Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether conduct by members of the Israel (a) Defense Forces and (b) Police in connection with violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will fall within the scope of the expanded Global Human Rights Sanctions regime announced on 8 September 2026.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what interim measures he plans to take to restrict economic activity connected with settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory before the proposed new sanctions regime, announced on 8 September 2026, comes into force.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department will use to assess the effectiveness of the sanctions against settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory announced on 8 September 2026.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Israeli state-owned companies and contractors providing infrastructure or other services that facilitate settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will be capable of falling within the scope of the proposed settlement sanctions regime.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Israeli regional and local councils involved in the development or expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will be capable of falling within the scope of the proposed settlement sanctions regime.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the settlement sanctions announced on 8 September 2026 on the rate of settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will assess the potential benefits of imposing sanctions on Israeli public bodies exercising functions relating to the planning, financing or expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Israeli public officials involved in decisions to approve, finance or facilitate settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will be capable of designation under the proposed settlement sanctions regime.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the provision of financial services for the construction or expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will be a criterion for designation under the proposed settlement sanctions regime.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the criteria for sanctions relating to settlement expansion will include involvement in (a) allocating land, (b) approving settlement plans, (c) approving the regularisation of outposts and (d) providing infrastructure for settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is developing the detail of the measures announced on 8 September 2026 at pace. As announced by the Foreign Secretary, the new regime will provide powers to take action against individuals and entities that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity. The Government is also expanding the Global Human Rights sanctions regime to strengthen its ability to respond to serious violations of international humanitarian law. Detailed implementation arrangements will be set out in due course. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions designations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the findings of the investigation by the Guardian and Bureau of Investigative Journalism, published on 8 September 2026, that local authorities spent more than £250 million on approximately 1,800 placements in unregistered children's homes over the previous two years; and whether her Department plans to collect and publish data on (a) the number, (b) duration and (c) cost of placements in unregistered children's homes by each local authority.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Unregistered settings are illegal and may pose a significant risk to children, with no assurance about children’s safety, the staff or the environment. This is why the department is taking a number of measures to eliminate the use of such placements by local authorities.

To increase the availability of safe, registered provision, we are investing £560 million between 2026/27 and 2029/30, alongside £90 million in 2025/26, to expand local authority-owned children's homes in areas where they are needed most. We are also rolling-out Regional Care Cooperatives across the country to strengthen local commissioning, improve planning and increase purchasing power.

Through the Children Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we have strengthened Ofsted’s powers to crack down on unregistered providers by introducing uncapped financial penalties alongside exiting prosecution powers.

We are also improving transparency and oversight by introducing a dedicated category for unregistered placements within the 2026 children looked after annual return (SSDA903) completed by local authorities. This will provide the first national dataset on the use of unregistered placements, helping the department identify where and how often they are being used.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of registered children's home placements for children with complex needs; and whether she has made an assessment of whether the £53 million allocated to create up to 200 additional placements by 2029 will be sufficient to end local authorities' use of unregistered children's homes.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is taking steps to improve the availability of suitable provision for children with the most complex needs. Evidence shows that a significant proportion of these children are currently placed in unsuitable or unregistered settings because the right provision is not available. To address this, we have invested £53 million capital funding to create up to 200 places in suitable residential homes for children with multiple and overlapping needs. This investment is targeted at relieving the most critical pressures within the system. The new places will be delivered through local authority-owned children's homes, designed to enable placement stability as needs change and develop by implementing robust design and flexible technology.

Alongside this, the department has launched Home Again, a programme that will establish multi-disciplinary teams operating across regional care cooperatives. The programme aims to improve placement stability, reduce the use of unnecessary restrictive practices and lessen reliance on unregistered provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the exemption in regulation 3(1)(c) of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 for accommodation provided for holidays and other specified activities for fewer than 28 days; and whether she plans to amend this exemption.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Registered providers of children’s homes must meet the Care Standards Act 2000 and associated regulations, available at:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/14/contents.

