Written questions by Chowns.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure that Israel facilitates the safe delivery of humanitarian aid at the scale needed to alleviate starvation in Gaza.

The famine in Gaza City and the surrounding neighbourhood, as confirmed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), is utterly horrifying and is wholly preventable. On 12 August, the UK led 32 international partners in drawing attention to the unfolding famine in Gaza while urging Israel to allow large-scale access for the UN, international NGOs, and humanitarian partners.As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement on 22 August, the IPC report outlines the sickening reality created by Israel's restrictions on aid, especially for children; he called on the Government of Israel to act immediately to stop the situation deteriorating further. On 23 August, the Foreign Secretary pressed Foreign Minister Sa'ar on the IPC's confirmation of famine in Gaza and urged for all restrictions on aid to be lifted.We will continue to coordinate international efforts to press Israel to alleviate starvation in Gaza.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled 2030 roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations, published on 21 March 2023, what the (a) timeline and (b) terms of reference is for the review of the 2030 Roadmap; and whether the review will it be made public.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the previous Foreign Secretary on 20 May 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to hold Israel accountable for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the previous Foreign Secretary on 20 May 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on a timeframe for improvement on the facilitation of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The previous Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 23 August and he urged the Government of Israel to remove all restrictions on aid entering Gaza and agree to a ceasefire. The UN and humanitarian partners must be allowed to operate safely and independently to deliver aid to those who so desperately need it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 145 of the skeleton argument of the Secretary of State in Al-Haq v Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Claim No: AC-2023-LON-003634, if he will publish all relating documents.

We currently do not have plans to publish these assessments. Information on these assessments has been provided to the relevant Parliamentary committees and more detailed information on this assessment can be found in the judgement the High Court handed down on 30 June. The action we have taken, as announced to Parliament, is consistent with our legal obligations and we remain wholly committed to international law.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the Overseas Territories introduce public registers of beneficial ownership.

Please refer to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 July which provides an update and details of next steps.We have made very clear to our partners in the remaining Overseas Territories the importance of delivering on the previously committed to deadlines, and have offered technical support to achieve this. We have communicated that we expect rapid and robust action to be taken, given the crucial importance of tackling illicit finance and increasing transparency. We have set out that we expect access to be granted to a wide range of legitimate users, that registers should enable proactive investigations and should act as a deterrent to those seeking to conceal illicit gains.Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have conducted an in-house assessment of the latest policies and proposals from these Overseas Territories against the discussions at the Joint Ministerial Council in November 2024. In addition, we have reviewed feedback from a range of external stakeholders including expert NGOs and parliamentarians. We have also considered emerging international modalities which cover legitimate interest access registers. I have recently discussed this issue with a range of Overseas Territory leaders and will continue to do so.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, published on 30 June 2023, whether (a) he and (b) officials from his Department had discussions with (i) J.C. Bamford Excavators Ltd , (ii) Opodo Ltd and (iii) Greenkote PLC on their inclusion in the list of companies undertaking business activities in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem in (A) 2024 and (B) 2025.

We are aware of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights database but do not comment on individual businesses. The Government does not encourage or offer support to business activity in Israeli settlements. When approached by businesses, we set out the UK's clear position on Israeli settlements and share with them our online guidance found on the Overseas Business Risk website. We advise British businesses to bear in mind the British Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in the region. Those contemplating any economic or financial involvement in settlements should seek appropriate legal advice.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to mark UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture; and what steps he plans to take at the UN General Assembly 2025 to press for international regulations on goods that could be used for torture.

The UK Government remains committed to preventing torture and tackling impunity for those who torture others. It is essential for safeguarding our security and integral to a fair legal system and the rule of law.At the UN General Assembly, we will continue to work with allies to encourage all states to uphold their international human rights obligations. As a member of the Global Alliance on Torture Free Trade, the UK supports the initiative to stop the trade of goods used for capital punishment and torture. Goods are subject to export restrictions if they can be used for torture, capital punishment, or cruel and inhuman treatment. Export licence applications are considered against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Government will not grant a licence for items where we determine there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate internal repression.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the US President's Executive Order entitled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, published on 24 April 2025; and if he will issue guidance to UK nationals on the compatibility of involvement in seabed mining operations with UK membership of the International Seabed Authority.

