Written questions by Khan.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the rates at which children born preterm receive follow-up health and developmental assessments at ages (a) two and (b) four.

We are committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. To help deliver this, we are strengthening health visiting services, which are responsible for monitoring and assessing the health and development of children aged zero to five years old, including preterm children, as well as referring them to other professionals wherever needed.In 2023, 77% of preterm children at two years old received a follow up assessment, up from 68.4% in 2020. However, further work is required to achieve the National Neonatal Audit Programme standard of 90%, and integrated care systems and local providers are expected to be working towards full implementation of the guidelines set. Further data relating to babies discharged from neonatal care is available in the National Neonatal Audit Programme Summary report on 2023, at the following link:https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/NNAP-summary-report-2023-dataFor children aged four years old, the data we possess on the percentage of children who received a follow-up assessment is inconsistent and unclear. This is because there is no inclusion of the requirement for follow-up assessments for children aged four years old in the NHS Standard Contract, and therefore which services and requirements fall under community paediatric services is for local determination.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the International Criminal Court’s granting of arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and former defence minister.

We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. As the Foreign Secretary said last week, we urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. Our focus is on urging all parties to return to talks, implement the ceasefire agreement in full and work towards a permanent peace.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK-made F-35 parts have been used in airstrikes in Gaza since 18 March 2025.

The UK's robust export licensing criteria states that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In September 2024, following an IHL review, we have suspended certain export licences to Israel where we have assessed there is a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. The suspension of relevant export licences for Israel will be kept under review and we hope to see evidence of sustained improvements that address concerns relating to IHL. We would not comment on speculation about future export licencing decisions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his policy on arms trade with Israel.

We have continued to review export licences for items to Israel and assess that there are no extant licences for items that might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. This is subject to the specific measures set out to Parliament excluding exports to the global F-35 programme from the scope of the suspension. There are a number of export licences which we have assessed are not for use by the Israeli Defense Forces in military operations in Gaza and therefore do not require suspension. These include military items such as components for trainer aircraft or components for air defence systems, and other, non-military, items such as food-testing chemicals, telecoms, and data equipment.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart on the killing of Hossam Shabat by Israeli forces; what steps he is taking to help increase the safety of journalists in conflict zones.

The Government is deeply concerned about the safety of civilians, including journalists in Gaza, who are afforded protection under international humanitarian law. As international media are not permitted to work in Gaza, Palestinian journalists have been playing a crucial role in covering the impact of the conflict. This Government has been repeatedly clear that all civilians must be protected in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this again in a joint statement with the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany on 21 March, which called on Israel to fully respect international law.

Whether his Department plans to exempt trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories from the free trade agreement being negotiated with Israel.

The government’s position is clear that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law Goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements are not entitled to tariff and trade preferences under either the existing agreement between the UK and Israel or in our agreement with the Palestinian Authority. This will not change in an upgraded free trade agreement with Israel.

Whether his Department plans to take steps to disclose UK foreign direct investment holdings in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. It is held by the Office for National Statistics.

Whether her Department consulted on the contents the suicide prevention training provided to prison and probation staff.

All new members of prison staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention, and all staff who undertake key roles relating to risk assessment and case management also receive specific training relating to those roles. An e-learning module has also recently been made available for all staff to access on postvention support following a self-inflicted death in custody. These products have been developed by the HM Prison and Probation Service learning design team in conjunction with policy leads and subject matter experts. They include material developed in partnership with Samaritans, and consultation on elements of the content has taken place with healthcare and other partners and the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody.There are two suicide prevention learning packages for probation staff: a Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) package for all staff, and a package aimed at new entrant Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) and Probation Service Officers (PSOs) which was developed internally as part of a broader introduction to mental health. The former was developed externally by the ZSA (a suicide awareness and prevention initiative funded via Mersey Cares NHS Charity) in conjunction with HMPPS subject matter experts, and the latter builds upon this and tailors it to the needs of new entrants.

If she will publish the contents of the suicide prevention training provided to (a) prison and (b) probation staff.

It is not appropriate to make the training publicly available as the content includes lived experience examples for which confidentiality must be maintained, and there is a need for HMPPS to retain oversight of dissemination, delivery and appropriate use of the products.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reduction of the international development budget on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including the likely impact on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reduction of the international development budget on the UK's soft power.

