Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making care experience a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Equality Act 2010 already protects many care leavers under the indirect discrimination provisions, because a disproportionately high number are likely to be from particular sub groups within characteristics such as race, disability and age.
This Government is delivering for care leavers; younger care leavers will be exempt from rules which require a connection to a local area before accessing social housing. We have also established a care leaver Ministerial Board, which brings together Ministers from key Departments, to improve support for care leavers across Government.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to countries providing (a) financial support and (b) military equipment to the groups engaged in the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary regularly raises the Sudan conflict with his international counterparts. We have regularly condemned, including in the UN Security Council, the flow of external arms into Sudan and urged those who have influence over the parties to use it to bring them to the negotiating table to seek a political resolution to the conflict.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on funding for the BBC World Service beyond the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Government funding for the World Service beyond 2025/26 will be determined through Phase 2 of Spending Review 2025.
FCDO Ministers have and continue to engage relevant departments on matters affecting the BBC World Service including funding and will continue to do this through the Spending Review process.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the BBC on the funding model for the BBC World Service.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to determining a long-term sustainable funding model for the World Service. This will be done through Charter Review.
FCDO Ministers engage routinely with the BBC on a range of issues, including the World Service funding model.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of progress of the transition to eVisas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Millions of people have been successfully using eVisas for several years. They are a key part of our digital immigration system and will enhance people’s experience and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency. eVisas are secure and cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with, unlike a physical document. They can be accessed anywhere and in real time. As of 30 November 2024, over 3 million people had created UKVI accounts, with many more creating accounts every day.
We have considered every part of the transition to eVisas and how people experience the system, listening to feedback from visa holders, stakeholders and MPs, and monitoring to identify where people are experiencing issues so that these can be addressed. We are continually streamlining and adapting our processes to ensure a smooth transition to eVisas.
There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa, although we have been encouraging people to do so before their BRP expires so that they can continue to prove their immigration status easily. If a person has not yet created an account, they can still do so now, quickly and easily, using their expired BRP if needed.
We recognise that some people are vulnerable and require additional support in switching to and navigating a digital system. That is why we have a range of support measures in place, including:
We are confident that our systems and processes will ensure no one is disadvantaged by the move to digital, but we are conscious that some people remain concerned about the transition, particularly in the context of travel. We have therefore brought in changes to reflect those concerns, including, as a temporary measure to reassure people that they will be able to travel without any issue during the transition period, allowing carriers such as airlines to accept a BRP or EUSS BRC which expired on or after 31 December 2024 as valid evidence of permission to travel, provisionally until 31 March 2025. This will be kept under review. We have also introduced a new 24/7 passenger helpline for passengers who are at port and travelling imminently.
We continue to monitor the rollout of eVisas and will ensure that any issues are resolved for those people affected.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his Armenian counterparts on strategic defence cooperation with that country.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State has not yet had personal discussions with his Armenian counterparts, but we do have good and growing engagement in the region, including Staff Talks in Yerevan shortly and the announcement of a resident Defence Section, due to open in Armenia later in the year. We are currently exploring the possibility of Ministerial bi-lateral engagement later in the year.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
What steps his Department is taking with universities to support research and innovation.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Research and innovation is key to delivering the government’s missions, and universities are essential for this.
We are increasing Core Research funding to over £6.1bn to deliver on the government’s research priorities and offer real terms protection to the UK's world leading universities.
This Government has committed to record funding of R&D in the recent budget. Total HMG investment in R&D is rising to a record allocation of £20.4bn in 2025/26
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport 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 to support peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to utilise upcoming multilateral meetings to maintain momentum on the peace process, and to finalise a lasting peace agreement. Alongside our international partners, the UK stands ready to support them in doing so. The Foreign Secretary spoke with both Foreign Ministers on 18 July at the European Political Community summit, where he made clear our support for both countries. I [Minister Doughty] also spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on 11 October and Azerbaijan Presidential Representative Elchin Amirbayov on 29 October to reiterate our support.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Armenia and (b) Azerbaijan on Armenians detained in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to urge the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that those detained during its conflict with Armenia, or during September 2023's military action in Nagorno-Karabakh, are afforded a fair trial and provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. We have been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war, and the return of the remains of the deceased, throughout the period of conflict in the region. I raised these issues most recently with Azerbaijan Presidential Representative Elchin Amirbayov on 29 October. The Foreign Secretary met Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in July and urged them to seize the opportunity to secure an historic peace treaty.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Armenia and (b) Azerbaijan on the preservation of buildings of Armenian religious significance in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and is in the interests of all peoples of the region and beyond. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict between the states, and in Nagorno-Karabakh. Officials at British Embassy Baku have raised the topic of religious and cultural heritage and the need to protect sites of Armenian religious significance with the Azerbaijani government at the most senior levels.