Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Saudi Arabian counterpart on the risk of execution of men convicted of alleged crimes committed as minors, such as Youssef al-Manasif, Jawad Abdullah Qureiris and Hassan Zaki al-Faraj.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number of executions in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK-Saudi investment creates 100 new British jobs, published on 3 September 2025, how many new jobs have been created.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

• This answer is provided at a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East region more generally, is facing material challenges given the ongoing regional conflict.
• Given that the press release names specific companies, it is for those companies to update as to the current situation and would be commercially sensitive and inappropriate for us to do so.
• The two main job-creating Saudi companies mentioned, Alfanar and International Investment Gate, are however well-known to the British Embassy in Riyadh and the Office for Investment. Their UK ambitions are in line with our Modern Industrial Strategy and, I understand, are progressing well.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding concluded with the Saudi Public Investment Fund on 28 October 2025, how much UK Export Finance has spent on promoting UK companies' engagement in the Saudi market.

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

UK Export Finance (UKEF) does not have a marketing budget specifically related to promoting UK businesses’ engagement in the Saudi or other individual markets.

Details of UKEF’s overall expenditure on marketing for the current financial year will be included in the department’s annual report and accounts.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered supporting businesses with the cost of energy following recent increases in its cost.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Through our Clean Power 2030 mission we are accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown electricity to shield end-users from the volatility of fossil fuel prices and to deliver reliable, affordable energy to every part of the UK economy.

We are already taking action to expand the British industry supercharger from April to reduce costs for the most energy-intensive businesses, and a significant proportion of businesses are on fixed-term contracts that shield them from market volatility for the contract duration. However, we recognise that at the point of contracting, businesses are exposed to international fossil fuel markets, and clearly, for both businesses and consumers, much will depend on the length of this crisis.

Just as we are looking across Government at the situation that households face, the Government is absolutely focused on the impact of the crisis on business and industry, and we will not hesitate to act.

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 her Saudi counterpart on (a) freedom of expression, (b) the cases of arbitrarily detained journalists and (c) the recently reported arrest and detention of Mohamed El-Sayed.

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

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.

The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Ahmed al-Doush.

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

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.

The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her officials are having discussions with their counterparts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about the protection of the rights of migrant workers employed in preparation for the World Cup 2034.

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

The Government continues to monitor individual cases of concern in Saudi Arabia, and we regularly raise human rights with the Saudi authorities, including at ministerial level.

The UK is concerned over the arrests and continued detention of a number of individuals, particularly those detained for expressing their political views.

Public health campaign on tackling stigma towards suicide

New US sanctions on Cuba

Found: Sir Alan Campbell (Labour; Tynemouth) (Chair) Mr Alex Barros-Curtis (Labour; Cardiff West) Markus Campbell-Savours

Found: Sir Alan Campbell (Labour; Tynemouth) (Chair) Mr Alex Barros-Curtis (Labour; Cardiff West) Markus Campbell-Savours

The cross-party Modernisation Committee is holding an inquiry into Backbench Business Committee and Petitions Committee debates, as part of its ongoing work on how time is used in the Commons.