Oral Answers to Questions

Alex Davies-Jones Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Leo Docherty]

We are willing, and we are negotiating in good faith. Scotland’s scientific future will, of course, be a part of that, which is another reminder of why Scotland is better, and will flourish, within the Union.

[Alex Davies-Jones (Pontypridd) (Lab)]

2. What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent violence in Israel and Palestine.

[Tommy Sheppard (Edinburgh East) (SNP)]

4. Whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I share the sentiments of the Foreign Secretary, but last year was the deadliest year for violence in the west bank since 2005 and the cycle of violence continues. There are some trailblazing organisations working in the region using cutting-edge science and artificial intelligence technology to encourage peace and an end to the bloodshed. What recent conversations have Ministers or the Secretary of State had with their colleagues in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology about the value of those collaborative projects and their impact on a two-state solution?

[James Cleverly]

I thank the hon. Lady for the points she has put forward. I will endeavour to speak with the Secretary of State or Ministers in that Department. We will constantly explore opportunities to enhance peace and strive towards a sustainable two-state solution, whether through the most traditional people-to-people approach or through the use of AI. Whatever it takes, we are willing to consider it.