Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer to Question 104985, whether the Government is aware of which independent audit firm the Palestinian Authority has contracted to complete the review of curriculum reform.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I currently have nothing further to add to the previous answer to which the Hon Member refers in his question. As and when there is further information to report on this matter, I will update him and other Members accordingly.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 the Taliban's decision to permanently ban women and girls from education.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 January in response to Question 103187.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 security situation in North-East Syria on humanitarian operations; and what steps she is taking to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my written ministerial statement on 28 January.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken in response to the situation in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 13 January, and to my responses in the Urgent Question debate on 19 January.
Asked by: Lord Bates (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much Official Development Assistance they contributed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The table below shows UK ODA funding in 2023 and 2024 provided to the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The figures do not capture funding to Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement organisations where they are a partner further down the delivery chain.
Organisation | 2023 £ thousand | 2024 £ thousand |
International Committee of the Red Cross | 130.2 | 176.6 |
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies | 17.7 | 17.6 |
National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies | 0 | 4.7 |
Total | 147.9 | 198.9 |
Figures for 2025 will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bates (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to announce the 2026 Official Development Assistance budget allocations; and whether they will make the announcement by means of an oral statement to both Houses.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The allocations in question will be set out in the coming months, and we will confirm details of that planned announcement in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department has offered to the a) Republic of Mozambique, b) Republic of Zimbabwe and c) Republic of South Africa following the recent flooding incidents in those countries; and what direct engagement has taken place between His Majesty's Government and Ministers in each nation about the recovery effort.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK was one of the first countries to step up with lifesaving assistance for Mozambique. We delivered a £2 million increase in humanitarian funding, building on earlier action in 2025 to help communities prepare for increasingly frequent climate-related disasters. This support enabled the deployment of a specialist UK International Search and Rescue team, which saved dozens of lives, and helped provide emergency sanitation and health support to those most in need through local partners. The Minister of State for Development has just returned from Mozambique and saw first-hand the impact of the UK's flexible and rapid response to the crisis.
We have not had any direct ministerial engagement with Zimbabwe or South Africa on this matter, but we continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will have discussions with her counterpart in Pakistan about the abduction of Women in Balochistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses in Pakistan, including in Balochistan. Advocating for civil and political rights is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement with Pakistan. To that end, I raised human rights issues on several occasions with Pakistan's Interior and Human Rights Ministers and Deputy Prime Minister last year. Our High Commission in Islamabad also regularly engages on these issues with the Government of Pakistan at the highest levels, as well as supporting a variety of UK-funded programmes promoting human rights in Pakistan. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan in accordance with its constitution and international standards.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of China about the redevelopment of the UK embassy in Beijing; and whether they discussed the construction of a new Chinese embassy in London in those talks.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 4 April 2025 to Question HL6121, and to the subsequent statement made to the House by Baroness Anderson of Stoke‑on‑Trent on 26 January setting out the decision taken by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
We have been clear throughout that the planning decision was for the Secretary of State at MHCLG to make in an independent, quasi-judicial capacity.
While it has been clear for a number of years that we need to rebuild our own Embassy in Beijing, which is in a poor condition and not suitable for managing a diplomatic relationship with a country as consequential to UK and global interests as China, that cannot be, and has not been, factored into this planning decision by the Secretary of State at MHCLG.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 help stop illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers given to Question 907375 on 20 January, Question 77510 on 15 October 2025, and Question 74580 on 17 September 2025.