The Government notes the US Executive Order on 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. The UK is a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is committed to the continued work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to finalise the draft exploitation Regulations. The UK supports a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining by the ISA until there is sufficient scientific evidence to assess the potential impact of deep-sea mining on marine life, and until the ISA adopts robust, enforceable regulations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan) in response to the question from the hon. Member for Waveney Valley, during the Urgent Question on Middle East Update of 6 May 2025, Official Report, column 588, if he will publish his most recent risk assessment.

The Government published a summary of the assessment process and decisions that led to the suspension on 2 September of export licences for items that could be used by Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Further information on the assessment process can be found on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account/summary-of-the-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-accountThe Foreign Secretary has committed to keeping Parliament updated.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the World Bank Group's report entitled Investment Framework for Nutrition 2024, published on 2 October 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) his Department's international development strategy and (b) the allocation of Official Development Assistance prioritise cost-effective nutrition interventions.

Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.To deliver the most impact on nutrition, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to integrating nutrition objectives alongside other policy objectives from sectors, such as health, food and agriculture, humanitarian, and climate in our ODA programmes. At the recent Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit, alongside the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and other partners, the FCDO launched the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration. Over 80 countries and organisations have signalled their commitment to nutrition integration through the Compact.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reduced USAID funding for malnutrition programmes on the UK's funding for such programmes for (a) children and (b) other people.

The UK notes the US decision to disband USAID and cancel certain USAID programmes. This is a matter for the US. We are currently working to assess the implications of the US funding pause across all humanitarian and development sectors, including on joint and coordinated programming.Decisions on how the UK's Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments. To deliver the most impact on nutrition, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to integrating nutrition objectives alongside other policy objectives from sectors, such as health, food and agriculture, humanitarian, and climate in our ODA programmes. At the recent Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit, alongside the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and other partners, the FCDO launched the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration. Over 80 countries and organisations have signalled their commitment to nutrition integration through the Compact.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding he plans to provide for the (a) Child Nutrition Fund, (b) Child Wasting Innovation Programme, (c) ready-to-use therapeutic foods and (d) other nutrition programmes in each of the next three financial years.

Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review. We are currently unable to confirm exact levels of funding for the outer years until the spending review for this period has been completed.The majority of funding for ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and other nutrition programmes is administered by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) country offices, and allocated through humanitarian programmes. It is therefore not possible to know in advance how much will be spent on nutrition. The FCDO retrospectively publishes nutrition spend on an annual basis. The most recent available data is from 2022 and can be found online.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Israeli counterpart on whether UK-made (a) arms and (b) arms components for (i) F35 aircraft and (ii) other arms have been used in the Israeli Defence Force air strikes that commenced in Gaza on 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.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the case of Manahel al-Otaibi.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have monitored the case of Manahel Al-Otaibi and will continue to do so. We have raised the case with the Saudi authorities. The British Embassy in Riyadh has attempted to observe Ms Al-Otaibi's trials. We will continue to discuss human rights, including individual cases of concern, with the Saudi government.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA spending on the ability of recipient countries to respond to (a) resource scarcity and (b) food insecurity.

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 on the basis of various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, columns 631-634, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the level of Official Development Assistance to 0.3% of gross national income on the UK's global reputation for supporting global action on climate change.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA), including that the UK will continue to play a key role in tackling climate change. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA spending on climate security.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA), including that the UK will continue to play a key role in tackling climate change. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 24912 on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, whether the measures to implement the provisions needed to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty will be complete by the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.

The Government is completely committed to ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement, also known as the "High Seas Treaty" or "Global Ocean Treaty"), which is in line with our determination to reinvigorate the UK's wider international leadership on climate and nature. Legislation to implement the BBNJ Agreement will be introduced as soon as the legislative timetable allows.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK's nuclear testing on the (a) medical, (b) public and (c) genetic health of the population in Kiribati.

The UK has arranged several assessments of the impacts of nuclear testing in the Pacific region and it has been the UK Government's position since 2008 that any remediation work required due to UK nuclear tests in Kiribati has been completed. There are no plans for the UK Government to undertake a further assessment of the health of the population or environment of that nation. The UK is committed to creating long standing partnerships with Pacific Island countries including Kiribati, and supporting their priorities including tackling environmental and climate related issues.