Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government’s assessment is of the steps required by the UK and international allies to help prevent further illegal settlement building and settler violence in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers I gave on this issue in Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office oral questions on 3 March, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and fourteen of her overseas counterparts on 24 December 2025 condemning condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-israeli-settlement-expansion-in-the-west-bank.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what analysis the Government has undertaken to assess levels of increases of illegal settlement building in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answers I gave on this issue in Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office oral questions on 3 March, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and fourteen of her overseas counterparts on 24 December 2025 condemning condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-israeli-settlement-expansion-in-the-west-bank.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure compliance with International Law with reference to cross-border military actions in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 11 March to Question 116086.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international allies to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 11 March to Question 116086.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international allies to secure a long-term ceasefire in Lebanon and encourage the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 20 November in response to Question 91653.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to ensure the protection of the rights of minority ethnic Bosniaks living in Republika Srpska.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with our international partners and parties across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to uphold the Dayton Peace Agreement, rule of law and rights of all BiH citizens, including Bosniaks in Republika Srpska. In July, the Foreign Secretary spoke with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy about safeguarding BiH's stability, and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have regular coordination meetings with Quint counterparts. On 9 October, I held a joint meeting with the Foreign Ministers of BiH and Serbia.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international counterparts to ensure the continued implementation of the Dayton Accords.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with our international partners and parties across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to uphold the Dayton Peace Agreement, rule of law and rights of all BiH citizens, including Bosniaks in Republika Srpska. In July, the Foreign Secretary spoke with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy about safeguarding BiH's stability, and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have regular coordination meetings with Quint counterparts. On 9 October, I held a joint meeting with the Foreign Ministers of BiH and Serbia.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking with international partners to help ensure access to (a) the internet and (b) telecommunications by people in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Taliban's decision to shut down internet services from 29 September to 1 October was deeply concerning. It risked crippling Afghanistan's economy, causing significant issues with the delivery of vital UK aid, and cutting off vulnerable communities.
The UK Government is committed to using its prominent position in multilateral forums to hold the Taliban to account for their repressive policies. Last month, the UK hosted a meeting of G7+ Special Representatives for Afghanistan: this provided an important opportunity for the UK to show international leadership, highlight publicly our deep concern about the Taliban's continued denial of the Afghan people's most basic human rights and call for the full restoration of internet access for all Afghans.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK is taking (a) on its own and (b) with international counterparts to improve the rights of Women and Girls in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the Taliban's appalling repression of Afghan women and girls, and officials regularly raise those issues, and other priorities, most recently in July. In parallel, we continue to engage directly with a range of Afghans to inform and shape our policy and programmes.
Working both bilaterally and multilaterally with international partners, the UK Government is committed to sustaining collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their inhumane restrictions. Upholding human rights and gender equality is not only a moral imperative, but essential for building a stable, inclusive, and prosperous country for all Afghans.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international allies to help bring greater stability to Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works with many international allies to support stability in Lebanon. In August, the UK supported the renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's mandate alongside other international partners. The UK lobbied other UN Security Council members to ensure that the mission is able to continue its operations in Southern Lebanon for a further 16 months, ahead of a 12-month draw-down period.
In September, the UK will convene allies via the Military Technical Committee, to coordinate international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces as the only legitimate armed force in Lebanon. The UK will also coordinate with our international allies when considering how best to support the Government of Lebanon's efforts to disarm non-state actors, including Lebanese Hizballah. The Foreign Secretary discussed this, and the broader situation in the Middle East, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 2 September.