Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 ensure that (a) Dr Abu Safiya and (b) other Gazan healthcare workers who remain imprisoned in Israel are (i) released and (ii) allowed to return to providing healthcare in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 6 August to question 68153.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 potential implications for her policies of reports regarding extrajudicial killings in the Punjab region.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the human rights concerns raised about the activities of the Crime Control Department in Punjab, and we are monitoring the situation closely. Promoting human rights and the rule of law is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan, and we consistently urge the Pakistani authorities to investigate and address any breaches of those standards. Through UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), we are also supporting progress on human rights in Pakistan through dialogue, technical assistance, and targeted programming.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any of the UK Government’s pledged aid to Syria in 2025 will be directed specifically to support (a) humanitarian or (b) reconstruction efforts in the Homs region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting those affected by humanitarian crises in Syria. Over 16 million people still require humanitarian assistance and 90% of the population are living in poverty. The UK works in close co-operation with other donors and the UN on assessments and analysis of humanitarian needs across Syria. We currently support humanitarian programmes in Homs through UK contributions to a UN pooled fund.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 adequacy of humanitarian aid delivery into Gaza following the partial resumption of border crossings on 19 May 2025; and what steps the Government is taking to increase (a) access and (b) scale of aid.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are appalled by the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where famine is now unfolding, as confirmed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on 29 July. This is unacceptable. We urge Israel to lift restrictions on aid access, as we stated to the UN Security Council on 16 July. While the Israeli Defence Force's "tactical pauses" are a necessary step, they are long overdue. Alongside 30 partners, we reiterated this call in a UK-led joint statement on 21 July. The Foreign Secretary emphasized to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 July the urgent need for safe, large-scale aid delivery and condemned civilian deaths at aid sites.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent decisions with his Israeli counterpart on the extension of the internment of Dr Abu Safiya.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I remain deeply disturbed by the ongoing detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and other medical staff from Gaza. We continue to call on Israel to clarify the reasons for the detention of Dr Abu Safiya and other medical personnel, and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities.
I have specifically raised Dr Hussam Abu Safiya's case with both the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and Israel's ambassador to the UK. We are urging Israel to clarify the reasons for his detention, to allow medical workers to carry out their work safely and without hindrance, and to provide detainees with access to legal representation.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian needs in Homs, Syria; and whether any UK-funded aid programmes are currently operating in that region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting those affected by humanitarian crises in Syria. Over 16 million people still require humanitarian assistance and 90% of the population are living in poverty. The UK works in close co-operation with other donors and the UN on assessments and analysis of humanitarian needs across Syria. We currently support humanitarian programmes in Homs through UK contributions to a UN pooled fund.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to (a) his Israeli counterpart and (b) international humanitarian agencies on the entry of medical infant formula into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain gravely concerned by the lack of adequate medical care in Gaza; nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed according to the World Health Organization. Humanitarian workers must be protected and medical and aid workers must be able to do their jobs safely. On 19 May, the UK released a joint donors statement with 26 other signatories on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, calling for a full resumption of aid into Gaza and for Israel to allow the UN and other aid organisations to operate independently. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 June to press Israel to restore humanitarian access. UK support has enabled the delivery of 1.3 million items of life-saving medicines, over 70,000 wound care packs and more than 500,000 patient consultations delivered through UK-Med. We have and will continue to press Israel to allow the entry of all necessary medical and nutritional supplies.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the recent reduction in foreign aid to 0.3% of GDP on the future of Voluntary Service Overseas.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the Spending Review, detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of ongoing resource allocation processes, based on various factors including impact assessments. We are working out how our partnership with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) should evolve in line with our new approach to civil society funding which will support the sustainability of international organisations and their partners in developing countries, enabling them to become more self-sustaining and resilient in the future. We will be taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. We will publish 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the (a) timing and (b) other aspects of the (i) release and (ii) return of the vessel Madleen.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces. We pressed the Israeli authorities in advance of the ship's arrival to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law. We continue to be in touch with Israeli counterparts regarding the vessel. We continue to be clear that the Israeli government must immediately lift all restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza to address the dire humanitarian situation.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
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 international counterparts on the case of Iranian singer Amir Tataloo.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to engage in dialogue with international partners regarding the human rights situation in Iran. We have repeatedly called on Iran to establish a moratorium on the death penalty in multilateral fora, including at the UN Third Committee and Human Rights Council. The UK is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We were integral to the delivery of a new Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the Human Rights Council on 3 April, which renewed the mandates of the Special Rapporteur and Fact-Finding Mission. These mandates are essential for shedding light on Iran's abhorrent use of the death penalty and wider human rights violations.