Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 22931 on Beijing: Embassies, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the steps required to secure planning permission and associated consents for the new British Embassy in Beijing.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary has met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on three occasions so far. They have discussed the breadth of priority foreign policy and bilateral issues.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to request an indicative vote from this House on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the Government will review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow.

When conducting the review, the Secretary of State will comply with the consultation and parliamentary requirements of the Planning Act 2008, as is usual.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will require that organisations in receipt of funding from (a) her Department and (b) its arms-length bodies should not participate in boycotts against (i) Israel and (ii) the participation of (a) Israelis and (b) people from Jewish backgrounds for events connected to that funding.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Sports, arts, and culture are powerful ways to bring communities together. As such, we do not support sports or cultural boycotts in principle, including in relation to Israel. The Secretary of State recently met with a delegation led by the Board of Deputies of British Jews to discuss their experiences of working in the arts and cultural sector at a time of increased tension in the Middle East. The government's view is that antisemitism is as unacceptable in our sectors, as it is anywhere else in society.

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