Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will accept Ambitious about Autism’s invitation to meet their Youth Network.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department works closely with stakeholders representing the autistic community, including Ambitious about Autism, to understand the issues faced by autistic children and young people and develop solutions.
We know that consistent, meaningful co-production is vital to improving the experiences of all children, young people and their families, and we are committed to listening to and working with autistic children and young people. As such, I would be happy to consider an invitation to meet with Ambitious about Autism’s youth network.
We have recently announced the establishment of a Neurodivergence Task and Finish group which will bring together a group of leading neurodiversity experts who will work closely with the department. The group will work to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings, in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.
This group will carefully listen to the views and experiences of neurodivergent children and young people. The department is eager to hear their views on how we can improve systems and the support that is offered to them to ensure we make positive changes.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of overseas armed forces his Department is in a direct employment relationship with as of 15 October 2024.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I have interpreted your question to be asking for the number of foreign personnel on exchange or embedded with the UK Armed Forces.
The table below shows the number of foreign exchange personnel that were on strength with an active assignment, as at 15 Oct 2024, by assigned location country in either overseas or the United Kingdom.
Location Country | Foreign Exchange Personnel Count |
Overseas | 146 |
United Kingdom | 582 |
Grand Total | 728 |
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will have discussions with the Prime Minister on the potential merits of making the Minister with responsibility for veterans a member of the Cabinet.
Answered by John Healey - Secretary of State for Defence
It is my personal responsibility to represent veterans at Cabinet and I am proud to do it.
With the Office for Veterans Affairs now part of the MOD and the Minister for Veterans and People working across Government and with veteran groups, we are determined to bring forward a range of action to better serve our veteran community, including ensuring HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards to be used as voter identification, waiving visa fees for non-UK veterans who have served for four or more years and their dependents, and putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law.