Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34309, what steps his Department has taken to promote accountability for attacks on schools in the Occupied Palestinian Territory by (a) Israeli forces and (b) Israeli settlers.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Education is a human right. It expands choices and enables children to live lives that they value. The vital work of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education and healthcare must be protected in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Children's access to education must continue uninterrupted. The Foreign Secretary and I have also made clear our concerns about the current Israeli military operations in the West Bank and stressed the need for civilians and civilian infrastructure to be protected. We recognise Israel's security concerns, but it must show restraint and ensure its operations are commensurate to the threat posed. We are also clear that the Israeli government must crack down on settler violence, stop settlement expansion and not annex the West Bank.
On 15 October 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank. These measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. We continue to keep these issues under review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about any potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34309, when he last raised the destruction of (a) schools and (b) higher education facilities in Gaza with his Israeli counterparts.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary continues to raise concern at continued Israeli operations in Gaza, including the need for protection of schools and higher education facilities, with his Israeli counterparts. Children's access to education must continue uninterrupted. The UK Government have announced £41 million for United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) this financial year, which is supporting the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Palestinian refugees in the region. Furthermore, UK support has given 14,000 children access to education materials and welfare support.
In East Jerusalem the Israeli order to close schools and the immediate evacuation of the Kalandia Training Centre is deeply worrying. The vital work of UNRWA in ensuring that Palestinians have access to education and healthcare must be protected in Gaza as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 32209 on Health and Care Act 2022, when he expects the Accessible Information Standard to (a) be published and (b) become mandatory.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working to support implementation of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the National Health Service are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using these services. The revised standards are expected to be published in summer 2025. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force and public health and adult social care providers will continue to have due regard for it.
As part of new arrangements that will make information standards mandatory, following the commencement of regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, we intend to introduce mandatory information standards in a staged process. The Department and NHS England are considering what will be the first standards to be adopted under this process.
To ensure a frictionless transition from the existing information standards system to the new process for mandatory information standards, information standards made under the existing system will continue to have effect until they have been revoked, have expired, or have met the new procedural requirements and therefore become mandatory.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in reviewing (a) guidance and (b) regulations for the (i) licensing and (ii) packaging of medicines to ensure their safe use by blind and partially sighted people.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) already has provision in the current Human Medicines Regulations 2012 No 1916 legislation, to ensure the licensing and packaging of medicines are safe for use by blind and partially sighted people. These require manufacturers of medicines to include braille on their packaging of medicinal products, so that those who are partially sighted or who are blind can effectively identify the product they have been prescribed and dispensed.
They also require medicine manufacturers to provide an alternative version of the patient information leaflet (PIL), should the paper version contained in the box not be suitable in meeting the patients’ needs. These alternative versions may include braille or audio versions of the PIL. The MHRA’s best practice guidance also provides manufacturers with guidance on how to ensure they meet the requirements of the legislation.
The MHRA recognises that there is opportunity to improve patient information based upon user research, to ensure it fulfils the needs of this patient group and others. They are also committed to embedding patient voices across the regulatory pathways as part of their Patient Involvement Strategy 2021. The current strategy is also being refreshed for 2026 re-launch.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will consult with blind and partially sighted patients on potential accessibility improvements to the NHS App.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for the widest range of people, based on their preferences. Patients unable to use digital channels can continue to access services via telephone and through traditional face to face services.
We conduct user research on an ongoing basis with users from diverse backgrounds to ensure our service works for everyone. This includes patients with a range of access needs and diverse groups, for instance ethnic minority groups, those with visual impairments, neurodiversity, and physical impairments. We have recruited users who are blind or partially sighted in community-based research, research with local National Health Service teams, and in remote research, either one to one or in groups. We use the findings of user research to plan and prioritise new work to improve accessibility.
Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and NHS website, are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile patient experience within the NHS App, ensuring information is clearly structured and easy to find and understand.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help ensure accountability for the killing of Agnes Wanjiru.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State visited Kenya in April to meet with the family of Agnes Wanjiru, and reaffirmed his personal commitment to securing justice following her tragic death over 13 years ago.
The jurisdiction for this investigation lies with the National Police Service, Kenya, therefore all enquiries on the progress of the ongoing investigation should be directed to them. The UK’s Defence Serious Crime Command are proactively engaged with the Kenyan police in support of their investigation where appropriate. In order to protect the integrity of that investigation and in the interests of justice, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help tackle barriers to the safe use of medical devices for the management of diabetes among partially sighted and blind people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and the National Health Service work with suppliers and manufacturers to help improve the accessibility and safe use of medical devices for the management of diabetes among partially sighted and blind people. It is recommended to suppliers that people with experience of visual and hearing impairment should be included and considered in the design of insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and hybrid closed loop systems, as well as in the user information and instructions that accompany their supply and use.
Suppliers of the hybrid closed loop must provide educational materials appropriate for those who are visually impaired, and commissioning recommendations for blood glucose, ketone meters, testing strips, and lancets include recommendations for cohorts of the population, including the visually impaired. These commissioning recommendations are available at the following link:
Finally, the Department is in the process of modernising the listing of medical devices on the NHS Drug Tariff to further improve access by building in incentives for suppliers for cohorts of the population, such as partially sighted and blind people, who need added features.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help support leaseholders living in buildings under 11 meters with cladding remediation works.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The responsibility for fixing historical cladding fire safety defects should rest with building owners. They should not pass these costs on to leaseholders but should seek to recover costs from those who were responsible for building unsafe homes.
The department reviews cases brought to its attention which includes engaging freeholders and managing agents to make sure that proposed works are necessary and proportionate.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of adding data collection on libraries in schools to the school census.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Battersea, to the answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27959.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of state primary schools with an onsite library.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Battersea, to the answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27959.