Written questions by Darling.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to (a) Elliott Michael Roberts and (b) other detained British nationals in Israel.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the British Council in addressing identified financial pressures; and what further assistance is under consideration to ensure its long-term sustainability.

I refer the Hon Member to (a) the answer I provided on 28 October 2025 in response to question 906060, (b) the oral evidence provided to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 9 December 2025 by the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and on 16 December 2025 by the Foreign Secretary, and (c) the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 March 2026 (Statement UIN HCWS1470), where these issues were addressed at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how the Government is assessing the financial sustainability of the British Council over the next 3 years; and what metrics or criteria are being used in that assessment.

I refer the Hon Member to (a) the answer I provided on 28 October 2025 in response to question 906060, (b) the oral evidence provided to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 9 December 2025 by the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and on 16 December 2025 by the Foreign Secretary, and (c) the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 March 2026 (Statement UIN HCWS1470), where these issues were addressed at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the principal financial pressures facing the British Council; and what the main drivers of those pressures are.

I refer the Hon Member to (a) the answer I provided on 28 October 2025 in response to question 906060, (b) the oral evidence provided to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 9 December 2025 by the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and on 16 December 2025 by the Foreign Secretary, and (c) the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 March 2026 (Statement UIN HCWS1470), where these issues were addressed at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans does the UK Government have to support overseas states experiencing severe droughts and difficulty in accessing water.

The UK works with partner governments to strengthen water resilience, including resilience to severe drought, and to expand access to safely managed water services. For example, through the Just Transitions for Water Security programme, we have supported developing countries to build resilience to climate change and nature loss by strengthening sustainable water management.Through the Enhanced Water Leadership in a Changing Climate programme, we have worked with the World Bank and others to strengthen national systems and mobilise finance to improve access to water, and through the Climate Adaptation and Resilience programme, we have supported climate adaptation research, including taking action to improve understanding of and responses to water insecurity and drought.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Resilience and Reconstruction entitled Disinformation, UK Democracy, and Attitudes toward Ukraine & Russia in the UK, published on January 2026; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of social media platform algorithms on the spread of misleading or hostile state-aligned narratives in relation to (a) the war in Ukraine and (b) other matters.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 January to Question 105450. As concerns the algorithms of social media platforms, the Online Safety Act gives Ofcom the power to request information on their design, including as this relates to allegations of illegal mis- and disinformation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department provides trauma informed training to their Embassies and Consulates.

We prioritise maintaining a global network of internally trained Trauma Risk incidence Management assessors through a regular training programme which is open to all staff, UK and Country-Based. We have also begun to offer Type 2 trauma courses to both home and overseas based teams on demand.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of Israeli settlement expansion on the viability of a future Palestinian state.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given on 29 July to question 66511, and on 3 September to question 71442.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the participation of Palestinian representatives in post-ceasefire governance arrangements for Gaza.

I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made on Gaza and Sudan by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November and the statement on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, following his participation in the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt on 13 October, where he addressed these issues at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she last had discussions with her Israeli counterparts on (a) violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and (b) the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given on 29 July to question 66511, and on 3 September to question 71442.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with international partners on the absence of a defined timeline for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza under the ceasefire agreement.

I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made on Gaza and Sudan by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November and the statement on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, following his participation in the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt on 13 October, where he addressed these issues at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support international efforts to document and investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 19 September to Question 74226.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made on Gaza and Sudan by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November and the statement on the Middle East by the Prime Minister on 14 October, following his participation in the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt on 13 October, where he addressed these issues at length.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure accountability for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 19 September to Question 74226.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with international partners to ensure accountability for alleged violations of international humanitarian law in the West Bank.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given on 29 July to question 66511, and on 3 September to question 71442.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Israeli counterparts on the rise in settler violence and forced displacement affecting Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given on 29 July to question 66511, and on 3 September to question 71442.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to reports that around 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported or transferred into Russia or Russian-held territories, what steps his Department is taking to help Ukraine reunite children with their families.

The UK continues to track Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children. Our efforts focus on communications, sanctions, and accountability. We have raised this issue at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the UN and the Human Rights Council. The UK participated in the most recent meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in October 2024 and continues to work closely with the Ukrainian government. In November 2024, we announced a third round of sanctions targeting those attempting to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukrainian children. We were pleased to see another group of children returned via Qatari mediation in September 2024, and are grateful for Qatar's continued engagement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enhance targeted sanctions against vessels in Russia's shadow fleet; and whether he plans to align his Department's vessel designations with those of the United States.

Since gaining the power to 'specify' individual vessels in May 2024, the UK has sanctioned 25 tankers transporting Russian oil as part of Putin's shadow fleet; a higher number than that undertaken by partners over the same period. This has disrupted Russia's efforts to undermine our oil sanctions, leaving the majority of these vessels struggling to re-enter the Russian oil trade and intensifying the pressure we have placed on Russian revenues. We have also sanctioned five vessels involved in the Russian LNG sector. We continue to step up our efforts, working closely with partners including the US, to ensure effectiveness and impact.