Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Appendix ECAA visa holders will be affected by retrospective changes to settlement requirements.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ’A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement, such as those currently on ECAA visas. In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the ECAA route will continue to apply.
Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following the consultation.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain status on (a) holders of ECAA Turkish Businessperson visas and (b) their businesses in the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ’A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
Time spent in routes that currently count towards settlement after 5 years will continue to count towards the new standard qualifying period.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Protections will be put in place where appropriate.
Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following the consultation and will be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of attacks and sexual violence against the Kurds in North East Syria; and what discussions they have held with the governments of Turkey and Syria about these attacks.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to my written ministerial statement HLWS1285, made on 28 January.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the revenue to be raised by foreign military sales of Eurofighter Typhoons to Turkey.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Government is committed to supporting the export of defence equipment, including the Eurofighter Typhoon. The sale of Typhoon jets to Türkiye is worth up to £8 billion, supporting 20,000 highly skilled UK jobs. This deal represents the leading edge of our future relationship with Türkiye, making both our nations, Europe and NATO stronger, safer and more prosperous.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his Department expects the impact to be on UK GDP from an upgraded UK-Republic of Turkey agreement.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is too soon to presume on the final outcomes of FTA negotiations; we are making strong progress with a fourth negotiation round scheduled next month.
Turkey is an important trading partner for the UK, with bilateral trade worth £28 billion in the 12 months to September 2025, doubling in current prices over the past decade. The current agreement ensures tariff free trade on over 99% of goods but does not include any services provisions. This new deal will focus on the UK’s strengths in services, which account for 81% of GDP.
Once an upgraded UK–Turkey FTA is signed we will publish detailed information, alongside an impact assessment, including trade impacts.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to review the suitability of Turkey as a recipient of foreign aid.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Decisions on allocations of Official Development Assistance for the next three years are currently under consideration, and will be announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British citizens were murdered in overseas countries in each of the last five years by country .
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since 2021 we have supported bereaved families in approximately 250 cases of the murder or manslaughter of British nationals abroad. To protect the privacy of the bereaved, we do not publish country‑level figures where fewer than five cases are recorded. Fifteen countries recorded more than five such cases since 2021: Pakistan, Spain, the United States, South Africa, Israel, Australia, Jamaica, France, Thailand, Kenya, New Zealand, Mexico, Turkey, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago. All other countries recorded fewer than five cases individually over that time period.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential value to the UK economy of enhanced services trade provisions in the UK-Turkey Free Trade Agreement; what specific barriers to UK services exports to Turkey are being addressed in the negotiations referenced in his written ministerial statement of 11 December 2025; and what recent developments have taken place in negotiations regarding mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Detailed economic scoping analysis of an upgraded UK-Turkey FTA was published in March 2024. A full Impact Assessment will be published upon the completion of negotiations.
In the four quarters to the end of Q2 2025, UK-Turkey bilateral services trade was worth £7.7 billion, with UK exports comprising £3.4 billion. Despite this strong performance, Turkey is a relatively restrictive services export market, with an above-average OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index scoring. We are seeking to ease this restrictiveness, providing improved market access and greater legal certainty for UK services exporters, including through provisions on recognition of professional qualifications.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of UK business sectors that will fall within scope of the market-access discussions with Turkey.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is too soon to presume on the final outcomes of FTA negotiations with Turkey, but we have held three successful rounds of negotiations to date.
We already have a goods focussed FTA with Turkey, providing tariff-free access on industrial goods. Both countries are now working towards ambitious outcomes across trade in services and digital trade, areas not covered by the existing agreement. We will continue to work with our independent regulators on any decisions relating to cooperation with Turkey.
Our prioritisation decisions will align with our Industrial Strategy - including its eight sectors of focus - and Trade Strategy and will be informed by the latest economic data, with the aim of fulfilling our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what processes his Department uses to determine which UK industries will be prioritised during negotiations for an enhanced free trade agreement with Turkey.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is too soon to presume on the final outcomes of FTA negotiations with Turkey, but we have held three successful rounds of negotiations to date.
We already have a goods focussed FTA with Turkey, providing tariff-free access on industrial goods. Both countries are now working towards ambitious outcomes across trade in services and digital trade, areas not covered by the existing agreement. We will continue to work with our independent regulators on any decisions relating to cooperation with Turkey.
Our prioritisation decisions will align with our Industrial Strategy - including its eight sectors of focus - and Trade Strategy and will be informed by the latest economic data, with the aim of fulfilling our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.