Written questions by Green.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the cumulative impact on women and girls in Afghanistan of the Taliban's recent legislative measures, including the January 2026 Criminal Procedure Regulation and Decree No. 18; and what steps the Government is taking to support international efforts to hold the Taliban accountable for what United Nations experts have described as an institutionalised system of gender discrimination amounting to crimes against humanity.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her (a) Israeli and (b) American counterparts on reinstating the United Nations-led aid delivery system in Gaza.

We continue to work with partners, including the United Nations, the United States and Israel, to push for unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, most recently in the Foreign Secretary's discussions at the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her US counterparts on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

We continue to work with partners, including the United Nations, the United States and Israel, to push for unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, most recently in the Foreign Secretary's discussions at the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she is taking diplomatic steps to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid convoys through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

We continue to work with partners, including the United Nations, the United States and Israel, to push for unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, most recently in the Foreign Secretary's discussions at the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that medical aid reaches civilians (a) at the Nasser Hospital and (b) elsewhere in Khan Younis.

We remain deeply concerned about the impact of Israel's aid block and military operations activity on healthcare in Gaza. Medical staff and facilities must be protected, and civilians should be able to safely access medical treatment. On 21 March, the Foreign Secretary issued a joint statement with the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany, in which they called on Israel to ensure access to medical care and temporary medical evacuations in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. The Foreign Secretary called Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar and Minister for Strategic Affairs Dermer on 20 and 21 March to press Israel to restore humanitarian access and raise serious concerns about civilian deaths in Gaza. Since 7 October 2023, the UK has provided £5.5 million in funding to UK-Med, enabling them to provide vital care to over 373,000 Gazans, including critical limb and life-saving surgeries, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that reductions in Official Development Assistance spending do not disproportionately impact children.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) G7 and (b) EU counterparts on increasing enforcement of the price cap policy on Russian oil.

The action taken by the UK and partners to limit Russian energy revenues is having a significant impact, with Russia forced to shoulder a 24 per cent reduction in oil and gas revenues in 2023 compared to 2022. We are working to close loopholes and crack d...

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 ...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for the British Council’s Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians scheme.

The Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL) programme is delivered by the British Council, with funding and support from the Department for Education, UK universities and a range of other UK and international funders. The decision to incre...