Written questions by Morton.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what draft frameworks, texts or proposals for a ceasefire or peace process in Sudan the UK has reviewed as part of its presidency of the UN Security Council; and what role UK officials have had in shaping those proposals.

I thank the Rt Hon Member for her series of questions on Sudan, all of which have been addressed in previous answers to written questions, or in other public and parliamentary statements by ministers. For example, I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided to Question 112956 on 26 February, Question 118261 on 16 March, Question HL15369 on 11 March, and Question HL15331 on 20 March, and to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border. We will continue to keep the House updated on the actions the UK is taking alongside our international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan, and support the humanitarian needs of its people, including continually assessing the impact of those actions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what financial, technical or diplomatic support the UK is providing to international justice mechanisms investigating crimes committed in Sudan.

I thank the Rt Hon Member for her series of questions on Sudan, all of which have been addressed in previous answers to written questions, or in other public and parliamentary statements by ministers. For example, I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided to Question 112956 on 26 February, Question 118261 on 16 March, Question HL15369 on 11 March, and Question HL15331 on 20 March, and to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border. We will continue to keep the House updated on the actions the UK is taking alongside our international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan, and support the humanitarian needs of its people, including continually assessing the impact of those actions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of humanitarian aid delivery into Sudan, including the main cross-border routes used and the volume of aid delivered, since late 2025.

I thank the Rt Hon Member for her series of questions on Sudan, all of which have been addressed in previous answers to written questions, or in other public and parliamentary statements by ministers. For example, I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided to Question 112956 on 26 February, Question 118261 on 16 March, Question HL15369 on 11 March, and Question HL15331 on 20 March, and to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border. We will continue to keep the House updated on the actions the UK is taking alongside our international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan, and support the humanitarian needs of its people, including continually assessing the impact of those actions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to impose sanctions on people or entities involved in financing the conflict in Sudan, including through the gold trade, and what criteria will guide such decisions.

I thank the Rt Hon Member for her series of questions on Sudan, all of which have been addressed in previous answers to written questions, or in other public and parliamentary statements by ministers. For example, I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided to Question 112956 on 26 February, Question 118261 on 16 March, Question HL15369 on 11 March, and Question HL15331 on 20 March, and to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border. We will continue to keep the House updated on the actions the UK is taking alongside our international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan, and support the humanitarian needs of its people, including continually assessing the impact of those actions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she held with the Ethiopian Government and the African Union on conflict prevention and resolution during her February 2026 visit to Ethiopia.

Alongside our international partners, the UK continues to call for tensions or disputes in Ethiopia to be resolved peacefully and diplomatically, and for all parties to avoid actions that would inflame or escalate those tensions. We also continue to support multilateral efforts to promote peace and stability in Ethiopia, including backing implementation of the African Union-led Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.During her visit to Addis Ababa in February 2026, the Foreign Secretary discussed these issues with both Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which organisations are receiving UK funding to deliver humanitarian assistance in Sudan and how their performance is assessed.

I thank the Rt Hon Member for her series of questions on Sudan, all of which have been addressed in previous answers to written questions, or in other public and parliamentary statements by ministers. For example, I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided to Question 112956 on 26 February, Question 118261 on 16 March, Question HL15369 on 11 March, and Question HL15331 on 20 March, and to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border. We will continue to keep the House updated on the actions the UK is taking alongside our international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan, and support the humanitarian needs of its people, including continually assessing the impact of those actions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the sanctions regime in tackling the financing of conflict in Sudan, including the gold trade.

I thank the Rt Hon Member for her series of questions on Sudan, all of which have been addressed in previous answers to written questions, or in other public and parliamentary statements by ministers. For example, I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided to Question 112956 on 26 February, Question 118261 on 16 March, Question HL15369 on 11 March, and Question HL15331 on 20 March, and to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border. We will continue to keep the House updated on the actions the UK is taking alongside our international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan, and support the humanitarian needs of its people, including continually assessing the impact of those actions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which (a) countries and (b) organisations have confirmed their participation in the Sudan conference to be held in Berlin; and what outcomes the UK is seeking from that conference.

