Written questions by Hanna.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the needs of British nationals without access to flights to Britain who are in the Maldives due to the conflict in the Middle East.

The safety of British nationals remains the Government's top priority. I refer the Hon Member to the statement I gave to the House on 5 March, and the answers provided to questions raised in response. Assisted departures have now taken place from both Oman and Dubai. We will provide further updates on a regular basis, including details of our ongoing evacuation flights, as well as our efforts to secure an end to Iran's attacks on countries in the region, and the full resumption of normal commercial flights.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department has to provide evacuation flights to British Nationals in the Maldives who are impacted by conflict in the Middle East.

The safety of British nationals remains the Government's top priority. I refer the Hon Member to the statement I gave to the House on 5 March, and the answers provided to questions raised in response. Assisted departures have now taken place from both Oman and Dubai. We will provide further updates on a regular basis, including details of our ongoing evacuation flights, as well as our efforts to secure an end to Iran's attacks on countries in the region, and the full resumption of normal commercial flights.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure Northern Irish residents who hold only Irish passports will be supported for evacuation, by the British government, from locations in the middle east impacted by the ongoing conflict.

Anyone who is eligible for British nationality can use the Register Your Presence service, including those with birthright citizenship under the Good Friday agreement, irrespective of whether or not they have a British Passport. If a constituent does not have a British Passport but wishes to register their presence, they can call the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 24/7 Consular Call Centre +44 (0)7008 5000, who will advise them how to do so. We maintain regular contact with the Northern Ireland Executive about these matters, including the provision of consular assistance to Irish passport holders.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken in response to the situation in Iran.

I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 13 January, and to my responses in the Urgent Question debate on 19 January.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to conduct due diligence when licensing arms transfers to the United Arab Emirates to prevent weapons being diverted to Sudan.

I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her polices of reports that UK weapons are being used in the Sudanese conflict.

I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take diplomatic steps to secure guarantees that humanitarian (a) assistance will be delivered safely and (b) corridors will be opened for civilians in Sudan.

I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Israeli government plans to confine Palestinians to the Rafah area of Gaza.

We are appalled by Israeli Defence Minister Katz's proposal to move Gaza's population to Rafah. Palestinian territory must not be reduced. Civilians must be able to return to their communities. We need to move towards a ceasefire deal and open a pathway to lasting peace.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Israeli government on the prevention of aid entering Gaza from the sea.

The Government of Israel has halted the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza for over four months. We have repeatedly called on the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza.We are clear, the only way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale is via full use of overland routes. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his recent calls with Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on Deirdre Murphy from Swansea following her arrest on 31 May 2025.

Our embassy in Tel Aviv is aware of the situation. We understand that Ms Murphy is being supported by the Irish Embassy. She has not been in touch with the British Embassy, but our consular team remain on hand to provide any support to Ms Murphy if required.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the Shawcross report into compensation for UK victims of Gaddafi-sponsored IRA terrorism.

The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored Irish Republican Army terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. The Shawcross Report was commissioned by the previous government as an internal report drawing on a series of private and confidential conversations. We will keep decisions on publication regarding the Shawcross Report under review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of shots fired towards (a) UK, (b) Irish and (c) EU diplomats while visiting the West Bank.

The events in Jenin on 21 May were unacceptable. We are clear that diplomats must be allowed to do their jobs and civilians must always be protected. Israel must launch a full investigation and those responsible held accountable. I have spoken to our diplomats affected and our position has been made clear to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's definition of genocide is.

As a State Party to the Genocide Convention, we adopt the definition of genocide as set out in Article II of the Genocide Convention.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help resolve the blockade of food and aid reaching Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary has raised the urgent need for restarting the flow of humanitarian aid with his Israeli counterpart repeatedly and will continue to make representations to the Government of Israel on this matter. We are constantly pressing Israel publicly and privately to allow the flow of aid into Gaza. On 23 April, we issued a statement, together with France and Germany, calling for Israel to immediately re-start a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, ensure aid workers are protected and urge all parties to return to a ceasefire with remaining hostages released. On 29 April, the UK made a statement to the UN Security Council where we shared our concerns about the dwindling supply of food, which leaves a million children at risk of starvation, disease and death.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of transporting aid to Gaza by sea.

We assess that the delivery of aid through Ashdod Port presents the most viable maritime route at this time. The UK has previously worked with partners to operationalise a maritime aid corridor, but we have always been clear that this can never be a substitute for delivery by land, which remains the best way to get aid in at the scale needed.The UK continues to call on the Government of Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to compensate victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism.

The Government reiterates its sympathy for UK victims of Qaddafi-sponsored terrorism, and indeed all victims of the Troubles. The UK's position with regards to victims of Libyan-sponsored Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorism is that it is the responsibility of the Libyan Government to provide compensation. We will continue to call for Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qaddafi regime's support for the IRA.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Nigerian counterpart on the release of Leah Sharibu.

The UK strongly condemns Leah Sharibu's abduction and has repeatedly called for her release and the release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA). We have raised Leah's case with the Government of Nigeria, and the Minister for Africa will continue to do so in future engagements. More broadly, we continue to engage with the Government of Nigeria to support efforts to tackle insecurity and prevent further kidnappings, which includes support to Nigeria's anti-kidnap cell, through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help ensure the representation of women in political institutions in Syria.

In the UK's engagement with international partners and Syrian contacts, we have stressed the importance of inclusivity and respect for human rights, including for women.Senior FCDO officials recently travelled to Damascus, where they discussed the importance of an inclusive transitional political process, protecting the rights of all Syrians. The UK joined talks in Aqaba on 14 December, hosted by Jordan, with Arab, US, UN and EU partners, during which we collectively underlined the importance of respect for human rights, including for women.Support to women and girls is 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, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that women's rights are protected in Syria.

In the UK's engagement with international partners and Syrian contacts, we have stressed the importance of inclusivity and respect for human rights, including for women.Senior FCDO officials recently travelled to Damascus, where they discussed the importance of an inclusive transitional political process, protecting the rights of all Syrians. The UK joined talks in Aqaba on 14 December, hosted by Jordan, with Arab, US, UN and EU partners, during which we collectively underlined the importance of respect for human rights, including for women.Support to women and girls is 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, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Amnesty International entitled You feel like you are subhuman: Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

We are aware of the report by Amnesty International, entitled "You feel like you are subhuman: Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza". The UK is fully committed to international law. The UK Government's long-standing policy is that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, such as the International Court of Justice, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. Since 2 September, the UK has suspended relevant export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza conflict, following a review which concluded there is a clear risk that UK export items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. The UK remains resolute in our call for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages cruelly held by Hamas since 7 October 2023 and urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis.