Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2018 to Question 167103 on Palestinians: ICT, what plans she has to promote the development of Palestinian IT firms and strengthen their capability to work with British businesses after the Palestinian Market Development Programme ceases in October 2019.

The programme support provided to Palestinian IT firms from the Palestinian Market Development Programme (PMDP) will cease in October 2018. The Department for International Development (DFID) has recently announced a new £38 million economic development programme for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Part of this new programme will continue to provide support to Palestinian IT firms to connect with British businesses, for the twelve months following the completion of the PMDP. Following this, DFID will review if further support to the Palestinian IT sector is warranted and if the UK is best placed to support it.