I thank the Rt Hon Member for her series of questions on Sudan, all of which have been addressed in previous answers to written questions, or in other public and parliamentary statements by ministers. For example, I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided to Question 112956 on 26 February, Question 118261 on 16 March, Question HL15369 on 11 March, and Question HL15331 on 20 March, and to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 February following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border. We will continue to keep the House updated on the actions the UK is taking alongside our international partners to secure a ceasefire in Sudan, and support the humanitarian needs of its people, including continually assessing the impact of those actions.

What steps she is taking with her Ethiopian counterpart to improve the efficiency of returns of Ethiopian nationals with no right to remain in the UK.

The Home Office, working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, engages regularly with the Ethiopian Government to support the return of Ethiopian nationals with no right to remain in the UK.In February 2026 the Foreign Secretary visited Ethiopia and discussed cooperation on illegal migration and returns with Ethiopian counterparts, and officials are taking forward further technical and operational engagement to enhance cooperation on returns.The Government has removed or deported nearly 60,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals since it took office.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department last undertook a department-wide value for money assessment of Official Development Assistance spending; and whether this assessment was shared with the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March setting out the Official Development Assistance allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents detailing the forecast impact of those allocations, and the ways in which their impact will be assessed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of UK Official Development Assistance was delivered through technical assistance in 2024-25; and what proportion was delivered through grant-based programmes.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March setting out the Official Development Assistance allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents detailing the forecast impact of those allocations, and the ways in which their impact will be assessed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role British International Investment is playing in UK-backed projects in Ethiopia announced during her February 2026 visit; and what total value those projects represent.

Full details of the announcements made, and issues discussed, during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Ethiopia were set out on GOV.UK on 2 February at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-sets-out-new-cooperation-on-illegal-migration.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of UK-supported law enforcement cooperation in the Horn of Africa on disrupting organised people-smuggling routes to Europe.

Full details of the announcements made, and issues discussed, during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Ethiopia were set out on GOV.UK on 2 February at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-sets-out-new-cooperation-on-illegal-migration.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps UK law enforcement agencies are taking with Ethiopian authorities to share intelligence on criminal smuggler gangs operating from the Horn of Africa.

Full details of the announcements made, and issues discussed, during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Ethiopia were set out on GOV.UK on 2 February at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-sets-out-new-cooperation-on-illegal-migration.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role the Independent Commission for Aid Impact plays in assessing value for money in the UK’s multilateral Official Development Assistance contributions.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March setting out the Official Development Assistance allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents detailing the forecast impact of those allocations, and the ways in which their impact will be assessed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department conducted an impact assessment ahead of the increased use of technical assistance in UK Official Development Assistance programmes.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 19 March setting out the Official Development Assistance allocations for the period up to 2028-29, and to the accompanying documents detailing the forecast impact of those allocations, and the ways in which their impact will be assessed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what objectives the Ethiopia Investment Advisory Facility II is intended to achieve; and how progress against those objectives will be measured.

Full details of the announcements made, and issues discussed, during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Ethiopia were set out on GOV.UK on 2 February at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-sets-out-new-cooperation-on-illegal-migration.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she committed to providing humanitarian funding to Ethiopia during her visit in February 2026.

Full details of the announcements made, and issues discussed, during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Ethiopia were set out on GOV.UK on 2 February at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-sets-out-new-cooperation-on-illegal-migration.

Representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, with reference to the proposed relocation and permanent reprovision of the Education Centre, what assessment the client board has made of the potential merits of relocating the Education Centre as part of the core Restoration and Renewal scope rather than retaining or upgrading its temporary arrangements; what the estimated capital and lifecycle costs of relocation are; whether alternative options involving refurbishment of existing facilities were costed; and how relocation contributes to (a) fire safety, (b) building services, (c) asbestos remediation and (d) fabric conservation.

