Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there is a safe evacuation route that allows Palestinian academics to be evacuated from the Occupied Palestinian Territories to allow them to take up positions at universities in the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working urgently to support Chevening Scholars and fully-funded scholarship holders in Gaza who have offers from British universities to leave and take up their places in the UK. We are doing everything we can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, but the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging. All individuals who enter the UK are subject to robust security checks and have to submit their biometrics ahead of travel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to establish a scheme to facilitate the evacuation of Palestinian academics to the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working urgently to support Chevening Scholars and fully-funded scholarship holders in Gaza who have offers from British universities to leave and take up their places in the UK. We are doing everything we can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, but the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging. All individuals who enter the UK are subject to robust security checks and have to submit their biometrics ahead of travel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Amnesty International entitled Amnesty International Investigation in Gaza highlights human toll of Israel’s Apartheid System against Palestinians, published on 13 June 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not made an assessment of the 13 June 2023 Amnesty report which was published a year before the current Government entered office.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the International Court of Justice’s finding that Israel is in breach of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government strongly opposes all forms of racism and is committed to promoting a tolerant society for people of all ethnicities, religions and nationalities. The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion with the care and seriousness it deserves.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to continue to fund disability-inclusive education programmes.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to mainstreaming a disability inclusion and rights approach across our work. At the recent Global Disability Summit, the UK announced a range of new commitments including ensuring that all FCDO education programming is disability inclusive and includes disability inclusion criteria and targets by 2030. We also joined partners including the United Nations Children's Fund and the International Disability Alliance in committing to champion disability-inclusive education across the education sector to drive progress and accountability. The UK has also taken on the co-Chair of the Global Action on Disability network of governments, multilaterals, civil society, foundations, and private sector actors to drive collaboration on global disability inclusion.
Equality impact assessments, which consider impacts on disability inclusion, are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on Official Development Assistance allocations.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to continue to fund the (a) treatment and (b) elimination of neglected tropical diseases.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through following the recent Spending Review and through resource allocation processes. We intend to publish final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Annual Report and Accounts this summer. The FCDO is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if a Minister from his Department will represent the UK at the Eighteenth Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from 10 to 12 June 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK will be represented at this year's Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by Minister Seema Malhotra in her role as Minister for Equalities. Minister Malhotra will be joined by senior officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Cabinet Office, and the Work and Health Unit, a cross-government unit, jointly sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he will continue to provide funding to (a) the Women's Integrated Sexual Health program, (b) other Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights programs and (c) access to those programs for (i) people with disabilities and (ii) other marginalised groups.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through following the recent Spending Review and through resource allocation processes. We intend to publish final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Annual Report and Accounts this summer. The FCDO is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way including by considering the impact for people with disabilities and other marginalised groups in line with the public sector equality duty.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Ministers from his Department will attend the Second World Summit for Social Development between 4 and 6 November 2025 in Doha.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is currently considering attendance at the Second World Summit for Social Development.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance his Department has provided to Alawite civilians living in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In all our engagement with the Syrian Government we consistently emphasise the need to protect the rights of all Syrians. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March and the UK Special Representative for Syria spoke directly to members of the Alawite community following the violence in coastal areas in early March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government.