Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review their relationship with the government of Zimbabwe in the light of the bomb attack on the home of the opposition politician Job Sikhala.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held discussions with the government of Zimbabwe about the security situation in that country following the bomb attack on the home of the opposition politician Job Sikhala.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Zimbabwe state agents were involved in the bomb attack on the home of the opposition politician Job Sikhala.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support a just energy transition for Africa, particularly for vulnerable communities with limited access to electricity.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is strongly committed to promoting access to clean energy in Africa. Investments by British International Investment (BII) currently provide clean energy access to over 26 million people. Our £11.6 billion UK international climate finance also supports clean energy access, along with multilateral initiatives like Mission 300, aiming to connect 300 million people in Africa by 2030. The UK remains a key contributor to the International Development Association (IDA) and the African Development Fund (ADF) concessional windows at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which will fund much of Mission 300.
Flagship bilateral programmes such as the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform and the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme also make a contribution. These initiatives received significant funding boosts at COP28 and COP29 to accelerate the adoption of clean energy solutions. We will continue to collaborate with African governments and international partners to deploy innovative technologies and business models, ensuring affordable, clean, and modern energy access in Africa.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will announce a new funding round for the Energy Catalyst programme.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DSIT’s departmental-level ODA allocation was confirmed by the Chancellor in June’s Spring Statement. The full detail of DSIT's spending plans from 2026 April are still being considered. We are unable to confirm whether a new funding round will be announced for the Energy Catalyst Programme. We expect to be in a position to provide further information on what activities DSIT’s ODA will support later on this year.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with the chair, trustees and chief executive of the Samaritans regarding the implications of their decision to close at least half of their branches in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made no such assessment. The decision to close some of their branches is a matter for Samaritans.
We engage with Samaritans and other voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations closely and will continue to work with them in their important role in supporting suicide prevention efforts.
Department officials met recently with the Samaritans CEO, who set out this change programme and their plans.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed closure of at least half of the Samaritans branches on efforts to reduce suicide rates in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made no such assessment. The decision to close some of their branches is a matter for Samaritans.
We engage with Samaritans and other voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations closely and will continue to work with them in their important role in supporting suicide prevention efforts.
Department officials met recently with the Samaritans CEO, who set out this change programme and their plans.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many reports have been made through the "Report an error with your eVisa" Gov.uk online form in each of the past 12 months.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not currently available from published data and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to Hamas and the government of Israel to encourage them to return to the previously agreed ceasefire, complete the release of all hostages, and negotiate a path out of conflict.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government does not engage with Hamas, and we are clear there can be no role for Hamas in Gaza's future. However, the Government regularly engages on these issues with the Israeli Government and Palestinian counterparts in the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Fatah. Since day one, this Government has been clear that we need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages cruelly detained by Hamas, better protection of civilians, significantly more aid consistently entering Gaza, and a path to long-term peace and stability. All parties must engage with negotiations to get hostages out, surge aid, and secure a permanent end to this conflict. Diplomacy, not more bloodshed, is how we get security for Israelis and Palestinians.
The Foreign Secretary has most recently engaged on this with President Abbas and Prime Minister Mustafa, including during Prime Minister Mustafa's visit to the UK on 28 April 2025. The Foreign Secretary also raised his concerns in discussions with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on 21 May. On 19 May the UK, alongside France and Canada, issued a joint statement expressing concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. The statement called for the release of hostages, reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defence with an emphasis on proportionality, and voiced support for both a ceasefire and a two-state solution.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding compliance with international humanitarian law and restoring humanitarian access to Gaza.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We call on the Government of Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza, now. The Foreign Secretary regularly presses his Israeli counterparts on these issues. We are calling on the Government of Israel to allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza, and let the UN and humanitarians save lives. On 13 May the UK, along with European partners, called an urgent session of the UN Security Council to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary announced that we have suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement, decided to review cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap, and imposed further sanctions on settlers.