Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to push for greater humanitarian access to Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Prime Minister has said, the world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance. We continue to press Israel to end its aid restrictions and ensure that the UN and humanitarian partners can work safely and effectively. The Foreign Secretary recently wrote to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar, alongside French and German counterparts, calling on Israel to urgently increase aid, and implement the UN's plan to prepare the civilian population for winter. I raised these issues with Deputy Foreign Minister Haskel on 5 December and the Foreign Secretary raised this again with Foreign Minister Sa'ar in their call on 8 December. We continue to work alongside our international partners to press for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of the hostages, better protection of civilians and a significant increase in aid to Gaza. At a UN Security Council meeting on 18 November, the Foreign Secretary reiterated that there is no excuse for Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid and that they must be lifted.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen partnerships with (a) humanitarian organisations, (b) women-led organisations and (c) local civil society in the UK’s development work.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department has strong relationships with the main humanitarian agencies. The Foreign Secretary and I have met or spoken to the main UN humanitarian agencies and to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The work of grassroots women's rights organisations is critical to advancing gender equality. The UK has a growing number of partnerships with diverse women's rights organisations across the programme portfolio, complemented by diplomatic support to amplify voices and share platforms.
The FCDO recognises that stronger, more inclusive engagement with local civil society better empowers the communities it serves. We continue to modernise and improve our relationships. Our innovative programme 'Shifting the Power' is investing up to £60m into building the capacity of local Civil Society Organisations in Ghana, Zambia and Malawi.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he had with his Chinese counterpart on trade deals during his visit to China in October 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Secretary of State held wide-ranging talks with his counterpart during his visit to China in October 2024, covering the breadth of the UK-China bilateral relationship. He discussed the promotion of secure and resilient growth through increased trade and investment with China, which creates jobs, drives innovation, boosts productivity and provides economic stability and certainty for the UK economy.