Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2024 to Question 19318 on British Nationals Abroad: Detainees, whether he has made changes to his Department's (a) processes and (b) services in respect of supporting British nationals abroad since July 2024.

The government is committed to strengthening consular services, including through introduction of a right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations and the appointment of an envoy. My department is considering a package of measures to achieve this, which we will announce in due course. The FCDO continuously reviews its processes to provide better service for those who require consular assistance, including through feedback, insight and lessons learned. Recently we have introduced an improved service to book appointments and a new FCDO digital triage AI tool which provides British nationals quick, efficient responses to their questions online.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on a treaty with Mauritius on the British Indian Ocean Territory.

I have had regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on issues related to a treaty with Mauritius on the British Indian Ocean Territory. HM Government remains committed to reaching an agreement with Mauritius in the best interests of both parties.

What estimate she has made of the number of small boat crossings of the Channel each day in December 2024.

The Home Office publishes information about Channel crossings on a daily basis. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats-last-7-days.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 18873 on Sudan: Humanitarian Aid, what potential alternative cross-border routes beyond Adré for humanitarian aid delivery into Sudan he has identified.

The UK continues to push for additional aid routes into Sudan, including through Aweil, Renk and Panakuach, as well as Adré, to facilitate aid deliveries, particularly into areas held by the Rapid Support Forces, and for routes to be free of bureaucratic and administrative impediments. In addition, the UK continues to press for improved cross-line routes, including into Khartoum.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 December 2024 to Question 19307 on Syria: Humanitarian Aid, what assessment he has made of (a) the impact of the situation on civilians in Syria, (b) the need for humanitarian aid in Syria and (c) the best way to respond to the humanitarian situation.

Fourteen years of conflict in Syria has significantly impacted civilians, with over 16 million people needing urgent humanitarian assistance and 13 million people displaced. In response to recent events, humanitarian agencies have rapidly scaled up the ongoing international aid effort in Syria. The UK announced an additional £61 million to support this.Flexible humanitarian funding, strengthened co-ordination, and an updated assessment of needs are key for responding effectively. Unimpeded access, free from political interference or targeting of humanitarian workers, is essential to deliver assistance to those in need across Syria. We continue to advocate for this.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the most recent quarterly Gross Domestic Product growth figures published by the Office of National Statistics on levels of available Overseas Development Aid spending for 2025.

At Phase One of the 2025 Spending Review, departmental allocations for Official Development Assistance (ODA) were reset for 2024-25 and provided for 2025-26. As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, this settlement provides departments with £13.3 billion of ODA in Financial Year 2024-25 and £13.7 billion in Financial Year 2025-26, enabling the UK to spend 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA in Calendar Years 2024 and 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing funding for the Nutrition for Growth replenishment campaign before the pledging event in Paris in 2025.

The UK is looking forward to the upcoming 2025 Nutrition for Growth summit and FCDO officials have been working closely with French counterparts to build momentum ahead of the summit. The FCDO has published an assessment of progress with the commitments that the previous government made at the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2021. We will review this as we finalise our approach to N4G 2025. Despite the challenges posed by the current fiscal situation, which the spending review will address, the UK is committed to protecting the world's most vulnerable, including through the use of lifesaving nutrition interventions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 December 2024 to Question 19309 on Syria: Women, what plans he has to support education for women and girls in Syria.

Education in Syria, especially for girls, has been a continuing priority for the UK. The UK is a leading donor to the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait, providing critical support to children across Syria. Since 2017, our Syria Education Programme has supported over 625,000 children, 50 percent of which are girls. The programme prioritises inclusion and enhanced access to education for girls, including through building girls' confidence and reducing dropout risks. We remain committed to supporting education and are considering how changes in Syria present opportunities and risks.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Defence to progress the AUKUS agreement since July 2024.

The Foreign Secretary works closely with the Defence Secretary to progress AUKUS. Since July 2024, this government has signed a trilateral agreement to enable the sharing of critical submarine technology and information, secured a landmark exemption to the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and appointed Sir Stephen Lovegrove as the UK's AUKUS Adviser, whose report will help maximise the benefits and opportunities of the partnership.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Defence, (b) his Australian counterpart and (c) his US counterpart on the AUKUS agreement.

The Foreign Secretary engages regularly on AUKUS with the Defence Secretary, and his Australian and US counterparts. Most recently, the Foreign and Defence Secretaries hosted the Australian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in December 2024, where they reaffirmed their enduring commitment to the partnership and welcomed strong progress made across both Pillars.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 16959 on Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Finance, whether he plans to announce a commitment in relation to the Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance’s replenishment campaign for the 2026-2030 strategic period ahead of the High Level Pledging Summit in Brussels in 2025.

The United Kingdom is one of the largest contributors to Gavi and aims to see a successful replenishment in 2025. Funding decisions will be made as part of the ongoing Spending Review and announced upon its conclusion.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Georgian counterpart since the parliamentary election in that country.

