theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-19)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on developing an online consumer advice service for retrofit. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government is working to enhance our existing digital consumer advice offer on gov.uk by streamlining services into a single access point for all domestic consumers (homeowners, landlords and tenants. This will simplify the user experience and enable consumer to begin and progress their home upgrade and clean heat journeys. It will bring information, advice, sources of funding and links to trusted installers into one place and will consolidate existing services that enable consumers to create their own energy efficiency action plans and create direct referrals to grant scheme providers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-19)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Government's response to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme Regulations consultation, published in March 2024, whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme budget will rise in line with the figures on page 21 for scheme years (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Following the conclusion of the first phase of the Spending Review on 30 October 2024, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has a committed budget of £295 million for this financial year (2025/26).

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a critical element of the Government’s Warm Homes Plan. A decision on funding for 2026/27 onwards will be confirmed as part of the second phase of the multi-year Spending Review, which will conclude in June this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-19)

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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's blog entitled Warm Homes Plan and heat pumps, published on 21 November 2024, when permitted development rights for air source heat pump installations will be extended. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: A Statutory Instrument to update the permitted development right for air source heat pump installations in England was laid in parliament on 8 May and will come into force on 29 May 2025. These changes will enable more households to install an air source heat pump without needing to submit a planning application. The Statutory Instrument can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/560/made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-19)

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Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to include costed policies to meet the (a) fourth, (b) fifth and (c) sixth carbon budget as part of the forthcoming climate action plan. \p Kerry McCarthy: Under the Climate Change Act 2008, this plan must set out this government’s package of policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6. By October 2025 we will deliver an updated plan out to the end of carbon budget 6 in 2037.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-19)

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Marie Goldman:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to recommendation 12 of the First Report of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee of Session 2022-23 on Preparing for the winter, HC 1720, published on 23 September 2023, whether he plans to implement the proposed changes to standing energy charges. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: We know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue.

On 20 February, Ofgem launched a consultation ‘Introducing a zero standing charge energy price cap variant’ - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/introducing-zero-standing-charge-energy-price-cap-variant.

The consultation seeks views on the introduction of an option - within the price cap – for a tariff that does not have a standing charge, providing households with more choice over how they pay for their energy.

It also explores different ways a zero standing charge tariff could work, with options on a single unit rate, as well as block tariff options where the unit rates go up or down once a certain amount of energy is consumed.

