Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7208, what steps his Department has taken to help recruit 8,500 new mental health workers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has of the potential impact of the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 12025, on the British National (Overseas) visa route.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.
Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to maintain the settlement criteria for British National (Overseas) visa holders.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.
Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 17 March 2025 to Question 36633 and 29 April 2025 to Question 45904 on China: Audit, for what reason the timeline for concluding the China audit has changed from spring 2025 to being in due course.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Audit will improve the UK's ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses. It will help inform the government setting out a long-term, consistent approach to our relationship with China. The timing of the audit remains determined by the need for widespread consultation both within and beyond government. Work being done by the Audit team is already proving valuable in developing policies and planning engagement.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when officials in his Department last had contacted with their Egyptian counterparts on the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials regularly speak with likeminded partners on how to enhance international cooperation and end the practice of arbitrary arrest, detention or sentencing. The Government is committed to securing Mr El-Fattah's release and we continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. The Prime Minister raised the case in a letter to President Sisi on 4 May. The National Security Adviser also raised Mr-El Fattah's case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 27 April and the Foreign Secretary raised with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 9 April.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with international allies on the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials regularly speak with likeminded partners on how to enhance international cooperation and end the practice of arbitrary arrest, detention or sentencing. The Government is committed to securing Mr El-Fattah's release and we continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. The Prime Minister raised the case in a letter to President Sisi on 4 May. The National Security Adviser also raised Mr-El Fattah's case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 27 April and the Foreign Secretary raised with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 9 April.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to prohibit the sale and use of LEDs which dazzle (a) pedestrians, (b) cyclists and (c) other drivers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The lighting of road vehicles is regulated by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended (RVLR). It is illegal to sell unapproved LED light sources for use in modern car, truck and bus headlamps. Changes were made to the MOT manual to align with the requirements of the RVLR to ensure that modern vehicles fitted with unapproved light sources fitted will fail the MOT.
Furthermore, the Government recognises the increased public concern around headlamp glare and has commissioned independent research to understand the causes.
Careful consideration will be given to that work when it reports later this year to determine what future actions may be appropriate to ensure the safety of all road users.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of illegally modified (a) cars and (b) motorcycles that produce excessive noise.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport takes the impact of excessive noise on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriously. Strict noise regulations for cars and motorcycles are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance before being placed on the market. Replacement silencers that are to be used on the road must also meet strict noise limits that are aligned with those of the original vehicle.
The Department published the results of roadside trials of noise camera technology last year and continues to keep a keen interest in this technology. However, it is ultimately for local authorities and the police to consider what the most appropriate enforcement routes may be within their area, based on their knowledge of the issue locally. The Department has limited means for influencing local decision making on enforcement priorities.
The police have powers to deal with noisy vehicles on an ongoing basis. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 they can take action if they suspect a vehicle is being driven in a manner that makes excessive noise which is avoidable through reasonable driver care. In the same Regulations, exhausts and silencers are required to be maintained in good working order and not modified so as to increase noise.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Health and Safety Executive on the collection of data on (a) fatalities and (b) serious injuries caused by cattle.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department of Work and Pensions has had no recent discussions with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about the collection of data on fatalities and serious injuries caused by cattle.
Data is collected and published by the HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) that require certain work-related injuries and fatalities, including those caused by cattle to members of the public, to be reported.
Guidance on reporting requirements is published by HSE on their website at https://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/.
Statistical data from these reports is published by HSE and is freely available to view on their website at https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring universities to conduct human rights due diligence checks when offering security-related courses to organisations based in countries listed as a human rights priority in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's report entitled Human Rights and Democracy Report 2022, published on 13 July 2023.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world, and we remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. Universities attract international engagement from across the world, and this global reach plays an important part in promoting British values, such as the rule of law and respect for human rights.
Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous bodies, independent from government, and therefore responsible for their own policies and procedures.
However, English HE providers must uphold applicable public interest governance principles, including on free speech, and we expect the sector to be alert to regulatory risks when collaborating with international partners, conducting appropriate due diligence to comply with all legislation, including the Human Rights Act 1998. The Office for Students (OfS) have introduced a further registration condition on harassment and sexual misconduct, which will come into force on 1 August 2025. This condition is important in ensuring HE students are free from harassment and sexual misconduct that would otherwise adversely affect their ability to benefit from their studies.
As the independent regulator, it is the role of the OfS to monitor and assess registered providers’ compliance with all its conditions of registration.