Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have directly funded any British medical personnel to provide medical relief and assistance to Gaza and the West Bank, with a particular focus on medical support for children.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Since the start of the conflict, we have provided £5.5 million in funding to UK-Med, enabling it to provide vital care to over 300,000 Gazans, including critical limb and life-saving surgeries, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. The UK also supported delivery of the Polio vaccination campaign, both through advocacy and our core funding to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), protecting thousands of vulnerable children across Gaza. We have pressed Israel at senior levels to urgently improve healthcare provision, including significantly increasing medical supplies, and to establish sustained, safe and timely passage for patients who need medical or surgical interventions not available in Gaza.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much medical aid and assistance they have provided to Gaza and the West Bank since the start of the current conflict there, beyond what they have provided through UNRWA.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has now announced £112 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories this financial year, including £41 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), providing vital services to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestinian refugees across the region delivered through partner agencies. This includes healthcare delivery. As part of this total, since July 2024 we have announced £5.5 million for UK-Med to operate field hospitals in Gaza, £6 million for UNICEF to support vulnerable families in Gaza by restoring water supply and sanitation systems, in addition to £1 million to support the Egyptian Ministry of Health to care for medically evacuated Palestinians, and £6 million to both United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme to support lifesaving health, food, water, sanitation and protection services for Palestinians. Our funding to UK-Med has allowed them to treat over 300,000 people since the start of the conflict.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided for medical aid to Gaza and the West Bank since the start of the current conflict there.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has now announced £112 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories this financial year, including £41 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), providing vital services to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestinian refugees across the region delivered through partner agencies. This includes healthcare delivery. As part of this total, since July 2024 we have announced £5.5 million for UK-Med to operate field hospitals in Gaza, £6 million for UNICEF to support vulnerable families in Gaza by restoring water supply and sanitation systems, in addition to £1 million to support the Egyptian Ministry of Health to care for medically evacuated Palestinians, and £6 million to both United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme to support lifesaving health, food, water, sanitation and protection services for Palestinians. Our funding to UK-Med has allowed them to treat over 300,000 people since the start of the conflict.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the level of humanitarian aid being provided to Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The situation in Gaza is desperate. Too many Palestinian civilians have been killed and there is an urgent need to get more aid to the people of Gaza to prevent a famine. We trebled our aid commitment in the last financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.
As of 9 May, the UK has participated in 12 airdrops into Gaza delivering a total of 110 tonnes of aid. On 17 April we announced £3 million of additional funding for equipment to support UN and aid agencies to get more aid into Gaza, including trucks, forklifts, generators, fuel stores and lighting towers. This follows a £9.7 million package of military and civilian support to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, including the deployment of a Navy ship.
UK support includes a field hospital, provided by UK Aid funding to UK-Med, which is up and running in Gaza and has already treated thousands of patients. We have provided funding for the World Food Programme to provide 2,000 tons of food aid, enough to feed 275,000 people in Gaza.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what level of humanitarian aid they are currently providing to Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The situation in Gaza is desperate. Too many Palestinian civilians have been killed and there is an urgent need to get more aid to the people of Gaza to prevent a famine. We trebled our aid commitment in the last financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.
As of 9 May, the UK has participated in 12 airdrops into Gaza delivering a total of 110 tonnes of aid. On 17 April we announced £3 million of additional funding for equipment to support UN and aid agencies to get more aid into Gaza, including trucks, forklifts, generators, fuel stores and lighting towers. This follows a £9.7 million package of military and civilian support to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, including the deployment of a Navy ship.
UK support includes a field hospital, provided by UK Aid funding to UK-Med, which is up and running in Gaza and has already treated thousands of patients. We have provided funding for the World Food Programme to provide 2,000 tons of food aid, enough to feed 275,000 people in Gaza.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they provided to UNRWA in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK provided the following funding to UNRWA in each of the last five financial years:
FY 2019 - 20: £65.5 million
FY 2020 - 21: £65 million
FY 2021 - 22: £11 million
FY 2022 - 23: £18.7 million
FY 2023 - 24: £35 million
The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we have paused any future funding of UNRWA.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current threat to the territorial integrity of Guyana posed by Venezuela.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela. The UK's position is clear: the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The Foreign Secretary has reassured President Ali of this. The UK continues to engage with regional partners and international bodies to de-escalate tensions.
Minister Rutley visited Guyana on 18 December. HMS Trent also visited on 29/30 December as a further signal of support for Guyana's sovereign borders.
The UK welcomes the Argyle Declaration signed by Venezuela and Guyana in St Vincent and the Grenadines on 14 December, which makes clear that Venezuela is to refrain from the use of force and any further escalation.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving Guyana to deter any aggressive territorial activity by Venezuela.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela. The UK's position is clear: the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The Foreign Secretary has reassured President Ali of this. The UK continues to engage with regional partners and international bodies to de-escalate tensions.
I [Minister Rutley] visited Guyana on 18 December. HMS Trent also visited on 29/30 December as a further signal of support for Guyana's sovereign borders.
The UK welcomes the Argyle Declaration signed by Venezuela and Guyana in St Vincent and the Grenadines on 14 December, which makes clear that Venezuela is to refrain from the use of force and any further escalation.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current threat posed by Venezuela to Guyana; and what practical support they (1) have provided, or (2) intend to provide, to Guyana.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The Foreign Secretary has reassured President Ali of this. We continue to work with regional partners and international bodies to de-escalate tensions.
Minister Rutley visited Guyana on 18 December to show UK support for its territorial integrity.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which cases against His Majesty’s Government for breaches of EU law and regulations are currently ongoing.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.