Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policy of the reconstruction in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On the reconstruction challenges facing Syria, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 4 June in response to Question 5915. The UK provided £104 million to Syria for financial year 2025/26, funding life-saving humanitarian assistance, as well as support for Syria's longer-term recovery.
On the specific issue of food security, the World Food Programme reports that conditions are gradually improving. However, more than 80 per cent of Syrian families are still unable to reliably access enough nutritious food. This assessment helps shape UK support through our agriculture and humanitarian assistance programmes, which aim to improve food security, support livelihoods and strengthen resilience.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of current levels of food security in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On the reconstruction challenges facing Syria, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 4 June in response to Question 5915. The UK provided £104 million to Syria for financial year 2025/26, funding life-saving humanitarian assistance, as well as support for Syria's longer-term recovery.
On the specific issue of food security, the World Food Programme reports that conditions are gradually improving. However, more than 80 per cent of Syrian families are still unable to reliably access enough nutritious food. This assessment helps shape UK support through our agriculture and humanitarian assistance programmes, which aim to improve food security, support livelihoods and strengthen resilience.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of UK aid cuts on the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer provided on 8 June in response to Question 5558, the UK has now allocated up to £26.9 million to support the Africa-led Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and to accelerate scientific and medical research in relation to this outbreak.
This reflects the Government's modernised development approach, both in the affected region and throughout the world: using UK finance, expertise and diplomacy to support local leadership and strengthen health systems.
Through partnerships with the World Health Organisation, Unicef, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, and national governments, we are also supporting regional preparedness initiatives, including in South Sudan, Zambia and Burundi, to help build more resilient health systems and strengthen health security across the region.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of UK aid cuts on health systems in central and southern Africa.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the answer provided on 8 June in response to Question 5558, the UK has now allocated up to £26.9 million to support the Africa-led Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and to accelerate scientific and medical research in relation to this outbreak.
This reflects the Government's modernised development approach, both in the affected region and throughout the world: using UK finance, expertise and diplomacy to support local leadership and strengthen health systems.
Through partnerships with the World Health Organisation, Unicef, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, and national governments, we are also supporting regional preparedness initiatives, including in South Sudan, Zambia and Burundi, to help build more resilient health systems and strengthen health security across the region.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made by the Sudan Atrocity Prevention Coalition to ensure justice for the people of Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-launched Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan brings together international partners to support justice, accountability, and local peacebuilding and protection efforts in Sudan, including calling for the protection of civilians where risks are clear.
Most recently, for example, the Coalition came together on 18 June at the UN Human Rights Council, to call on the Rapid Support Forces to pull back immediately from their offensive in El Obeid, and for the warring parties to urgently de-escalate, allow civilians to leave safely, and let aid in.
Through the Coalition and wider UK action, we are supporting Sudanese human rights defenders to document and preserve evidence of atrocities, coordinating sanctions against those responsible, and backing international mechanisms including the UN Fact-Finding Mission and the International Criminal Court to ensure perpetrators are held to account.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of allocating the majority of the UK’s pledge to the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in 2028/29 on the ability of the Global Fund to scale up innovations.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations announced by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March take a strategic, multi‑year approach, which will provide greater predictability and support effective planning by our partners, including multilateral organisations such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which the UK continues to back as a high‑impact institution delivering strong results. These allocations were considered in the round alongside other multilateral commitments and priorities, within a highly constrained overall ODA settlement.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations her Department has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia regarding (a) the reported increase in executions in 2024 and 2025, (b) the execution of individuals convicted of offences committed when they were under 18, and (c) the cases of individuals facing execution for protest-related offences.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Syrian interim government on constitutional protections for the political, cultural and linguistic rights of Kurdish communities as part of the ongoing integration process between the Syrian interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026. I can assure her that we continue to raise the protection of Kurdish civilians and other minority communities, as well as the importance of accountability and rule of law, as a constant subject of concern with the Syrian Government. On 27 February I spoke to Foreign Minister al-Shaibani and raised with him directly my concerns around the humanitarian situation in Kobane and the internally displaced persons camps. I also recently met with members of the UK Kurdish community to discuss their views on the 30 January agreement and their hopes for the future.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to civilian populations affected by recent military operations in North-East Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026. I can assure her that we continue to raise the protection of Kurdish civilians and other minority communities, as well as the importance of accountability and rule of law, as a constant subject of concern with the Syrian Government. On 27 February I spoke to Foreign Minister al-Shaibani and raised with him directly my concerns around the humanitarian situation in Kobane and the internally displaced persons camps. I also recently met with members of the UK Kurdish community to discuss their views on the 30 January agreement and their hopes for the future.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking through diplomatic channels to ensure accountability for attacks on civilian populations in North-East Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026. I can assure her that we continue to raise the protection of Kurdish civilians and other minority communities, as well as the importance of accountability and rule of law, as a constant subject of concern with the Syrian Government. On 27 February I spoke to Foreign Minister al-Shaibani and raised with him directly my concerns around the humanitarian situation in Kobane and the internally displaced persons camps. I also recently met with members of the UK Kurdish community to discuss their views on the 30 January agreement and their hopes for the future.