Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what access the UK will have to the EU PEGASE mechanism for providing assurance in relation to overseas development assistance allocated to the Palestinian Authority for paying salaries in the Authority’s health and education services after the end of the transition period.

The UK has been supporting the Palestinian Authority's health and education sectors through the?EU PEGASE?mechanism. Salary payments have been transferred to a dedicated bank account and are then paid to?carefully vetted individuals. Each payment is?independently audited?to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient.

At the end of the transition period, the UK will be able to continue to access the PEGASE mechanism as this is available for use by both EU and non-EU member states.