Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the potential impact of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan on women and girls.

Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of this humanitarian crisis due to systematic Taliban oppression. As I set out in my statement of 17 June, our independent monitoring shows that our assistance continues to reach vulnerable people, including women and girls. The UK government remains committed that at least 50% of people reached by UK aid are women and girls. We have repeatedly condemned the Taliban's abhorrent policies towards women and girls and remain united with the international community in our firm opposition to continued restrictions. Upholding human rights and gender equality is not only a moral imperative but also essential for building a stable, inclusive, and prosperous country for all Afghans.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it remains his policy to help ensure that at least 50% of recipients of UK aid in Afghanistan are women and girls.

The UK remains committed that at least 50 per cent of people reached by UK aid are women and girls - a commitment we have met every year since the Taliban takeover in 2021. We ensure UK aid reaches women and meets their needs. Over 750,000 women received emergency food assistance and over 1 million received health support through UK funding in 2023 to 2024. We look forward to publishing the results of our aid delivered in 2024/25 later this year, including to women and girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of moving the the UK Mission to Afghanistan from Doha to a UK-based Afghanistan department.

The UK Mission to Afghanistan in Doha closed on 30 June 2025. Mr Richard Lindsay was appointed as Special Envoy to Afghanistan on 17 June. He will lead a new Afghanistan department from the UK, taking on the duties of the current Chargé d'Affaires. These changes will not affect our resolve to support the people of Afghanistan, which is unwavering.This new approach will allow the UK to engage with a broader range of Afghans. The Special Envoy will engage the Taliban on UK priorities including counter terrorism, human rights, and humanitarian access; support intra-Afghan dialogue; engage women, religious and ethnic minorities who suffer at the hands of the Taliban; and work with regional countries on shared priorities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) climate adaptation and (b) food resilience programmes in Afghanistan in 2024–25.

In financial year 2024-25, we allocated £171 million to provide vital support for vulnerable people in Afghanistan, including £65 million to the World Food Programme to help more than one million people with emergency food, resilience and nutrition assistance. In line with our international obligations the details of our annual International Climate Finance (ICF) spend are published through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including by recipient country or region. As I set out in my written statement of 17 June, we are launching new programming supporting Afghans to grow their own food, strengthen their resilience to climate shocks and water stress, improve their livelihoods, and reduce dependence on emergency aid.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms his Department has put in place to monitor the delivery of UK-funded aid in Afghanistan.

The Assurance and Learning Programme was established by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in 2022 to strengthen oversight of the delivery of UK-funded aid in Afghanistan by providing independent third-party monitoring and portfolio monitoring, evaluation and learning. In addition, officials visit Kabul regularly and meet partners there. FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes in Afghanistan have been subject to regular Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) oversight. FCDO facilitated a visit to Kabul by the ICAI Commissioner Sir Hugh Bayley in May 2024, where he met UN agencies and local and international NGOs supported by the UK to support the completion of an Information Note.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Taliban on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan: and what outcome he has achieved.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials regularly speak to the Taliban on the UK Government's priorities, including women's rights in Afghanistan, most recently in June. Ministers do not engage with the Taliban. The Foreign Secretary condemned the erosion of women and girls' rights in the appalling "vice and virtue" law introduced in August 2024. The UK Government is working with international partners to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions. Upholding human rights and gender equality is not only a moral imperative but also essential for building a stable, inclusive and prosperous country for all Afghans.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 59018 on Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Finance, what funding his Department has allocated for the financial year 2025/26.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) initial 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations aim to maximise the FCDO's flexibility ahead of setting final ODA allocations, while meeting legally binding commitments and existing live contracts and agreements. We will publish our final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he taking is to encourage (a) large humanitarian aid donors, (b) multilateral organisations and (c) other partner nations to provide funding for women-led grassroots organisations in official development assistance-recipient countries.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is putting women and girls at the centre of our international work. We remain focused on supporting and partnering with women's rights organisations and movements, recognising that there is strong evidence that grassroots women-led delivery partners play a significant role in securing and advancing women's rights as well as driving social accountability and enhancing public services for marginalised groups.We will use our convening power and diplomacy to maximise our impact in these areas. This includes by increasing the use of expertise to provide technical assistance to partner governments, and by using our voice to hold multilateral organisations to account on delivery for women and girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the proportion of official development assistance that is being delivered through grassroots women-led delivery partners.