This legislation requires providers to have an up-to-date statement of purpose, setting out how a children’s home operates. It is illegal to run or manage a children’s home or service that has not been registered with Ofsted. Mandatory registration with Ofsted ensures that appropriate oversight and checks are in place. Unregistered settings may pose a significant risk to vulnerable children as there is no assurance about the safety of children, staff or the environment.

On 1 April 2026, Ofsted updated the Social Care Common Inspection Framework to promote high-quality inspections that focus on the impact of services on the lives and relationships of children and families. Ofsted is currently consulting on further reforms, with implementation from 2027. The department is working closely with Ofsted as it updates inspection frameworks, grounded in our shared ambition to support the sector to improve services and outcomes for children and families.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) civil monetary penalties, (b) warning notices and (c) prosecutions have been issued or commenced in relation to the operation of unregistered children's homes since the commencement of the relevant provisions of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026; and what steps she is taking with Ofsted to prevent companies receiving financial benefit from operating such provision.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This is a matter for His Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. Ofsted holds the information requested. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he plans to take to prevent the potential circumvention of the proposed ban on settlement goods through the trans-shipment, processing and re-export of goods through Israel and third countries.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The measures announced by the Foreign Secretary on 8 September will restrict the import of goods originating in illegal settlements into the UK.

The UK enforces sanctions through a coordinated cross-government approach, with specialist departments and agencies responsible for specific sanctions measures.

Our trade policies are designed to be as effective as possible - UK enforcement effort will be focused on ensuring that goods originating in illegal settlements are not allowed to be imported into the UK. This will be through a coordinated cross-government approach with specialist departments, and agencies responsible for specific sanctions measures.

Where breaches occur, bodies including OFSI (the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, within HMT), HMRC, DfT, the Home Office, OTSI (the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, within BIST) and the NCA can use civil and criminal powers, which range from warnings and civil penalties to prosecution in the most serious cases including powers to confiscate assets held to be the proceeds of crime.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the retention of existing strategic export licences relating to Israel will be reassessed according to considerations of whether they materially contribute to the occupation of the West Bank.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government has concluded that Israel's ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful. We have already suspended licences for equipment that might be used by the IDF in Gaza. This suspension remains in place. Additionally, we will now refuse all applications for exports that materially contribute to the occupation.

We have also reviewed all extant licences for exports to Israel on the same basis. All licences are maintained under careful and continual review, and we can and will suspend or revoke any that we assess materially contribute to the occupation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs will take to verify whether goods imported from Israel originate in settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following the announcement of sanctions on 8 September 2026.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether UK Export Finance will exclude activities connected with the construction, expansion or economic development of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory from eligibility for its support.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

UK Export Finance (UKEF) works in accordance with government policy over sanctions and export licences, wherever they apply. UKEF does not support transactions involving illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. UKEF’s support for transactions in Israel only extends to projects within its internationally recognised borders.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to update Government guidance to UK businesses operating in or trading with Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following the announcement on 8 September 2026 that the Government considers Israel's occupation to be unlawful.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We routinely update our guidance to British businesses on the Overseas Business Risk website. Detailed guidance will be published alongside any future legislation to clarify the implications for UK businesses.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to conduct a cross-departmental review of UK Government activity that may provide assistance to the maintenance of Israel's occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following the change in Government policy announced on 8 September 2026.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary set out on 8 September the official view of the UK Government is that Israel's occupation is unlawful. He announced a series of measures to ensure the unlawfulness of the occupation is reflected in UK economic relationships. Officials are working closely across Government to put these measures in place.

Post-16 education

Defibrillators in police vehicles

Rent levels

Autumn Budget 2026

Autumn Budget 2026 (No. 2)

Speed camera guidance

Autumn Budget 2026 (No. 4)

Coventry City Council contract with Palantir Technologies

Political donations and campaign finance regulation

Birmingham Four

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Review of Personal Independence Payment

Found: Letter dated 15/09/2026 from Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Ofsted to Ayoub Khan MP