The decision to reduce the UK's international development budget was not taken lightly and is a reflection of the extraordinary security challenge the world currently finds itself facing, specifically on Ukraine. Establishing a Soft Power Council reflects the continuing UK commitment to work more strategically on soft power. The UK has enormous soft power strengths and at this time of extraordinary challenges it is even more important that we bring our hard and soft power together as a force for good, to reinvigorate alliances and forge new partnerships. As the Foreign Secretary has noted, harnessing our soft power more effectively can help to build relationships, deepen trust, enhance our security and drive economic growth.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25955 on Asylum: Syria, whether the requirements for the cessation of refugee status for beneficiaries of international protection originating from Syria have currently been met.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave him on 30 January 2025 to Question UIN 25955.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the steps his Department is taking to help prevent the use of UK-produced arms by Israel in (a) Gaza and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Government is committed to maintaining a robust and transparent export control system. We will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria, including respect for human rights and International Humanitarian Law. The Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to carefully consider the impact of the export of items and their capabilities.  As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he ordered a review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law, which concluded that there is a clear risk that UK export items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. On 2 September 2024 we suspended export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza Conflict. This does not, however, include exports to the global F-35 programme.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's policy towards UK arms trade with Israel in complying with Criterion 2a and Criterion 2c of the Strategic Export Licencing Criteria.

The Government is committed to maintaining a robust and transparent export control system. We will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria, including respect for human rights and International Humanitarian Law. The Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to carefully consider the impact of the export of items and their capabilities.  As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he ordered a review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law, which concluded that there is a clear risk that UK export items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. On 2 September 2024 we suspended export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza Conflict. This does not, however, include exports to the global F-35 programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help prevent traders from declaring that food and drink imports produced by Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are Produce of Israel.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead.    All food sold on the UK market, including that which is imported, must comply with food labelling rules. The government continues to review existing legislation through post implementation reviews. Country of Origin labelling is compulsory for prepacked unprocessed beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry meat and most unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables. Where origin information is not required, it can still be provided as long as it does not mislead. We support accurate labelling of settlement goods, so as not to mislead the consumer. Food labelling rules are enforced by local authorities. Concerns that a specific food does not comply or is otherwise misleading, should be raised with a local trading standards officer who will be able to investigate and take necessary action.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to require traders and importers to label food produced in the West Bank to state whether it was produced by (a) Palestinian communities and (b) Israeli settlers.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead.    All food sold on the UK market, including that which is imported, must comply with food labelling rules. The government continues to review existing legislation through post implementation reviews. Country of Origin labelling is compulsory for prepacked unprocessed beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry meat and most unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables. Where origin information is not required, it can still be provided as long as it does not mislead. We support accurate labelling of settlement goods, so as not to mislead the consumer. Food labelling rules are enforced by local authorities. Concerns that a specific food does not comply or is otherwise misleading, should be raised with a local trading standards officer who will be able to investigate and take necessary action.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 December 2009 on Food Labelling (Occupied Palestinian Territories), column 28WS, whether his Department has reviewed the adequacy of its advice to retailers and importers on the labelling of food produced in the West Bank.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead.    All food sold on the UK market, including that which is imported, must comply with food labelling rules. The government continues to review existing legislation through post implementation reviews. Country of Origin labelling is compulsory for prepacked unprocessed beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry meat and most unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables. Where origin information is not required, it can still be provided as long as it does not mislead. We support accurate labelling of settlement goods, so as not to mislead the consumer. Food labelling rules are enforced by local authorities. Concerns that a specific food does not comply or is otherwise misleading, should be raised with a local trading standards officer who will be able to investigate and take necessary action.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion carefully, with the seriousness and rigour it deserves.  We are of the clear view that Israel should bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as rapidly as possible, but it must be done in a way that creates the conditions for negotiations towards the two-state solution.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the nutritional value of breakfast meals provided by primary schools.

The department is committed to delivering on our pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children, starting with more than 750 early adopter schools from April 2025.The School Food Standards statutory guidance, which regulate the food and drink provided at school, already apply to breakfasts. Compliance with the Standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools.Alongside the existing School Food Standards, in January, the department published guidance for the early adopter schools which provides additional helpful guidance on which foods should be served at breakfast clubs.

What steps she is taking to ensure that (a) people and (b) charities providing support to people that (i) have self-harmed and (ii) are considering self-harming are not criminalised; and what guidance she provides to police forces.

Section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023 gave partial effect to a Law Commission recommendation to create an offence of encouraging or assisting self-harm. The proposed new offence of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm intends to replace (in so far as it extends to England and Wales and Northern Ireland) that offence with a broader offence that can be committed by any means of communication, and in any other way (including, for example, direct assistance through the provision of bladed articles with which to self-harm). The person must have intent to encourage or assist the other person to seriously self-harm.As with the current offence in the Online Safety Act, sharing experiences of self-harm or simply discussing the issue (including glorifying or glamourising self-harm), without an intention that another should seriously self-harm, will not be a criminal offence. We recognise the concerns of those offering support services that capturing such behaviour would potentially risk criminalising vulnerable people who merely seek to share their experiences of self-harm with no intention of encouraging others to self-harm.The offence in the Online Safety Act comes from a Law Commission recommendation following a wide-ranging consultation and we will work with criminal justice agencies and others with an interest to update existing guidance and training to reflect the proposed expansion of the offence to include direct assistance to self-harm.