Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest time taken is between application to and a payment under the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.

The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.

The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.

The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.

The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.

The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.

The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications have been (a) made to, (b) approved by and (c) paid by the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.

The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.

The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.

The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications have been made to the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was announced.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.

The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.

The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.

The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department work on the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.

The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.

The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.

The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to paragraph 8 of the Eighth Report of Session 2022-23 of the Committee on Standards, All-Party Parliamentary Groups: final proposals, HC 228, published on 5 April 2023, what steps the Commission is taking to tackle the risk of improper (a) access and (b) influence by foreign actors through APPGs.

Answered by Charles Walker

The Commission does not control or regulate All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs).

The Committee on Standards put forward recommendations which were approved by the House on 19 July 2023. These included the following provisions which are now contained within the APPG rules:

a) groups are not permitted to have a secretariat either provided or funded by a foreign government.

b) a group’s officers must undertake due diligence as to whether a foreign government is the eventual funder of a secretariat or other benefit. If a group receives a benefit (other than a secretariat) from a foreign government, this is permissible but must be registered.

c) for groups receiving over £1500 in benefits in a calendar year, the group shall publish an annual report explaining its work and a due diligence statement in relation to foreign government funding.

As the Committee recommended, the Parliamentary Security Department and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on 20 September 2023 issued guidance on due diligence. That guidance was emailed to all APPG Chairs and is available here: Guide to the rules on All-Party Parliamentary Groups - UK Parliament

There is no ban on the receipt of benefits from foreign governments, but such benefits must be registered.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to paragraph 17 of the Eighth Report of Session 2022-23 of the Committee on Standards, All-Party Parliamentary Groups: final proposals, HC 228, published on 5 April 2023, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure that Secretariats of APPGs (a) are not funded by and (b) do not receive benefits from foreign governments.

Answered by Charles Walker

The Commission does not control or regulate All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs).

The Committee on Standards put forward recommendations which were approved by the House on 19 July 2023. These included the following provisions which are now contained within the APPG rules:

a) groups are not permitted to have a secretariat either provided or funded by a foreign government.

b) a group’s officers must undertake due diligence as to whether a foreign government is the eventual funder of a secretariat or other benefit. If a group receives a benefit (other than a secretariat) from a foreign government, this is permissible but must be registered.

c) for groups receiving over £1500 in benefits in a calendar year, the group shall publish an annual report explaining its work and a due diligence statement in relation to foreign government funding.

As the Committee recommended, the Parliamentary Security Department and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on 20 September 2023 issued guidance on due diligence. That guidance was emailed to all APPG Chairs and is available here: Guide to the rules on All-Party Parliamentary Groups - UK Parliament

There is no ban on the receipt of benefits from foreign governments, but such benefits must be registered.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make it its policy that former Ambassadors and High Commissioners may not work in the Secretariats of APPGs on countries to which they were accredited.

Answered by Charles Walker

The Commission does not control or regulate All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs).

The Committee on Standards put forward recommendations which were approved by the House on 19 July 2023. This included the provision that groups are not permitted to have a secretariat either provided or funded by a foreign government. The Committee made no recommendations about the role of former Ambassadors or High Commissioners.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure that secretariats of All-Party Parliamentary Groups do not pass sensitive information to foreign governments.

Answered by Charles Walker

The Commission does not control or regulate All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs).

The rules for APPGs are approved by the House. The Guide to the APPG Rules by the Committee on Standards makes clear that each group’s Chair and Registered Contact is responsible for ensuring that if any person or organisation provides a secretariat or support service, that person or organisation is aware of and complies with the rules of the House. Members of the House are subject to the provision in the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament that “Members must only use information which they have received in confidence in the course of their parliamentary activities in connection with those activities, and never for other purposes”.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards may investigate allegations of a breach of the Code of Conduct and the associated APPG Rules, and he may report to the Committee on Standards any findings from such an investigation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the NFU's report entitled Farming for Britain's Future, published in December 2023, what steps his Department has taken to increase confidence within the agricultural industry.

Answered by Mark Spencer

In 2020 we published the Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP), setting out our plan for farmers, allowing them to make business planning decisions with confidence. Since then, we have launched our reforms, aiming to give farmers more choice and ensuring there are offers available for all farm types and locations. This includes the rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and our Innovation and Productivity schemes such as the Farming Investment Fund (FIF).

