Written questions by Maskell.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with (a) civil society and (b) women's organisations in Sudan on advancing a pathway to peace.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) officials, including our Special Representative to Sudan, regularly meet Sudanese civil society and diaspora groups. We also had extensive engagement with civil society and NGOs prior to the London Sudan Conference on 15 April. This included engagements led by Baroness Chapman who, on 9 April, spoke at a 'Women's Inclusion Roundtable' in London that was attended by Sudanese civil society and academics. The recommendations of the roundtable were used to help shape discussions at the London Sudan Conference.In addition, the UK supports the neutral, anti-war element of the Somoud civilian coalition (formerly known as Taqaddum) with technical facilitation and logistics to help broaden its base and promote a more inclusive and unified civilian vision for Sudan. The UK will continue to champion the importance of Sudanese civilians, especially women and youth, as well as civil society, in any efforts to resolve the conflict and shape the future of Sudan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to convene the talks to end the war in Sudan since the London Sudan Conference.

The Foreign Secretary's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) confirmed that the UK will continue to use its leadership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to advocate for increased international efforts on Sudan, including pushing the warring parties to implement the humanitarian pause, the wider ceasefire and the political transition that the Sudanese people need.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK Aid is entering Gaza.

The UK is doing all we can to alleviate suffering. All allocations of our Humanitarian Programme are available publicly on Development Tracker. We have published further information on Core Relief Items through the programmes annual review with the next to be published by November 2025. Quantifying how much UK-aid has entered into Gaza is difficult, due to the complex operating environment and limited real-time data, as well as Israel's restrictions on humanitarian workers and monitors. But despite Israel's restrictions on access we know UK Aid is having an impact - our funding to UK-Med has treated nearly 600,000 people in Gaza.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to redirect funding for orphanage economies to fund family strengthening.

As part of the Children's Care Reform campaign, a new programme was launched earlier this year to provide resources for technical assistance to signatories of the Global Charter and engagement with stakeholders, including young people with lived experience of the care system. The charter includes a commitment by all signatories to seek to monitor and phase out funding streams that incentivise institutionalisation, contribute to unnecessary family separation and undermine efforts to prioritise family care.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what international commitments he plans to make in relation to the Global Care Reform Campaign.

The Global Charter on Children's Care Reform, led by the UK, sets out a series of commitments including supporting families to prevent unnecessary separation, ensuring safe and nurturing family-based alternative care and progressively ending the institutionalisation of all children.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the sustainable impact of the Global Care Reform Campaign, including (a) a long-term strategy up to 2030 and (b) adequate resourcing.

As part of the Children's Care Reform campaign, a new programme was launched earlier this year to provide resources for technical assistance to signatories of the Global Charter and engagement with stakeholders, including young people with lived experience of the care system. The charter includes a commitment by all signatories to seek to monitor and phase out funding streams that incentivise institutionalisation, contribute to unnecessary family separation and undermine efforts to prioritise family care.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on restrictions faced by (a) Christians and (b) underground churches in China.

The environment for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. Chinese regulations on religious activity severely restrict religious and cultural expression in China. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to FoRB. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts.More broadly, this Government champions FoRB for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.The recent launch of our FoRB strategy on July 8 outlines our approach to promoting and protecting the right to FoRB globally, of which China is one of ten focus countries. We continue to do all we can to encourage FoRB across China.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the level of ODA spend.

To fund an increase in defence spending, the Government has taken the decision to reduce our ODA budget to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027. This reflects the world we live in and the threats our country faces. We must do this to maintain economic stability - the foundation of this Government's Plan for Change. The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when the fiscal circumstances allow.The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely, and each year will review and confirm, in accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, whether a return to spending 0.7% GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast. The Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast shows that the ODA fiscal tests are not due to be met within the Parliament.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on establishing field hospitals in Gaza.

Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink following Israel's expanded military operations.  It is appalling that nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We recently announced a £7.5 million package to strengthen medical care in Gaza and the region, including additional funding for UK-Med. Through our partnership with UK-Med, they have provided over 500,000 patient consultations in their field hospitals, emergency departments, and mobile clinics in Gaza since January 2024.We urgently need more supplies reaching healthcare facilities and better protections for aid and medical workers. As the Minister for International Development said in August, we are straining every sinew to get the aid that is needed in, and quickly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide clean (a) medical and (b) surgical equipment in Gaza.

Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink following Israel's expanded military operations.  It is appalling that nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We recently announced a £7.5 million package to strengthen medical care in Gaza and the region, including additional funding for UK-Med. Through our partnership with UK-Med, they have provided over 500,000 patient consultations in their field hospitals, emergency departments, and mobile clinics in Gaza since January 2024.We urgently need more supplies reaching healthcare facilities and better protections for aid and medical workers. As the Minister for International Development said in August, we are straining every sinew to get the aid that is needed in, and quickly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help de-escalate the conflict in Sudan.

