Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the viability of an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine; and what contribution the UK will make to it.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

It was announced on 9 December that the UK will host a key peacebuilding conference on 12 March next year, bringing together international experts and civil society organisations from the Middle East, to map existing peace-building work and support the establishment of an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine. Discussions will focus on the practical steps that the Peace Fund can best support, and the best practice that can be learned from other similar initiatives, including the International Fund for Ireland that helped support dialogue and reconciliation between unionist and nationalist communities more than a decade before the Good Friday Agreement. The fund will support activities that bring Israelis and Palestinians together to reduce violence, build trust, and create the conditions for a lasting and just peace.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Palestinian Authority through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative about reports of sexual violence against Israeli hostages in Gaza; and what support, if any, they have provided to Palestine to strengthen the prevention of sexual violence.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 19 December in response to Question HL12164.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports alleging torture and unlawful killing of civilians by Hamas in Palestine following the October ceasefire; and what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority about compliance with international law, including the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The UK is concerned by reports of torture and unlawful killings of civilians in Gaza following the ceasefire. We condemn all such acts, and reiterate that international humanitarian law must be upheld by all parties. We urge full compliance with the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Protecting civilians is essential, and we support all efforts to uphold their fundamental rights.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance and expectations relating to political activity apply to (1) teaching unions, and (2) staff, in educational settings to ensure that they do not enable harassment or discrimination against Jews and Zionists.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There is no place for antisemitism in our society.

On 18 January, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced a review into antisemitism in schools and colleges. It will examine whether institutions have the right systems to identify and address antisemitism and prejudice effectively. The review will be launched as soon as possible.

The department has already committed £7 million to support programmes that build confidence and resilience in tackling antisemitism across schools, colleges and universities.

Teachers should not promote partisan political views and should present issues in a factual, balanced way so that pupils can learn how to think critically and independently. We have published guidance for schools on political impartiality, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

Universities must have strong systems to prevent and address harassment. Under Condition E6, providers must implement clear policies for preventing, investigating and responding to harassment of all kinds. If the Office for Students finds a breach of E6, it can use a range of sanctions, including financial penalties and de-registration.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to tackle the causes of antisemitism and anti-Zionist intimidation and harassment in schools and universities; and what the timetable is for those actions.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There is no place for antisemitism in our society.

On 18 January, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced a review into antisemitism in schools and colleges. It will examine whether institutions have the right systems to identify and address antisemitism and prejudice effectively. The review will be launched as soon as possible.

The department has already committed £7 million to support programmes that build confidence and resilience in tackling antisemitism across schools, colleges and universities.

Teachers should not promote partisan political views and should present issues in a factual, balanced way so that pupils can learn how to think critically and independently. We have published guidance for schools on political impartiality, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

Universities must have strong systems to prevent and address harassment. Under Condition E6, providers must implement clear policies for preventing, investigating and responding to harassment of all kinds. If the Office for Students finds a breach of E6, it can use a range of sanctions, including financial penalties and de-registration.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what enforcement-related action they will take in relation to educational institutions that fail to protect Jewish and Israeli pupils, staff and students.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There is no place for antisemitism in our society.

On 18 January, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced a review into antisemitism in schools and colleges. It will examine whether institutions have the right systems to identify and address antisemitism and prejudice effectively. The review will be launched as soon as possible.

The department has already committed £7 million to support programmes that build confidence and resilience in tackling antisemitism across schools, colleges and universities.

Teachers should not promote partisan political views and should present issues in a factual, balanced way so that pupils can learn how to think critically and independently. We have published guidance for schools on political impartiality, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

Universities must have strong systems to prevent and address harassment. Under Condition E6, providers must implement clear policies for preventing, investigating and responding to harassment of all kinds. If the Office for Students finds a breach of E6, it can use a range of sanctions, including financial penalties and de-registration.

Found: It may have been Baroness Deech who talked about the benefit of therapy coming from those meetings.

Found: I am going back to the Asserson report, as well as the report by Danny Cohen and Baroness Deech, and