Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 bodies on the discovery of aid workers handcuffed in a mass grave in Gaza in March 2025; and whether he plans to call for an independent investigation into these deaths.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We were outraged at the recent deaths of Palestine Red Crescent medics and other humanitarian workers. At the UN Security Council meeting on 3 April, we called for this incident to be investigated fully, transparently and for those responsible to be held to account. We continue to make representations to the Government of Israel to ensure aid workers are protected, to urgently restore deconfliction systems, and to call for full investigations and accountability for the killing of humanitarian workers, including regarding the Palestine Red Crescent Society incident.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations the Government has made to (a) the UN Security Council and (b) other international partners on the reported targeting of humanitarian workers in Gaza; and if he will have discussions with international counterparts on stronger measures to hold people responsible to account.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are appalled by the recent increase in strikes on aid workers. Gaza remains the most dangerous place for aid workers in the world. In partnership with France, we called a meeting of the Security Council on 28 March to advocate for greater protection for aid workers in Gaza. At the UN Security Council meeting on 3 April, we urged Israel to conduct thorough investigations into all incidents involving aid workers and medical personnel, and ensure accountability for those responsible. We continue to make representations to the Government of Israel to stress the importance of ensuring aid workers are protected, and to call for full investigations and accountability for the killing of humanitarian workers.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of humanitarian personnel working in (a) Gaza and (b) other conflict zones; and if he will review the Government's (a) arms exports and (b) military cooperation with states found to be violating international humanitarian law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Gaza remains the most dangerous place for humanitarians in the world, with over 400 killed since 7 October 2023. Humanitarian personnel must be protected and never targeted. At the UN Security Council meeting on 3 April, we urged Israel to respect deconfliction notifications from aid workers, to allow them to operate without coming under attack. Globally, the UK uses its bilateral relationships, and partnerships with humanitarian actors on the front line to encourage parties to consent to humanitarian relief operations, facilitate unimpeded access, and protect civilians including humanitarian aid workers. We provide direct investment to support the protective measures our partners require to work safely, the freedom to use different approaches to increase access to aid and reduce risks, and flexible funding to enable our partners to strengthen their risk mitigation strategies when required. The government is committed to maintaining a robust export control system. An export licence would not be granted if it was incompatible with any of the criteria, including respect for international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the Israeli military’s compliance with international humanitarian law, in the context of reports of targeted killings of humanitarian personnel in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are appalled by the recent increase in strikes on aid workers. Gaza remains the most dangerous place for humanitarians in the world. We have been clear that humanitarian and medical personnel must be protected and never targeted. We have urged Israel to conduct thorough investigations into all incidents involving aid workers and medical personnel, and ensure accountability for those responsible. International Humanitarian Law (IHL) assessments on Israel's compliance and commitment continue on a regular basis. Previous assessments have raised concerns about possible breaches of IHL in the areas of humanitarian access and in the treatment of detainees. Details of the assessment process are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account/summary-of-the-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account#:~:text=The%20assessment%20addresses%20Israel%E2%80%99s%20record%20of%20compliance%20in
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to support (a) international legal action and (b) referrals to the International Criminal Court against people responsible for (i) violations of international humanitarian law and (ii) the killing of aid workers in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is appalled at the recent killings of aid workers and health workers in Gaza. In our diplomatic engagement with the Government of Israel and at the UN Security Council we have called on Israel to conduct thorough investigations into all incidents involving aid workers and medical personnel and ensure accountability for those responsible. We have also urged Israel to cooperate fully with the UN fact-finding mission into the hit on a UN compound on 19 March. We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC); It is for the ICC Prosecutor, having reviewed the evidence from his investigations, to determine independently who should be prosecuted in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute. And it is for courts to rule on violations of international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that British nationals visiting countries with a high risk of methanol poisoning are adequately (a) informed and (b) protected.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The risks of methanol poisoning are included in our travel advice pages where we see evidence of a trend that is likely to affect British nationals in that country or territory.
We include information about the risks from methanol poisoning or counterfeit alcohol in our Travel Advice pages for Cambodia, Costa Rica, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. In determining what we include in our Travel Advice, we assess a range of factors, including drawing on local knowledge and monitoring trends in consular cases.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to update travel advice for British nationals to include stronger warnings about the risks of methanol poisoning in high-risk destinations.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The risks of methanol poisoning are included in our travel advice pages where we see evidence of a trend that is likely to affect British nationals in that country or territory.
We include information about the risks from methanol poisoning or counterfeit alcohol in our Travel Advice pages for Cambodia, Costa Rica, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. In determining what we include in our Travel Advice, we assess a range of factors, including drawing on local knowledge and monitoring trends in consular cases.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has reviewed the effectiveness of warnings on methanol poisoning on its website; and what steps he is taking to ensure those warnings reach young travellers.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since November 2024 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has proactively communicated the risks of methanol poisoning to British travellers through Travel Aware, the FCDO's public-facing campaign that aims to prevent consular assistance cases. This includes:
We regularly review our social media engagement. Travel Aware methanol-related posts received 41,103 views in the period 28 November 2024 - 6 March 2025.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to implement a public awareness campaign on the risks of methanol poisoning for British nationals travelling abroad.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since November 2024 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has proactively communicated the risks of methanol poisoning to British travellers through Travel Aware, the FCDO's public-facing campaign that aims to prevent consular assistance cases. This includes:
We regularly review our social media engagement. Travel Aware methanol-related posts received 41,103 views in the period 28 November 2024 - 6 March 2025.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with this counterparts in (a) Indonesia and (b) Laos on (i) tackling methanol poisoning and (ii) protecting tourists from (A) counterfeit and (B) contaminated alcohol.
Answered by Catherine West
Following the tragic incident that caused the deaths of 6 people on 14 November 2024, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice for Laos and Indonesia was updated to warn about the risks of methanol poisoning. We continue to press the local authorities for a full investigation and steps to prevent such contaminated alcohol being sold. Some local Lao brands of alcohol remain restricted from sale. Our Travel Aware campaign will continue to encourage British nationals who are planning to travel abroad to read the latest FCDO travel advice and sign up for e-mail alerts.