The consultation closed on 20 March and we stand ready to continue work with Ofgem on this matter.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to correspondence of 13 June 2025 from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot. \p Stephen Doughty: I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's correspondence. I issued a response to the hon. Member on 21 July.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Lithuania. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK maintains strong and enduring ties with Lithuania across a broad range of bilateral files. We work closely together as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) allies. The Prime Minister met President Nausėda in Oslo in May at the JEF Leaders Summit, and the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Budrys in London in March. I also hosted Foreign Minister Budrys in March.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Latvia. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK maintains strong and enduring ties with Latvia across a broad range of bilateral files. We work closely together as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) allies, and are deepening cooperation at the United Nations as Latvia prepares to join the Security Council for the first time in 2026-27. The Prime Minister met Prime Minister Siliņa in Oslo in May at the JEF Leaders Summit, and the Minister for the Cabinet Office met Foreign Minister Braže in March. I hosted State Secretary Viļumsons in March.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Austria. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK maintains strong and enduring ties with Austria. A Joint Vision Statement was signed in 2023 to deepen cooperation across foreign and security policy, on economic issues and in encouraging people-to-people links. Consultations between the UK and Austria on the Vision Statement are held annually, with the last such meeting held in June 2025. Cooperation on migration and security has also been formalised over the last two years, including following up on the Joint Statement on tackling illegal migration in May 2024. The Prime Minister wrote to his opposite Chancellor Stocker on his appointment in March 2025, the Foreign Secretary spoke to Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger in March and I engaged Europe Minister Plakolm in May.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Luxembourg. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK government has a strong bilateral relationship with our NATO ally Luxembourg, underpinned by a bilateral framework agreement which spans a wide range of common interests, including defence, financial services, energy security, human rights and tackling climate change. The Foreign Secretary hosted Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on 10 February in London where discussions included deepening our cooperation to intensify pressure on Russia and reinforce support for Ukraine.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Croatia. \p Stephen Doughty: Croatia is a valued partner of the United Kingdom, both bilaterally and as a NATO Ally. In 2022 we signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, covering defence cooperation, and in 2023 a Joint Declaration on Bilateral Cooperation, which committed us to working together on shared priorities, from support to Ukraine, scientific collaboration, clean energy, to tackling irregular migration through the Western Balkans route. We also hold annual joint military exercises, and over 800,000 British tourists visit every year, strengthening our people-to-people links. Our Foreign Secretaries last met in London in March, and our Prime Ministers met in May at the European Political Community summit in Tirana. I last held a strategic dialogue with my counterpart in November 2024. This meeting deepened our shared understanding and cooperation on our priority issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Malta. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK and Malta share a historic relationship. The UK and Malta cooperate closely on foreign policy, military training, rule of law, regional security, irregular migration, climate change and consular services. The UK Government engages regularly with Malta at Ministerial level to progress this cooperation. In July 2024, the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Abela at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit. In October 2024, the Foreign Secretary met Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Dr Ian Borg at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and I spoke with him in discussions on a range of matters. Since then, my department has continued engaging with Malta at official level to progress cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Serbia. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is building a modern and forward-looking partnership with Serbia. In April, the Foreign Secretary visited Serbia and signed three Memorandums of Understanding, on migration and cyber cooperation, and on UK Export Finance. On 17 and 18 July the Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce, visited Serbia to underline the importance of Serbia playing a constructive role in regional stability. I visited Belgrade in January 2025 and met with President Vučić and Foreign Minister Ðurić. I have spoken with the Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister on a range of topics. The UK looks forward to hosting Serbia at the Berlin Process Summit this autumn which will strengthen co-operation on our common security and economic growth objectives, including tackling irregular migration and serious organised crime.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Romania. \p Stephen Doughty: Romania is a vital bilateral and NATO partner for the United Kingdom, including on tackling the threat posed by Russia, supporting Ukraine, and addressing serious organised crime. In 2023, we signed a Strategic Partnership and held the inaugural Strategic Dialogue committing us to further cooperation across geopolitics, energy security, trade and people-to-people links. We plan to hold the next dialogue later this year. In November 2024, the Prime Minister hosted his counterpart in London where we signed a new defence treaty and double taxation agreement. The Prime Minister also met the newly elected President Dan at the NATO Summit in June. The Foreign Secretary and I have also engaged our counterparts several times in the last year, discussing the breadth of our bilateral relationship.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with San Marino. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has a good relationship with San Marino founded on shared values and interests which we promote bilaterally and through our common membership of multilateral fora. Earlier this year our Ambassador to Italy and San Marino led a senior Embassy delegation to San Marino to launch a new UK-San Marino structured bilateral dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This dialogue focusses on important areas of co-operation such as foreign and security policy and growth, and builds on our existing Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Cooperation to further strengthen diplomatic relations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Liechtenstein. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK and Liechtenstein have a strong bilateral relationship focussed on trade and working together at multilateral institutions. Our non-resident Ambassador visited last month meeting the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. We remain committed to maintaining our strong diplomatic and economic ties.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Czechia. \p Stephen Doughty: Czechia is a steadfast bilateral and NATO Ally of the United Kingdom. We enjoy strong cooperation across key areas including Russia/Ukraine, Security, Defence and Growth. In 2022, we signed a Statement of Intent committing us to closer bilateral cooperation. The Delivery Plan under the Statement was updated in November 2024 ahead of the Foreign Secretary hosting FM Lipavsky. The Prime Minister hosted his Czech counterpart in London this July to sign a memorandum of understanding on civil nuclear cooperation, to celebrate Czechia's selection of Rolls Royce SMR as a primary growth opportunity and to host prominent Czech investors at a business roundtable. I also attended the GLOBSEC defence and security forum in Prague in September 2024, Minister Thomas-Symonds attended this forum in June. During these visits we met various Czech interlocutors, including FM Lipavsky, DFM Marian and President Pavel.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Albania. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has a close bilateral partnership with Albania as a likeminded North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally. The Prime Minister visited Albania on 15 May and agreed an updated strategic partnership to strengthen cooperation on defence and security, justice, culture and economic growth. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Permanent Under-Secretary visited Albania on 16 and 17 July to further bilateral relations, advance UK growth objectives and support continuing joint operational collaboration to tackle the shared challenge of organised immigration crime. The Foreign Secretary and I have met on a number of times with Foreign Minister Hasani in the last year to discuss shared priorities. The UK looks forward to hosting Albania at the Berlin Process Summit this autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Switzerland. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK and Switzerland enjoy a close and dynamic relationship underpinned by our democratic traditions, our shared values and our strong commitment to innovation and to science and technology. The Foreign Secretary met with the Swiss Foreign Minister in Kuala Lumpur on 11 July and will meet again soon to discuss our priorities on Russia/Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East, European Security, growth and partnering on illicit finance and fighting corruption.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to review the awarding of honours and decorations within the British Overseas Territories include medals available within the UK but not the British Overseas Territories. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is actively reviewing the medals available in the Overseas Territories, compared to those available in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Iceland. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK maintains strong and enduring ties with Iceland across a broad range of bilateral files. We work closely together as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) allies. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary visited Iceland on 29 May and had a bilateral with Foreign Minister Gunnarsdóttir at Keflavik Air Base. I also visited Iceland for the Arctic Circle Assembly in October 2024 and delivered a speech on the UK's commitment to the Arctic in the face of global challenges. The annual UK-Iceland Diplomatic Consultations were held at official level in London in April 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Hungary. \p Stephen Doughty: Hungary is an important partner and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally of the United Kingdom, and where there is mutual benefit we work together on shared interests, including on trade, security and defence. As in any bilateral relationship there are differences and where we have concerns, we raise them candidly, including on restrictions on essential freedoms, including respect for and freedoms for the LGBT+ community, and on our differing approaches to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Government maintains regular dialogue with its Hungarian counterparts. The Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Szijjártó in London for bilateral talks in January, and I am also in regular contact with EU Minister János Bóka and Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar, whom I met in London on 19 June.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Montenegro. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK maintains a strong relationship with Montenegro. We work closely together bilaterally as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and look forward to hosting the Government of Montenegro this autumn at the Berlin Process summit. On 28 May we signed a Joint Declaration on a Strategic Partnership between Montenegro and the UK. This Declaration enhances future cooperation between the two countries across a wide range of areas, including security, serious and organised crime, economic development, the rule of law, migration, education, and culture. In May the UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Karen Pierce, visited Montenegro. The Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and I also visited Montenegro this year to further our bilateral relationship.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Belgium. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has a strong and enduring relationship with its close neighbour and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, Belgium. The strength of this relationship was reaffirmed by the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot on 2 July to London where he met the Foreign Secretary, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Minister for Africa. We are deepening our foreign policy collaboration to intensify pressure on Russia, reinforce our support for Ukraine, promote peace and stability in the Middle East and Central Africa, tackle irregular migration, increase law enforcement cooperation and promote economic growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Greece. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK-Greece relationship is strong and deep across many shared interests. From our work together in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to tackling shared the challenge of migration, to joint efforts to resolve and deescalate the crisis in the Middle East and war in Ukraine.

