Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any dual UK-Israeli nationals have received training from the armed forces in the last five years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not track whether those receiving training from the UK are dual nationals, as the provision of training is based on the country the training is being provided to.
Fewer than five Israel Defence Forces personnel are currently enrolled in non-combat military academic courses in the UK.
The UK has a long history of providing assistance to other nations in the security and justice fields and continues to do so around the world. The MOD’s provision of such assistance is assessed carefully on a case-by-case basis and kept under review. UK training courses promote British values, including human rights, democracy and compliance with international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether procedures are in place to identify (a) UK citizens and (b) other dual nationals among foreign military personnel receiving UK military training.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not routinely monitor whether those serving in foreign armed forces receiving training from the UK Armed Forces are UK citizens. The provision of any training to a foreign military is assessed on a case-by-case basis. The UK recognises the right of British nationals with additional nationalities to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationalities.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on providing military training to people with UK citizenship serving in foreign armed forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not routinely monitor whether those serving in foreign armed forces receiving training from the UK Armed Forces are UK citizens. The provision of any training to a foreign military is assessed on a case-by-case basis. The UK recognises the right of British nationals with additional nationalities to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationalities.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on UK-Israeli dual nationals serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK recognises the right of British dual nationals to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality. We do not track the number of dual nationals that choose to take up this right.
The Secretary of State for Defence has not discussed the issue of UK-Israeli dual nationals serving in the Israel Defense Forces with the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department monitors the involvement of UK-Israeli dual nationals serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK recognises the right of British dual nationals to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality. We do not track the number of dual nationals that choose to take up this right.
The Secretary of State for Defence has not discussed the issue of UK-Israeli dual nationals serving in the Israel Defense Forces with the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating the Winter Fuel Allowance before the winter 2025-26.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government wants to expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, recognising the goals of supporting these pensioners, meeting need and of sustainable public finances. Any change will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken with police forces to ensure the accurate collection of data on the abuse of older people.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is continuingly working with police forces to improve the quality of police recorded crime data collected.
However, the safeguarding of vulnerable adults from abuse or neglect is a statutory duty for Local Authorities with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) in England under the Care Act 2014. Information on the safeguarding of adults is collected directly from such Local Authorities and can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/adult-social-care-data-hub/dashboards/safeguarding-adults-collection
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the proposals in Law Commission’s report entitled Modernising Wills Law, published on 15 May 2025.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has welcomed the Law Commission’s comprehensive report on the law of making a will and will be giving the report careful consideration.
This is the first major review of the law on making wills since the Wills Act 1837, and the reforms proposed by the Law Commission are significant and wide ranging. They deserve detailed consideration. The Government recognises that the current law is outdated, and we must embrace change, but the guiding principle in doing so will be to ensure that reform does not compromise existing freedoms or protecting the elderly and vulnerable in society from undue influence.
The Government will make further announcements in due course, once it has given the report the detailed consideration it deserves.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that employers are providing support for women in the workplace with flexible working.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government knows how important flexible working can be to help women with caring responsibilities manage their work and personal commitments. It can also be equally important for carers of vulnerable adults as well as employees with long-term physical or mental health conditions.
That is why the Government, through the Employment Rights Bill, is increasing access to flexible working by making it the default except where not reasonably feasible. These measures will support all employees, including women, to access flexible working. The changes in the Bill will require employers to accept flexible working requests where it is reasonably feasible to do so.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that employers are supporting women managing menopause in the workplace.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 18th October 2024 the Secretary of State for DWP appointed Mariella Frostrup as the new Menopause Employment Ambassador. The Menopause Employment Ambassador will work closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing menopause and wider women’s health issues. The Menopause Employment Ambassador launched her Menopause Advisory Group on 24th April who will provide her with expert knowledge from a wide range of sectors on how businesses can better support women experiencing menopause in the workplace by creating a more supportive environment that helps women to stay in work and progress.
The government has also proposed a wide-ranging set of generational reforms to boost protections for workers, including women experiencing menopause symptoms at work. The policy proposals in the Employment Rights Bill would require large employers with more than 250 employees to produce Menopause Action Plans on how they will support employees through the menopause. Alongside this the government has also committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence.