Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has (a) received representations on and (b) made an assessment of the potential relationship between (i) Confucius Institutes and (ii) the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Ministers are briefed regularly and in detail on matters relating to China. They are clear that as with all international bodies operating in the UK, Confucius Institutes must operate transparently and within the law, and with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether UK consular officials (a) have been granted consular access to Jimmy Lai and (b) are able to visit him in prison.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Ministers and officials continue to raise Jimmy Lai's case at the highest levels with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities and have been clear in our calls for his release, while continuing to press for consular access. Our repeated requests for consular access have been declined by the local authorities on the grounds the Chinese government does not recognise dual nationality and therefore considers Jimmy Lai to be exclusively Chinese. Consular access to dual nationals relies upon the agreement of the detaining state and is not covered in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent conversations with his Israeli counterpart on the protection of civilian life in Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital.
Answered by David Rutley
Hospitals in Gaza must be allowed to operate safely and treat the vulnerable. We continue to impress upon Israel the need to comply with International Humanitarian Law and take all possible precautions to protect civilians, and we will continue to do so. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon posted on X (formerly twitter) on 12 November that he is deeply distressed by the loss of life in Gaza's hospitals. On 10 November in the UN Security Council, the UK stressed that all parties to the conflict must abide by International Humanitarian Law, including by protecting civilians, civilian infrastructure and hospitals.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on responsibility for the long-term security of Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
Since Hamas' terror attacks on 7 October, the Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary have spoken with counterparts from over 20 countries, including Israel, as part of extensive diplomatic efforts to sustain the prospect of peace and stability in the Middle East. As the Prime Minister has said, there is no scenario where Hamas can be allowed to control Gaza again. We want to see a move towards a peaceful Palestinian leadership as soon as is practicable. The longer-term governance of Gaza and security oversight needs to be looked at in the round, as part of a process towards a two-state solution which ensures Israel's security and provides a better future for the people of Gaza.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to deploy specialised emergency relief and medical support teams to the Rafah crossing.
Answered by David Rutley
This is a fast-moving, complex and challenging situation. The UK has a team at the Rafah crossing to ensure we can provide the necessary medical, consular and administrative support needed. The FCDO have deployed humanitarian advisers to Cairo and Jerusalem and with the support of the Royal Air Force, have flown 51 tonnes of aid to Egypt for onward distribution to Gaza. This includes core relief items, including wound care packs, solar lanterns and water filtration devices, along with crucial enabling items such as forklift trucks. Additional Consular and Border Force staff are in country to support this work, as is an FCDO Rapid Deployment Team which arrived on 2 November and a team of British Red Cross psychological support experts. The former Foreign Secretary was in regular dialogue with his Egyptian counterpart regarding the safe exit of people from Gaza via the Rafah Crossing.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 Israeli counterpart on supporting people who have been displaced by the conflict in Gaza to return to their homes when it is safe to do so.
Answered by David Rutley
Our focus right now is getting humanitarian aid into Gaza. The most recent assessment of the United Nations is that the entire population of Gaza, some 2.2 million people, need access to safe drinking water and food. Since 7 October, the UK Government has announced an additional £30 million of humanitarian funding and sent more than 51 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). This funding will support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, water, health, shelter and protection needs in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary will continue to engage regularly and closely with his Israeli counterparts to press for humanitarian access to ensure the delivery of aid in the volume needed. The UK position is also clear: all sides must abide by their international obligations and all sides must respect International Humanitarian Law. Both the Prime Minister and the former Foreign Secretary have, in their discussions with Israeli counterparts, emphasised the importance of taking all possible measures to protect civilians.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 Israeli counterpart on the administrative detention of Palestinians.
Answered by David Rutley
The Government's position is clear: all states, including Israel, must exercise their legitimate right to self-defence in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will continue to engage regularly and closely with their Israeli counterparts on this issue. Our focus right now is securing sustained humanitarian access to Gaza, securing the release of British hostages and showing solidarity with Israel in defending itself against Hamas.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to appoint a Special Coordinator for international aid to Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is committed to easing the desperate and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while standing alongside the people of Israel against the terrorist group Hamas and supporting Israel's right to defend itself. Our support includes a £30m humanitarian aid package as well as intensive diplomatic efforts led by the Prime Minister, the former Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, to prevent regional escalation. At present, humanitarian access into Gaza is limited to the Rafah check point from Egypt. Between 1 and 2 November, Lord Ahmad visited the region where he advocated for immediate humanitarian pauses to help aid reach Gaza and for British nationals to leave Gaza. He also stressed the importance of preventing regional escalation and outlined steps towards a political resolution which provides justice and security to both Israelis and Palestinians.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 Israeli counterpart on the military detention of Palestinian children.
Answered by David Rutley
Our focus right now is getting humanitarian aid into Gaza. The most recent assessment of the United Nations is that the entire population of Gaza, some 2.2 million people, need access to safe drinking water and food. Since 7 October, the UK Government has announced an additional £30 million of humanitarian funding and sent more than 51 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). This funding will support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, water, health, shelter and protection needs in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary will continue to engage regularly and closely with his Israeli counterparts to press for humanitarian access to ensure the delivery of aid in the volume needed. The UK position is also clear: all sides must abide by their international obligations and all sides must respect International Humanitarian Law. Both the Prime Minister and the former Foreign Secretary have, in their discussions with Israeli counterparts, emphasised the importance of taking all possible measures to protect civilians.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing his Department's humanitarian funding to Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK remains committed to respond to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and has called for both parties to respect International Humanitarian Law and minimise the impact on civilian casualties. Since 7 October, the UK Government has announced an additional £30 million of humanitarian aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and sent more than 51 tonnes of emergency relief. This funding will support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, water, health, shelter and protection needs in Gaza. The UK is continuously assessing needs and advocating for access routes to be established into Gaza, for sufficient levels of humanitarian assistance to flow into Gaza and for humanitarian pauses to allow aid to be distributed within Gaza.
There is a robust framework in place for allocating Official Development Assistance (ODA), in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate. Data on ODA spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is available on DevTracker and also in our Country Development Partnership Summary (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/countries/PS). More than 80% of our ODA spend this year of UK support will be used to meet humanitarian need, or to provide vital health, education, and protection services for Palestinian Refugees.