The UK and Greece signed a Strategic Bilateral Framework in 2021 to strengthen cooperation in twelve areas including foreign policy, defence, trade, migration and maritime security. The Government has engaged with Greece regularly at leader and Foreign Ministerial level to progress this cooperation. I met with my counterpart, Minister Papadopoulou, most recently through a productive bilateral meeting in New York in the margins of Cyprus 5+1 talks, where we discussed cooperation as co-guarantor powers on Cyprus, and as NATO allies in supporting Ukraine. I also met Foreign Minister Gerapetritis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Slovenia. \p Stephen Doughty: Slovenia remains a key partner and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally for the United Kingdom, and we cooperate on many key priorities including Russia-Ukraine and the Western Balkans. We signed a Joint Statement of Intent signed in 2022 and we maintain a yearly Strategic Dialogue with Slovenia, last held on 27 March 2025, which provides an opportunity to discuss a range of bilateral and international priorities. The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Fajon on 21 November 2024 where they discussed the full range of the bilateral relationship. Foreign Minister Fajon also met with the Minister for Africa to discuss UN Security Council cooperation, and with the Minister for the Cabinet Office to discuss the EU reset. This built on my visit to Slovenia for the Bled Strategic Forum in September 2024. I have regularly engaged with and met my counterpart Marko Stucin.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Andorra. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK and Andorra have a close bilateral relationship, and celebrated 30 years of diplomatic relations in 2024 with an event where Andorran Prime Minister Espot spoke alongside our Ambassador to Andorra. We agreed a Youth Mobility agreement in 2024, and in February 2025 signed a Double Taxation Agreement which should come into force in 2026. We continue to explore further areas of cooperation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help improve the UK’s relationship with Slovakia. \p Stephen Doughty: Slovakia is a valued partner and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally of the United Kingdom, and we work closely on shared priorities, highlighted by our declaration of intent on law enforcement cooperation. As with any bilateral relationship, differences exist, in particular in our respective approaches to Russia and Ukraine. Where we have concerns we address them openly, and the UK Government maintains regular contact with its Slovak counterparts. The Prime Minister recently met President Pellegrini at the NATO Summit in The Hague in June. The Foreign Secretary last engaged with Foreign Minister Blanar in December, and I have held several discussions this year with State Secretary Marek Eštok.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Moldova. \p Stephen Doughty: Moldova is a valued partner of the United Kingdom. Since the start of this parliament, we have strengthened our relationship through the conclusion of agreements on defence and security, the mutual recognition of driving licences, and returns. In May, we held the fourth UK-Moldova Strategic Dialogue and an inaugural Illicit Finance Dialogue, reaffirming our commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation across key sectors. The UK is providing support to Moldova to tackle foreign interference in the run up to their parliamentary elections. This includes providing election observers, countering disinformation, and addressing the flows of money used for vote-buying and illegal funding of political parties.

