Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals from (a) Bahrain, (b) Kuwait, (c) Oman, (d) the United Arab Emirates, (e) Saudi Arabia, (f) Jordan and (g) Qatar have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted an Electronic Travel Authorisation since 1 February 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office publishes data on Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in the `How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)?` topic of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. In 2023 quarter 4 (October to December), there were 12,190 applications for ETA and 12,076 grants. All applications were for Qatari nationals. The latest data relates up to the end of December 2023. Statistics for Jan-Mar 2024, including information on the nationalities who require an ETA to enter the UK, will be published in the May edition of the Immigration System Statistics.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel to discontinue their military action in Palestine, and what steps they are taking to assist Palestinian civilians.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
Vital steps include the release of all hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have reiterated these messages in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, as well as leaders in Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon in recent weeks.
Palestinian civilians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.. We have trebled our aid commitment for this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in and open more crossings.
We have reiterated the need for Israel to open more crossing points into Gaza, for Nitzana and Kerem Shalom to be open for longer, and for Israel to support the UN to distribute aid effectively across the whole of Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary has appointed a Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mark Bryson-Richardson. He is based in the region and is working intensively to address the blockages preventing more aid reaching Gaza.
The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent progress he has made towards securing a further humanitarian pause in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
Several vital steps are required: the release of all Israeli hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; the removal of Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary continue to reiterate these steps in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January, as well as with leaders in Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon in recent weeks.
We need to generate momentum now towards a permanent peace. That is why we are pressing for a Contact Group, bringing together the key players, to be set up at once.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the conditions set out to achieve a ceasefire between Gaza and Israel by the respective parties.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
Several vital steps are required: the release of all Israeli hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; the removal of Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary continue to reiterate these steps in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January, as well as with leaders in Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon in recent weeks.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Qatari financial support to the Houthis on their ability to launch the recent attacks on UK and NATO naval vessels.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Qatar is an important friend to the UK; our bilateral relationship is deep-rooted and includes wide ranging cooperation across many areas including regional security. The UK works closely with Qatar on issues of regional security. We have regular Ministerial engagement with Qatar on a range of issues, with the Foreign Secretary and Minister for Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, meeting their counterparts in December.
Prior to our self-defensive strike on Houthi targets, we had been engaging extensively with regional partners to deter Houthi threats and to ensure freedom of navigation and safe passage in the Red Sea. It is in all our interests to work together to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterparts (a) in Libya and (b) internationally on de-escalating tensions in Libya.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to engage with Libyan interlocutors to encourage them to work constructively with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily as he seeks to facilitate a political agreement. This aims to address the underlying issues preventing elections, as demonstrated by the UK-led UN Presidential Statement on 16 March. We support SRSG Bathily's efforts to outline a way forward to a unified Government, and continue to work with Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Turkey, UAE and the US in support of the UN-led political process.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, on how many occasions (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) the United Arab Emirates, (c) Qatar, (d) Bahrain, (e) Kuwait and (f) Oman gave awards to members of the Government (i) without seeking permission from the Government and (ii) regardless of permission being denied between 2014 and 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Honours Secretariat has a record of one request to confer an award on a member of Her Majesty's Government from these six countries. In 2017, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advised that they wished to confer an award on a member of the Government. Due diligence was carried out before the award was accepted. There are no records of any awards conferred without permission.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Accepting foreign awards: UK rules, last updated on 24 November 2021, on how many occasions permission was (a) sought, (b) granted and (c) denied in respect of foreign awards being conferred to members of the Government by (i) Saudi Arabia, (ii) the United Arab Emirates, (iii) Qatar, (iv) Bahrain, (v) Kuwait and (vi) Oman between 2014 and 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Honours Secretariat has a record of one request to confer an award on a member of Her Majesty's Government from these six countries. In 2017, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advised that they wished to confer an award on a member of the Government. Due diligence was carried out before the award was accepted. There are no records of any awards conferred without permission.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he (a) has and (b) plans to have discussions with the government of Qatar on steps it is taking to help secure a further humanitarian pause between Israel and Hamas.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is involved in diplomatic efforts to help secure a further humanitarian pause working with our counterparts in Qatar, Israel, the US and others. The recent pause demonstrates what can be achieved to get vital aid into Gaza including the levels of aid that is possible and it is important that this level of aid is now, at a minimum, sustained. The UK is supportive of humanitarian pauses as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid and ensure civilians are safe. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We will continue to use all the tools of British diplomacy and development to enhance the prospects of peace and stability in the region, working closely with our partners.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on CCTV footage of hostages held by Hamas in Shifa Hospital.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We cannot provide a running commentary on intelligence concerning hostage negotiations as they are highly sensitive and ongoing, but we continue to engage closely with international partners to secure the release of hostages, including the US, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and others. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel on 23 November and met Prime Minister Netanyahu, his counterpart Foreign Minister Cohen and other key interlocutors to discuss the Israel/Gaza conflict and our shared goal of releasing all hostages.