Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of Chevening scholarships available for students from Gaza.

The Chevening programme is currently open for applications and closes on 5 November. Given the difficulty potential applicants from Gaza face and evolving situation on the ground, the FCDO will review exact numbers from Gaza for the 2025/26 academic year in spring 2025 once all applications have been received. The 2024/25 cohort includes 11 Palestinians, of which one is from Gaza. The FCDO recognises the challenging situation facing many Palestinian applicants, and as such, we have offered to defer arrival for specific cases.