Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to ensure Doctors Without Borders are able to access Gaza to provide aid to Palestinians.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement to the House I made on 5 January, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and several of her counterparts on 30 December, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jointstatementon-the-gaza-humanitarian-response. My officials continue to engage closely with Médecins Sans Frontières on this issue.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department holds any information on the potential use of cluster munitions in Lebanon since September 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits their production, stockpiling, transfer, and use.
We are concerned by reports of the use of cluster munitions by the Israeli Defence Forces.
We continue to urge all actors to refrain from using such munitions and to adhere to international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what conversations she has had with the British Council, since entering post.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers regularly engage with the British Council. Most recently, I met the British Council Chair and CEO on 13 November.
The British Council-delivered UK-Ukraine School Partnerships Programme is funded by the Department for Education, rather than the FCDO. New funding was announced on 13 November to support 30 additional schools and an estimated 5,000 additional pupils to benefit from the programme.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her department has made of the adequacy of the support that the British Council offers to Ukrainian refugees, through its partnership programmes with schools.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers regularly engage with the British Council. Most recently, I met the British Council Chair and CEO on 13 November.
The British Council-delivered UK-Ukraine School Partnerships Programme is funded by the Department for Education, rather than the FCDO. New funding was announced on 13 November to support 30 additional schools and an estimated 5,000 additional pupils to benefit from the programme.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will consider allowing Palestinian students starting studies at UK universities in 2025 to apply to bring dependent children to the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 27 October, the Government updated our guidance on scholarships for students from Gaza to confirm that it was now also seeking to support the departure of the dependents of those students who are eligible under immigration rules. Full details can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-students-travelling-to-the-uk-from-gaza/scholarships-for-students-from-gaza).