Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his counterpart in Israel on allegations of collective punishment in Gaza and compatibility with international law.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his counterpart in Israel on the alleged use of white phosphorous and its compatibility with international law.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will cease the licensing of the export of (a) arms and (b) security equipment to Israel.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All applications for export licences are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.
The Government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, and if extant licences are found to be no longer consistent with the Criteria, those licences will be revoked.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help tackle reported human rights abuses in Manipur.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our diplomatic network in India closely follows reports of violence in the state of Manipur. We remain committed to championing human rights around the world and we work with the UN, OSCE (The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), Council of Europe, G7 and other multilateral fora to promote Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB). The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including issues where we have them. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised the current situation in Manipur with the Indian Government during his visit to India in May.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps with international counterparts to help tackle reported human rights abuses in Manipur.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our diplomatic network in India closely follows reports of violence in the state of Manipur. We remain committed to championing human rights around the world and we work with the UN, OSCE (The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), Council of Europe, G7 and other multilateral fora to promote Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB). The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including issues where we have them. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised the current situation in Manipur with the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs during his visit to India in May.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support unpaid carers with increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges for many people, including unpaid carers.
The Government continues to provide financial support to unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through other benefits.
Unpaid carers in receipt of eligible benefits may receive additional support through the new Cost of Living Payments in 2023-24. These will help more than eight million United Kingdom households on eligible means tested benefits, eight million pensioner households and six million people across the UK on eligible disability benefits.
We want unpaid carers to live healthy and fulfilling lives alongside their caring role. This is why this Government is fully committed to the 10-year vision for Adult Social Care that we re-affirmed in the Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care (2023).
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an estimate of the median level of student debt held by people in Leicester East constituency.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The median debt of full-time undergraduate borrowers funded by Student Finance England whose postcode is within the Leicester East constituency and who entered repayment within the last five years is £41,493.29. The median debt includes tuition fee and maintenance loans.
The borrowers’ postcode refers to the current contact or home address supplied by the borrower to the Student Loans Company.
As student loan repayments are income contingent, the amount of loan debt repaid varies with earnings. At a national level amongst borrowers starting study in the 2022/23 academic year, individuals in the lowest forecast earnings decile (who earn less than 90% of other loan borrowers over their lifetime) are estimated to repay 7% of loan outlay borrowed. Those in the top 30% of lifetime earners are expected to repay their loans in full in under 30 years. More information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the legal advice available to people making an asylum claim.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, all immigration advisers must be registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or be regulated by a Designated Qualifying Regulator (DQR). The OISC and the DQRs are responsible for ensuring immigration advisers are fit, competent, and act in their clients’ best interests.
The DQRs include legal services representative bodies who designate regulatory responsibilities to legal services regulators. Legal services regulation is independent of Government and the relevant regulators are responsible for ensuring quality and standards for providers of legal advice.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is a DQR and responsible for the regulation of solicitors and ensuring that all solicitors meet required standards. In November 2022, the SRA published a thematic review of immigration and asylum services as well as updated immigration guidance to help solicitors understand their obligations when providing immigration advice. The guidance is available here: https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/resources/immigration-services/guidance-and-support/.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many adults from Leicester East constituency were being held in an asylum processing centre on 1 July 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no asylum processing centres in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children from Leicester East constituency were being held in an asylum processing centre on 1 July 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no asylum processing centres in the United Kingdom.