Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 December 2024 to Question 19304 on Syria: Armed Conflict, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of those discussions in ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in Syria.

Intensive diplomatic engagement with Syria continues. The Foreign Secretary and I continue to engage with our regional and international partners. The Foreign Secretary recently underlined the importance of an inclusive political process with interim Foreign Minister Al Shaybani during a meeting in Riyadh on 12 January. In addition, senior Foreign Office officials travelled to Damascus in December 2024 to meet with the leader of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and interim Minister for Foreign Affairs. They reiterated the UK's support for the Syrian people and discussed the pathway to a more hopeful, representative and peaceful future for Syria. We will continue to call on all parties to preserve Syria's territorial integrity and national unity and respect its independence and sovereignty.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19314 on Belarus: Sanctions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of sanction avoidance by Belarus in liquefied natural gas (a) imports and (b) exports.

The Government is committed to working with partners to hold the Lukashenko regime to account for its lack of respect for human rights and support for Putin's illegal war. That includes ensuring our sanctions are as effective as possible. That is why we have legislated to strengthen our sanctions enforcement powers, with the formal launch of the new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, and launched a cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement to ensure we have the right powers, approach and resourcing. We are also coordinating closely with G7 partners on our efforts to tackle circumvention risks across priority countries, ranging from technical support to diplomatic engagement at all levels.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Development of 28 November 2024 on UK Leadership on Sudan, Official Report, column 945, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the Jeddah process; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of those discussions for making progress to a sustainable end to the conflict in Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary has discussed the situation in Sudan with both his US and Saudi counterparts this past week. The UK has consistently called upon the warring parties to fully implement the commitments made in the Jeddah Declaration and commit in good faith to mediation talks, including through the UN Security Council resolution we co-penned with Sierra Leone, which was cynically vetoed by Russia in November. We will continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues, including as UN Security Council penholder on Sudan, to maintain collective pressure on both sides to protect civilians, allow unrestricted humanitarian access, and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.On the conflict in Gaza, this government has been clear; we are committed to pursuing a lasting solution to the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, including through achieving a two-state solution. We continue to support efforts to this end through our aid programmes, which assist civil society in Israel and Palestine on a range of issues, including peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with (a) international and (b) NGO partners to remove blocks on humanitarian aid entering Sudan.

The UK continues to work with international partners, including the UN and NGOs, to press for improved access for the delivery of aid into and across Sudan and consistently calls for the removal of all bureaucratic and administrative impediments to ensure aid can reach those in need. We raised the critical importance of increased humanitarian cross-border access at open briefings at the UN Security Council on 19 December 2024 and 6 January 2025 and have engaged directly with the new Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, on the UN response. On 25 November, the Foreign Secretary chaired a Sudan meeting with G7 and Arab Quint Foreign Ministers to discuss joint steps to improve humanitarian access and increase aid. On 18 October, the UK, along with 10 other donors, released a joint statement condemning the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian efforts by the warring parties. On 15 October, Lord Collins and I met with a range of NGOs to discuss humanitarian access in Sudan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19314 on Belarus: Sanctions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of sanction avoidance by Belarus in alcohol (a) imports and (b) exports.

The Government is committed to working with partners to hold the Lukashenko regime to account for its lack of respect for human rights and support for Putin's illegal war. That includes ensuring our sanctions are as effective as possible. That is why we have legislated to strengthen our sanctions enforcement powers, with the formal launch of the new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, and launched a cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement to ensure we have the right powers, approach and resourcing. We are also coordinating closely with G7 partners on our efforts to tackle circumvention risks across priority countries, ranging from technical support to diplomatic engagement at all levels.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions on (a) effective deconfliction and (b) the humanitarian situation in Gaza with his Israeli counterpart.

We continue to press Israel to end its aid restrictions and ensure that the UN and humanitarian partners can work safely and effectively. The Foreign Secretary recently wrote to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar, alongside his French and German counterparts, calling on Israel urgently to increase, and ensure the safe distribution of, aid.The Foreign Secretary made his third visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories this week, where he restated that Israel must avoid civilian casualties, protect civilian infrastructure, allow unfettered aid into Gaza, and ensure the UN and its humanitarian partners can operate effectively.I have raised the dire situation in the north of Gaza with both the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, most recently on 3 January.The scale of human suffering in Gaza is unimaginable. Israel must act to address it immediately. Effective deconfliction is an important part of this.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on Syria of the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government.

After decades of atrocities committed by the Assad regime, we stand with the people of Syria. The UK has been at the forefront of the response to fast moving events, engaging regularly with regional, UN and international partners, calling for a Syrian-owned political transition process leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government. We have scaled up our humanitarian response, announcing a further £61 million to support vulnerable Syrians inside Syria and refugees across the region. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19310 on Syria: Religious Freedom, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the treatment of Christians in Syria.

The situation in Syria remains fluid. It is too early to say what recent events might mean for Syria or the wider region. The FCDO has consistently underlined the importance of protecting all civilians, including religious and ethnic minorities, publicly and in our engagement with the interim Syrian authorities, regional and international partners. We are closely monitoring the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians. We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to prosecute the former President of Syria Bashar al-Assad.

