Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of legality of displacement orders in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs under international humanitarian law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure internally displaced people with chronic illnesses and other vulnerable groups can access essential medicines and health services in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that donors and the UN-led humanitarian response meet the specific and diverse needs of women and girls in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international partners on the protection of Palestinian refugees and displaced communities in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure safe humanitarian access for aid organisations in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to secure an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will bring forward a voteable motion on the use of UK military bases in connection with operations related to the escalation in the Middle East.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Defence Ministers will continue to proactively engage with colleagues on the ongoing situation in the House, as well as written questions.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of setting the annual level of student maintenance support at a level equivalent to a year's salary paid at the National Living Wage for a 36 hour week.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. However, it is essential we keep our higher education system financially sustainable.
To help students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds progress and excel in higher education, we are future proofing our maintenance offer by increasing loans for living costs in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This approach ensures that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support and provides long term certainty on the financial support students will receive while studying.
The department will also provide extra support for care leavers, who will automatically become eligible to receive the maximum rate of loan from the 2026/27 academic year.
Additionally, we are reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants, providing disadvantaged students with up to £1,000 extra per year on top of existing loans for living costs from the 2028/29 academic year.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many unminuted meetings a) the Prime Minister and b) other ministers have had with organisations with government contracts since July 2024.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Government departments publish details of all official meetings their ministers hold with external individuals and organisations every quarter.
As per Cabinet Office guidance, meetings held with external organisations regarding contracted services already being provided to departments are not routinely declared.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether receiving Personal Independence Payment for a temporary period will impact access to the proposed extended settlement period.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Personal Independence Payments constitute public funds for the purposes of the Immigration Rules. It has not yet been determined what will constitute public funds or the purposes of adjustments to the qualifying period for settlement under the earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448).
No final decisions have been taken. The proposals have been the subject of a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received and will give careful consideration to these assessments in shaping the final model, including its application to vulnerable groups.
We have committed to undertaking economic and equality impact assessments in respect of the final model, which we will publish in due course.