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 Government recognises Milorad Dodik as the President of the Repulika Srpska Entity following the upholding of his prison sentence and ban on holding office.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not recognise Milorad Dodik as the current President of the Republika Srpska Entity. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has upheld the decision of the Central Election Commission to remove Dodik's mandate, following his conviction, and this decision is final. The UK remains committed to the sovereignty, stability, constitutional order and fully supports local institutions in upholding the rule of law in BiH. Our Ambassador in BiH has made this clear in public statements. We call on all actors to respect the decisions of judicial authorities in BiH.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including Level 2 qualifications for butchery and poultry dressing on the Free Courses for Jobs scheme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The core Adult Skills Fund covers a very wide breadth of qualifications including those related to butchery and poultry dressing (for example the Level 2 Certificate for Proficiency in Meat and Poultry Industry Skills). The department sets funding rates which are designed to incentivise the delivery of “high value” courses in the Adult Skills Fund. Butchery courses (insofar as they are included in the Manufacturing Technologies Sector Subject Area) are in the “High” funding band which means providers receive more funding per learner than courses relating to other industries.
The government also funds training through the Level 2 Butcher apprenticeship standard and the Level 3 Advanced Butcher apprenticeship standard.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a (a) single, (b) centralised and (c) digitised firearms licensing body to replace the current system of 44 separate licensing authorities.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has no plans to introduce a new national body for firearms licensing. The Firearms Act 1968 places statutory responsibility for firearms licensing on the Chief Officer of Police of each individual force in England, Wales and Scotland.
This framework is supported by Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police issued by the Home Secretary in respect of firearms licensing and by Authorised Professional Practice issued by the College of Policing.
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 Government has raised Chinese claims on the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh with his counterparts in the Chinese Government.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's position is that it is for relevant parties to resolve border disputes bilaterally. We support all peaceful means to do so and oppose any attempts to use or threaten the use of force to change the status quo. The UK Government welcomes recent discussions between India and China over the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and agreements to deescalate tensions. We continue to support a peaceful resolution between India and China on the border question.
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 Government accepts the Chinese Communist Party's claim to be able to appoint the next Dalai Lama as legitimate.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all in the UK and abroad, working to uphold the right to FoRB through the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement. For example, on July 2 the UK convened an event in Geneva to reaffirm the right to FoRB for all, including Tibetan Buddhists and the right to choose their own religious leaders.
The UK views the Dalai Lama as a respected spiritual leader and strong human rights advocate. It is our longstanding position that the appointment of the next Dalai Lama is a matter for the Tibetan Buddhist community across the world, in line with FoRB.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with police forces on moving the criminal investigation by South Yorkshire Police into the alleged abuse of grooming gang victims by South Yorkshire Police officers to an independent body.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Following discussions between the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), South Yorkshire Police, and the National Crime Agency (NCA), it has been formally agreed that the investigation will now be carried out by the NCA under the direction and control of the IOPC.
In line with the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair of the National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, once appointed, will play a central role in shaping the inquiry’s Terms of Reference. These will be published in draft and consulted on with stakeholders, including victims and survivors, before being finalised. The Inquiry will have full statutory powers to investigate systemic and institutional failings wherever they are found. Where the Inquiry finds evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing, it will provide the material to the relevant police force for investigation.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the scope of the National Grooming Gang Inquiry will include investigations into alleged abuse inflicted on grooming gang victims by police officers.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Following discussions between the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), South Yorkshire Police, and the National Crime Agency (NCA), it has been formally agreed that the investigation will now be carried out by the NCA under the direction and control of the IOPC.
In line with the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair of the National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, once appointed, will play a central role in shaping the inquiry’s Terms of Reference. These will be published in draft and consulted on with stakeholders, including victims and survivors, before being finalised. The Inquiry will have full statutory powers to investigate systemic and institutional failings wherever they are found. Where the Inquiry finds evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing, it will provide the material to the relevant police force for investigation.
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 assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the Ambulance Response Programme in the East Midlands Ambulance Service .
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government accepts that urgent and emergency care performance has, in recent years, been short of the standards the public rightly expect. We are determined to put things right.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan for 2025/26 commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, ensuring ambulances are released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.
We have already seen improvements in response times across the country, including in the East Midlands. The latest national figures for the East Midlands show that Category 2 'emergency incidents' were responded to in 32 minutes 35 seconds on average. This is faster than the 36 minutes 8 seconds seen in July 2024.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20277 on Mohamed Iidow, what the immigration status was for Mohamed Lidow at the time he committed the manslaughter and rape of Natalie Shotter.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not comment on individual cases. We have a responsibility not to disclose any information relating to an individual's immigration or citizenship status, as well as complying with our general duty of confidentiality.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the immigration status was for Ayman Adams when he sentenced for a sexual assault in Wakefield.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not comment on individual cases. We have a responsibility not to disclose any information relating to an individual's immigration or citizenship status, as well as complying with our general duty of confidentiality.