Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), what assessment she has made of President Abbas's remarks to the Palestinian Central Council on 28/10/18 that the salaries of our martyrs, prisoners, and wounded are a red line and the martyrs and their families are sacred. We will continue to pay to the wounded and the prisoners. Even if we have one plaster left, it will be for them, and not for the living.

Whilst prisoners and their families have a right to support in line with their social needs as they would in the UK, we want the system to be more transparent, affordable and needs based to make sure the payments cover only prisoners’ and their families’ needs. We continue to use our strong partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to press for reform of the prisoner payment system.