Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on the Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to strengthen its capacity dedicated to identifying and responding to atrocity risks, drawing on expertise across government departments and working with civil society, academia, bilateral partners, and multilateral organisations.
This includes progress on strengthening global early warning and country risk assessments, expanding programmes with partner organisations and building the FCDO network's capabilities to prevent atrocities through technical training, central guidance and capturing learning. We will continue to invest in ways to improve policy and practical interventions to act earlier to prevent atrocities.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason the letter from him and the Secretary of State for the Home Department to the Planning Inspector in relation to the planning and listed building consent applications by the Chinese Embassy in the UK for the redevelopment of the Royal Mint Court site in Tower Hamlets is dated 14 January 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It was human error that caused the joint Foreign Secretary/Home Secretary letter to the Planning Inspector to be dated 14 January 2024. The letter was sent to the inquiry on 14 January 2025.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support social care providers with changes announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. Overall, core local government spending power is increasing by 6% in cash terms. Local authorities have discretion over how to best use this funding, but it can be used to support care providers in meeting the increasing costs they face in delivering care services.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether social care providers will be allocated additional funding for measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. Overall, core local government spending power is increasing by 6% in cash terms. Local authorities have discretion over how to best use this funding, but it can be used to support care providers in meeting the increasing costs they face in delivering care services.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide additional (a) interventions and (b) support to areas with higher rates of asthma.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the British Thoracic Society, and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network published a new collaborative guideline for asthma in November 2024.
The guideline covers diagnosing, monitoring, and managing asthma in adults, young people, and children. It aims to improve the accuracy of diagnosis, help people to control their asthma, and reduce the risk of asthma attacks
The recommendations offer the opportunity to simplify the diagnostic processes and improve the treatment of people with asthma, and NHS England is working with specialist groups and partners to encourage a joined-up approach to implementation.
Through its national respiratory programme and focused work on children and young people with asthma, NHS England is already supporting systems to improve outcomes for people with asthma.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish any correspondence between her Department and the (a) Planning Inspectorate and (b) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in relation to the application to build a new Chinese Embassy.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this quasi-judicial decision independent from the rest of Government.
The Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary submitted written representations to the Planning Inspector on 14 January. That letter is publicly available and it explains the factors the Home Office have considered.
We have no plans to publish any further information relating to these.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter from the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the planning and listed building consent applications by the Chinese Embassy in the UK for the redevelopment of the Royal Mint Court site in Tower Hamlets, dated 14 January, whether that letter will be admissible to the examination, in the context of being submitted after the deadline of 2 December 2024 for comments by interested parties.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The conduct of the public inquiry is a matter for the Planning Inspectorate.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's Get Britain Working White Paper, published on 26 November 2024, whether she has plans to review the eligibility of Personal Independence Payments claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the Get Britain Working White Paper we announced our intention to reform the system of health and disability benefits. We are working to develop proposals for reform and will set them out in a Green Paper in spring.
We are committed to reforming the system of health and disability benefits so that it promotes and enables employment among as many people as possible. The system must also work to reduce poverty for disabled people and people with health conditions and support disabled people to live independently. It is also vital to ensure that the system is financially sustainable in the long term.
This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, so we will consult on these proposals with disabled people and representative organisations.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with (a) Ministers and (b) hon. Members on the application for a proposed Chinese Embassy.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has given any funding to Confucius institutes since July 2024.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has not provided any funding to Confucius Institutes under this government.