Written questions by Burgon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 53578 on Genocide Convention, whether his Department made an assessment of the merits that Israel was in breach of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in July 2024.

The UK'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, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process.In the context of export licensing, Criterion 1 of the UK's Strategic Export Licensing Criteria requires respect for the UK's international obligations and commitments. We have carefully collated, reviewed and assessed relevant evidence concerning the Gaza conflict. In September, we took decisive action, stopping exports to the Israeli Defence Forces that might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict. The action we have taken, as announced to Parliament, is consistent with all our legal obligations, including those under the Arms Trade Treaty and Genocide Convention, and we remain wholly committed to international law.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of airstrikes carried out by Israel in Gaza between October 2023 and September 2024, (b) the number of those his Department has examined for potential breaches of international law and (c) the number of those examined that were assessed as potentially involving violations of international law.

Our International Humanitarian Law (IHL) assessments, which assess Israel's compliance and commitment to IHL in the conflict in Gaza, use data on verified incidents, including but not limited to airstrikes, provided by a third-party specialising in geolocation. We do not track every single incident or airstrike as part of this process.While the assessments have raised concerns about possible breaches of IHL in the areas of humanitarian access, the treatment of detainees, and forced displacement, we have not been able to reach a determination in relation to the conduct of hostilities due to the lack of sufficient, verifiable evidence. To determine a possible breach in this area requires access to sensitive specific information related to individual incidents, such as the intended targets, anticipated military advantage and anticipated civilian harm, which is often not available to us.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a determination under the Genocide Convention.

The UK'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, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. As a party to the Convention, the UK is fully committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Convention.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it remains his policy that any determination as to whether Israel has committed genocide in Gaza is a matter for a competent national or international court.

The UK'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, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK continues to step up for Ukraine as new funding announced to bring war criminals to justice, published on 29 December 2024, if he will publish a summary of his Department's legal advice on war crimes committed by Russia during its war on Ukraine.

Since the start of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2021, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has recorded over 150,000 incidents of alleged war crimes committed during the conflict. The UK government is committed to supporting Ukraine in its efforts to document and investigate these atrocity crimes. As set out in our funding announcement of 29 December 2024, we are focussing efforts through practical support co-ordinated via the Atrocity Crimes Advisory group, established with our US and EU partners. We have also provided support to the International Criminal Court, which established its own investigation into the situation in Ukraine in March 2022, and been an active member of the Core Group of countries, working to explore options to establish a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed reductions in official development assistance on the UK contribution to international climate finance.

The impact on international climate finance is being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of GNI today to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will be taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money and will set out our spending plans following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to spend at least £1 billion on humanitarian aid in each year of this Parliament.

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 based on various factors including impact, and value for money.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department plans to provide for international climate finance in (a) 2025-26 and (b) each of the next five financial years.

Tackling climate change is a top priority for this government and we remain committed to International Climate Finance. We will set out our spending plans for future years following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department plans to provide for programmes to help tackle global hunger in each of the next five financial years.

The impact of the reduction in UK Official Development Assistance from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent in 2027 is being worked through. Announcements on allocations will be made following the completion of the ongoing Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes. We will continue to advocate for action on global hunger, including through multilateral forums such as the G7, the G20, and as vice-chair of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the reduction in ODA, which (a) sectors and (b) regions will be prioritised for allocation that assistance.

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 based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA spending on food insecurity in (a) Haiti, (b) Mali and (c) South Sudan.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). He has been clear that the government will continue to play a key humanitarian role. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the reduction in ODA spending, what steps his Department plans to take to provide humanitarian support to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the Foreign Secretary announced an uplift of £14.6 million of humanitarian support for at least 480,000 more people in eastern DRC. This brings our humanitarian assistance in Eastern DRC to over £79 million this year. These funds support essential emergency assistance, and provide access to clean drinking water, treatment for malnourished children and life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. The UK remains committed to supporting those most in need in this critical humanitarian situation. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be allocated in future years will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors, including impact assessments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has commissioned external legal advice on Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.

We continue to keep Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Gaza under review through a regular assessments process, informed by legal advice. Our judgment on Israel's IHL compliance remains as set out in the Foreign Secretary's statement to Parliament on 2 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's reporting timelines on Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law in the Middle East.

On day one in office, the Foreign Secretary commissioned a thorough review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). On the first day back after the summer recess the Foreign Secretary informed parliament that the Government had taken the decision to suspend arms export licences to Israel for use in military operations in Gaza, after the review concluded that there is a clear risk that relevant exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of IHL. We continue to keep Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law in Gaza under review through a regular assessments process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department next plans to publish an assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.

We continue to keep Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Gaza under review through regular assessments. On 2 September, the Foreign Secretary announced to Parliament the suspension of certain UK export licences to Israel, for items he concluded might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL in Gaza. This was further to the IHL assessment raising concerns about possible breaches of IHL in the areas of humanitarian access and in the treatment of detainees. The relevant export licences remain suspended and there are no plans to publish further summaries while our assessment remains unchanged.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the average time period in weeks is for his Department to undertake an assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.

The FCDO keeps Israel's commitment, capability to comply and record of compliance with International Humanitarian Law in relation to the Gaza conflict under regular review. The assessments, which are supported by a detailed evidence-base and informed by legal advice, take an average of 8 weeks to complete.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14977 on Gaza: Israel, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the duty under Article 1 to prevent genocide.

It is the UK's long-standing policy that any determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying, and individual or national interest. The UK Government is clear in our commitment to international law. This includes our obligations under the Genocide Convention and the Arms Trade Treaty. This Government is profoundly concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has raised our grave concerns with Israeli Minister Dermer and Minister Katz in his recent bilateral meetings. At a multilateral level, the UK is using its presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to call for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages held since 7 October 2023 and urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis. On 2 September 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced the decision to suspend export licences for items that could be used in military operations in Gaza, exempting the F-35 components.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to Israel about compliance with the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in the case of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip .

It is the UK Government's long-standing policy that any determination of genocide is a matter for a competent national or international court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying and individual or national interest. The recent Provisional Measures Order was an interim order, intended to preserve the rights of the parties pending consideration of the legal arguments and evidence. The UK respects the independence of the International Court of Justice and awaits its decision.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on (a) the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza and (b) Israel's compliance with Article 1 of the Genocide Convention.

It is the UK's long-standing policy that any determination of genocide should be based upon the judgement of a competent national or international court, and this is not for governments or non-judicial bodies to determine. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying, and individual or national interest. The government fully respects the independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ is currently considering the application and interpretation of the Genocide Convention in the South Africa v Israel case, and we await its decision.On 5 November, I raised our grave concerns that Kamal Adwan continues to come under fire with the Israeli Ambassador. We remain deeply concerned by reports that many medical facilities are no longer in use or are inaccessible to humanitarian actors. Israel must comply with international law. As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement on 16 October, we, alongside our partners, continue to press Israel to take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties, allow aid into Gaza and enable the UN and its humanitarian partners to operate effectively. With our French and Algerian counterparts, we called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on this issue on 16 October.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 2 September 2024 on Middle East Update, Official Report, column 37, if he will publish a list of items covered by the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria that continue to be exported to Israel.

We publish annual and quarterly reports on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the products covered by these licences. They are available to view on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.Summary data on our current export licences to Israel was also published on 11 June 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel.The next publication of full statistics covering the period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024 will be on 12 December.