Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2024 to Question 22087 on Elbit Systems UK: Exports, whether the items approved for export under the temporary standard individual export licence granted to Elbit Systems Limited in Israel are used in the Hermes 450 drone.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The items licensed for export under the temporary Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) were intended for flight trials and testing. Items exported under a temporary SIEL must be returned to the UK within 12 months of the date on which the licence was granted.
We are monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza very closely. All licences are kept under careful and continual review, and we are able to amend, suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2024 to Question 22087 on Elbit Systems UK: Exports, whether she holds information on the type of items approved for export under the temporary Standard Individual Export Licence granted to Elbit Systems Limited in Israel; and whether those items were used in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The items licensed for export under the temporary Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) were intended for flight trials and testing. Items exported under a temporary SIEL must be returned to the UK within 12 months of the date on which the licence was granted.
We are monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza very closely. All licences are kept under careful and continual review, and we are able to amend, suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend member and trade union representation to the board of the Pension Protection Fund.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is no legal requirement for the Board of the Pension Protection Fund to include member or trade union representation, and there are no plans to extend representation to these groups.
The Pension Protection Fund does, however, have Member Panels – which Board members are invited to attend – to enable members to feed in views on the service offered and thoughts about changes that could be made in the future.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether an Elbit Systems UK (a) company, (b) subsidiary and (c) agent has been issued with a licence to export aero-engines for military use since 2008.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
Our records show that since 2008 and up to 30 June 2023, which is the date of the Government’s most recent Official Statistics release on export licensing decisions, we have not issued an export licence to ‘Elbit Systems UK’ to export aero-engines for military use.
Our records also show that as at 30 June 2023, we had granted one temporary Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) to export military aero-engines to ‘Elbit Systems Limited’ in Israel.
We do not hold a comprehensive list of all of the subsidiaries or companies owned by Elbit Systems Limited.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether military aero-engines have been exported to (a) Elbit subsidiaries and (b) companies owned by Elbit Systems Ltd in Israel.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
Our records show that since 2008 and up to 30 June 2023, which is the date of the Government’s most recent Official Statistics release on export licensing decisions, we have not issued an export licence to ‘Elbit Systems UK’ to export aero-engines for military use.
Our records also show that as at 30 June 2023, we had granted one temporary Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) to export military aero-engines to ‘Elbit Systems Limited’ in Israel.
We do not hold a comprehensive list of all of the subsidiaries or companies owned by Elbit Systems Limited.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Canadian counterpart on the reasons for which that country has suspended arms exports to Israel.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have regular engagement with our allies, including Canada, on the conflict. Canada has made clear that, while it has not approved new licences for military equipment since 8 January of this year, it has not suspended extant licences approved before that date.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many foreign officials have been granted special mission status to visit the UK in each year since 2011; and if he will list the (a) names and (b) country of origin of those officials.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in 2013 by the former Foreign Secretary William Hague, a special mission is a 'temporary mission, representing a state, which is sent by one state to another with the consent of the latter, in order to carry out official engagements on behalf of the sending state'. Since starting to issue special mission status (SMS) certificates in 2013, the FCDO has given consent for 57 special mission status visits to the UK for the following officials and their delegations:
2013 | Israel | · Maj. Gen. (res) Amos Yadlin, Former Chief of Military Intelligence DMI; Deputy Commander of Air Force · Maj. Gen. (res) Doron Almog Senior Adviser on Beduoin Issues (cancelled) · Lt. Gen. Benjamin Gantz, Chief of Defence Staff, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) · Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of International Affairs, Strategy and Intelligence |
2014 | Egypt | · Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Abdul Nasr, Minister of Education (cancelled) · Mr Mounir Faqhry Abdel Noor, Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment · Ambassador Yasser Atef, Deputy Assistant Minister for European Affairs · Dr Sherif Mohamed Ali Hammad, Minister of Scientific Research · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Staff of Egyptian Armed Forces · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister for Foreign Affairs · Dr Mahamoud Aboel Nasr, Minister of Education |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Minister for Justice · Ms Tzipi Livni, Minister for Justice | |
Iran | · Mr Ebrahim Rahimpour, Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Oceania | |
2015 | Egypt | · Dr Mahmoud Abdoul Nasr, Minister of Education · Mr Ashraf Salman, Minister of Investment · Mr Ashraf Salman, Minister of Investment · Dr Hany Kadry Demain, Minister of Finance · Prof. Dr SHerif Hammad, Minister of Scientific Research · Sheikh Dr Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam · Mr Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Foreign Minister · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Defence Staff · Mr Tarek Kabil, Minister of Trade and Industry · Mj. Gen. Mohamed Elkeshky, Assistant to the Minister of Defence for International Relations · Mr Khaled Fawzy, Chief of General Intelligence · Dr Ahmed Emad Eldin Rady, Minister for Health · President Sisi's Advance Delegation · President Sisi's Delegation · Major General Mohammad Farag Elshahat, Head of Military Intelligence |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Member of the Israeli Knessett · Delegation of Former Security Officials · Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister · Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Chief of Military Intelligence | |
Qatar | · H.E, Dr. Ali bin Fetais Almarri, Attorney General | |
2016 | Egypt | · Mr Ashraf El Sheihy, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research · Mr Saad Elgyoushi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research · Mr Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Foreign Minister |
Qatar | · H.E, Dr. Ali bin Fetais Almarri, Attorney General. | |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Member of the Israeli Knessett · Maj. Gen. (ret) Amos Yadlin, Director, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) · Mr Shaul Mofaz, Former CDS and Minister of Defence · Mr Avi Dichter, Member of the Israeli Knessett | |
Rwanda | · Mr James Kararebe, Minister of Defence | |
2017 | Egypt | · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ibrahum Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces. · Eng. Sherif Ismail, Prime Minister · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
2018 | Saudi Arabia | · Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia |
2019 | Egypt | · Mr Mahmoud Sharawy, Minister of Local Development · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
2020 | Egypt | · Mr Abdel Fattah Alsisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
Saudi Arabia | · Colonal Turki Al Maliki, Coalition Spokesman and Joint Head of Delegation | |
2021 | Egypt | · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
2022 | Egypt | · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
Saudi Arabia | · Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. (cancelled) | |
2024 | Israel | · Mr Benny Gantz, Minister of the State of Israel |
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds 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 implications for his policies of the investigation by the UN into an Israeli military airstrike on a residential compound in Al Mawasi in Gaza on 18 January 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign Secretary has underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, and ensure effective systems to guarantee the safety of humanitarian operations. It must take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities.
We continue to raise this with Israel at the highest levels.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has investigated whether UK arms were used in the Israeli military airstrike on a residential compound in Al Mawasi in Gaza on 18 January 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign Secretary has underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, and ensure effective systems to guarantee the safety of humanitarian operations. It must take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities.
We continue to raise this with Israel at the highest levels.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to what date UK funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been transferred to that body; and whether any funding has been provided for the financial year 2024-25.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.
The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year.
Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response.