Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their sanctions policy in relation to Israel, following that country’s attack on Qatar on 9 September.

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

On 11 September, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward, condemned Israel's strikes on Doha as a "flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar," warning of the risk of further escalation. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have both expressed grave concern over the incident, reaffirming UK solidarity with Qatar and calling for de-escalation. Since taking office, this Government has announced three packages of sanctions in relation to Israel/Palestine. In June we imposed sanctions on Israeli Cabinet Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir, in their personal capacity for inciting violence towards Palestinians, while the previous rounds targeted individuals, illegal settler outposts and organisations perpetrating and supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the rates of child poverty in (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland.

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

Relative low income after housing costs is the government’s headline measure of poverty. Based on a three-year average for 2021/22 to 2023/24, 31 per cent of children in England, 31 per cent of children in Wales, 23 per cent of children in Scotland, and 24 per cent of children in Northern Ireland were in relative low income after housing costs.

Further statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers as part of our strategy, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.

In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. The government will provide £410 million per year by 2028-29 to expand Free School Meals eligibility to all pupils in England with a parent receiving Universal Credit. The government will also provide £80 million per year by 2028-29 for early years and post-16 settings to support this expansion. This expansion will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament. We are also establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year, including £158 million to the devolved governments, investing in local family support services and extending the £3 bus fare cap.

In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people in England can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 12 September (HL10050), what steps they are taking to accelerate the process to bring wounded children from Gaza to the United Kingdom.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government continues to work to evacuate some of the critically ill and injured children from Gaza. They will receive specialist treatment in National Health Service hospitals across the United Kingdom.

I refer the noble Lord to my Written Statement HLWS899 from 2 September 2025, available on the Parliament.UK website, which sets out the Government’s medical evacuation process from Gaza

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they plan to provide to the government of Syria to clear landmines, improvised explosive devices, and other explosive weapons.

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

Explosive ordnance continues to pose a significant threat to civilians and humanitarian workers across Syria, as well as preventing the rehabilitation of buildings such as schools and clinics, as well as agricultural land.

We provide funding to the mine action sector via the UK-led Aid Fund for Syria, the UK Global Mine Action Programme and the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We are working with partners to clear mines and unexploded ordnance in North East Syria, to allow restoration of services and landmines.