Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 effectiveness of his policy on arms trade with Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In September 2024, we took decisive action, suspending licences for the Israeli Defence Forces that might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. We have maintained the suspension and assess there are no export licences currently being used for military operations in Gaza. This is subject to the specific measures taken with respect to the global F-35 programme.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 counterpart in Israel on preventing the forced displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This government has been clear that stability in the West Bank is crucial. All sides should work to ensure a lowering of tension in the West Bank at this time. The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions. The UK is clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and harm prospects for a two-state solution. Israel must clamp down on settler violence and end settlement expansion. We are also clear that in all but the most exceptional of cases, demolitions by an occupying power are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The Foreign Secretary discussed the West Bank with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on 15 April and has raised the situation in the West Bank with other international counterparts. During previous visits he has met with Palestinian community members in the West Bank where he heard how communities are affected.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on steps to help African countries manage (a) debt burdens and (b) service payments.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign Secretary regularly meets with international counterparts. As set out by the Foreign Secretary, Chancellor, and the former Minister for Development, tackling unsustainable debt is a key development priority for this government. Where low-income countries are facing unsustainable debt, the government's position is that they should undertake a restructuring through the G20 Common Framework. We welcome recent Common Framework debt agreements with Zambia and Ghana and are calling for efforts to strengthen and speed up debt restructurings.
We are also focussed on strengthening the system for the future. This means improving debt transparency, strengthening debt management, global implementation of sustainable lending and borrowing practices, and wider roll out of Natural Disaster Clauses which pause debt repayments when a climate or health disaster hits.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 uphold human rights in Sudan.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
In November, the Minister for Africa chaired a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting stressing the urgent need to protect civilians in Sudan and supporting the Secretary General's recommendations on the protection of civilians. The UK co-led a protection of civilians UNSC resolution on Sudan which received unanimous support apart from Russia, who chose to veto it. We continue to explore ways to move forward with an updated Council product that will not be blocked again by Russia. At the UN Human Rights Council in October 2024, the UK led lobbying efforts to secure a mandate extension for the UN Fact-Finding Mission that investigates human rights abuses in Sudan. The UK strongly supports the International Criminal Court's (ICC) active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023. This support has included the secondment of expert investigators to support the ICC's work in several countries.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 promote freedom of religion and belief internationally.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding, including the FCDO John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects. The appointment of David Smith MP as the Special Envoy for FoRB is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 support the rights of children in countries most impacted by climate change.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
This Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights. We know that children are disproportionately at risk from the effects of climate change, and children and young people will be at the forefront of shaping a resilient, sustainable future. The UK-led Glasgow Climate Pact urges Parties and stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth participation and representation in multilateral, national and local decision-making processes. We championed this approach at COP29, where I met with youth climate activists from developing countries, and where UK Special Representative for Climate Rachel Kyte attended events alongside universities and the UN Youth Office to highlight the critical role of youth in climate action.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure compliance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK's long-standing policy that any determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying and individual or national interest.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of (i) hospitals and (ii) primary health care centres and (b) availability of (i) medicine and (ii) basic medical supplies in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain gravely concerned about the deteriorating health provision in Gaza, particularly in the north. It is unacceptable that northern Gaza now has no fully functioning hospitals. On 5 November, I reiterated this in a call with Israel's Ambassador to the UK. At a UK-chaired meeting of the UN Security Council on 12 November, Lord Collins expressed our condemnation of Israel's ongoing aid restrictions. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary pressed Israel to increase aid flow in calls with their counterparts on 19 and 27 October. This Government is clear that Israel must also do much more to protect civilians, healthcare infrastructure and humanitarian workers, including the medics northern Gaza desperately needs. The UK is supporting the provision of essential healthcare to Palestinians, including through field hospitals operated by UK-Med in Gaza, and through support to the Egyptian health ministry to care for medically evacuated Palestinians.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 Pakistan Government on the rights of minority groups in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We work to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards. I (Minister Falconer) underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 19 November. On 20 November, I attended a meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mosin Naqvi, where the British High Commissioner and I raised concerns about threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on allowing humanitarian assistance to be delivered in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear that Israel can and must do more to get aid into Gaza. The Prime Minister stressed this in a call with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on 19 October, and the Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his call with the then Foreign Minister Katz on 27 October. On 5 November, I spoke to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK to underline the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's key role in delivering lifesaving aid to those most in need. As the Prime Minister said on 28 October, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is simply unacceptable, particularly in the North. October saw the lowest number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza since the crisis began. We continue to work alongside partners to press for an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a significant increase in aid to Gaza.