Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 Doctors Without Borders are able to access Gaza to provide aid to Palestinians.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement to the House I made on 5 January, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and several of her counterparts on 30 December, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jointstatementon-the-gaza-humanitarian-response. My officials continue to engage closely with Médecins Sans Frontières on this issue.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department holds any information on the potential use of cluster munitions in Lebanon since September 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits their production, stockpiling, transfer, and use.
We are concerned by reports of the use of cluster munitions by the Israeli Defence Forces.
We continue to urge all actors to refrain from using such munitions and to adhere to international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what conversations she has had with the British Council, since entering post.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers regularly engage with the British Council. Most recently, I met the British Council Chair and CEO on 13 November.
The British Council-delivered UK-Ukraine School Partnerships Programme is funded by the Department for Education, rather than the FCDO. New funding was announced on 13 November to support 30 additional schools and an estimated 5,000 additional pupils to benefit from the programme.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her department has made of the adequacy of the support that the British Council offers to Ukrainian refugees, through its partnership programmes with schools.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers regularly engage with the British Council. Most recently, I met the British Council Chair and CEO on 13 November.
The British Council-delivered UK-Ukraine School Partnerships Programme is funded by the Department for Education, rather than the FCDO. New funding was announced on 13 November to support 30 additional schools and an estimated 5,000 additional pupils to benefit from the programme.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will consider allowing Palestinian students starting studies at UK universities in 2025 to apply to bring dependent children to the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 27 October, the Government updated our guidance on scholarships for students from Gaza to confirm that it was now also seeking to support the departure of the dependents of those students who are eligible under immigration rules. Full details can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-students-travelling-to-the-uk-from-gaza/scholarships-for-students-from-gaza).
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 the Government of Israel on the release of medical personnel detained in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and I have continued to raise concerns with the Israeli Government about the detention of Kamal Adwan Hospital Director Mr Hussam Abu Safiya and Dr Marwan al-Hamas. Last week, officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv lodged a request for further information on both doctors from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have been clear that all prisoners, including medical staff, should be allowed full International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access. We will continue to make both public and private representations to ensure that the ICRC is allowed unfettered and immediate access to detention centres.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South 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 to ensure UK companies are not involved in the E1 Settlement Plan for the Occupied West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the honourable Member to the answer provided on 3 September to Question 71442.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support Syria in becoming (a) unified, (b) inclusive and (c) peaceful.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians. The Foreign Secretary discussed this with President al Sharaa and Foreign Minister al Shaibani when he visited Damascus in July. I travelled to Damascus on 27 August, and reiterated this message to Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani and Justice Minister Al-Waisi. We welcome President al Sharaa's commitment to hold free and fair elections, and the announcement of the Supreme Electoral Committee for the People's Assembly Elections. This is an important step in building legitimate legislative and electoral processes. It is vital now that the political transition proceeds in a genuinely inclusive way, is representative, and respects the rights of all Syrians. We continue to press the Syrian Government on these issues. We will judge the Syrian Government by its actions not its words.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the safe passage of scholars from Gaza who hold offers of admission at UK universities.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the students and are considering the request for support. The issues arising from the current situation in Gaza are complex.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to create conditions for the release of people persecuted in Russia for political reasons.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and will continue to call on the Russian government to comply with its international obligations. The Foreign Secretary and I have both been clear that the Russian authorities must release all political prisoners. The UK regularly uses multilateral fora, such as the UN and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to highlight Russia's human rights violations and hold it accountable. On 10 April the UK called for the release of political prisoners in Russia at the OSCE alongside 14 other states and on 14 May the UK Human Rights Ambassador condemned the sentencing of an independent Russian election monitor, Grigory Melkonyants, to five years' imprisonment.