Following the Spending Review, detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of ongoing resource allocation processes. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. We remain focused on supporting and partnering with women's rights organisations and movements, recognising that there is strong evidence that grassroots women-led delivery partners play a significant role in securing and advancing women's rights as well as driving social accountability and enhancing public services for marginalised groups. For example, the Grassroots and Counter Rollback Programme (2024-29) announced by the Prime Minister in December 2024 will strengthen local and national civil society organisations and movements to expand access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and counter rollback, within their own communities and countries. We will publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of (a) 298 nutrition centres and (b) 420 health facilities on humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan in 2025.

We remain gravely concerned about the declining health and nutrition status of the most vulnerable Afghans. We are monitoring the impact of the closures of health and nutrition facilities on the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, and estimate that services for more than 3 million people are impacted. We continue to urge the Taliban to reverse their deadly ban on girls and women receiving medical education. We have adapted our support to provide more flexible funding to help sustain essential and lifesaving health and malnutrition treatment and prevention services. We are working with other donors, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to safeguard health system capacity including routine immunisations for children and disease surveillance systems. We are convening key partners and donors to strengthen our collective approach to tackling food insecurity and malnutrition in Afghanistan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that (a) pregnant women and (b) young children have access to (i) malnutrition treatment and (ii) health services in Afghanistan.

We are gravely concerned about the health and nutrition situation in Afghanistan. Access to essential and nutrition services for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children is limited especially for those in rural areas and is exacerbated by Taliban restrictions on women's movement requiring male chaperones. We continue to urge the Taliban to reverse restrictions on women and girls and improve access to essential services. We have adapted our support to provide more flexible funding to help sustain essential and lifesaving health and malnutrition treatment and prevention services, including for reproductive, maternal and newborn services. We are working with other donors, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to protect health system capacity including routine immunisations for children and reproductive and maternal services for pregnant women. We are convening key partners and donors to strengthen our collective approach to tackling food insecurity and malnutrition in Afghanistan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of humanitarian funding to Afghanistan in response to warnings by the World Food Programme that it can only reach 10% of food-insecure Afghans.

The UK is taking a leading role to support the people of Afghanistan. The UK remains one of the most generous donors to the humanitarian response and we continue to engage with the UN and other donors to sustain support for aid organisations in country.Last financial year we provided £171 million to support Afghans affected by the ongoing crisis. This included £65 million to the World Food Programme who remain one of our primary partners in country. We continue to monitor the situation closely and expect to continue to be a key donor to the humanitarian response in Afghanistan going forward.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Minister’s oral contribution during the debate on Gavi and the Global Fund of 15 May 2025, Official Report, column 203WH, when he will write to me on the potential use of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation.

The UK is a long-standing supporter of Gavi, contributing £1.65 billion from 2021-2025, with £590 million via International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). I recognise the value of IFFIm in enabling Gavi to efficiently manage financing and quickly scale up vaccines during health crises. We will be announcing our GAVI + IFFIM contributions on Wednesday 25 June.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with (a) his international allied counterparts and (b) multilateral institutions to facilitate the availability of war-risk insurance for companies operating in Ukraine.

