect the global F-35 programme, we are clear there are no export licences currently being used by the IDF in military operations in Gaza or the West Bank.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his (a) US and (b) Israeli counterpart on the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has had recent discussions with both US and Israeli counterparts on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. On 22 June, the Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. The Foreign Secretary expressed his horror at the mass casualty incidents at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, stressing the need to ensure aid reaches those in need safely. The Foreign Secretary has also discussed the urgent need for a full and unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance with the Secretary of State Rubio and Special Envoy Witkoff. The UK continues engaging with international partners to support the delivery of aid at scale. We are clear that Israel must allow the UN and other aid organisations to operate independently.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the prevalence of infectious diseases in developing nations through (a) vaccinations, (b) antiretroviral therapy and (c) other measures.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The government is committed to global health. It is one of our top priorities in our modernised approach to international development.
Our partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is an essential part of that. On 25 June at the Gavi Replenishment Summit, the Foreign Secretary announced a new investment which will support the immunisation of 62.5 million children and save 1.25 million lives. Our partnership with Gavi - £1.25 billion from 2026 to 2030 - will support the UK's health security and jobs in research and development.
The UK is also a founding member of the Global Fund. It has saved 65 million lives and reduced combined deaths across HIV, TB and malaria by 63 per cent since 2002. The UK's current pledge to the 7th replenishment (2023-25) is expected to save approximately 1.3 million lives and avert 28 million new infections across the three diseases. Amongst other things, this £1 billion funding is expected to provide antiretroviral therapy for 1.8 million people, provide Tuberculosis treatment and care for 1.1 million people and distribute 86 million mosquito nets to protect children and families from malaria.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to support developments in (a) women’s health and (b) reproductive health services in developing nations.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK uses multiple levers - policy, health and development diplomacy, as well as its Official Development Assistance budget to support developments in women's health and reproductive health services. In April 2025 at the UN Commission on Population and Development, the UK cosponsored the launch of the Global Midwifery Accelerator, encouraging partnerships and investment to end preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. In September 2024, the Government also signed the SheDecides Champion Statement on Safe Abortion Day alongside nine countries to commit to supporting comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, including safe abortion.
In December 2024, the Prime Minister announced the Grassroots and Counter Rollback Programme. This will strengthen grassroots and national civil society organisations and movements to expand access to women's health and reproductive health services, and counter the rollback on sexual and reproductive health and rights. It focuses on neglected issues, such as safe abortion, and marginalised groups whose rights and access to services are denied or curtailed.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Israel, (b) Iran and (c) the USA concerning the recent military actions in the Israel-Iran conflict.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK did not participate in recent US or Israeli military strikes. This week alone, the Foreign Secretary has spoken with, amongst others, Secretary of State Rubio, Foreign Minister Sa'ar and Foreign Minister Araghchi. I also met the Iranian Ambassador to the UK on 23 June. In our engagement with these and other nations, the Foreign Secretary and I have stressed that stability, de-escalation and restraint are key, and urged all parties to seize the opportunity for a diplomatic solution.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times has their Department accepted in full the position of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s (a) findings and (b) recommendations on (i) issuing an apology and (ii) other forms of redress in the last 10 years.
Answered by Catherine West
Since 2015, there have been 6 full Parliamentary and Health Services (PHSO) investigations regarding the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO has accepted the findings and recommendations of the PHSO on each occasion.