Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions their representatives have met or had discussions with members or representatives of Hamas since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to engage with international and regional partners to support a framework for peace and transitional governance in Gaza. Discussions have focussed on supporting the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate governing body on the vital reforms they have committed to make. We have made clear that Hamas will play no future role in the governance of a Palestinian state.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with leading Palestinian groups about the next stages of governance in Gaza and support against Hamas for those groups.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK continues to engage with international and regional partners to support a framework for peace and transitional governance in Gaza. Discussions have focussed on supporting the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate governing body on the vital reforms they have committed to make. We have made clear that Hamas will play no future role in the governance of a Palestinian state.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what impact assessments they have carried out in relation to a wealth tax.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to making sure the wealthiest in our society pay their fair share of tax. That is why the Chancellor announced a series of reforms at the Budget in 2024 to help fix the public finances in as fair a way as possible. These and other decisions announced at the Budget in 2024 will help repair the public finances and fund public services such as the NHS and education.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what business representative bodies they have met to discuss the impact of the Employment Rights Bill, and whether they will publish the minutes of those meetings.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government has engaged and consulted with many business representative bodies across a wide variety of sectors on the Employment Rights Bill. The Government continues to be committed to publishing details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations. Further details of such meetings can be found in departmental transparency returns on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the letter from Lord Leong dated 19 June on "Business Support for the Employment Rights Bill", whether they will provide a list of privately owned small and medium-sized enterprises which have publicly expressed for the employment provisions in the Employments Rights Bill.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government has engaged and consulted with businesses of all sizes and will continue to do this. Many small and medium-sized enterprises support the aims of the Employment Rights Bill (the Bill) and Ministers have specifically named such businesses throughout the passage of the Bill and on other occasions in Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 7 May (HL Deb cols 1637–1638), whether they have had contact with any Palestinian representatives, other than from Hamas, in their efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
A long-lasting ceasefire is the only credible pathway towards a sustainable peace, a two-state solution and the reconstruction of Gaza. The Government regularly engages with counterparts in the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Fatah in support of this. The Foreign Secretary has engaged with President Abbas and Prime Minister Mustafa, including during Prime Minister Mustafa's visit to the UK on 28 April 2025. Minister Falconer also met Prime Minister Mustafa in Madrid on 25 May. An effective Palestinian Authority is vital for lasting peace and progress towards a two-state solution, and the UK has offered its support to the Palestinian Authority as it delivers much-needed reforms.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further the answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 29 April (HL Deb col 1188), whether the question of Palestinian children’s textbooks advocating violence was raised with Prime Minister Mustafa on his visit to the UK; and if not, when it will next be raised with the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have a regular dialogue with both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Government of Israel in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of one another to contribute to building the conditions needed for a peace. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a culture of peaceful coexistence and a negotiated solution to the conflict. Instead, we encourage promoting a more positive portrayal of one another to contribute to building the conditions needed for a peace. Our partnership with the PA includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We have been clear that any incitement to hatred or violence in children's textbooks is unacceptable and has no place in education. The UK regularly raises this issue with the Palestinian Authority, including most recently at official level on the 9 May.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the first 100 days of their administration has resulted in good governance; and whether they intend to undertake an evaluation of those 100 days.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Good governance has been and continues to be integral to our administration as we deliver our Plan for Change.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the Prime Minister’s Office, or (2) the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team, ask (a) a specific question on past criminal convictions, or (b) a generic question on potential activities in the past that might cause embarrassment for the Government, when vetting Ministers on appointment.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers. Any conversations held take place in confidence. All ministers are expected to adhere to the high standards of conduct set out in the Ministerial Code.
Asked by: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024, published on 12 December 2024, and specifically to pages 21 and 69, which senior officials had use of the official car services contracted from the Government Car Service, other than the Cabinet Secretary.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles in line with the Civil Service Management Code. For security reasons the details of specific allocations are not released.