In the past year, the Foreign Secretary, the Defence Secretary and I have all visited Moldova. The Prime Minister has met with President Sandu on four occasions, most recently when she visited the UK on 23 July. I met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Popsoi in Antalya in April to discuss a range of issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Ireland. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK and Ireland are uniquely linked through shared geography and history: we have undergone a reset of our relationship, restoring a partnership of trust. Our relationship continues to go from strength to strength.

This was cemented at the UK-Ireland Summit in March, where the Prime Minister and Taoiseach agreed an ambitious vision for UK-Ireland relations through to 2030, covering areas including growth, security, energy, conflict prevention, cyber, research, and culture, that will bring our two Governments even closer together in delivering for our citizens. The Foreign Secretary visited Dublin in October 2024, spoke to Tánaiste Simon Harris by telephone on 27 January and met him at the G20 summit on 21 February. On 3 July 2025, I met with my counterpart Minister Thomas Byrne in Dublin to discuss further opportunities to enhance UK-Ireland cooperation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterparts on the United States sanctioning of the Prosecutor and judges of the International Criminal Court. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign Secretary has had multiple discussions on sanctions on the International Criminal Count (ICC) with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Successive UK and US administrations have taken a different view on the ICC - for example, the UK are signatories to the Rome Statute, the US are not. We support the independence of the ICC, and do not support sanctioning individual Court officials. The Court must be permitted to do its work, exercising its jurisdiction in line with the Rome Statute, investigating allegations of the international crimes that fall within its remit, and following legal process. These measures will not diminish calls for an end to impunity for the most serious international crimes. We remain fully committed to that goal.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on which dates the Ministerial Women Peace and Security National Action Plan steering board has met since July 2024. \p Stephen Doughty: Ministers are unwavering in their commitment to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

