Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to co-operate with EU counterparts on countering foreign information manipulation.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) is a significant national security challenge for the UK and our partners. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has developed and increasingly deployed tools to combat information operations and disinformation. Alongside our EU counterparts, we are committed to expanding our counter FIMI capabilities and ensuring we have the resources, systems, and partnerships in place to address this threat. We will not allow this malign activity to go unchallenged and will look to act jointly wherever possible with our likeminded partners, including the EU and European partners. In the last six months, the UK has signed the UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership, where we have committed to increasing cooperation to tackle hybrid threats including FIMI with the EU; the UK-France Lancaster House Declaration and the UK-Germany Treaty on Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation, both of which also included commitments to increase cooperation to tackle FIMI with France and Germany respectively. I have regularly discussed these issues with my European counterparts and the European External Action Service.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to work with EU counterparts on countering foreign information manipulation and interference.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) is a significant national security challenge for the UK and our partners. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has developed and increasingly deployed tools to combat information operations and disinformation. Alongside our EU counterparts, we are committed to expanding our counter FIMI capabilities and ensuring we have the resources, systems, and partnerships in place to address this threat. We will not allow this malign activity to go unchallenged and will look to act jointly wherever possible with our likeminded partners, including the EU and European partners. In the last six months, the UK has signed the UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership, where we have committed to increasing cooperation to tackle hybrid threats including FIMI with the EU; the UK-France Lancaster House Declaration and the UK-Germany Treaty on Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation, both of which also included commitments to increase cooperation to tackle FIMI with France and Germany respectively. I have regularly discussed these issues with my European counterparts and the European External Action Service.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question HL5327 on Israel and Palestinians: Development Aid and in the context of discussions held in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the potential impact of the Associations Bill (Amendment—Donation from Foreign State Entity) 2024 on the UK’s overseas development assistance to (a) Israeli and (b) Palestinian (i) humanitarian and (ii) human rights organisations.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply troubled by the proposed non-governmental organisation (NGO) taxation bill which threatens to undermine the ability of NGOs to operate effectively and continue their essential work in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We continue to raise these concerns with the Israeli government. Israel must immediately allow the UN and NGOs to safely deliver aid at scale and in line with humanitarian principles.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
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 the availability of fuel in Gaza for (a) desalination and (b) healthcare services.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We remain deeply concerned at the lack of fuel supply in Gaza, which puts vital services such as water desalination at risk. On 18 July, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) described the deepening fuel crisis in Gaza, including the impact on solid waste collection and availability of clean water supplies and health services. We highlighted the impact of the lack of fuel on water supplies and hospitals and the critical situation for Gaza's children at a session of the UN Security Council which we co-called on 16 July. The Foreign Secretary raised the importance of ensuring adequate healthcare for Palestinians in a call with Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 July. As the Prime Minister stated on 29 July, the UK will recognize the state of Palestine in September unless Israel takes substantive steps to end the crisis, including restarting without delay the supply of humanitarian support to the people of Gaza to end starvation.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) women and (b) political prisoners under threat from the Iranian regime.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to support women and political prisoners in Iran through sustained action alongside international partners in multilateral fora. In the past eight months, the UK was integral to the delivery of two Iran human rights resolutions. The first, adopted by the UN Third Committee in November 2024, condemned Iran's intensified and targeted repression of women and girls, and called on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release persons arbitrarily detained for the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including human rights defenders, journalists and all those who remain under detention for taking part in peaceful protests. The second, adopted by the Human Rights Council in April 2025, renewed the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, and renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission to investigate a wider breadth of violations, and to establish the facts, circumstances and structural causes of such violations, including discrimination on grounds of gender and political views. Our Ambassador to Iran and I continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of telecommunications infrastructure in Sudan on the delivery of UK aid in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
More than two years of sustained conflict has devastated Sudan's essential infrastructure including telecommunications networks. Millions of people across the country continue to experience significant communications disruptions with the limited availability of internet access severely impacting humanitarian agencies. Ongoing internet outages affects people's ability to access life-saving assistance such as mobile money services and it hinders Sudanese communities from communicating about their plight. The UK continues to advocate with the warring parties to respect the civilian nature of critical infrastructure. In addition, we continue to support the World Food Programme who are leading work on behalf of humanitarian agencies through the Telecommunications Cluster to help provide communications and connectivity services to relief actors.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
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 impact of the outbreak of cholera in Sudan on the delivery of UK aid in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak with more than 83,000 cases and 2,100 deaths since July 2024. More than 33.5 million people are at risk. Humanitarian agencies, against a backdrop of continued violence and access impediments, are working to respond to the current outbreak alongside other priorities. In response the UK is supporting the United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF) and other agencies who are delivering lifesaving emergency health interventions, including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Via an aid match agreement alongside the State of Kuwait we provided an additional $5 million to UNICEF. The UK is also advocating with UN organisations to deliver a sufficiently scaled-up cholera response. We continue to urge all parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK aid has been used to support water and sanitation services for people at risk of contracting cholera in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak with more than 83,000 cases and 2,100 deaths since July 2024. More than 33.5 million people are at risk. Humanitarian agencies, against a backdrop of continued violence and access impediments, are working to respond to the current outbreak alongside other priorities. In response the UK is supporting the United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF) and other agencies who are delivering lifesaving emergency health interventions, including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Via an aid match agreement alongside the State of Kuwait we provided an additional $5 million to UNICEF. The UK is also advocating with UN organisations to deliver a sufficiently scaled-up cholera response. We continue to urge all parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
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 the availability of medical-grade baby formula at the El-Tahrir Children's Hospital in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain gravely concerned by the lack of adequate medical care in Gaza; nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed according to the World Health Organization. Humanitarian workers must be protected and medical and aid workers must be able to do their jobs safely. On 19 May, the UK released a joint donors statement with 26 other signatories on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, calling for a full resumption of aid into Gaza and for Israel to allow the UN and other aid organisations to operate independently. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 June to press Israel to restore humanitarian access. UK support has enabled the delivery of 1.3 million items of life-saving medicines, over 70,000 wound care packs and more than 500,000 patient consultations delivered through UK-Med. We have and will continue to press Israel to allow the entry of all necessary medical and nutritional supplies.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the economic (a) stability and (b) powers of people involved in human rights abuses in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns human rights violations and abuses committed by the warring parties in Sudan. Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2023, the UK has frozen the assets of nine commercial entities linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces. These sanctions were designed to disrupt the financial networks fuelling the war, to press the parties to engage in a sustained and meaningful peace process, allow humanitarian access and to commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK also supported the imposition of UN sanctions on two RSF generals for their crimes against civilians in November 2024. We will continue to work closely with partners at the UN Security Council to enforce these. UK leadership has been critical to the continued scrutiny of Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, where we are the leader of the Core Group alongside Germany and Norway. The UK also led lobbying for the renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission mandate in October 2024 to ensure allegations of human rights violations and abuses by all sides are investigated impartially.