Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the provisions in the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill on (a) the Welsh Government, (b) Welsh Government funded public bodies and (c) Welsh local authorities and their freedom to not procure goods originating from Israeli settlements deemed to be illegal under international law.

The bill is designed to implement the Government’s manifesto commitment to "ban public bodies from imposing their own direct or indirect boycotts, disinvestment or sanctions campaigns against foreign countries”. As such, and to ensure a consistent foreign policy approach across the UK, the Bill applies to public bodies across the whole of the UK and therefore the Welsh Government, Welsh public bodies, and Welsh local authorities will be subject to the ban. Accordingly, we are seeking a legislative consent motion to apply the ban to Ministers of the Welsh Government.

The Government’s position on the settlements in the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ and indeed the Middle East Peace Process more generally is unchanged.