Written questions by Patel.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 62 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, what her estimate is of the number of enhanced police checks she expects (a) the Spanish authorities to undertake in Gibraltar, and (b) the competent UK authorities to undertake in the contiguous frontier zone.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, (a) with reference to Article 55 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, (i) if she will publish a precise schedule of offences and the laws they relate to to supplement the list in Annex 8 and (ii) whether Spanish authorities will be required to provide notification to the authorities of the UK and Gibraltar in respect of any individuals they are undertaking surveillance on in Gibraltar, and (b) with reference to Article 55 (2) and 56 (2) of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, (A) when the administrative arrangements setting out the practical modalities will be established and (B) whether drafts will be published for scrutiny in advance of the Treaty coming into effect.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the provisions on arrest and extradition of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, if she will provide an estimate of the numbers of persons to be affected by those provisions each year.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the provisions of Article 248 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, if she has undertaken an economic impact assessment of the introduction of transaction taxes.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the provisions of Article 274 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, (a) what her planned timetable is for when the joint venture company in respect of the airport will be (i) established; and (ii) undertake day-to-day management of Gibraltar airport; and (b) if ownership of the airport will remain with the Ministry of Defence.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Articles 10(2)(a) and 10(3) of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, (a) what assessment she has made of the legal impact of this measure on (i) the UK and (ii) Gibraltar; and which legal instruments this provision would apply to once ratified.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to (a) Article 48(4) of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, what timescales will the Spanish authorities be given to undertake their assessment of visa applications and (b) Article 48(6), on what evidential basis was the provision for a maximum annual limit of 15 visas determined.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to (a) Article 49 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, what is her assessment of the potential impact of the cessation of long stay visas for Gibraltar; (b) Articles 50 and 51, what estimate she has made of the number of residence permits that will be (i) issued and (ii) renewed in each year once the Treaty comes into effect and whether she has made an estimate of (A) the number of permits that Spain may reject and (B) the additional cost of establishing the systems necessary to implement the provisions in this Article, and (c) Article 52, what estimate she has made of the number of persons will be affected by the transitional rule.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, (a) with reference to Article 53 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, what processes will follow instances whereby requests made for international protection are made to the Spanish authorities; and what rights to travel and remain in Gibraltar will an individual granted international protection by Spain have; and (b) with reference to the provisions of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, how applications for international protection will be handled by authorities in Gibraltar where applicants have travelled from Spain to enter Gibraltar.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Articles 22, 23 and 24, and Annex 6, of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, (a) what estimate she has made of the UK’s contribution to the cost of the secretariat, (b) what process she will put in place to notify Parliament in advance of forthcoming decisions and (c) which documents exchanged through (i) the Cooperation Council and (ii) its respective specialist committees will be published.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, if she will publish a list of the UK domestic legislation which will require amending to comply with the Treaty’s provisions.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Pursuant to Article 121 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, if she will provide a definition for a ‘political offence’

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 7 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, what her expected timetable is for the (a) implementation plan to be confirmed and (b) removal of physical barriers to commence; what estimate she has made of the costs; and whether (i) UK-based and (ii) Gibraltar-based businesses will be contracted to undertake this work.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 32(3) of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, whether the competent authorities of the Kingdom of Spain will be required to provide (a) reasons and (b) evidence to the UK authorities for determining that individuals concerned have the right of free movement.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Article 29 of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, what provisions are in place for the (a) UK and (b) Gibraltar authorities to derogate from alignment from entry requirements with (i) current EU law and (ii) future changes to EU law; and with reference to Article 29(7), will the UK be compelled to align entry requirements to future changes to Union law.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the taxation provisions of the draft UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar, if she will provide an economic impact assessment on changes to taxation as a result of the Treaty; pursuant to the provisions of Article 220, if she will provide an economic impact assessment on the carbon pricing provisions; and pursuant to the customs union provisions, if she will provide an economic impact on trade flows into Gibraltar.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my statement to the House on 26 February, and the draft treaty documents published on the same day. I look forward to going over the detail of the new arrangements with her when the final text of the treaty is brought before the House for scrutiny in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms within the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement are being utilised to support Bahrain’s defence against Iranian attacks.

The Government has condemned Iran's reckless attacks across the region, including on Gulf partners who are not party to the conflict, and remains firmly committed to their security. That commitment is reflected in the US‑UK‑Bahrain C‑SIPA defence pact. Within the auspices of C-SIPA, the UK Chief of Defence Staff spoke with Bahraini National Security Advisor (NSA) His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and with US CENTCOM Commander Admiral Cooper on 5 March, with both the UK and US reaffirming support for Bahrain. The Prime Minister spoke with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on 5 March to offer defence support, including RAF Typhoons deployed in theatre. We remain closely engaged with the US on the regional situation and will continue to defend Bahrain, our allies, and UK interests.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her US counterparts about activating provisions in the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement to support Bahrain’s defence against Iranian attacks.

The Government has condemned Iran's reckless attacks across the region, including on Gulf partners who are not party to the conflict, and remains firmly committed to their security. That commitment is reflected in the US‑UK‑Bahrain C‑SIPA defence pact. Within the auspices of C-SIPA, the UK Chief of Defence Staff spoke with Bahraini National Security Advisor (NSA) His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and with US CENTCOM Commander Admiral Cooper on 5 March, with both the UK and US reaffirming support for Bahrain. The Prime Minister spoke with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on 5 March to offer defence support, including RAF Typhoons deployed in theatre. We remain closely engaged with the US on the regional situation and will continue to defend Bahrain, our allies, and UK interests.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether officials from her Department have (a) met with representatives from the Iranian Embassy in London in 2026 and (b) attended an Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution event with the Iranian Ambassador in 2026.

The Government has made its position on the Iranian regime clear, whether in relation to its state threat activity (see the Security Minister's oral statement on 4 March 2025), its repression of human rights protests at the turn of the year (see the Foreign Secretary's oral statement on 13 January), or its attacks on its Gulf neighbours in recent weeks (see the Prime Minister's oral statement on 2 March).FCDO officials continue to raise all these issues on a regular basis with the Iranian embassy in London, along with a range of other issues affecting UK national interests, such as the cases of British nationals under detention in Iran. That kind of engagement has been maintained ever since the previous government permitted the Iranian embassy to reopen in London in 2015, as the Rt Hon Member can see from the answers of 20 September 2016 to Question 46281, 16 November 2016 to Question HL3001, 21 November 2017 to Question 113527, 22 January 2019 to Question 208787, 10 November 2020 to Question HL9786, 16 June 2021 to Question 14181, 18 and 19 October 2022 to Questions 59952 and 59003, and 25 May 2023 to Question 185892.Similarly, she will be aware that representatives from the FCDO have regularly attended the Iran National Day event since the Iranian Embassy was re-opened in 2015, including when the Rt Hon Member was the Home Secretary.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2026, if any funding provided by the UK Government has been used to support the Palestinian Authority’s ‘Pay for Slay’ payment schemes.

No. The UK's official development assistance to Palestine is directed at humanitarian relief, support for Palestinian economic development, and strengthening Palestinian Authority governance and reform.