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 she has had with her Caribbean counterparts on migration on the island of Hispaniola.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is deeply concerned about the serious security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti, which is driving significant migration pressures on Hispaniola and neighbouring islands. We are working with international partners to address this, including through the creation of the Gang Suppression Force and support for UN sanctions on those responsible for instability in Haiti. In October, I spoke with the Haitian Foreign Minister, Jean-Baptiste, and the Dominican Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Rubén Silié Valdez, about the significant challenges in Haiti. The Minister for International Development also met the Haitian Foreign Minister on 17 November. During my visit to Jamaica last week, migration from Haiti to nearby islands was raised in discussions with partners.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring public service broadcasters to make all regional programming widely available live on their designated internet programme services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Media Act 2024 introduces a new prominence regime that, once commenced, will require particular online major TV platforms to carry and give appropriate prominence to designated public service broadcaster apps (referred to in the legislation as designated internet programme services).
Ofcom will designate which internet programme services this new regime will apply to according to clear criteria, which includes stipulating that any designated service must make a significant contribution towards their public service remit and that remit content within the designated service must be readily discoverable.
We expect an important outcome of the way we have designated the new regime will achieve appropriate prominence for public remit content, which includes provision of content that reflects the lives and concerns of different communities and regions across the UK.
Ofcom is also required to issue a statement on their proposed methodology they will apply when making their designation decisions for internet programme services, which they have consulted on. Ofcom issued their final Statement on their methodology on 22 July 2025.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the availability on designated internet programme services of public service broadcasters’ live regional programming.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Media Act 2024 introduces a new prominence regime that, once commenced, will require particular online major TV platforms to carry and give appropriate prominence to designated public service broadcaster apps (referred to in the legislation as designated internet programme services).
Ofcom will designate which internet programme services this new regime will apply to according to clear criteria, which includes stipulating that any designated service must make a significant contribution towards their public service remit and that remit content within the designated service must be readily discoverable.
We expect an important outcome of the way we have designated the new regime will achieve appropriate prominence for public remit content, which includes provision of content that reflects the lives and concerns of different communities and regions across the UK.
Ofcom is also required to issue a statement on their proposed methodology they will apply when making their designation decisions for internet programme services, which they have consulted on. Ofcom issued their final Statement on their methodology on 22 July 2025.
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, whether she has taken recent steps to support Armenian cybersecurity.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 8 December to question 96636.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the current timescales for members of the Teachers Pension Scheme, who have submitted their remedial service statement and are awaiting payment of funds owed, to be paid those funds.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme administrator, Capita are processing Remediable Service Statement (RSS) choices and aim to complete payments as quickly as possible. The relevant regulations provide for a member’s RSS choice to be put into payment as soon as is reasonably practicable. As part of the implementation arrangements for payments, it was not possible to start payments until June 2025 as time was needed to allow for recruitment, training, development of instructions, and IT enhancements to be made and implemented.
Members’ original pension benefits will continue to be paid until their choice has been implemented, at which point backdated interest will be applied to their payment.
Payment of members’ RSS choices is a high priority, and the department is continually exploring ways to improve payment and processing times with Capita, which includes providing further funding for additional staff and automating payment and processing functions.
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 she is taking to help support recent progress by Haiti’s transitional presidential council to hold elections.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is supporting international efforts to stabilise security in Haiti, and advance Haitian-led solutions. We welcome the Haitian Government's efforts to agree an electoral timetable, while acknowledging that continued gang violence remains a major obstacle. We are backing the UN-supported international Gang Suppression Force, which aims to tackle that violence, and enable progress towards free and fair elections. I spoke with the Haitian Foreign Minister in October and met with the Coordinator of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council in November to reaffirm UK 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 assessment she has made of allegations of the use of bromobenzyl cyanide by Georgian authorities against demonstrators.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I was deeply concerned by the BBC report alleging that Georgian police used toxic chemicals against protesters in Tbilisi in late 2024, and we expect Georgia to fulfil its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention to ensure that any alleged breaches of the Convention's prohibitions on uses of toxic chemicals are properly investigated.
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 assessment she has made of the threat of Russian-backed disinformation campaigns to (a) peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, (b) Armenian democracy and (c) relations between Armenia and the United Kingdom.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Together with our international partners, we remain committed to supporting lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and to safeguarding Armenia's electoral integrity and democratic resilience, including against any attempted acts of information manipulation and interference by Russia. Working closely with our international partners, we are always ready to defend the information environment and will always act to disrupt any malign activity targeting democratic elections. I held constructive discussions with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the OSCE Ministerial on 4 December.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June to Question 56493 on Teachers: Workplace Pension, what the updated planned timetable is for issuing cash equivalent transfer value details from Teachers’ Pensions.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As at the end of September 2025, the number of unresolved Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) cases has been reduced to 400 from 3,062 at the end of October 2024. This includes recent CETV applications and as such there will always be a number of outstanding CETV cases at any given time.
The scheme administrator is now working through the most complex cases for members who have retired. These cases can currently only be processed clerically and the estimated calculation times are between 20 and 65 hours per case. The department is funding IT changes for the scheme administrator that are expected to significantly reduce processing times.
This issue remains a top priority for the department and the scheme administrator, and the above actions are currently expected to result in the delayed CETVs being cleared by spring 2026.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote equality as part of the Government mission entitled Break Down Barriers to Opportunity.
Answered by Bridget Phillipson - Minister for Women and Equalities
Our mission to spread opportunity will break the link between background and success. That’s why we’re extending free school meals to all children in households on Universal Credit – lifting 100,000 children across England out of poverty
We’re working to create a fairer Britain, where every child has the opportunity to succeed, no matter their background.