Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide funding for the Community Security Trust.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Community Security Trust will receive funding of £18 million per year through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant (JCPS) from 2024/25 to 2027/28.
The Jewish Community Protective Security Grant provides protective security measures (such as security personnel services, CCTV and alarm systems) at synagogues, Jewish educational establishments and community sites. It is managed on behalf of the Home Office by the Community Security Trust.
We continue to work closely with the Community Security Trust on how best to protect Jewish communities across the UK.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle antisemitism at universities.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is clear that every student, regardless of their background or religion, should be able to pursue their studies at university without fear of harassment or discrimination. As autonomous institutions, universities have robust processes in place to prevent and tackle incidents of harassment and abuse on campus.
The latest Community Security Trust (CST) report, titled ‘Campus Antisemitism in Britain 2022-2024’, confirms a significant increase in antisemitic incidents on university campuses over the past two academic years. Additionally, recent Home Office hate crime data indicates that Jewish communities are disproportionately targeted by hate crimes.
The department considers tackling antisemitism in education a key priority and has already taken important steps to address it. We have confirmed £7 million in funding for the Tackling Antisemitism in Education (TAE) programme and have launched a new procurement (which will close on 16 January 2025) to upskill school and college teachers and key university staff to prevent, recognise and address incidents of antisemitism.
Under the TAE programme, we have already awarded £500,000 to the University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC) to provide welfare-based support for Jewish students who may be worried about their safety. The funds will be used by UJC to enhance their support services, which include offering counselling, organising community events, and providing a safe space for Jewish students to discuss their concerns.
We continue to liaise closely with Jewish stakeholder groups including the UJC, the Union of Jewish Students and CST to discuss and address their concerns.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has written to NHS Trusts on the use of sex-specific language in NHS guidance.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not written to the National Health Service trusts on the use of sex-specific language in NHS guidance. The Government understands the need for health information to be as clear as possible and to use language that appropriately reflects sex, as defined as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans there are for a third phase of the Youth Investment Fund to be launched in 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
More than £85 million will be allocated in recognition of the urgent need for more youth facilities. This will include £26 million of new funding for youth clubs to buy new equipment and undertake much needed renovations via the Better Youth Spaces programme. This funding will also enable the completion of current Youth Investment Fund projects.
Any further capital investment in youth facilities would be subject to the next stage of the Spending Review.
This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential.
The Culture Secretary has also announced that £100 million from the next tranche of dormant assets funding will be used to deliver youth outcomes between 2024 and 2028, supporting the provision of services, facilities and opportunities for young people across the country.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that there is no discrimination in NHS IVF treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. Organisations are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. We expect this review to be published in 2025. NHS England will also be providing advice on this issue to inform the Government’s considerations of future policy options.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Curriculum and Assessment Review is looking at disadvantages faced by boys at school.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government has a driving mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child and young person, including boys, at every stage. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will consider barriers and ceilings to attainment throughout children’s education and make recommendations on how they can be removed.
The review will ensure that the curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young people, to deliver a cutting-edge curriculum which enables every child to achieve and thrive. The review’s terms of reference can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to tackle knife crime amongst (a) young people and (b) young people in the black community.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s mission to take back our streets. We are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition.
We have banned Zombie style knives and zombie style machetes.
We have set up a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce, which brings together Ministers, Chief Constables and others working across criminal justice to take immediate action to tackle the fastest rising type of knife crime.
We have formed the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime that brings together campaign groups, families of people who have tragically lost their lives to knife crime, young people who have been impacted and community leaders, united in their mission to save lives and make Britain a safer place for the next generation.
We launched a consultation to help our plans for an effective ban of Ninja Swords.
We have launched a review into the online sale and delivery of knives to identify any gaps in current processes and legislation. We are also consulting on introducing personal liability measures on senior executives of online platforms or marketplaces who fail to take action to remove illegal content relating to weapons.
We will also create a new Young Futures programme - intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help disabled people into work.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.
Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. We want people to avoid poverty, and for this to happen we must ensure that disabled people and people with health conditions have the opportunity to work and save for as long as they wish and are able to.
Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.
Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.
Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, Support with Employee Health and Disability service a digital information service for employers and the Disability Confident scheme.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 the (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) local authorities and (c) water companies on the potential impact of the proposed Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire on water (i) demand and (ii) supply in the East of England in the context of planned house-building in the region.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Given this is a potential matter that may come before the Secretary of State for decision, it would not be appropriate to comment on planning merits of any Universal Studios proposal in Bedford.
Planning decisions are not subject to Cabinet responsibility and are made by the decisions maker on planning grounds, based on the merits of the case and in line with propriety guidelines.
Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to monitor the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees on service families in receipt of the continuity of education allowance.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The single Services will monitor the impact on retention in Service for those claiming Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) following the introduction of VAT on independent school fees. The Pay and Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell will monitor the impact on Service personnel changing Schools and withdrawing from CEA.