Lord Oates

The Government recognises that when implemented well and managed effectively, shared cycle schemes can have real benefits in terms of sustainable, efficient, and greener transport.

However, too often dockless cycles are parked obstructively on the pavement causing a serious safety hazard to disabled people.

Safety is the Department for Transport’s top priority, and we are carefully considering next steps to tackle these issues while reaping the benefits these schemes can bring.

The Government has not made a specific assessment of the report. However, the Government welcomes the announcement of the new venture between Manchester Metropolitan University and Nuffield Health and will be keen to learn from this work as it delivers physical activity support to people living with chronic conditions.

The National Health Service, together with local authorities, provides a range of services such as exercise on referral and social prescribing, including exercise classes, falls prevention through strength and balance classes for older adults, walking groups and promotion of digital support like the NHS Active 10 walking app.

Interventions like the one in Manchester demonstrate the valuable work across local areas to embed movement into people’s care. There are other established examples of local NHS and local government approaches across the country that integrate physical activity into clinical care including perioperative care and cancer and cardiac rehabilitation.

NHS England is working closely with partners nationally and locally to explore how the NHS might galvanise support to make physical activity a core part of NHS care, to benefit patients, NHS staff and the wider public. By empowering clinicians and healthcare professionals with the skills and confidence to discuss and promote physical activity, by integrating it into key clinical pathways and by aligning it with Core20PLUS5 for adults, children and young people, the NHS could help to transform patient outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

Whilst the Government and NHS recognise the value of integrating physical activity into clinical care, prevention will always be better, and cheaper, than cure. The Health Mission, on which the Department leads, is focused on shifting towards a more preventative approach to healthcare.

The Government has not made a specific assessment of the report. However, the Government welcomes the announcement of the new venture between Manchester Metropolitan University and Nuffield Health and will be keen to learn from this work as it delivers physical activity support to people living with chronic conditions.

The National Health Service, together with local authorities, provides a range of services such as exercise on referral and social prescribing, including exercise classes, falls prevention through strength and balance classes for older adults, walking groups and promotion of digital support like the NHS Active 10 walking app.

Interventions like the one in Manchester demonstrate the valuable work across local areas to embed movement into people’s care. There are other established examples of local NHS and local government approaches across the country that integrate physical activity into clinical care including perioperative care and cancer and cardiac rehabilitation.

NHS England is working closely with partners nationally and locally to explore how the NHS might galvanise support to make physical activity a core part of NHS care, to benefit patients, NHS staff and the wider public. By empowering clinicians and healthcare professionals with the skills and confidence to discuss and promote physical activity, by integrating it into key clinical pathways and by aligning it with Core20PLUS5 for adults, children and young people, the NHS could help to transform patient outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

Whilst the Government and NHS recognise the value of integrating physical activity into clinical care, prevention will always be better, and cheaper, than cure. The Health Mission, on which the Department leads, is focused on shifting towards a more preventative approach to healthcare.

There has been no estimate made of the financial savings to the United Kingdom when a fully trained healthcare worker is recruited from overseas to work in the National Health Service.

The UK is actively working towards ending the conflict in Sudan. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with regional partners to explore how the UK can assist international mediation efforts. Richard Crowder, UK Special Representative to Sudan, visited Port Sudan in December 2024 - the UK's first official visit to the county since outbreak of conflict in April 2023. He pressed for a resolution to the conflict, and for all parties to engage constructively in mediation talks, including by complying with the Jeddah Declaration of Commitments to Protect Civilians. We also continue to lead efforts in the UN Security Council to support peace and to keep international spotlight on this crisis.

Ministers will consider Official Development Assistance allocations for 2025/26 over the coming months, and we will publish them in the Annual Report & Accounts in summer 2025. The next phase of the Spending Review will set departmental budgets from 2026/27 to 2029/30.

In November 2024, the UK announced a further £113 million of aid. With this announcement, the UK has doubled our aid to £226.5 million.

The UK continues to raise the critical issue of humanitarian access. We did this recently at the UN Security Council on 19 December 2024 and 6 January 2025, where we called for the warring parties to lift bureaucratic impediments and let aid get to those who need it. The Minister for Development has also engaged directly with the new Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, on the UN response. The UK Special Representative, Richard Crowder, met the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General Burhan, during his first visit to Sudan and lobbied against current impediments such as visas. On 25 November 2024, the Foreign Secretary chaired a Sudan meeting with G7 and Arab Quint Foreign Ministers to discuss joint steps to improve humanitarian access and increase aid. In November 2024, the UK co-led a protection of civilians resolution at the UN Security Council with Sierra Leone, which also called for parties to the conflict to agree humanitarian pauses, and ensure the delivery of adequate humanitarian aid. This received unanimous Council support, apart from Russia who chose to veto it.

We are concerned by the reports of the IDF operation at Kamal Adwan hospital, and the reported detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and others. In recent weeks, the Minister for the Middle East raised this case, along with the wider need to ensure healthcare facilities in northern Gaza are protected, and to enable WHO and ICRC access, with both Israel's Ambassador to the UK, and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Haskel. Israel must allow medical staff to carry out their work unimpeded, and to travel around Gaza as needed. On 27 December, the Minister for the Middle East made it clear to Israel's government that the situation in northern Gaza cannot continue and raised our serious concern about repeated strikes on Kamal Adwan hospital, and the safety of civilians and medical workers there.

Furthermore as the Minister for the Middle East reiterated on 8 January, Israel must urgently clarify the reasons for detaining health workers in Gaza, including Hassam Abu Safiya and Mohammed Hamouda, to ensure Gazans have access to effective healthcare and that civilians are protected at all costs.

The UK greatly values the Commonwealth Secretariat's work on observation missions. The full report of the Commonwealth Observer Group to the 2023 Zimbabwe Harmonised elections has now been circulated to all members. It is for the Commonwealth Secretariat to decide when to publish the report publicly.

Exploitation of migrant care workers is completely unacceptable. Where exploitation does occur, we will take robust action.

Home Office and Department for Health and Social Care officials are working closely together, and with the Directors of Adult Social Services to support care workers who have been displaced as a result of sponsor licence revocations. An important part of this work includes finding the workers a suitable sponsor who can offer them long term secure employment. Care providers acting as sponsors for migrants in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

The Government will continue to keep under review what further action may be necessary to tackle exploitation, including removing non-compliant employers’ ability to bring overseas workers to the UK.

The Immigration Rules for Visitors set out that visitors must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. In assessing whether an applicant has sufficient funds, decision makers will consider the individual’s personal circumstances, including any evidence provided. There is also provision in the rules for an applicant’s travel, maintenance and accommodation to be provided by a third party.

The Visit Caseworker Guidance provides guidance to decision makers when assessing Visitor applications. Additional guidance for applicants is also available in the Supporting Documents guidance, which sets out suggested evidence required for the different types of visits including what types of financial documents applicants can present. These guidance documents are published on gov.uk

UK Visas and Immigration regularly reviews visit visa decisions as part of their overall decision quality approach. UKVI regularly undertakes decision maker training and refresher training courses, and uses lessons learned reviews to enhance and improve decision quality.