In response to recent events in Georgia, the Foreign Secretary announced on 9 December that the UK would suspend all programme support to the Georgian government, restricted defence cooperation, and limited engagement with representatives of Georgian Dream. On 16 December I spoke to Georgian Dream representative, Foreign Minister Bochorishvili, and on 23 December the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Georgian President, Zourabichvili. Both the Foreign Secretary and I expressed our concerns at the instability we were seeing in Georgia. I was clear that Georgia's negative democratic trajectory, including violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists was unacceptable. On 19 December, the UK implemented sanctions against the Minister and Deputy Minister of Internal affairs and three police officials responsible for these violent actions. We will continue to keep our policies under close review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 December 2024 to Question 19309 on Syria: Women, what recent discussions he has had with (a) women's rights activists, (b) women-led organisations and (c) women involved in the political process in Syria.

The Foreign Secretary and I have been engaging intensively with international and regional partners to support an inclusive political transition. The UK signed a joint statement with G7 leaders and another following the Aqaba Joint Contact Group ministerial meeting on Syria affirming that we stand ready to support a transition process that leads to credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance with respect for human rights, including for women and minorities. Support to women and girls will continue to be at the heart of the UK's policy and programmes in Syria, including through active engagement with women's rights activists, women-led organisations and women involved in the political process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19311 on Syria: Development Aid, what discussions his Department has had at official level to support the transition process.

Senior officials, including the UK Special Representative for Syria, have been engaging intensively and widely with international and regional partners. Senior Foreign Office officials travelled to Damascus in December to underline the UK's support for the Syrian people and discuss the pathway towards a more hopeful, representative and peaceful future for Syria with the new interim Syrian authorities and civil society. They discussed the importance of an inclusive transitional political process, protecting the rights of all Syrians and preventing further instability.  The UK will continue to stand with the Syrian people in building a more stable, free and prosperous future.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of (a) the parliamentary election, (b) the inauguration of a new president and (c) other recent events in Georgia.

In response to recent events in Georgia, the Foreign Secretary announced on 9 December that the UK would suspend all programme support to the Georgian government, restricted defence cooperation, and limited engagement with representatives of Georgian Dream. On 16 December I spoke to Georgian Dream representative, Foreign Minister Bochorishvili, and on 23 December the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Georgian President, Zourabichvili. Both the Foreign Secretary and I expressed our concerns at the instability we were seeing in Georgia. I was clear that Georgia's negative democratic trajectory, including violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists was unacceptable. On 19 December, the UK implemented sanctions against the Minister and Deputy Minister of Internal affairs and three police officials responsible for these violent actions. We will continue to keep our policies under close review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the provision of weapons to Sudan.

The Foreign Secretary regularly raises the Sudan conflict with his international counterparts, including UK concern over violations of the UN arms embargo. We have regularly condemned, including in the UN Security Council, the flow of external arms into Sudan and urged those who have influence over the parties to use it to bring them to the negotiating table to seek a political resolution to the conflict.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure UK humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Syria.

The UK continues to monitor the humanitarian situation in Syria. Most border crossings remain open for humanitarian aid, enabling assistance to be delivered throughout Syria, except where active conflict is constraining this. We continue to call for unhindered access for and facilitation of humanitarian operations.The UK has announced a further £61 million in humanitarian assistance to support vulnerable Syrians inside Syria and across the region. Through NGO and UN organisations, we are providing food, healthcare, protection and other life-saving assistance. We remain in regular contact with those organisations to assess aid access and how they are managing delivery risks.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans an audit of the UK’s relationship with China.

Work on the audit is underway, due to conclude in spring 2025. The China audit will examine the UK's interests with respect to China. This will improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses. Parliament will be informed of the findings once the audit has concluded.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19310 on Syria: Religious Freedom, what recent discussions he has had with his Syrian counterparts on protecting freedom of religion or belief in that country.

The Foreign Secretary underlined the importance of an inclusive political process with interim Foreign Minister Al Shaybani during a meeting in Riyadh on 12 January. In December, senior Foreign Office officials met with the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the interim Foreign Minister. They highlighted the need to protect the rights of all civilians, including religious minorities. We are closely monitoring the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) terms of reference and (b) timeline is for Baroness Shafik's review of international development.

As the Foreign Secretary said in his keynote speech on 9 January, he set in train three reviews upon his appointment, is grateful to Martin Donnelly, to Ngaire Woods and to Minouche Shafik for all their work into the FCDO's role and capabilities, looking particularly at our economic capability in this department, and at our global impact in this department, and our fusion of development and diplomacy as well as our development capability and capacity. The next step will be to consider how best to present the recommendations of all three reviews. In each case we are asking how we can ensure that the tools at our disposal provide maximum benefits to our goals not least UK prosperity and security.