Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps are being taken to ensure the EA system protects women in abusive relationships.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
Protecting women in abusive relationships is front of mind when it comes to the Emergency Alerts system. In order to protect those who may have hidden phones, both national tests of the Emergency Alerting capability have been accompanied by a proactive public communications campaign. This raised awareness of the system and recommended that women with hidden phones opt out of receiving Alerts. Once this change has been made in a handset’s settings, it should remain in place meaning no future alerts will be received.
The decision on 14 August was made against a backdrop of unprecedented hot and dry conditions, with 43 active fires and 11 major incidents simultaneously impacting emergency services across the UK. We carefully considered whether an alert was appropriate, weighing the significant disruption it would cause against the potential to mitigate the mounting pressure on our fire and rescue services and the risk to people’s lives.
The government is committed to learning from this experience and we are currently reviewing the thresholds and operational protocols for future alerts to ensure they remain a proportionate and effective tool for preserving life.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to assess the potential merits of flexible visa arrangements with the European Union for British nationals who face challenges with the Schengen rules.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
The UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. UK nationals can travel visa-free within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling visa-free to the EU. There may be opportunities to apply for visas to stay for longer periods of time, in accordance with the rules of individual Member States. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.