Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding she plans to provide to the Global Fund at its forthcoming replenishment.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 September 2025 to Questions 72852 and 72853.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support work to eradicate polio globally.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 17 September to Question 76022.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to (a) match or (b) exceed the UK’s previous £650 million pledge to the African Development Fund at the forthcoming replenishment.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to delivering impactful development assistance in line with our key priorities: tackling climate change and restoring nature, boosting global health systems, and responding to humanitarian emergencies. The African Development Fund (ADF) is a vital and long-standing multilateral partner that helps us deliver on those priorities.
The UK is proud to be hosting the pledging conference for the Seventeenth Replenishment of the ADF in London in December 2025. The UK's allocation to ADF will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 21 July 2025 on Middle East, Official Report, column 595, whether UK made arms components were used in the incident at the Project HOPE health clinic in Deir al Balah.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary has said, we utterly condemn the killing of civilians seeking to meet their basic needs. Our assessment of this strike, drawing on the available evidence, including eyewitness reports in the media, is that it was a drone strike. The Government suspended all export licences for IDF drones on 2 September 2024, and we categorically do not export any bombs or ammunition for use in military operations in Gaza.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation; whether his Department plans to cooperate with this organisation; and whether it is his policy that UK humanitarian aid support for Palestine should be delivered solely by (a) the UN and (b) established humanitarian partners.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has not cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and we will not cooperate with any aid delivery mechanism that does not fully respect humanitarian principles.
Since its inception, we have highlighted repeatedly our concerns that Israel's new mechanisms for aid delivery in Gaza places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives. We continue to call on Israel to enable the UN and humanitarian non-governmental organisations to do their work safely and effectively, in line with the humanitarian principles.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had any engagement with (a) the Tony Blair Institute and (b) the Boston Consulting Group on the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials have met with the Tony Blair Institute to discuss Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 7 October 2023. We have no record of meetings with the Boston Consulting Group. We continue to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, for the release of the hostages and for Israel to allow for a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid, including allowing the entry of more types of aid such as medicine, fuel and shelter.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart to ascertain information on the (a) status and (b) wellbeing of Dr Abu Safiya.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I remain deeply disturbed by the ongoing detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and other medical staff from Gaza. We continue to call on Israel to clarify the reasons for the detention of Dr Abu Safiya and other medical personnel, and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities.
I have specifically raised Dr Hussam Abu Safiya's case with both the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and Israel's ambassador to the UK. We are urging Israel to clarify the reasons for his detention, to allow medical workers to carry out their work safely and without hindrance, and to provide detainees with access to legal representation.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to pursue (a) multilateral action and (b) a peacekeeping mandate at the United Nations Security Council to protect the provision of UN-delivered aid to Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 4 June, the UK voted in favour of a UN Security Council Resolution calling for urgent improvements to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We co-called a meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 July where we reiterated calls for a ceasefire and for Israel to lift its restrictions on aid, raising serious concerns about the imminent collapse of basic services in Gaza. On 21 July, together with 30 international partners, we released a statement condemning the appalling humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the killing of civilians, and called for the war to end immediately. On 25 July we released a statement, together with France and Germany, calling on Israel to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the government of Syria on ensuring the people responsible for attacks on the Alawite community are properly investigated and held accountable.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the Syrian Government's reassurances to the Syrian population and international community that they will protect all civilians in Syria, and their establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the violence in early March. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government and with regional and international partners.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the government of Syria on the importance of protecting the Alawite community.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the Syrian Government's reassurances to the Syrian population and international community that they will protect all civilians in Syria, and their establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the violence in early March. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government and with regional and international partners.