Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they (1) are reviewing, or (2) plan to review, current Armed Services recruitment policy to allow those who have previously worked for UK forces in Afghanistan in any capacity, but who are not British or Commonwealth citizens, to apply to join the British Army if they have relocated to the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We fully acknowledge and value the contribution of Afghan nationals who supported the UK mission in Afghanistan, and we are determined to honour our nation’s commitment to relocate and resettle eligible individuals. The nationality requirements for joining the UK Armed Forces are set out in legislation, namely the Armed Forces Act 2006. We are not currently reviewing the extant nationality requirements. Recruitment policies are reviewed regularly to ensure that Defence continues to be an employer which is representative of wider UK society.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking alongside international partners to address what on 9 September the World Health Organisation called the "extreme health and humanitarian crisis" in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces has created a humanitarian disaster in Sudan, with over 9 million people facing emergency or famine like conditions. On 1 August, the Foreign Secretary tweeted to highlight the findings of the IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) that famine existed in Northern Darfur's Zamzam IDP camp, and there was a high likelihood of its presence elsewhere. He also reiterated that the use of starvation as a weapon of warfare is a war crime. On 6 August, the UK, as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) penholder on Sudan, called an urgent Council session to discuss the FRC's findings. On 22 August, the Minister for Development announced an additional £15 million of vital assistance to Sudan, South Sudan and Chad to support vulnerable people forced to flee violence and seek safety. This brings the UK's ODA for Sudan this year to £97 million, most of which is vital humanitarian assistance.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the soft power value to the UK of the news programming provided by the BBC World Service; and whether they intend to fund fully the BBC World Service language services.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government strongly values the BBC World Service as a UK soft power asset. It is the world's most trusted international broadcaster. Consisting of 42 language services, it provides impartial accurate news to a global audience of 320 million across more than 120 countries.
The Government is committed to a successful BBC World Service and ensuring its financial sustainability. Ahead of Charter Review, the Government will keep an open mind about the future of the licence fee and how the World Service is funded, and engage with the BBC, the public and other stakeholders before making decisions.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the declaration by the WHO Director General on 14 August of Mpox cases in Africa to be a public health emergency of international concern; and what support they are providing to African countries most affected by the current outbreak.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are deeply concerned by the mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African countries. In August I visited the DRC and announced £3.1 million to UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) for the mpox and cholera response. This will reach 4.4 million people. We have contributed £3 million to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Regional Office for Africa for health emergency response. The UK's £340 million core voluntary contribution to the WHO supports it to allocate resources where they are needed most, including responding to health emergencies such as mpox. We are one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has unlocked $2.9 million to support the rollout of vaccines in the DRC.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict and the release of hostages since the Prime Minister spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu on 20 August.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Following the Prime Minister's conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 20 August, the UK has been working tirelessly towards its priority of ending this conflict and securing the safe release of hostages still cruelly detained by Hamas since day one. The situation on the ground remains intolerable, and the war must end now.
The Prime Minister met President Biden in Washington on 13 September where they reiterated UK and US calls for a ceasefire that will enable the release of the hostages. We welcome the efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States, and fully endorse their joint statement calling for the immediate resumption of ceasefire negotiations and a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. We are urging all sides to show flexibility. Both the Foreign Secretary and Minister Falconer have held meetings with the families of hostages with links to the UK and reiterated our commitment to using all diplomatic avenues to secure their release.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any cases of Clade I or Clade Ib Mpox have been detected in the UK since 14 August.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 13 September 2024, no cases of clade I or clade Ib Mpox have been detected in the United Kingdom. The risk to the UK population of being exposed to Mpox clade I is currently considered low. However, planning is underway to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK. This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection, and to prevent onward transmission.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address infrastructure and building safety issues within (1) school buildings, and (2) the NHS estate; and what is their current risk assessment for building collapse or failure in each of those.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they taking to ensure that local councils in England are able to meet their statutory duties to provide adult social care for 2025–26, in accordance with the Care Act 2014; and what discussions they have had with the Local Government Association about this matter.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has made up to £8.6 billion available in additional funding over 2023/24 and 2024/25, to support adult social care and discharge. This funding has enabled local authorities to buy more care packages, helped people leave hospital on time, improved workforce recruitment and retention, and reduced waiting times for care. The Government regularly meets with the Local Government Association and other representatives from the sector, to understand the pressures facing them.
Funding plans for 2025/26 will be developed as part of the next Spending Review. We will continue to work closely with local authorities and the adult social care sector to understand what the impact of cost and demand pressures will be on service delivery, and to support them in responding to these pressures.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reform the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) to enable magistrates to properly consider each case before them and to minimise any risk of miscarriages of justice; and whether they have implemented, or plan to implement, any of the twelve recommendations to improve the operation, transparency and fairness of the SJP contained within the Magistrates’ Association position statement, published on 26 March.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking action, with international partners, to dissuade the government of Israel from undertaking a military ground offensive in Rafah, Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are clear that do not support a major operation in Rafah unless there is a very clear plan for how to protect people and save lives. We have not seen that plan so, in these circumstances, we do not support a major operation in Rafah.
The fastest way to end the conflict is to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a stop in the fighting in Gaza. We must then work with our international partners to turn that pause into a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.
We must remain focused on a long-term solution to this crisis - a political horizon for the Palestinians, providing a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
We have consistently made these points to Israel, at all levels.