Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 28556 on International Day of Education, how much funding his Department will provide in (a) 2025-26 and (b) subsequent years for (i) girls' education overseas, (ii) Education Cannot Wait and (iii) the Global Partnership for Education.

The difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) to fund an increase in defence spending to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027 has been taken by the Prime Minister to address the imperative of national security. Impacts on future ODA budgets are currently under review as part of the wider Spending Review process. Given the multi-year nature of many commitments, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is reassessing its ODA spending plans for 2025/26 to ensure they deliver maximum value for money in the context of the transition to spending 0.3% of GNI on ODA by 2027. Initial budget allocations for FCDO ODA in 2025/26 will be set later in March 2025, with final allocations for 2025/26 agreed in the summer. We therefore cannot at this time confirm how much funding will be provided in 2025/26 and beyond for global education; however, the UK remains committed to playing a significant role in international development. Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education remain important partners for the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to support the integration of greener practices in (a) global healthcare and (b) the surgical sector to meet net-zero emissions targets while improving patient outcomes.

Since COP26, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has promoted climate-resilient and sustainable health systems, including in the surgical sector. We co-founded the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, with over 90 country members to drive implementation through best practice exchange and collective action. We have showcased UK practice and research, e.g. actions to meet NHS net-zero targets, including supply chains.Our diplomatic efforts supported "climate and health" resolutions and declarations at World Health Assemblies and COPs. Through bilateral projects and the World Bank Health Systems Fund, we help partners undertake diagnostics, develop plans, and mobilise resources for resilient and sustainable health systems.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28557 on International Day of Education, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of aid delivered to Afghanistan reaching women and girls.

The UK is committed to prioritising gender equality and rights. The needs and priorities of women and girls are at the core of the government's humanitarian response. In financial year 2023-24 (the most recent period for which we have verified data) we can confirm that at least 50 percent of our aid reached women and girls, supporting at least 1.3 million women with humanitarian assistance alone. We have met this target since financial year 2021-22 and expect to continue to meet this target in 2024-25. Our aid is subject to strict monitoring and we have robust third-party monitoring for all our official development assistance funded programmes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 27532 on the Soft Power Council, what allocation from existing budgets has (a) been allocated to and (b) been spent on the Soft Power Council to date; and what estimate he has made of the resources needed to support the Council in the financial year 2025-26.

£20,000 was allocated from existing budgets to support the Soft Power Council in the current financial year. £7,257.73 was spent on the first meeting, covering AV, pull-up banners, tea, coffee, water and biscuits as well as Government Hospitality staffing costs. £8,094 was spent on a one-off reception for 175 people to mark the launch of the Council and the Government's new approach to soft power. We are in the process of establishing a Secretariat to support the Council and its Working Groups as part of broader soft power structures.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to develop internal guidance for including child and youth consultation for policymaking across his Department.

As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights at home and overseas, with the meaningful engagement of children and young people a core part of this commitment.For example, youth sit on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) External Gender Challenge Board and the Girls' Education Department regularly consults with the Youth Council on Global Education, including in preparation for the first Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children.Moreover, children and young people are at the heart of the Foreign Secretary's new global campaign on children's care reform. Engagement sessions with care-experienced children and young people have directly contributed to the development of a Global Charter which will be launched later this year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to adapt the Syria sanctions regime.

As the Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories announced in Parliament on 13 February, we are making changes to the Syrian sanctions regulations to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and promote security and stability. On 6 March, the Government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities, including the Central Bank of Syria, that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people. This follows the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation publishing on 12 February a General Licence, allowing payments that support humanitarian assistance in Syria. As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10th March, we keep our sanctions under close review to ensure they are used as a responsive tool. Where there are changes to the Syria Regulations, Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to debate in line with the made affirmative procedure for sanctions Statutory Instruments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of relaxing restrictions on the (a) energy, (b) transport and (c) finance sectors in Syria on the UK's (i) foreign policy objectives and (ii) humanitarian efforts in the region.

As I said in my statement to the House on 10 March, the Government is committed to helping to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and to promoting security and stability. We are focusing amendments to the Syria sanctions regime on energy, transport and finance as sectors of Syria's economy where international expertise, trade and investment has the greatest potential to contribute to meeting the immediate needs of the Syrian people. We are clear with the interim authorities in Damascus that they have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions, not their words.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps is he taking to ensure continued accountability for people responsible for crimes committed during Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The Foreign Secretary has raised the need for accountability directly with Syrian interim Foreign Minister Shaibani. We continue to support partners who are playing a pivotal role in developing a credible evidence base to record atrocities committed by the former regime and others. This financial year, we have committed £1.15 million to accountability and documentation-related programmes. Following the collapse of the Assad regime, we announced a further £240,000 in funding to help secure and preserve vital evidence.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 27263 on Development Aid: Asylum Hotels, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the use of asylum hotels in advance of the first meeting of the re-established ministerial ODA board.

The Foreign Secretary has regular discussions with his Cabinet colleagues.The Official Development Assistance Board's first meeting in February 2025 focused on in-donor refugee costs. The co-chairs were joined by the Minister for Border Security and Asylum.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a Special Envoy for Children within his Department.

