Andrew Murrison

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, and other members of the Ministerial team at the department regularly meet with further education colleges and their representatives. There have been several recent meetings which have touched on funding.

As a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNLCOS), the UK (or any state that has subscribed to the agreement) cannot disrupt the transit passage of vessels through its territorial waters for lacking insurance, or being unregistered, as this is not considered to fall within any of the exceptions to passage being ‘innocent passage’.

Refusal to allow a vessel to dock into a UK port is a decision for the port. Vessels docked at a UK port may be subject to a Port State Control inspection. Registration and insurance are part of the documentation that is checked.

No unregistered or uninsured commercial vessels have been boarded by UK authorities in UK territorial waters this year.

No wet cargo ships have been boarded by UK authorities in territorial waters due to a lack of insurance this year.

I refer the hon. Member to the previous reply PQ 5554

There are no plans to make such an assessment.

The precise treatment of compensation payments depends on the details of the individual scheme (whether industrial, military or other) will depend on the benefit concerned. Tax treatment is a matter for HMRC not DWP.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) places duties on employers, the self-employed and people in control of work premises (the Responsible Person) to report work-related fatalities, certain injuries, occupational diseases and specified dangerous occurrences (near misses). Reports are made via a dedicated RIDDOR submission form.

An electrocution that occurred during window cleaning being carried out as a ‘work activity’ (as opposed to by the homeowner) would be reportable under RIDDOR as a work-related fatality.

The Health and Safety Executive collects information on deaths from contact with electricity in the category of ‘building and industrial cleaning activities’. However, it does not collect specific information relating to electrocutions caused by the use of water-fed poles in window cleaning.

To help businesses comply with the law, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides general guidance on health and safety as well as targeted guidance for higher-risk industries and activities. HSE does not seek to provide guidance for all industries and activities as it is often the case that others are more knowledgeable or better placed to provide such guidance.

HSE produces generic guidance for the cleaning industry covering a range of topics such as manual handling, control of hazardous substances, and slips and trips, all of which have relevance to window cleaners. HSE does not however issue specific guidance on the safe usage of water-fed poles.

The window cleaning industry, in collaboration with HSE, has published two pieces of guidance for the safe use of water-fed poles: ‘Safety in window cleaning using Waterfed Pole Systems’ and ‘Window cleaning with water-fed poles’. Both are free to download from the website of the Federation of Window Cleaners (www.windowcleaning.org.uk).

Our oil-related sanctions are having a significant impact, with Russia forced to shoulder a 25% reduction in oil and gas revenues from January to October 2024, compared to the same period in 2022. Where Russia has sought to circumvent those sanctions, we have taken robust action. We have now sanctioned 93 shadow fleet oil tankers; and we are exposing malign maritime practices by requesting proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels passing through the English Channel - an approach partners along the Baltic route will now replicate. We continue to step up our efforts, working closely with partners, to ensure our sanctions' effectiveness and impact.

Successive UK Governments have regarded the status of Western Sahara as undetermined. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise. The UK continues to support UN-led efforts and, in particular, the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. Officials regularly discuss Western Sahara with international partners, including the UN, Morocco, and Algeria; we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.

Successive UK Governments have regarded the status of Western Sahara as undetermined. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise. The UK continues to support UN-led efforts and, in particular, the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara. Officials regularly discuss Western Sahara with international partners, including the UN, Morocco, and Algeria; we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.

I am pleased to say that on 12 December 2024, during a debate held in Parliament, the Secretary of State announced that the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme would be launched on 13 December 2024, with a budget of £75 million. This Scheme intends to provide recognition to those impacted by the Ban.

The number of widows' or widowers' claims under the War Pension Scheme (WPS) claims relating to Camp Lejeune is not centrally held.

War Pensions Scheme statistics, including for the War Widows Pension Scheme, are published on gov.uk at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/war-pensions-scheme-statistics-2024

The Department has released several statements encouraging those who think they may have been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to contact the Department, through an article on Gov.uk, and on the Department’s social media accounts on platforms such a X. Again, it is worth noting that the US compensation scheme was in place for almost two years before the new Ministerial team were notified and took swift action.

I once again encourage anyone who was based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987 to write to the Ministry of Defence so that we may provide them with the appropriate advice. We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and any veteran that may have served at Camp Lejeune during this period and believe that their health was affected can apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme.

I once again encourage anyone who was based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987 to write to the Ministry of Defence so that we may provide them with advice.

The contamination of water at Camp Lejeune was known for almost two years before this was brought to the attention of the new Ministerial team. I will continue to advocate for our Service personnel, veterans, and their families where they have been affected.

For spouses and civil partners of Service personnel, they may be able to claim through the War Widows Pension scheme, should they be eligible, and support can be provided to dependants via the Veterans Welfare Services. Further details for both can be found at Gov.uk

We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and any veteran that may have served at Camp Lejeune during this period and believes that their health was affected can apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme. It is worth noting that the US compensation scheme was running for almost two years before the new Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministerial team were informed.

The MOD does not currently plan to commission epidemiological studies for Service personnel and dependants who may have been exposed to contaminated water while living at Camp Lejeune.

The MOD does not hold information on British personnel affected by water contamination at US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987; however, we are making every effort to ensure Serving personnel and veterans are aware of their rights moving forward. I continue to encourage anyone who was based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987 to write to the MOD so that we may provide them with advice.