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Written Question
Arms Trade: Israel
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to paragraphs 28 and 29 of the summary grounds of the Secretary of State provided in the High Court case between the King (on the application of Al-Haq) v the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, AC-2023-LON-003634, whether any of the arms export licences identified in the Change in Circumstances review have been revoked since January 2024.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza very closely.

The Government can and does respond quickly and flexibly to changing international circumstances. All licences are kept under careful and continual review and are able to be amended, suspended, refused or revoked as circumstances require.

HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.


Written Question
Israel: Arms Trade
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many arms licences have been issued to Israel since (a) 7 October 2023 and (b) the International Court of Justice's order relating to the case of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel), published on 26 January 2024.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Department for Business and Trade will publish licensing statistics, including for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in line with its usual process.


Written Question
Windrush Compensation Scheme
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals have requested the total sum of their Windrush compensation award be reviewed for each quarter since April 2019.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Information relating to how many individuals have requested the total sum for their Windrush Compensation award offer to be reviewed is included in the Windrush Compensation Scheme Transparency Data, which is published regularly.

As set out in the Windrush Compensation Scheme Casework Guidance published online, claimants can request a review of the decision to refuse all or part of their claim. Detailed data is not published on which specific category a claimant requests to be reviewed.

The latest published data, covering the period up to November 2023, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-november-2023.

The relevant data can be found on page WCS_09.


Written Question
Gaza: Israel
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the Israeli government's compliance with the provisional measures set forth by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

We respect the role and independence of the ICJ. However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.

The court's call for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid into Gaza is a position we have long advocated.

We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.


Written Question
UNRWA: Finance
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of some countries pausing funding to the UN relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (UNRWA) on the humanitarian response in Gaza.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations. Any future funding decisions will be taken after this point. Further questions on the investigation are a matter for the UN.

However, we remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.


Written Question
UNRWA: Finance
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of funding for the UN relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (UNRWA) in the context of Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations. Any future funding decisions will be taken after this point. Further questions on the investigation are a matter for the UN.

However, we remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.


Written Question
Energy: Historic Buildings
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the guidance entitled Adapting historic homes for energy efficiency: a review of the barriers, published on 3 January 2024, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) identify and (b) tackle ineffective (i) heating and (ii) insulation within homes.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In January 2024, the Government published the cross-government review ‘Adapting historic homes for energy efficiency: a review of the barriers’, alongside an independent research report ‘Defining and identifying complex-to-decarbonise homes’.

The review looks at the practical barriers to energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures in historic homes, and sets out the actions government is taking to overcome these barriers.

The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel heating. In addition, £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028.


Written Question
Housing: Leicester East
Wednesday 31st January 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with Leicester City Council on steps it is taking to reduce damp and mould in low income households in Leicester East constituency.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, the Secretary of State wrote to all providers of social housing and to all local authority chief executives, including Leicester City Council. In these letters the Secretary of State set out his expectation that providers should go further than the letter of the Decent Homes Standard, and have particular regard to damp and mould, and that local authorities should take action to resolve poor housing conditions in their area.

All landlords have legal obligations to remedy disrepair, ensure homes are fit for human habitation and to ensure that homes are free of health and safety hazards at the most dangerous ‘category 1’ level. This includes damp and mould. As a registered provider of social housing, Leicester City Council is also required to ensure its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the accuracy of allegations of the use of white phosphorus use in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We support Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, but it must comply with International Humanitarian Law; we keep under continuous review whether they are abiding by their obligations. We are deeply concerned about the impact on the civilian population in Gaza and recognise that too many civilians have been killed. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes. We continue to call for IHL to be respected and civilians to be protected.


Written Question
Gaza: Israel
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that individuals are held to account for alleged human rights violations in the conflict in Gaza.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Israel has endured the worst terrorist attack in its history at the hands of Hamas. We support Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, but it must comply with International Humanitarian Law.

We continue to closely monitor the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including with reference to alleged violations of human rights in Gaza.

In Israel's case, in the first instance, the UK Government would expect the Israeli domestic legal system to investigate and, where appropriate, take action against those accused of human rights violations and abuses, including members of Hamas.