As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights at home and overseas. Whilst the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not have a dedicated Special Envoy on Children, Ministers and Senior Officials regularly raise and advocate for increased awareness and action on cross-cutting issues affecting children through diplomatic and international engagement.This is a priority for the Foreign Secretary: in January, he launched a new campaign to advocate for family-based care for children around the world, recognising the specific vulnerabilities faced by children in need of care and protection. Further, in November Baroness Chapman, Minister for International Development and Latin America and the Caribbean, represented the UK at the first Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February to Question 28082 on the British Council, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of any decision to reduce the number of British Council offices on his Department's objectives.

The British Council is operationally independent from the UK Government. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works with the British Council to ensure strategic alignment between FCDO objectives and British Council activity. Decisions relating to its overseas network are operational matters for the British Council. In an increasingly digital age, the British Council's contribution and impact should be judged by its operational - rather than physical - presence and its results.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the meeting of the All-Serbian Assembly in June 2024.

While the UK welcomes inclusive regional cooperation, economic integration and inter-connectivity initiatives across the region, we have underlined to Serbia's leadership concerns about the June 2024 All Serb Assembly and Declaration and encouraged adherence to the commitments on good neighbourly relations made by all Western Balkans leaders at the 2018 London Summit. We consistently emphasise at senior levels the importance of Serbia's role in building and supporting regional stability; I did so when I met Foreign Minister Djuric in October and reinforced the message with President Vucic and Foreign Minister Djuric in Serbia in January 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the inclusion of children in multilateral events such as the Nutrition for Growth Summit.

The safety and security of children globally spans across all six of the Foreign Secretary's priorities. At the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are funding Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Civil Society Organisation (CSO) network advocacy work to elevate youth participation and representation at the summit, directly facilitating their inclusion and highlighting the experience and needs of mothers and children in their communities. FCDO also are funding a UK and a global south partner country youth delegate to attend the Commission on Population and Development summit. FCDO continues to strengthen CSO partnerships, ensuring grassroots voices are heard and amplified globally, as the Foreign Secretary outlined in his Human Rights Day speech in December 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the application by the International Criminal Court for the arrest of Taliban leaders for crimes against humanity.

We continue to condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on women and girls' rights. Those responsible for international crimes committed in Afghanistan should be held to account for their actions. We note the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's application for arrest warrants against Taliban leaders in relation to the persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan. We welcome the progress being made in the investigation in Afghanistan. The UK Government respects the independence of the ICC. It is for the ICC Prosecutor to determine independently who should be prosecuted in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the rights of Afghan women and girls.

The UK Government condemns the Taliban's inhuman repression of Afghan women and girls. We are working with international partners to maintain collective pressure to press the Taliban to respect the human rights of women and girls. While in New York in January, I publicly demonstrated my support for Afghan women and girls at the UN, ahead of the International Day of Education on 24 January. The UK Government is committed that at least 50 percent of Afghans reached by UK aid are women and girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to enhance the safety and security of aid workers in conflict zones.

We recognise the vital role that aid workers play in conflicts, and the risks they face. In May 2024, the UK co-sponsored UN Security Resolution 2730. The resolution establishes a regular reporting mechanism to highlight the safety and security of all humanitarian personnel at the Security Council and provide recommendations on measures to protect and enhance the safety and security of humanitarian personnel, assets and premises and ensure accountability.As a permanent Member at the UN Security Council, we will continue to use our position to protect aid workers, champion compliance with International Humanitarian Law and seek accountability for violations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) plans and (b) discussions with the US Administration he has had on developing a strategy for managing Iran's influence in the Middle East region.

The Foreign Secretary has discussed the situation in the Middle East, including Iran, with Secretary Rubio. We are in close contact with the US Administration on all our Middle East priorities and will continue to work with the US to counter Iran's destabilising activity in the region. This includes by holding Iran to account in multilateral fora, using sanctions regimes to target Iranian support to its proxies, and by maintaining our permanent defence presence in the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the safe and voluntary return to Syria of Syrian refugees.

As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March, Syria faces an ongoing humanitarian crisis, with the UN reporting 16.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. We agree with the UN's assessment that the conditions in Syria are not currently suitable for large-scale refugee returns. With the international community, we are providing vital humanitarian and development support to Syrians in Syria and those displaced across the region. The UK has provided over £4.3 billion in aid to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure timely aid delivery to vulnerable populations; and what steps he is taking with international partners to remove barriers to that delivery.

The Foreign Secretary has been clear that the UK is committed to protecting the most at risk in situations of conflict and crisis, including civilians, refugees, internally displaced people, women and girls, and people with disabilities.We work closely with international partners to remove barriers to delivery, both through diplomatic initiatives and in the way that we select delivery partners and approaches. This includes using our seat at the UN Security Council to promote access to aid and the protection of aid workers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure UK participation with regional partners on the Abraham Accords.

The United Kingdom warmly welcomed the normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab partners. The Abraham Accords are a historic milestone that bring us closer to the goal of shared prosperity and peace throughout the region. The UK is working with regional partners to ensure the Abraham Accords are an enduring success, and we continue to encourage other countries who have not yet normalised their relations with Israel to do so. We continue to support efforts to ensure normalisation also delivers benefits for the Palestinians.