A robust governance structure is in place to ensure accountability and transparency in delivery of the WPS National Action Plan (NAP). This includes a commitment to quarterly Cross-Whitehall Working Group meetings with civil society and academics (most recent meeting in April 2025), a biannual Cross-Whitehall Deputy Director Shadow Board (most recent meeting in January 2025), an annual Ministerial Steering Board, and a two-yearly update to the WPS All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). In June 2025, the Minister for Africa and the Minister for the Armed Forces briefed the WPS APPG on the NAP Annual Report. In addition, Ministers engage regularly with civil society organisations on WPS.

A Ministerial Steering Board will form a part of the process of refreshing the WPS NAP.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support manufacturing capacity for (a) Lenacapavir and (b) other long-lasting HIV prevention drugs. \p Stephen Doughty: Long-acting technologies could be game-changers in the global response to HIV, but only if they reach the countries and communities that need them most, including young women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa and the most vulnerable and marginalised groups everywhere. Promoting choice is an important element of this.

We welcome the latest World Health Organisation guidelines announced this week recommending lenacapavir as an additional long-acting HIV prevention tool and long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine for long-acting HIV treatment. The UK continues to work closely with global partners to address regulatory, manufacturing, and affordability barriers to improve access to these technologies for those most at risk. This includes our support to Unitaid, the Global Fund, and towards research and development of the dapivirine ring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding he plans to provide for programmes supporting (a) nutrition and (b) primary health care services in each of the next three financial years; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that funding on levels of immunisation in affected countries. \p Stephen Doughty: We remain committed to strengthening health systems through a Primary Health Care approach that includes nutrition. We continue to support integrating nutrition into other sector investments, with the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration an important mechanism in achieving this. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used from 26/27 onwards, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.

At the Gavi Summit on 25 June 2025, the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £1.25 billion investment in Gavi for 2026 - 2030. This commitment will help support Gavi to partner with countries to immunise up to 500 million more children and save up to 8 million more lives through a primary health care approach. We are currently working through how best to allocate our new funding across the 5-year period.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Monaco. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK enjoys positive relations with Monaco. Officials regularly engage with the Monegasque Government, including recently at the Blue Economic Finance Forum on 8 June, attended by Ruth Davis, the UK Special Representative for Nature. Our Ambassador to France is also responsible for relations with Monaco with an Honorary Consul based in the Principality. The Prime Minister and Prince Albert both attended the last meeting of the European Political Community in Tirana.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with North Macedonia. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK maintains a strong relationship with North Macedonia. We work closely together bilaterally as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and look forward to hosting the government of North Macedonia this autumn at the Berlin Process summit. On 16 May we announced a new bilateral strategic partnership supporting closer co-operation on areas including economic growth, defence and security and tackling irregular migration. On 22 May, the UK and North Macedonia signed a landmark Government-to-Government Partnership, unlocking up to £5 billion in UK Export Finance support for infrastructure projects. The Prime Minister met Prime Minister Mickoski in May. The Foreign Secretary met with Foreign Minister Mucunski in July.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of maintaining the UK’s level of support for the Global Fund for the 2026-28 period on global health security. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK remains committed to tackling global health challenges and will continue to work with all international partners towards the collective goal of a healthier, safer and more prosperous world. Over the coming months, we will work through decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used, and the impact on specific programmes, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Oral Statement by the Prime Minister of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, column 631, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in overseas development aid on local development service providers. \p Stephen Doughty: To fund a necessary increase in defence spending, the government has taken the decision in the current fiscal and economic circumstances to reduce our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

The impacts of reductions are being worked through, informed by equality impact assessments. Inevitably, reducing our ODA spend means that for some countries and themes there will be less to spend.

