Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what action she is taking to support mine clearance, risk education, and safe access to schools, agricultural land, and residential areas in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help support the inclusion of Syrian youth and women in post-conflict reconstruction and decision-making processes including funding for locally-led initiatives and civic empowerment programmes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support employment, vocational training, and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in Syria, particularly in areas affected by conflict and sanctions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the rebuilding of schools, the training of teachers, and the provision of learning materials in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Israeli government on its land registration process in Area C of the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn the decision to expand land registration requirements in Area C of the West Bank, and other recent Israeli Security Cabinet decisions that extend Israel's control over the West Bank, and accelerate illegal settlement activity.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is she taking to further strengthen protections for British citizens, including those facing intimidation and surveillance in the UK from the IRGC.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the detailed answer on this issue provided by Lord Hanson on 19 March in response to Question HL15182.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the ongoing situation in Iran on the conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK was clear from the outset of the conflict with Iran that we did not want to see it escalate and spread to other countries in the region, including Yemen, where more than 22 million people are already in need in of humanitarian assistance and 18.3 million are acutely food insecure. The UK remains firmly committed to supporting a UN‑led political process in Yemen, and working towards a lasting political settlement, peace and stability.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Human Rights Watch's report entitled Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus, published on 9 March 2026, whether her Department has assessed the compliance with international humanitarian law of Israel's conduct of hostilities in Lebanon in the context of arms export controls.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is aware of the Human Rights Watch report and takes all reported violations of international humanitarian law extremely seriously. The UK does not export any bombs or ammunition for use in Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 establish an independent UN investigation into civilian casualties and possible war crimes in the US conflict with Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has maintained the position over several decades that all parties in all conflicts should comply with International Humanitarian Law and take every possible step to minimise harm to civilians. We continue to support the remit and independence of the established bodies who monitor compliance with these principles.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of Israeli settlers carrying out attacks on mosques during Ramadan in the occupied West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all around the world, including in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The UK Special Envoy for FoRB discussed the issue of access to holy sites during his visit to the Holy See in March 2026. We condemn the record levels of settler violence in the West Bank, and we are carefully monitoring restrictions on movement and access that affect holy sites.