Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the amount of UK aid that has reached Gaza since 15 January 2025.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not have a breakdown of the specific amount of UK aid that has reached Gaza since 15 January 2025, but the UN reports that over 4,000 trucks of aid entered Gaza per week during the ceasefire, reaching over 2 million people. In the first days of the ceasefire, we released £17 million in additional emergency humanitarian funding for the promised surge in aid, bringing our total support this financial year for Palestinians across the region to £129 million. The UK remains strongly opposed to Israel's halt of the flow of aid into Gaza since 2 March, which risks undoing the vital progress made during the ceasefire. Since 7 October 2023, UK support has meant over half a million people have received essential healthcare, over 647,000 have received food, and over 284,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 20 March, we strongly oppose Israel's resumption of hostilities. We urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. More bloodshed is in no-one's interest. Hamas must release all the hostages and negotiations must resume. We want Israel and Hamas to re-engage with negotiations, we continue to condemn Hamas, of course, for their actions on 7 October 2023, their refusal to release the hostages, and their ongoing threat to Israel, but we are also resolute in calling on Israel to abide by international law and to lift the unacceptable restrictions on aid and demand the protection of civilians. Since the renewed outbreak of hostilities, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer on 20 March and to his Israeli counterpart Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 March.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to fund the Music and Dance Scheme in 2025-26.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department will inform Music and Dance Scheme providers about funding for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the spending review in the spring.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide further aid to (a) the Occupied Palestinian Territories and (b) Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As the Prime Minister made clear in the House on 25 February, this Government is proud of the UK's pioneering record on overseas development, and we will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Gaza. As with all Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend, any new allocations to humanitarian partners will be announced in the usual way. The UK has now announced £129 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) this financial year, including £41 million for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), providing essential services to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestinian refugees across the region delivered through partner agencies.

Found: Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts (Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan

Found: Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts (Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan

Found: Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts (Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan

Found: Nesil Caliskan: It is not.

Found: Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts (Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan

Found: Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts (Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan

Found: Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts (Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Nesil Caliskan