Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment process his Department uses to determine if solar companies operating in the UK have supply chain links to forced labour.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government opposes all forms of forced labour and is determined to ensure that all UK business do everything in their power to remove any instances of it from their supply chains. However, the UK Government does not hold data about the supply chains of individual companies.
Solar Energy UK, who co-chair the Solar Taskforce, is leading the industry’s response on this matter by developing and launching the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), in partnership with Solar Power Europe. Members of the SSI have committed to applying its traceability standards and audits, while encouraging its adoption throughout their supply chain.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to prevent domestic abusers convicted of other offences from being released early.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This Government inherited a criminal justice system on the brink of collapse, with prisons weeks away from overflowing. This would have meant complete gridlock of the system and impacted the police’s ability to arrest people. As a result, we were forced to bring in emergency measures that see the automatic release points for standard determinate sentences reduced to 40%.
There are a number of offences excluded from this change including serious violent offences with sentences of four years or more, sex offences and a series of offences connected to domestic abuse. Exempting domestic abuse related offences and allowing probation a number of weeks to prepare is a significant departure from the previous Government’s End of Custody Licence scheme which saw c13,000 offenders released early.
It is only possible to legally exempt specific offences and domestic abusers are prosecuted under many crimes. Our exclusions send a very clear message about how seriously this Government takes domestic abuse.
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, if he will take steps to send justice and accountability experts to Syria to collect evidence of (a) war crimes and (b) crimes against humanity by the regime led by Bashar Al-Assad.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are currently considering options for building on our ongoing accountability work in Syria. In the meantime, we will continue to support partners who are playing a pivotal role in developing a credible evidence base to record atrocities committed by the former regime and others. This year alone, we have committed £1.15 million to accountability and documentation related programmes. In addition, we will continue to work with our international partners and civil society to advocate for and support mechanisms such as the UN International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) and Independent Institution for Missing Persons (IIMP) to ensure that accountability is a core part of the transitional process.
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 make it her policy to reject asylum applications from former government officials of the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office acted swiftly to temporarily pause decisions on Syrian asylum claims whilst we assess the current situation.
We keep all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review so we can respond to emerging issues.
While all asylum claims are routinely considered on their individual merits, it is standard procedure to deny protection to anyone who has committed crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, other serious crimes abroad or acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
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 discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the (a) identification and (b) destruction of Captagon production facilities in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned by the growth of the Captagon industry, which as well as enriching the former Assad regime is fuelling regional instability and generating vast revenues for criminal gangs and armed groups in Syria and across the region. We are working with international partners, including partners in the region, to raise awareness of the risks posed by Captagon. The UK has imposed sanctions on 11 individuals involved in facilitating the Captagon industry in Syria.
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 steps he is taking to (a) identify and (b) destroy Captagon (i) production and (ii) distribution facilities in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned by the growth of the Captagon industry, which as well as enriching the former Assad regime, is fuelling regional instability and generating vast revenues for criminal gangs and armed groups in Syria and across the region. We are working with international partners, including partners in the region, to raise awareness of the risks posed by Captagon. The UK has imposed sanctions on 11 individuals involved in facilitating the Captagon industry in Syria.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people worked in the No. 10 foreign policy team on (a) 31 October 2024 and (b) 11 December 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
For management and staffing purposes the Prime Minister’s Office is part of the Cabinet Office. All staff in the Prime Minister’s Office support the work of the Prime Minister to ensure the effective running of government.
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 his plans for a National Care Service include a review of training for carers in the use of musical techniques to help support people living with dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans for a review of training for carers in the use of musical techniques to help support people living with dementia. However, the Department currently funds research on the use of musical techniques for people living with dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research. This includes a major study investigating how music therapy can reduce patient distress and physical assaults on National Health Service inpatient wards for people with dementia. The study is called MELODIC and will create a programme of music therapy which will be piloted in two NHS mental health wards at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
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, whether the UK is participating in international action to (a) identify and (b) destroy chemical weapon (i) production sites and (ii) depots in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The brutal history of chemical weapons use in Syria must never be repeated. We have been closely monitoring developments as they unfold and engaging with partners in the region and with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). We welcome Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's (HTS) statement that it will protect chemical weapons sites and will not use chemical weapons under any circumstances. Syria must now take the next step, which is to comply with the obligations set out under UN Security Council Resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention and engage with the OPCW to declare fully its chemical weapons programme so that it can finally, and verifiably, be completely destroyed.