Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to implement restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements through (a) sanctions and (b) primary legislation.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and undermine the prospect of a two-state solution. As the Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement of 19 August "in the coming weeks we will set out a comprehensive set of measures to respond to Israeli government policies, protect the viability of the Palestinian state, target sanctions at those who participate in illegal settlement expansion and support a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians". Further details will be shared with parliament in the usual way.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
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 with international partners to expand access to basic eye care services, including cataract surgery and vision correction, in low- and middle‑income countries.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling global health challenges and considers eye health within this wider agenda. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is transforming its approach to global health by moving from direct service delivery to supporting countries with technical expertise and long-term system strengthening, including through our fully flexible funding to the World Health Organization. The new Global Health Community of Expertise will connect partners with UK and global knowledge, innovation and investment. This demand-led, partnership model is designed to help countries access the resources they need to address their own health challenges, including on eye health.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has assessed the potential merits of advocating international action to reduce avoidable sight loss at the Global Summit for Eye Health in November 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling global health challenges and considers eye health within this wider agenda. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is transforming its approach to global health by moving from direct service delivery to supporting countries with technical expertise and long-term system strengthening, including through our fully flexible funding to the World Health Organization. The new Global Health Community of Expertise will connect partners with UK and global knowledge, innovation and investment. This demand-led, partnership model is designed to help countries access the resources they need to address their own health challenges, including on eye health.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to include eye health interventions in future UK international development and global health programmes.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling global health challenges and considers eye health within this wider agenda. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is transforming its approach to global health by moving from direct service delivery to supporting countries with technical expertise and long-term system strengthening, including through our fully flexible funding to the World Health Organization. The new Global Health Community of Expertise will connect partners with UK and global knowledge, innovation and investment. This demand-led, partnership model is designed to help countries access the resources they need to address their own health challenges, including on eye health.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what timetable her Department is working to for confirming country-level Official Development Assistance allocations for financial years (a) 2026-27, (b) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations by country for the next three years will be published no later than in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
Teams across the FCDO and our country network are considering how best to prioritise their ODA allocations, including as part of portfolio strategies which will help deliver a more coordinated approach to our work in partner countries. We are therefore unable to provide details on individual programme decisions. Updates to UK ODA programmes are published on DevTracker on GOV.UK each month.
We are reducing ODA gradually to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income by 2027 to allow time for programming to be reprioritised in a way which is considered and deliberate. Setting three years of allocations from 2026/27 to 2028/29 provides the predictability our teams need to effectively manage reductions, including responsibly exiting programmes where necessary.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
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 advance the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government commitment on taking action towards achieving access to quality eye care for all, including eliminating blinding trachoma.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling global health challenges and considers eye health within this wider agenda. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is transforming its approach to global health by moving from direct service delivery to supporting countries with technical expertise and long-term system strengthening, including through our fully flexible funding to the World Health Organization. The new Global Health Community of Expertise will connect partners with UK and global knowledge, innovation and investment. This demand-led, partnership model is designed to help countries access the resources they need to address their own health challenges, including on eye health.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role eye health plays within global health and international development strategies.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling global health challenges and considers eye health within this wider agenda. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is transforming its approach to global health by moving from direct service delivery to supporting countries with technical expertise and long-term system strengthening, including through our fully flexible funding to the World Health Organization. The new Global Health Community of Expertise will connect partners with UK and global knowledge, innovation and investment. This demand-led, partnership model is designed to help countries access the resources they need to address their own health challenges, including on eye health.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has estimated the potential effect of future reductions to the ODA budget on (a) existing and (b) pipeline programmes in (i) Kenya and (ii) Jamaica.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations by country for the next three years will be published no later than in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
Teams across the FCDO and our country network are considering how best to prioritise their ODA allocations, including as part of portfolio strategies which will help deliver a more coordinated approach to our work in partner countries. We are therefore unable to provide details on individual programme decisions. Updates to UK ODA programmes are published on DevTracker on GOV.UK each month.
We are reducing ODA gradually to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income by 2027 to allow time for programming to be reprioritised in a way which is considered and deliberate. Setting three years of allocations from 2026/27 to 2028/29 provides the predictability our teams need to effectively manage reductions, including responsibly exiting programmes where necessary.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of planned spend figures on DevTracker (a) have been committed to and (b) are subject to reprofiling or cancellation.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations by country for the next three years will be published no later than in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
Teams across the FCDO and our country network are considering how best to prioritise their ODA allocations, including as part of portfolio strategies which will help deliver a more coordinated approach to our work in partner countries. We are therefore unable to provide details on individual programme decisions. Updates to UK ODA programmes are published on DevTracker on GOV.UK each month.
We are reducing ODA gradually to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income by 2027 to allow time for programming to be reprioritised in a way which is considered and deliberate. Setting three years of allocations from 2026/27 to 2028/29 provides the predictability our teams need to effectively manage reductions, including responsibly exiting programmes where necessary.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which bilateral programmes in a) Kenya and b) Jamaica are currently assessed as at risk of closure or early exit as a result of reductions in the aid budget as announced in February 2025.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations by country for the next three years will be published no later than in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
Teams across the FCDO and our country network are considering how best to prioritise their ODA allocations, including as part of portfolio strategies which will help deliver a more coordinated approach to our work in partner countries. We are therefore unable to provide details on individual programme decisions. Updates to UK ODA programmes are published on DevTracker on GOV.UK each month.
We are reducing ODA gradually to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income by 2027 to allow time for programming to be reprioritised in a way which is considered and deliberate. Setting three years of allocations from 2026/27 to 2028/29 provides the predictability our teams need to effectively manage reductions, including responsibly exiting programmes where necessary.