Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of recent reports of the (a) detention and (b) deportation of members of the Baha'i community in Qatar; what representations he has made to his Qatari counterpart on the protection of religious minorities in that country; and what steps he is taking to support international efforts to (i) promote religious freedom and (ii) protect minority communities in the region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a strong advocate for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. As part of the UN Universal Periodic Review in November 2024, the UK called on Qatar to adopt legislation to ensure non-discrimination on the grounds of disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or belief.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Qatari funding on British universities.
Answered by Janet Daby
As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for universities to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. The sector is free to attract foreign investment, including from Qatar and China, which can and does make a valuable contribution to our universities and wider economy. The latest data indicates that overall education-related exports and transnational education activity generated £32.29 billion in revenue for UK institutions in 2022, and developing international partnerships is a key strength of our system.
When collaborating with any international partners, the department expects the sector to be alert to a range of risks and conduct appropriate due diligence to comply with legislation and regulatory requirements. These range from financial sustainability responsibilities, to research security requirements and expectations to safeguard values, such as freedom of speech. As the independent regulator in England, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered providers’ compliance with all its conditions of registration.
The department, along with the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is currently conducting a review of the international education strategy to ensure that it continues to be an effective tool in increasing the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education stakeholders, businesses and Ministers.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Chinese funding on universities.
Answered by Janet Daby
As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for universities to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances. The sector is free to attract foreign investment, including from Qatar and China, which can and does make a valuable contribution to our universities and wider economy. The latest data indicates that overall education-related exports and transnational education activity generated £32.29 billion in revenue for UK institutions in 2022, and developing international partnerships is a key strength of our system.
When collaborating with any international partners, the department expects the sector to be alert to a range of risks and conduct appropriate due diligence to comply with legislation and regulatory requirements. These range from financial sustainability responsibilities, to research security requirements and expectations to safeguard values, such as freedom of speech. As the independent regulator in England, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered providers’ compliance with all its conditions of registration.
The department, along with the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is currently conducting a review of the international education strategy to ensure that it continues to be an effective tool in increasing the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education stakeholders, businesses and Ministers.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt regarding the investigation carried out by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in January 2024 which reported that refugees from Gaza are denied entry to Egypt unless they buy a permit.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Egyptian borders are a matter for the Egyptian government. We maintain a close dialogue with Egypt on a range of issues relating to the conflict in Gaza and strongly support the efforts led by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It is a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages and a long-term political solution that offer the best hope of alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza and deliver a permanent and sustainable peace.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help increase collaboration between UK and Qatari financial institutions in (a) capital markets, (b) sustainable finance and (c) financial technology, in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding on financial services.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The UK and Qatar share a strong trade and investment partnership, with a total trade volume of over £5.6 billion in 2024, contributing to economic growth, diversification, innovation and job creation.
To reflect the important role that the financial services sector plays in achieving both the UK Government’s economic growth mission and Qatar’s National Vision 2030, the Chancellor and Qatar’s Finance Minister signed a Financial Services Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HM Treasury and the Qatar Ministry of Finance in December 2024. The MoU identifies capital markets, sustainable finance, and fintech as priority areas of interest. Work is underway to identify opportunities for collaboration within these subsectors, and the first annual UK-Qatar Financial Services Working Group will be held later this year.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Qatar Investment Authority's Strategic Investment Partnership on the clean energy sector in the UK.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The 2022 Qatar-UK Strategic Investment Partnership is a long-term framework through which the two countries collaborate across a number of key UK industries, creating jobs and growth through investment, including in sectors vital for clean growth and decarbonisation through technology and innovation. December 2024’s announcement from Qatar to invest £1bn in UK climate technology demonstrates the strength of the arrangement’s potential impact.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total operating cost was of the British overseas military base in Qatar in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not have a British Overseas Base in Qatar but we do have forces hosted on the Qatari owned, US-operated Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha.
Indicative operating costs for being based at Al Udeid airbase in financial year 2024-25 are in the region of £3.7 million. The exact cost will be finalised after the publication of the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25.
Asked by: Peter Swallow (Labour - Bracknell)
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 help restore the ceasefire in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the news that US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander will be released. We thank Qatar and Egypt for their support in bringing Edan out. We call on all parties to use this opportunity to re-engage with negotiations to ensure a lasting ceasefire is implemented, with the release of all hostages, and for Israel to allow the resumption of aid delivery for Palestinians in Gaza immediately. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement with his French and German opposite numbers last month urging all parties to return to a ceasefire and lift the block on aid.
Asked by: Matt Turmaine (Labour - Watford)
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 help restore the ceasefire in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the news that US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander will be released. We thank Qatar and Egypt for their support in bringing Edan out. We call on all parties to use this opportunity to re-engage with negotiations to ensure a lasting ceasefire is implemented, with the release of all hostages, and for Israel to allow the resumption of aid delivery for Palestinians in Gaza immediately. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement with his French and German opposite numbers last month urging all parties to return to a ceasefire and lift the block on aid.
Asked by: Matthew Patrick (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the news that US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander will be released. We thank Qatar and Egypt for their support in bringing Edan out. We call on all parties to use this opportunity to re-engage with negotiations to ensure a lasting ceasefire is implemented, with the release of all hostages, and for Israel to allow the resumption of aid delivery for Palestinians in Gaza immediately. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement with his French and German opposite numbers last month urging all parties to return to a ceasefire and lift the block on aid.