Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Colombia on tackling violence against women and girls.

Colombia is a focus country for the UK for work to support Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Colombia launched its first WPS National Action Plan on 30 November. In support of the plan, the UK provided £270,000 to co-fund consultation workshops with women's rights organisations. FCDO and MOD officials have met the Ministry of Equality to discuss implementation of the plan. Lord Collins attended the conference of the UK-founded Preventing Sexual Violence International Alliance in Colombia on 25 November. Baroness Chapman attended the Violence Against Children Conference in Colombia on 7 November. With Colombia, we will continue championing the participation of women in the 2016 Peace Agreement, including through the UN Security Council.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK sanctions on Russia.

Working with partners, our Russia sanctions are restricting Putin's war machine - degrading his military and putting grit in the system by increasing equipment costs and delays and reducing equipment quality. Sanctions have deprived Russia of over $400 billion since February 2022 - equivalent to four more years of funding for the invasion. The FCDO regularly reviews the effectiveness and impact of UK sanctions on Russia and remains committed to continuing to impose and enforce sanctions, alongside our partners, to constrain Russia's remaining sources of revenue.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the work of UK diplomatic staff based in Russia.

The Kremlin shows a persistent pattern of unacceptable and unjustified behaviour against UK diplomats in Russia, who undertake vital work in extremely challenging circumstances. Following specific incidents of concern, the Russian Ambassador has been summoned and reminded of Russia's obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Formal complaints have also been lodged with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. Intimidation will not deter our staff from promoting international stability and UK interests around the world. We remain in close contact with HMA Moscow and his team to ensure the safety and security of our hardworking diplomats.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support international action to tackle conflict-related sexual violence.

This Government's commitment to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is resolute. To drive international action, Lord Collins has been appointed as the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI). He visited Colombia on 25 - 26 November for a meeting of the International Alliance on PSVI, as vice chair, where he outlined the UK's commitment to prevent CRSV, end impunity, and put survivors at the centre of everything we do. Through PSVI, the UK has supported thousands of survivors of CRSV and contributed to vital legislative changes in Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo and Colombia.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing funding to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance’s replenishment campaign for the 2026-2030 strategic period.

The UK is a longstanding proud donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, committing £1.65 billion from 2021-2025 which is helping save up to 8 million lives from vaccine preventable diseases. In 2026-2030, Gavi aims to immunise up to 500 million more children, saving an additional 8-9 million lives. The UK remains committed to supporting Gavi and is working with international partners to ensure sustainable resources for upcoming global health replenishments. These are being considered together to ensure we are best placed to address the global health challenges ahead. Funding decisions will be taken following the conclusion of the Spending Review in 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of UK humanitarian workers in Lebanon.

Any British national in Lebanon, regardless of the purpose of their stay, is entitled to consular support from the British Embassy. We provide detailed and up-to-date travel advice on gov.uk, which gives useful information for British Nationals to inform their personal security arrangements.The UK funds a humanitarian programme in Lebanon and while we do not assume duty of care for our implementing partners, we perform due diligence to understand their security arrangements. There is explicit criteria in grant or commercial contracts which outline HMG's expectations of suppliers in terms of duty of care and security provision for their staff, for example regarding safety briefings and risk mitigation plans.We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon to allow humanitarian workers to carry out their work safely, and we continue to do so even with the ceasefire in place. More broadly, the FCDO supports the safety of humanitarian workers by investing in protective measures that our partners need to work safely, championing international humanitarian law, and using UK seats at key multilateral fora to raise awareness and promote accountability. The UK was proud to co-sponsor and vote in favour of UN Security Council resolution 2730, which calls on states to protect humanitarian personnel, and we support its full implementation in Lebanon and around the world.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to identify any potential additional routes for humanitarian aid delivery into Gaza since July 2024.