However, we are committed to transforming how we work in partnership with countries and organisations on development, reflecting the changing needs of our partners through four essential shifts. This includes moving from international intervention to local provision, working through local partners and civil society to deliver sustainable, locally-led solutions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide transitional funding to help prevent the closure of surveillance laboratories. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK recognises the role that surveillance laboratories play in early detection and response to infectious disease threats. We are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s contribution to the Pandemic Fund. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has committed £25 million to the Pandemic Fund. We remain committed to building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacity and capability in developing countries, including through our other multilateral investments and diplomatic engagement.

We are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of decision to close the Fleming Fund. \p Stephen Doughty: To fund a necessary increase in defence spending, the Government has taken the decision to reduce our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027. This reflects the world we live in and the threats our country faces and to maintain economic stability - the foundation of this Government's Plan for Change.

Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a top priority for the UK Government and is vital also for protecting our NHS. The UK played a key role in securing an action-oriented Political Declaration from the UN High Level Meeting on AMR last September, including on the importance of strengthening multisectoral surveillance.

The UK is working with our partners to drive robust implementation of the commitments from the Political Declaration. Regarding specific UK funding in light of the upcoming conclusion of the work of the Fleming Fund in its current form we are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with the Netherlands. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK and the Netherlands have a strong bilateral relationship as North Sea neighbours, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, and a shared approach to global challenges. The Prime Minister hosted Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Downing Street on 6 February, and the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Veldkamp during his visit on 6 May. The UK and the Netherlands continue to work together to promote economic growth and to tackle organised crime, including the people smuggling gangs that drive illegal migration. As NATO allies, we continue to work to promote stability in the Middle East, ramp up the pressure on Russia, and provide support to Ukraine.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to retain civil servants in his Department with expertise in (a) maternal, (b) new born and (c) child health policy. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has a well established and highly skilled health profession made up of 61 health advisers who have been tested and accredited against a set of technical standards. These include specialist skill sets in strengthening health systems for maternal, newborn and child health. Advisers are assessed during formal accreditation exercises at either the affiliate, practitioner or expert level and deployed throughout the FCDO technical and geographical departments. For example, the FCDO deploys health advisers in Nigeria, Somalia, Malawi, and Ethiopia, to help reduce maternal and child mortality.

A robust learning and professional development framework is in place and includes a comprehensive Global Health toolkit, the Global Health hub, monthly bulletins, and a dedicated communications and engagement distribution list with over 400 members. The recent Health Advisers' Professional Development Conference held 3-5 June 2025 in London provided a platform for knowledge exchange and upskilling for 85 FCDO health advisers and affiliates.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department plans to provide for global health programmes in each of the next three years. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts on 22 July 2025. The Department is working through how to programme this spend. The FCDO publishes programme information in DevTracker and reports on ODA spend in the Statistics on International Development publication.

Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.

Reducing the overall size of our ODA budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. We will sharpen our focus on humanitarian, health and climate and nature.

At the Gavi Summit on 25 June the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £1.25 billion investment in Gavi. This will support the immunisation of 62.5 million children, saving around 1.25 million lives.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his letter to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, dated 16 June 2025, what multilateral organisations he plans to prioritise. \p Stephen Doughty: We will prioritise multilaterals in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, while driving reform of the multilateral system to strengthen its most important parts - humanitarian, health, climate, and the global financial system - to help lower-income countries sustain their progress and become self-sufficient.

We will support the most effective multilateral organisations, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (as demonstrated by our recent commitment of £1.25 billion between 2026 and 2030), the Global Fund, and the World Bank's International Development Association.

We will publish our support to some multilateral organisations throughout the year as commitments are made and report on all ODA spending in the Statistics on International Development publication.