The UK will work closely with civil society and the international community to support a Syrian-led transitional justice and accountability programme to ensure that those responsible for war crimes and other atrocities are held to account. Accountability is key to any sustainable transition.We will 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 year alone, we have committed £1.15 million to accountability and documentation-related programmes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19695 on Foreign Relations: Elections, what recent discussions has he had with his counterpart in Georgia; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of those discussions at reducing political tensions in that country.

On 16 December I spoke with Georgian Dream's Foreign Minister, Maka Bochorishvili, about the instability we were seeing in Georgia, and about Georgia's negative democratic trajectory. I stressed that police violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists was unacceptable. On 19 December, the UK implemented sanctions against the Minister and Deputy Minister of Internal affairs and three police officials responsible for these violent actions. We continue to assess the impact of our actions, and to call on Georgia to realign itself with European values.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 December 2024 to Question 19304 on Syria: Armed Conflict, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability in and (b) access of aid into Syria.

The UK continues to monitor the humanitarian situation, assess needs and respond. Since the fall of Assad, the UK has announced an additional £61 million to support vulnerable Syrians. However, needs remain high while funding has fallen as donors seek to respond to multiple crises. We will continue to work with the UN and others to ensure aid in Syria is focused on meeting the most critical needs in the most efficient and effective way.Most border crossings remain open for humanitarian aid. Humanitarian actors are able to deliver assistance throughout Syria where it is safe to do so. We continue to call for unhindered access for and facilitation of humanitarian operations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19314 on Belarus: Sanctions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of sanction avoidance by Belarus in banking and financial services (a) imports and (b) exports. .

The Government is committed to working with partners to hold the Lukashenko regime to account for its lack of respect for human rights and support for Putin's illegal war. That includes ensuring our sanctions are as effective as possible. That is why we have legislated to strengthen our sanctions enforcement powers, with the formal launch of the new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, and launched a cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement to ensure we have the right powers, approach and resourcing. We are also coordinating closely with G7 partners on our efforts to tackle circumvention risks across priority countries, ranging from technical support to diplomatic engagement at all levels.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK humanitarian aid to Sudan is spent in-country.

100% of our bilateral humanitarian ODA allocation to Sudan is spent in Sudan.In addition, the UK has provided many tens of millions of pounds of humanitarian assistance this year to people who have fled Sudan to elsewhere in the region such as Chad and South Sudan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Baroness Shafik on consulting with (a) parliamentarians, (b) NGOs and (c) other stakeholders, in the context of her strategic review of international development.

The Foreign Secretary is grateful to Baroness Shafik for her leadership on the review and pleased that she and her team have been able to engage with parliamentarians, including the International Development Committee, NGOs and other stakeholders during the process of her review. This has built upon the extensive consultation on the UK's approach to international development carried out in 2023, across government, with development sector experts, members of Parliament and civil society groups in the UK and the Global South.The Foreign Secretary will consider the recommendations of the three reviews and will engage further externally with Baroness Shafik in the new year, as will the Minister for International Development.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK's use of soft power to support free and fair elections worldwide.

Supporting democracy and defending democratic freedoms are fundamental for the UK. Election observation is an integral part of democratic scrutiny. It contributes to transparent and accountable political processes and institutions overseas.The UK is a firm supporter of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and its vital work deploying missions to observe elections in the OSCE region. This autumn, the UK supported the OSCE's work by funding over 135 election observers to five countries, including to highly contested elections in Georgia and Moldova.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Hong Kong on the Hong Kong National Security Law.

The Government is clear that the National Security Law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong has eroded the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers. The Foreign Secretary met with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in October where he raised Hong Kong and human rights.I also raised concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong's rights and freedoms, including under the National Security Law, with Hong Kong and Chinese officials during my recent visit to Hong Kong in November.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Syria.

The UK is calling on all parties to support humanitarian access, including access and protection for humanitarian workers in all regions of Syria. We are working closely with humanitarian and international partners to get a fuller picture of the situation, assess impacts and needs and determine how best to respond.The UK continues to support those in need across Syria where it is safe to do so. Through NGOs and UN organisations, we are providing food, healthcare and other life-saving assistance. The additional £11 million of humanitarian aid for the people of Syria includes £6 million to the UN Humanitarian Pooled Funds, £4 million to the Aid Fund for Northern Syria, and an additional £1 million to NGOs operating across all of Syria. As with all our work, we have extensive controls in place to ensure our aid reaches those who need it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals were in Syria on 11 December 2024.

We are aware British nationals are located in Syria. Due to the shifting circumstances on the ground, we are not in a position to provide numbers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the BBC World Service on UK soft power and diplomacy.

The former UN Secretary-General described the BBC World Service as 'perhaps Britain's greatest gift to the world'. Independent studies show that the BBC's global reputation contributes to perceptions of the UK as an attractive and trusted country. Against the backdrop of increased global competition, a new, hard-nosed strategy for soft power is crucial if we are to sustain the UK's international standing. The Foreign Secretary and Culture Secretary are establishing a new Soft Power Council to advise us on how we can support UK soft power at source and harness it effectively overseas. This will include the media. Tapestry Research carried out an international study in 2022, finding the BBC to be a particularly impactful British cultural export. It found, for example, that audiences who interacted with the BBC are more likely to want to visit the UK and invest in it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of 5 December 2024, Official Report, column 519, what his planned timetable is for the introduction of a new right to consular assistance.

The Government is committed to strengthening consular services, including introducing a right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations. My department is considering a package of measures to achieve this, which we will announce in due course.