Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to provide targeted funding to HIV voluntary sector organisations to support people living with HIV who have disengaged from care.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. The plan will address ways to improve retention and re-engagement in care.
The Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme helps people to re-engage with HIV care. In addition, 10% of the funding allocated to each site is recommended to be used for HIV voluntary sector organisations, to support people living with HIV who have disengaged from care.
NHS England is responsible for delivering HIV care, and in April 2024, it published the updated national Service Specification for Adult HIV services, which requires services to have a policy describing how they aim to ensure retention in care and re-engage those lost to care. NHS England will continue to work with stakeholders to consider what further actions can be taken to address retention and re-engagement in care.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure access to (a) psychosocial support services and (b) HIV peer support for people receiving HIV care through the next HIV Action Plan for England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. The plan will address ways to optimise rapid access to treatment and retention in care, and will improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, including consideration of peer support services.
A key component of the Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme includes a recommendation that 10% of the funding allocated to each site should be used to support community and peer services for individuals diagnosed with a blood borne virus.
NHS England is responsible for delivering HIV care, including support services for those living with HIV. In April 2024, it published the updated national Service Specification for Adult HIV services, which sets out the standards of care that HIV providers are expected to meet, including the availability of community, psychological, and psychosocial support for patients.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to peer support services for people living with HIV.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. The plan will address ways to optimise rapid access to treatment and retention in care, and will improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, including consideration of peer support services.
A key component of the Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme includes a recommendation that 10% of the funding allocated to each site should be used to support community and peer services for individuals diagnosed with a blood borne virus.
NHS England is responsible for delivering HIV care, including support services for those living with HIV. In April 2024, it published the updated national Service Specification for Adult HIV services, which sets out the standards of care that HIV providers are expected to meet, including the availability of community, psychological, and psychosocial support for patients.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of single parent lead carers with work requirements meet their Administrative Earnings Threshold.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of single parent lead carers on Universal Credit (UC) with work requirements who earn at or above the individual Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) was 289,000 in March 2025. This is equal to 47% of the UC lead carer caseload who have work requirements.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of self-employed (a) single parent lead carers and (b) all lead carers meet their Minimum Income Floor.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In March 2025, 32% of self-employed single parent lead carers on UC were earning at or above their Minimum Income Floor (MIF), compared to 31% of all self-employed lead carers on UC. This only includes claimants who are currently gainfully self-employed and have their MIF applied.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many couples meet the administrative earnings threshold for Universal Credit with (a) one parent and (b) both parents in paid employment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In March 2025, there were 418,000 couples in receipt of Universal Credit payment who met or exceeded the administrative earnings threshold. Of these, 263,000 did so with one parent earning, and the remaining 155,000 did so with two parents earning.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of (a) single parent lead carers and (b) all lead carers are self-employed.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In March 2025, 8% of single parent lead carers on Universal Credit (UC) were self-employed, compared to 8% of all lead carers on UC. This includes both claimants who are classified as gainfully self-employed and non-gainfully self-employed.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the security of former FARC combatants previously based in the Rancho Grande ETCR transitional zone in Caquetá.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the Colombian government's commitment to provide security guarantees for former Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) combatants and measures to reintegrate them into civilian life following the signing of the 2016 Peace Agreement. Despite overall progress since that agreement, illegal armed groups still pose a high threat to former FARC combatants. We continue to urge Colombian authorities to investigate and tackle the root causes of violence, particularly against peace signatories. At the UN Security Council, we consistently call for the strengthening of protection and reintegration measures for former FARC combatants. Through UK funding, we have long supported the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement, including the security and reintegration of its signatories, including those in the department of Caquetá through the UN Multi Partner Trust Fund. We maintain close communication with the UN Verification Mission on this issue and support greater state capacity for the safety of former fighters, including those living outside official reincorporation zones.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
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 potential merits of reducing the interest repayments on the loan given to the British Council in response to reduced commercial revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The previous Government made available up to £200 million in loans during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the British Council remained solvent, to support restructuring, and to help the British Council return to surplus. The loan was made on commercial terms to ensure compliance with the UK subsidy control regime, and therefore interest rates are set at market rates.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is supporting the British Council to deliver a financial turnaround plan to ensure the British Council's finances are returned to a stable footing.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding the British Council is projected to receive in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (d) 2028-29, in the context of the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is providing the British Council with £163.1 million Grant-in-Aid this financial year (2025/26). The British Council's Grant-in-Aid funding for future years was not settled in the Spending Review and will be determined, alongside the FCDO's other Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Non-ODA allocations, in the autumn.