Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of Hezbollah plans to establish a new militia in Jordan.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of these reports and will continue to monitor Kataib Hezbollah's (KH) activity. The Iranian regime bear responsibility for the actions of groups they have long supported, including KH and other non-state actors. In a recent phone call with the King of Jordan, the Prime Minister reiterated our staunch support for the security of Jordan and the wider region.
Asked by: Mark Logan (Conservative - Bolton North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what the Government's policy is on whether Palestine should be granted full United Nations membership.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As the Prime Minister made clear, the UK supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.
We agree that the people of the West Bank and Gaza must be given the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.
We believe that recognition of Palestinian statehood should not come at the start of a new process, but it does not have to be at the very end of the process.
We must start with fixing the immediate crisis in Gaza. Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and must be part of a future Palestinian state. However, Hamas is still in control of parts of Gaza and Israeli hostages remain in captivity - this shows that we are still at the start of the process.
Ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza and removing Hamas' capacity to launch attacks against Israel are essential and unavoidable steps on the road to lasting peace; as is working together to support the new Palestinian government as it takes much-needed steps on reform and resumes governance in Gaza as well as the West Bank.
We abstained on the vote at the UN Security Council because we must keep our focus on securing an immediate pause in order to get aid in and hostages out; then making progress towards a sustainable ceasefire without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for giving greater weight to a durable and sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians by recognising Palestinian statehood.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Prime Minister has made clear, the UK supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. We agree that the people of the West Bank and Gaza must be given the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.
We believe that recognition of Palestinian statehood should not come at the start of a new process, but it does not have to be at the very end of the process.
We must start by resolving the immediate crisis in Gaza. Gaza is an Occupied Palestinian Territory and must be part of a future Palestinian state. However, Hamas is still in control of parts of Gaza, and Israeli hostages remain in captivity - this shows that we are still at the start of the process.
Ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza and removing Hamas' capacity to launch attacks against Israel are essential and unavoidable steps on the road to lasting peace; as is working together to support the new Palestinian government as it takes much-needed steps on reform and resumes governance in Gaza as well as the West Bank.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of (i) hospitals and (ii) primary health care centres and (b) availability of (A) medicine and (B) basic medical supplies in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Healthcare facilities and the provision of healthcare services have been severely affected by the conflict in Gaza. The UK is doing all we can to get more aid in by land, air and sea. This includes a field hospital, provided by UK Aid funding to UK-Med, that is up and running in Gaza and has already treated thousands of patients.
The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have underlined the need for Israel to increase the amount of aid getting into Gaza, deconflict with the UN and aid agencies, protect civilians and repair vital infrastructure like hospitals and water networks.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to prevent the provision of large dinghies by suppliers to people smuggling gangs.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
We are taking a whole-of-route approach from source countries all the way through to the UK and have signed international agreements to enhance co-operation on organised immigration crime.
As announced by the Prime Minister in December 2022, we have doubled funding to the National Crime Agency and other partners to provide £74 million funding to tackle OIC.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support (1) climate-resilient agricultural practices, and (2) sustainable livelihoods, in Somalia to enhance food production and improve resilience to climate change.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is taking steps to promote resilience to climate change in Somalia. Last year, the Prime Minister announced up to £100 million to build resilience to climate shocks and strengthen food security for the most vulnerable including support for climate adaptive agricultural practices. We are also building the resilience of marginalised households and businesses in the agricultural and financial sectors in Somalia. In addition we have supported Somalia's membership of the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance at COP28 as an anchor donor. UK aid is making a difference. Through the Somaliland Development Fund we are supporting sustainable land management and agricultural production.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to educate young people on the potential health impacts of (a) vaping and (b) nicotine pouches.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department has included a specific reference to the dangers of e-cigarettes in the amended relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance, which was published for consultation on 16 May 2024. On 1 June 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced an intervention which will take steps to prevent children obtaining e-cigarettes illegally.
The current RSHE statutory guidance, which sets out the topics the subjects should cover, already states that in primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks. This includes smoking, alcohol use and drug taking, as well as supplements drug education which is part of the National Curriculum for Key Stages 2 and 3 science.
To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the department published a suite of teacher training modules, including on drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which makes specific reference to e-cigarettes.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing further support to Ukraine, in the context of the latest incursion of Russian forces in the North East of Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government remains steadfast in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Prime Minister has been clear we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. We have a long-established partnership with our Ukrainian friends since before Russia's illegal invasion and will continue to build on this through the historic UK-Ukraine Security Agreement, marking the start of a 100-year partnership.
We recently announced our largest-ever package of equipment to Ukraine, designed to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression. Alongside this the Prime Minister also announced £500 million of additional funding which will be used to rapidly deliver military equipment support to the front line.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has had with representatives of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on the UK’s funding to UNRWA.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.
We have regular discussions with international counterparts on all aspects of the conflict.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has had discussions with other donors of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on the UK’s funding to that organisation.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.
We have regular discussions with international counterparts on all aspects of the conflict.