Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will set out how her Department assesses peace initiatives relating to Gaza, including on the cessation of violence, lifting of blockades, and protection of civilian infrastructure.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to supporting the delivery of the 20-point peace plan for Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025. We continue to monitor the situation in Gaza closely, alongside our international partners.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the sale of the qualifications arm of City & Guilds on qualification fees, provision, workforce employment and other aspects of the further education sector.

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

Following the sale of City and Guilds Ltd, we understand that organisation will continue to deliver qualifications within the further education sector and work constructively with providers as usual. As the regulator of qualifications, Ofqual has responsibility for ensuring that recognised awarding organisations meet their obligations on qualifications quality and public confidence. We understand that Ofqual also monitors qualifications prices and publishes this data annually.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of current charging thresholds for domestic abuse-related common assault offences on the ability of the police to bring timely charges.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We remain committed to supporting the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police in exploring how expanding police-led charging decisions for specific domestic abuse cases can improve outcomes for domestic abuse victims and survivors.

The Home Office has been working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the CPS to expand police charging authority to include certain domestic abuse (DA) flagged offences, aligning with the ambitions of the Government’s Manifesto Commitments.

As set out in the recent Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the Government will work with the CPS and police to strengthen access to justice for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This includes reviewing the time limits for charging domestic abuse-related summary offences and considering whether greater flexibility could help reduce the number of timed-out cases.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether charging thresholds for domestic abuse-related common assault support early intervention in cases of repeat offending; and whether she plans to review the existing charging framework.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We remain committed to supporting the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police in exploring how expanding police-led charging decisions for specific domestic abuse cases can improve outcomes for domestic abuse victims and survivors.

The Home Office has been working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the CPS to expand police charging authority to include certain domestic abuse (DA) flagged offences, aligning with the ambitions of the Government’s Manifesto Commitments.

As set out in the recent Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the Government will work with the CPS and police to strengthen access to justice for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This includes reviewing the time limits for charging domestic abuse-related summary offences and considering whether greater flexibility could help reduce the number of timed-out cases.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the policy of automatic off-rolling to ensure a formal review and hearing occurs before any decision is made.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

This government is clear that off-rolling in any form is unacceptable, and we will continue to work closely with Ofsted to tackle it.

Pupils may leave a school roll for many reasons, including permanent exclusion, transfer to another school or change of circumstances. All schools are legally required to notify the local authority when a pupil’s name is removed from the admissions register.

The law is clear a pupil’s name can only be deleted from the admission register on the grounds prescribed in Regulation 9 of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many items of protective body armour his Department has supplied for use by journalists operating in Gaza since October 2023.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade does not supply body armour, and the export of body armour for personal protection when accompanying its user (for their own use) is not subject to export control.

Nonetheless the Department has approved 12 licences for the export of protective body armour for use by news organisations in Israel or Palestine since October 2023. Of these, 9 relate to Media Open Individual Licences which allow export to a wide range of countries. Similar equipment has also been licensed for export for use by NGOs in the region.

The UK is appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the State of Palestine. We have called on all parties to fully uphold International Humanitarian Law and ensure protection of civilians including journalists.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government awarding contracts for software and related services to (a) Palantir and (b) any other overseas technology companies on national security.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence has policies and procedures to address the security risk from overseas suppliers, which consider both the nature of the procurement and the potential risks posed by the relevant state. These procedures are in addition to our usual cyber security and resilience controls on all suppliers.

We do not disclose details of security risk policy and procedures as they could be useful to a potential adversary.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to raise public awareness of the impact of methane-reducing feed additives used in livestock farming.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have a system. Methane-reducing food products, including seaweed, oils and synthetic products such as Bovaer, are a key tool in reducing emissions from agriculture by up to one third. Bovaer is approved for use in 70 countries, including those in the EU, Switzerland, the US, Canada and Australia. We are building the market for safe, effective options and helping farmers to adopt them. Such products are approved by the Food Standards Agency, and that advice has not been changed. Bovaer has been reviewed by 100 peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress she has made on making an assessment of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 November 2025 to Question 85800.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to implement the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 November 2025 to Question 85800.

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