We also continue to expand and improve our offers in response to farmers’ feedback. Recently, the Government has confirmed farmers will benefit from the improved SFI from July this year, following the announcement by the Environment Secretary Steve Barclay in January. The improved offer includes a 10% increase in the average value of agreements in SFI and Countryside Stewardship (CS); a streamlined single application process for farmers to apply for the SFI and CS Mid-Tier; and around 50 new actions that farmers can get paid for.

Furthermore, to aid the transition, and to give farmers confidence in their choices and the best chance of benefiting from our reforms we are also providing support via the Future Farming Resilience Fund. This fund is designed to provide free business support to farmers and land managers in England during the early years of the agricultural transition.

Lastly, on 14 May 2024 we published our Blueprint for Growing the UK Fruit and Vegetable Sector, which aims to boost production of fresh produce and reduce reliance on imports. This is backed by our new Horticulture Resilience and Growth Offer, where Defra will look to double to £80m the amount of funding given to horticulture businesses when compared to the EU legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, which will be replaced from 2026 onwards. We are also unlocking the opportunities of gene editing with £15m investment into Genetic Improvement Networks, helping to boost access to more resilient crop varieties, that require fewer inputs and cut farmer costs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing graduated driving licences.

Answered by Guy Opperman

I discussed the issue of graduated driving licences with the MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham and his constituent on 17 April. Since then, the Department for Transport has been considering the Driver 2020 project and further measures the Department can take to improve road safety for young drivers. The Department is still reviewing its position.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of Turkey’s military activity in Syria and Iraq.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani

As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage the Turkish government on regional stability, including in Syria and Iraq. The Minister for the Middle East discussed this issue with the Turkish National Security Advisor on 11 April. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in the region but encourages restraint from activity that could lead to further destabilisation or civilian loss of life.

Security and stability in the region are necessary to prevent the worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition and its partners to continue the fight against Daesh.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment his Department has made of the treatment of Kurds in Turkey.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani

We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and follow this issue closely. We consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to raise concerns with the Government of Turkey over the treatment of its Kurdish population.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani

We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO discussed human rights and the rule of law with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bozay at the UK-Turkey Strategic Dialogue on 10 January 2024. Our Embassy in Turkey regularly engage with political parties and diplomatic counterparts on this issue, and closely track related judicial cases such as the HDP closure and Kobani cases.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in Turkey on improving relations with the Kurdish population in that country.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani

We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO discussed human rights and the rule of law with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bozay at the UK-Turkey Strategic Dialogue on 10 January 2024. Our Embassy in Turkey regularly engage with political parties and diplomatic counterparts on this issue, and closely track related judicial cases such as the HDP closure and Kobani cases.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to reduce the number of people being accommodated at Nesscliffe Training Camp.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

All Afghans arriving in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) are being resettled due to their contribution to UK military and national security objectives during our mission in Afghanistan.

To temporarily house families arriving in the UK under ARAP, the Ministry of Defence has stood up transitional accommodation across the Defence Estate, including at Nesscliffe Training Area. The Ministry of Defence keeps all transitional accommodation under review in order to manage changes to the arrival and departure rate.

Transitional accommodation on the Defence estate is being used on a temporary basis prior to ARAP-eligible Afghans onward movement into settled accommodation as quickly as possible.

Nesscliffe Training Camp will, in due course, be returned to its previous use.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are being accommodated at Nesscliffe Training Camp.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

The number of Afghans accommodated at Nesscliffe Training Camp under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme will vary depending on numbers of arrivals and speed of families moving into settled accommodation.

The site currently has capacity for a maximum of 220 ARAP-eligible persons. The Ministry of Defence keeps all transitional accommodation under review in order to manage changes to the arrival and departure rate.

Ministry of Defence engagement with the community of Nesscliffe in Shropshire

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Found: Sir David Evennett Sir Paul Beresford Fiona Bruce Caroline Nokes Alexander Stafford Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski

Found: Hayes Andrew Bridgen John Stevenson Mark Pritchard Rachel Maclean Andrew Rosindell Daniel Kawczynski