As set out in the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Client Board’s recent report, Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals (HC Paper 1576), the preferred scope for the R&R works will deliver a permanent Education Centre. Early designs propose that the centre is based within the Palace.The current Education Centre on the Victoria Tower Gardens site was always intended to be a temporary facility and it is not sited on Parliamentary estate land. The land is owned by the Royal Parks and Parliament’s license for its use is with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The temporary planning and license agreements for the Victoria Gardens site expire at the end of 2030. The relevant statutory bodies have said that any further application for extension of the current Education Centre temporary permission and licence will not be granted. A new location for the centre is therefore required after this date.The proposed Education Centre accounts for 0.3% of Palace construction costs under the full decant option and 1.6% under the enhanced maintenance and improvement plus (EMI+) option. This is based on the base construction costs for the Palace project set out in Annex 2, table 2 of the report, which exclude risk and inflation.The net reduction in Palace lifecycle costs as a result of the renewal of the Palace does not isolate a specific change for the Education Centre. The cost of refurbishing existing facilities was not considered given their temporary nature and the known requirement to move the facility.The location of the new education centre has been considered as part of the wider fire strategy, though its provision does not directly contribute to the fire safety, building services, asbestos remediation or fabric conservation outlined in the R&R Client Board’s report.

Representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, with reference to the concept proposals for the creation of a new visitor plaza and underground space beneath Central Lobby, whether those proposals are necessary for delivering the core safety and resilience objectives of the Programme; what the estimated capital cost of the proposed underground plaza and associated works is; what risk assessment has been undertaken in relation to archaeological disturbance; and whether this element was included in earlier scope levels.

Section 2(5) of the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019, which established the framework for the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Programme, requires the Programme to have regard to (amongst other things) the need for improved visitor access to the Palace of Westminster after the completion of the Parliamentary building works.As set out in the R&R Client Board’s recent report, Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals (HC Paper 1576), the preferred scope for the R&R works will deliver a fit-for-purpose and accessible visitor arrival space, including higher capacity security search and screen areas that will reduce the likelihood of queuing outside. The current proposal is to use the area in the basement directly below Central Lobby for visitors as an access point into the public areas of the remainder of the Palace.The majority of the construction costs for the Palace relate to the priority areas which both Houses agreed for the R&R Programme in 2022—namely, fire safety and protection, building services, asbestos, and building fabric conservation. 84% of the Palace construction costs for the full decant option and 86% of the Palace construction costs for the enhanced maintenance and improvement plus (EMI+) option relate to these priority areas.The new visitor arrival space is not defined as a ‘priority area’ for the R&R Programme as agreed by the Houses. However, its delivery does contribute to safety and security objectives, for example by improving the search and screen capacity at the visitor entrance, improving secure routes through the Palace for the public and members, and supporting new accessible visitor routes. These improvements could not be delivered through enhancements to the existing entrance in Cromwell Green (largely due to inadequate space requirements).The proposed visitor arrival space and route account for 0.5% of Palace construction costs under the full decant option and 1.1% under the EMI+ option. This is based on the base construction costs for the Palace project set out in Annex 2, table 2 of the report, which exclude risk and inflation.The proposed location for the visitor arrival space in the basement of the Palace was selected in part because it aligns with the footprint of existing plantroom which was constructed in the 20th century. These areas are expected to require extension regardless of the visitor search and screening facility, as they will need to accommodate increased plant capacity in future. As a result, any archaeological impact is likely to be primarily driven by the final below‑ground plant requirements, rather than by the co‑location of search and screening functions. The visitor arrival space therefore does not independently introduce a new or additional archaeological impact beyond what would already be required for plant expansion.In 2024 the R&R Client Board considered the scope of the R&R Programme: that is, the improvements and benefits to be achieved in the end-state Palace, to which both Houses of Parliament will return. Having considered various scope levels, the Client Board decided against the most "transformational" scope but selected a scope which it agreed would deliver improvements while maintaining value-for-money. The selected scope including provision for improved visitor services is set out in the R&R costed proposals report. Earlier scope levels at previous stages in the Programme also included improvements to visitor and educational facilities.