Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will have discussions with his UN counterparts on the reports of an alleged Hamas (a) war room and (b) weapons depot being located in a UNRWA school in Nuseirat, Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Hamas is putting Palestinian civilians at grave risk by embedding themselves in the civilian population and civilian infrastructure. The UK is aware of reports of Hamas using healthcare facilities and other infrastructure, such as schools, as bases and command nodes.
All parties must act in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. Care must be taken to limit operations to military targets and to minimise harm to civilians and civilian objects.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will have discussions with the UN on the recently released footage of Palestinians firing from inside an UNRWA compound in eastern Rafah.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations extremely seriously. With regards to this specific incident, UNRWA has said that while it cannot verify the authenticity or the content of this video, it is likely that it is from an UNRWA warehouse in Rafah that was evacuated during the week of 6 May following forced displacement orders from the Israeli authorities. UNRWA has condemned the use of UN facilities by any party to the conflict for military and fighting purposes.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to implement the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
Answered by Jacob Young
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing, published on 6 February 2024, if he will take steps to extend the (a) competence and (b) mandatory qualification standards to residential property managers.
Answered by Jacob Young
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of Hezbollah plans to establish a new militia in Jordan.
Answered by David Rutley
We are aware of these reports and will continue to monitor Kataib Hezbollah's (KH) activity. The Iranian regime bear responsibility for the actions of groups they have long supported, including KH and other non-state actors. In a recent phone call with the King of Jordan, the Prime Minister reiterated our staunch support for the security of Jordan and the wider region.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Iran firing cruise missiles at Israel.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct attack against Israel on 13 April which was a dangerous escalation.
The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security and the security of all our regional partners. Alongside our allies, we are working to prevent further escalation.
On 18 April and 25 April the UK announced sanctions to limit Iran's military capabilities. The UK also announced travel bans and asset freezes against those involved in drone production. The designations were made under the new Iran sanctions regime, which came into force in December 2023 and enables the UK to target Iran's hostile behaviour.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on licensing electric black cabs.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Whilst the Secretary of State for Transport has not had any direct discussion with the Mayor of London on licensing electric taxis, revised best practice guidance was issued to all licensing authorities in November last year recommending they enable as many types of vehicles as possible to be licensed. Licensing authorities should give very careful consideration to a policy that automatically rules out particular types of vehicle or prescribes only one type or a small number of types of vehicle.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on developing plans for implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act since 29 August 2023.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The Government remains committed to implementing the important reforms in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (the Act). These reforms will improve the quality of supported housing, protecting residents and getting better value for money for the taxpayer through Housing Benefit spend. It is important that we get the detail of how these reforms might be implemented right, to avoid any unintended consequences.
The first step towards implementation is a consultation on the proposed measures in the Act, including the National Supported Housing Standards and the supported housing licensing regime in England. The Government will consult on the measures as soon as possible.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to commence the consultation process on the implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The Government remains committed to implementing the important reforms in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (the Act). These reforms will improve the quality of supported housing, protecting residents and getting better value for money for the taxpayer through Housing Benefit spend. It is important that we get the detail of how these reforms might be implemented right, to avoid any unintended consequences.
The first step towards implementation is a consultation on the proposed measures in the Act, including the National Supported Housing Standards and the supported housing licensing regime in England. The Government will consult on the measures as soon as possible.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to exclude caste as a protected characteristic from the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Opposition Chief Whip (Commons)
The government’s position remains as stated by the then Minister for Women and Equalities, the member for Portsmouth North, in her statement to Parliament on 23 July 2018.
We do not intend to make an order determining caste to be an aspect of ‘race’ for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.
We will repeal the statutory duty to make such an order once a suitable legislative vehicle becomes available.