The UK continues to call on Israel to increase humanitarian and commercial access into the Palestinian territories by ensuring all aid crossings are fully operational. This is particularly vital in the winter months as heavy rain and flooding are now exacerbating an already desperate humanitarian situation. We are clear that Israel can and must do more to get aid into Gaza. The Prime Minister stressed this in a call with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on 19 October; and the Foreign Secretary reiterated this at the UN Security Council on 18 November. Israel must streamline processes at Ashdod, increase the flow of aid from Jordan and Egypt, and allow the commercial import of goods from Israel, the West Bank and neighbouring countries.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK sanctions on Iran.

We judge UK sanctions to be an important tool in deterring and disrupting Iran's malign activity and demonstrating that, alongside our international partners, the UK condemns Iran's threats to international security and its human rights violations. Since September, the UK has announced four sanctions packages to counter Iranian activity, including coordinated international responses to both Iran's 1 October attack against Israel, and its transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia. Furthermore, on 13 September, the UK also expanded its trade sanctions to cover further goods which play an important role in Iran's unmanned aerial vehicle and missile programmes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Lebanon and (b) the Middle East on ensuring that aid can be brought into Lebanon.

The UK continues to engage with international partners on alleviating the suffering of those most in need in Lebanon, including refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities. I attended the International Conference in Support of Lebanon's People and Sovereignty in Paris on 24 October, where approximately €800 million in humanitarian support was committed. I met Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Environment Minister Nasser Yasin to discuss the situation, as well as other regional and international counterparts. The UK is one of the largest donors to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Lebanon Humanitarian Fund and the Central Emergency Response Fund. We have announced £10 million of aid to Lebanon, which includes essential medicine, hygiene kits, fuel for water stations, education and child protection services for the most vulnerable children, and cash assistance. This is in addition to the £5 million already provided to support emergency response programming. UK bilateral humanitarian support for this financial year so far is £31 million.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the UK’s contribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is intolerable. The UK continues to play a leading role in alleviating the suffering in Gaza: in July we announced £5.5m in additional funding for UK-Med to run field hospitals in Gaza, and in August an additional £6m for UNICEF to provide lifesaving aid to vulnerable families in Gaza. During my visit to Egypt in October, I pledged £1 million of UK assistance to the Egyptian Ministry of Health to support medically evacuated civilians from Gaza who are receiving care in Egypt. At a humanitarian conference in Cairo on 2 December, the Minister of State for Development announced £19 million of funding for Gaza, including £12 million in funding to the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and World Food Programme (WFP). We continue to provide significant funding to partners to support those most in need, including by announcing on 17 October that the Government will match up to £10 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Middle East humanitarian appeal.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the role of Qatar in mediating between the parties to the conflict in the Middle East.

Qatar has played a vital role in negotiating a ceasefire deal to secure the release of all those being held hostage by Hamas and bring the conflict in Gaza to an end. We thank Qatar, Egypt, the US and all international partners for their coordinating efforts. Securing an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages remains the UK's top priority and will pave the way for wider de-escalation, bringing greater stability to the Middle East. The Foreign Secretary has been urging the parties to return to the negotiating table to engage in meaningful dialogue and show the flexibility needed to reach an agreement. Negotiations remain the best chance to get hostages home to their loved ones.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) reliability of routes for humanitarian aid delivery into Gaza.

The UK is clear that Israel can and must do more to ensure that humanitarian assistance can move freely and safely into and within Gaza. October saw the lowest number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza since the crisis began, and the hugely concerning breakdown of law and order in Gaza is further restricting efforts to move aid within the territory. At a UK-chaired meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 18 November, the Foreign Secretary underlined that there is no excuse for Israel's ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid. Israel must end its aid restrictions and ensure that the UN and humanitarian partners can work safely and effectively. The Foreign Secretary also emphasised this in his 14 November call with Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar. And at a 12 November UNSC meeting, Lord Collins reiterated the UK's condemnation of Israel's ongoing aid restrictions. We continue to work alongside partners to press for an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a significant increase in aid to Gaza.