Question
The Government have declared the occupation unlawful, and their measures on settlements depend on reliable evidence of what is happening on the ground. In April, the Foreign Office unit that tracked potential breaches of international law by Israel was closed because of cuts, with the work said to pass to a “different team”. Which team now does that work, and how many officials does it have?
Answer
I can assure the hon. Gentleman that that work carries on. We have excellent civil servants who work on all these issues, including potential breaches of international humanitarian law, and we take these issues incredibly seriously as a Department and as a Government.33% vibes
Verdict: RED (20/100)
The reply only partly answers the question. It says the work continues and that civil servants look at possible breaches of international humanitarian law, but it does not say which team or unit now does this work. On the second part, which asks for a specific headcount, the reply gives no number and does not say the figure is not held, so that part is effectively unanswered. A member of the public would likely need to ask again for both the team and the staff numbers.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which team now carries out the work previously done by the Foreign Office unit that tracked potential breaches of international law by Israel, which was closed in April. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply asserts that the work 'carries on' and that civil servants work on potential breaches of international humanitarian law, but it never identifies which team or unit now does the work, so the core 'which team' question goes unanswered. |
| How many officials are in the team that now does that work. | Not Addressed | Generic | The item asks for a specific headcount, and the reply offers only the unquantified phrase 'excellent civil servants' with no number and no statement that the figure is not held. |