Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of recent military tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan on civilian farmers in the village of Tegh.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Although we have not made a specific assessment of the impact of military tensions on civilians in Tegh, the UK Government condemns in the strongest terms any military action that puts civilian lives at risk. We continue to urge both parties to refrain from further escalation and to abide by all existing commitments.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help promote peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK's longstanding position is that there is no military solution to this conflict and that Armenia and Azerbaijan must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable peaceful settlement. I underlined this message when I visited Baku in February, and the UK Government will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months. We continue to support internationally facilitated negotiations to settle all outstanding matters.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure (a) dementia is diagnosed in a timely way, (b) services involved in dementia health care communicate with each other effectively and (c) dementia healthcare services are accessible to patients at convenient times and locations, in the Congleton constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cheshire East Council and Cheshire & Merseyside Integrated Care Board have been working in close partnership with local providers and Dementia Communities to develop a new Dementia Plan which prioritises the Dementia Well Pathway. The Plan will be published in May 2023.
NHS England funding provided in 2021 was used to recruit an Admiral Nurse in each of the two Cheshire East memory services. The aim is to free up existing clinicians to focus on assessment and diagnosis while the Admiral Nurses provide post-diagnostic support to those recently diagnosed or those referred because they are experiencing complexity. An evaluation of this approach will be conducted in October 2023. Early indications suggest high levels of patient and carer satisfaction.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department is taking steps to help support people who cannot access fibre broadband and are unable to (a) set up a community scheme and (b) fund the groundworks themselves in Congleton constituency.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of Project Gigabit, the Government’s £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK, we have begun launching procurements that give subsidies to broadband suppliers to build gigabit-capable infrastructure to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans alone.
The constituency of Congleton is included in our Cheshire procurement. We are currently engaging with the market and expect to launch the procurement in the summer.
Premises across Cheshire are also continuing to benefit from an earlier Superfast Programme contract being delivered by the supplier Airband, which is expected to provide access to gigabit-capable broadband to almost 6,000 premises by March 2024.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what means of redress are available to park home residents who have a complaint about the management of a park home site.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
If a site owner breaches any of their obligations set out in the resident’s written agreement, the resident can seek redress through the First Tier Tribunal.
If a park home resident has concerns about the suitability of a site owner to manage a site, or the maintenance and safety of the site, they should contact the relevant local authority.
Residents can get free independent advice about their rights from the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE).
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that the BBC World Service broadcasts into the Korea Peninsula.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO strongly values the BBC World Service's role in bringing high-quality and impartial broadcasting to audiences in need, particularly where free speech is limited.
The BBC has provided assurance that it will continue to serve audiences in countries lacking media freedom and a free press, such as North Korea. Through the World2020 programme, the FCDO provides support to the BBC Korean service which is aimed at audiences across the Korean Peninsula, including inside North Korea where access to international media sources is extremely limited.
The UK is committed to media freedom, and to championing democracy and human rights around the world.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
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 reduce the diagnosis time for people with Axial Spondyloarthritis (a) in the Congleton constituency and (b) nationally.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme has worked with the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society to create a pathway to support clinicians to improve the diagnosis of Axial Spondyloarthritis, including in Congleton. The pathway is available at the following link:
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
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 improve the retention of experienced nurses in (a) Congleton constituency and (b) nationally.
Answered by Will Quince
NHS England’s retention programme seeks to understand why staff leave and provide targeted interventions to support staff to stay, with each trust required to have retention action plans, including in Congleton.
NHS England is working with each integrated care system to support a dedicated retention resource for 2022/23. Support for line managers has been provided, including a staff retention guide with information on induction, reward and recognition, menopause support and online resources to support colleagues in late and early career.
In July 2022, NHS England asked each National Health Service organisation to prioritise the delivery of five actions on nursing and midwifery retention, including enhanced support for those joining the NHS, menopause support and improved advice and guidance for those later in their career with flexible working and pensions. The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention, including in Congleton.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to improve job opportunities for young people with employment access needs.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Jobcentre Plus partnership and employer adviser teams work closely with national and local employers to help address their labour market needs by recruiting suitable claimants.
To promote opportunities for young people with access needs, Jobcentre Plus offers additional support to employers who are committed to helping these young people succeed in the labour market. Through the Disability Confident scheme, for example, DWP is providing advice and support to help employers feel more confident about employing disabled people. This in turn helps to promote the skills, talents and abilities of people with disabilities and health conditions.
As part of the DWP Youth Offer, Youth Employability Coaches work alongside Disability Employment Advisers to support claimants who have a disability or health condition to enter and stay in employment. Some Youth Hubs also offer mental health support and services, alongside skills, training, and employment provision.
There are a range of initiatives businesses can get involved in to give opportunities and experience to young people, including apprenticeships, traineeships, mentoring circles, and work experience. In addition, Access to Work and the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service provide personalised support to enable disabled people and those with a health condition to move into or keep employment.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will (a) make and (b) publish an assessment of the potential impact on equality of New Clause 11 of the Public Order Bill; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
New Clause 11 was added to the Public Order Bill by a majority in the House of Commons. The Home Office is obliged to consider the equalities impacts of all new policies.