Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Palestinian Authority on its decision to increase payments to those convicted of terrorist offences and to the families of those who have died carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel.

We are not currently aware of any recent decision to increase these payments. We regularly raise the issue of payments to prisoners and their families with senior Palestinian officials. We push them to ensure that such payments are transparent and needs-based.