We are engaging with a range of international partners to coordinate action on de-escalation of the conflict in Sudan, including through our role as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council. The UK has shown clear leadership on Sudan, including the London Sudan Conference on 15 April, convened by the Foreign Secretary and attended by Foreign Ministers and high-level representatives from 21 countries and multilateral bodies. Discussions focussed on how to make progress on shared goals of ending the conflict, protecting civilians and scaling-up the delivery of humanitarian aid, echoed in the Co-Chairs' Statement. Participants agreed on the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and committed to proactively support efforts to find a peaceful solution. We continue to engage with international partners towards this goal. Senior UK officials also continue to engage with the warring parties to urge them to return to the negotiating table and commit to a meaningful, sustainable ceasefire in Sudan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to engage with his Iranian counterparts on the status of the Jewish community in Iran; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the protection of (a) religious freedoms and (b) civil rights for Jews and other religious minorities in Iran.

Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK. Religious minorities, including the Jewish community, suffer discrimination in law and practice, including in access to education, employment, child adoption, political office and places of worship. The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN raised the continued systematic targeting and repression of religious minorities on the 18 March. We were integral to the delivery of a new Human Rights Council resolution on Iran on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. This will investigate a broader range of abuses including against religious minorities, in an important step towards accountability. Our Ambassador to Iran and the Foreign Secretary continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian Government.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to achieve multilateral disarmament of nuclear weapons.

The UK remains committed to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and to our Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty obligation to pursue nuclear disarmament negotiations in good faith. Nuclear disarmament is a process as well as an end-state, which is best achieved through a negotiated approach within existing international frameworks and reflecting the security environment. Whilst the current security environment poses significant challenges to this goal, the UK continues to work with partners to make progress on mechanisms that will ensure disarmament can be verified, transparent and irreversible if and when the security environment allows. We also continue to take steps to address future challenges on the verification of disarmament. An effective verification regime is essential for states to be confident others have eliminated their nuclear weapons and, are meeting treaty obligations. The UK has been at the forefront of national and international verification research, both domestically and within a range of global initiatives - for example, through the Quad Nuclear Verification Partnership.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spends on diplomacy (a) in numerical terms and (b) as a proportion of gross value added each year.

Diplomacy is at the heart of all Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) activity, both in the UK and overseas. It is not possible for the FCDO to accurately present a numerical cost of diplomacy, nor the proportion of gross value added each year, because diplomacy will be a varying portion of almost all FCDO expenditure.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK Government complies with its Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons obligations.

The UK is compliant with and remains committed to its obligations across all three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In line with its commitment under Article VI, the UK continues to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to nuclear disarmament, and to the long-term goal of achieving a world without nuclear weapons. Whilst the current security environment poses significant challenges to this goal, the UK continues to work with partners to make progress on mechanisms that will ensure disarmament can be verified, transparent and irreversible when the security environment allows. The UK is also proud to play its part in strengthening non-proliferation through active participation in export controls, and championing the highest standards of nuclear safety, security and safeguards as key enablers of nuclear trade. The UK has also provided financial support to both the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses and the International Atomic Energy Agency's Technical Cooperation Programme to improve developing states' access to the benefits of peaceful nuclear technologies. The UK will publish a National Report on its NPT progress at the NPT 2026 Review Conference which will provide further details on this work.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions to international development aid on (a) women and (b) children.

The UK remains committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. We recognise that supporting women and girls is essential for development and we will continue to do so by using our voice to be a champion for women and girls across the world; working with women's organisations, particularly local organisations; and mainstreaming gender equality to put women and girls at the heart of everything we do.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions on Offical Development Assistance (ODA) allocations. We intend to publish final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts this summer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in Overseas Development Assistance on the number of children able to access education.

Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through following the recent Spending Review and through resource allocation processes. We intend to publish final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Annual Report and Accounts this summer. The FCDO is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in aid spending on the global influence of (a) China and (b) other countries.

To fund a necessary increase in defence spending, the Government has taken the decision in the current fiscal and economic circumstances to reduce our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.This was not an ideological decision, but a hardheaded one, recognising that resources devoted to diplomacy, development and defence have had to evolve over time to reflect the global context.The UK Government is fully committed to the UK playing a significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Iranian authorities following reports of 10 Bahá'í women being sentenced to a combined 90 years in prison for facilitating community-based educational and recreational activities for children.

Iran's abhorrent repression of Baha'is is unacceptable. We continue to take action in multilateral fora to spotlight abuses against Baha'is and hold Iran to account. On 18 March, at the Human Rights Council, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN, said: "The past year has seen an escalation in the arrest and detention of Baha'i women as authorities seek to suppress their religious identity and autonomy as women." We were integral to the delivery of a new Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the Human Rights Council on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which will investigate a broader range of abuses including against religious minorities, in an important step towards accountability. His Majesty's Ambassador to Iran and I continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian government.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department’s negotiating priorities are for the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Our priorities for the 2025 Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) include to promote and strengthen the NPT for the future, demonstrate the UK's enduring commitment to taking its responsibilities as a nuclear weapons state seriously and to engage productively and work collaboratively to forge the broadest possible consensus.