Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent (a) meetings or (b) other discussions with human rights NGOs on reports of human rights abuses in Kenya following protests in that country.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British High Commission Nairobi regularly engages with human rights organisations in Kenya. In November 2024, the High Commissioner attended the 2024 UN Human Rights Defenders Awards alongside the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Kenya and other groups. The previous month, the Deputy High Commissioner hosted human rights experts to discuss the prevailing context for political and other rights in Kenya. The UK will continue to engage with human rights defenders and the Kenyan government to help hold the authorities to account including through its upcoming membership of the Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting schools to train staff to support (a) autistic students and (b) students with pathological demand avoidance.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs.
All teachers are teachers of SEND, and high quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school. Consideration of SEND underpins the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF). These frameworks were produced with the support of sector experts and have been designed to support all pupils to succeed, including those identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND Code of Practice.
All mainstream schools must have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) who must be a qualified teacher, or the headteacher, working at the school. On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. The NPQ will play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high quality, evidence-based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND.
Universal SEND Services brings together SEND-specific continuing professional development and support for the school and further education workforce. The programme aims to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those with autism. The contract offers autism awareness training and resources. Over 200,000 professionals have received autism training from an Autism Education Trust training partner since the programme launched in May 2022.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had (a) meetings and (b) other discussions with (i) The Good Law Project and (ii) other campaigning groups on judicial independence and the rule of law in Kenya.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Whilst we have not held discussions with the Good Law Project, the FCDO has engaged with various groups to discuss judicial independence and the rule of law in Kenya. As part of this the British High Commission Nairobi has had regular engagements with the Law Society of Kenya. The High Commissioner has also engaged regularly with the Chief Justice to discuss judicial issues. In addition, the FCDO's Rule of Law Expertise programme provides legal expertise and partnerships to support the strengthening of judicial independence and the rule in law in Kenya.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help ensure and (b) verify that funding provided to governments in (i) Uganda, (ii) Kenya and (iii) other countries in sub-Saharan Africa is used for its intended purpose.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO has a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption, fraud, and misuse of UK development funding. We continually assess the impact of our ODA programming to ensure that it is delivered in a transparent manner with funding used for its intended purposes. The UK's development partners, including governments across Africa, understand our zero-tolerance approach and their obligations in delivering support funded by the UK taxpayer.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations on allegations of (a) corruption, (b) police killings, (c) disappearances, (d) torture and (e) attempts to suppress the right to protest in Kenya with his Kenyan counterpart; and if he will make such representations in future (i) bi-lateral and (ii) multi-lateral talks.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary engages the Kenya Government on the importance of tackling corruption. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October 2024, the Foreign Secretary and Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary discussed the Open Government Partnership and the importance of transparency. The British High Commission Nairobi also raised allegations of abductions at the highest levels of the Kenyan Government and released a joint statement following the protests emphasising the need for Kenya to fulfil its democratic principles. The UK's development funding supports police reform, focusing on human rights compliant policing and accountability. We will continue to engage the Kenya Government on human rights compliance issues.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training the NHS offers on pathological demand avoidance.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is most often understood as a characteristic experienced by or observed, or both, in some autistic people, but professional consensus on its status is still required. PDA is not a recognised and stand-alone diagnosis within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classification of Disease.
There is a variety of training available for staff providing care to autistic people, although not specifically for PDA. The Health and Care Act 2022 requires that, from 1 July 2022, Care Quality Commission registered providers must ensure staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism, appropriate to their role. Individual employers are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained and competent to carry out their role.
The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the respective independent statutory regulatory bodies, who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. It is the responsibility of higher education institutions to write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators’ outcome standards.
Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a healthcare practitioner must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.