We have been working with the insurance industry, international partners and other government departments to lead international efforts on expanding the provision of insurance against war-related risks in Ukraine. Since the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office - alongside other international donors - has supported war risk insurance solutions through the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which international companies, including UK firms, can take advantage of.The UK provided £20 million to the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) for a Ukraine Recovery focused Trust Fund to provide political risk insurance and trade guarantees for investments into Ukraine. The UK's contribution has galvanised other bilateral donors to contribute funding to scale up of this initiative to now over $115 million.In December 2024 the UK committed £5 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to establish a complementary war risk insurance initiative to cover in-land cargo in partnership with AON and MS Amlin.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Ukrainian government on the adequacy of the availability of (a) insurance and (b) other mechanisms to help (i) support and (ii) de-risk foreign commercial engagement in Ukraine.

The UK works closely with the Ukrainian government on a range of insurance and other derisking measures to support investment in Ukraine. In March, I and the Minister of State (Gareth Thomas) hosted an insurance industry roundtable at Lloyd's of London jointly with Ministers from the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy to identify the barriers and opportunities to scale up insurance initiatives in Ukraine. We have subsequently supported the Government of Ukraine to establish an insurance task force to collaborate with industry and develop initiatives that make insurance more affordable and widely accessible. Beyond insurance, UK Ministers have discussed and provided support to Ukraine on export credit through UK Export Finance and on investment climate reform where we are providing technical expertise on investment promotion and financial sector reforms through the City-Ukraine hub. I look forward to further opportunities to raise these issues with business and insurance representatives at the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consideration has he given to staffing (a) levels and (b) structures in his Department following changes to levels of ODA spending.

The Foreign Secretary has been clear about the reform needed in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to ensure it is fit for the future and is delivering for the British people. The FCDO will consider the size and shape of its workforce in the context of the wider Spending Review settlement to ensure that it remains affordable. The Foreign Secretary is working closely with the Treasury to ensure our diplomatic, intelligence and development footprint will align with our priorities. We expect the department to become smaller as a result.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Minister’s oral contribution during the debate on Gavi and the Global Fund of 15 May 2025, Official Report, column 203WH, when he will provide a detailed breakdown of the level of UK aid reaching Gaza.

The UK provides humanitarian aid to Gaza via trusted partners, including UN agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). In January 2025, £17 million was announced for food, healthcare and shelter, alongside a broader £129 million commitment to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Since October 2023, Israeli-imposed restrictions have severely limited access. While some UK-funded aid has reached Gaza, other supplies remain at border crossings or in regional warehouses. Quantifying exact volumes is difficult due to limited real-time data and operational constraints. The UK continues to press for full, unimpeded humanitarian access and is working closely with partners to ensure aid reaches those in need.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 53875 on Sudan: Food Aid, how much funding will be allocated to Sudan in the 2025-26 financial year, in the context of the Spending Review 2025, published 11 June 2025.

The Spending Review allocations will be published in July 2025. We will then have a clear indication of how much funding will be allocated to Sudan for the 2025/2026 Financial Year (FY). The Foreign Secretary announced £120 million for this FY 2025/26 at the London Sudan Conference in April, which will provide assistance to 650,000 people in Sudan and across the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer to 46739 of 6 May 2025 on Sudan: Armed Conflict, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills about the cost of the London Sudan conference 2025.

We have written to the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills with details of the cost figures for the London Sudan Conference 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February to Question 28555 on Nutrition for Growth Summit, whether it his Department’s policy to spend £1.5 billion on nutrition objectives by 2030, in the context of the Spending Review 2025.

The Spending Review 2025 confirmed the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget from 2026/27 onwards. Over the coming months, the Department will undertake detailed planning to determine how this budget will be allocated. The FCDO is reviewing how these allocations will support existing and future commitments, with a continued focus on ensuring all ODA spending delivers value for money and advances the UK's development priorities.At the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit, the UK reaffirmed its commitment to integrating nutrition objectives and investments across sectors including health, agriculture, humanitarian response, and climate to improve nutrition outcomes. Decisions on specific funding levels, including those relating to nutrition, will be made as part of the broader resource allocation process.