Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the criteria for maintaining diplomatic relations with other states include (a) the strength of democratic institutions and (b) human rights.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to promoting and protecting democratic institutions and human rights around the world. The decision to maintain or suspend diplomatic relations is made on a case-by-case basis.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor the effectiveness of the use of UK aid in Sierra Leone.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

UK aid is guided by UK Government priorities and we work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure effective implementation of Sierra Leone's own national development plans. The UK does not provide budget support to the Government of Sierra Leone.

All UK development funding is subject to rigorous procurement protocols, due diligence and strong transparency standards. Our programmes are regularly and robustly monitored. The FCDO also works closely with the Independent Commission for Aid Impact to apply the highest standards to our aid spend. These measures ensure the effectiveness of UK aid in Sierra Leone throughout design, delivery and evaluation stages.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking with international counterparts to ensure that future elections in Sierra Leone will be free and fair.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In his first conversation with Sierra Leone's Foreign Minister, Timothy Kabba, Lord Collins, Minister for Africa, highlighted the importance of implementing the Agreement for National Unity and recommendations of the Cross-Party Committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies in a bipartisan way. The UK remains committed to supporting a democratic Sierra Leone, and in this vein the British High Commission is currently exploring options to bolster support to governance processes that underpin the 2023-28 electoral cycle, in consultation with our diplomatic partners in Sierra Leone.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Animal Welfare Committee is expected to publish its review on the responsible sourcing of fur.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the Honourable Member to the reply I gave to the Honourable Member for Romford for PQ 4519 on 16 September 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of broadening the definition of research and development activities that qualify for tax relief to include research and development undertaken by creative industries.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Qualifying R&D is defined as a project seeking to achieve an advance in science or technology through the resolution of uncertainty, which allows claims from creative sectors.

In the 2021 consultation on R&D tax reliefs, there was a strong consensus amongst respondents that the definition of “R&D” itself does not require amending given it is well understood, embedded and consistent with the OECD Frascati standard, including the core criteria within it. The government currently has no intention to change the definition, since this would add further complexity and uncertainty at a time when the government is prioritising stability and simplification.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many assessments for destitution her Department has made for people with no recourse to public funds in the last six months.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office publishes statistics, as part of the department’s migration transparency data, setting out the number of Change of Conditions applications made by those seeking to have their No Recourse to Public Funds condition lifted. This data, for the period up until June 2024, can be found in tab CoC_05 of the immigration and protection data: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q2-2024.

The data includes statistics for other routes, including destitution consideration for fee waiver applications. Whilst the data can be filtered to provide a breakdown of age group; nationality; and gender it cannot be filtered in a way so as to determine how many applications were granted on the basis of destitution, and that information could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of people on NHS waiting lists.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing sanctions on travel to and from the UK for people responsible for the disputed 2023 election results in Sierra Leone.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The FCDO regularly reviews its sanctions policy and does not comment on any possible future sanctions designations. Exclusion orders are used to prevent a person from entering the UK. The Home Office lead on the policy of exclusion.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing grants to enable small and medium-sized film and TV production companies to attend trade fairs.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) supports film and TV businesses to meet international buyers and partners at key events both in the UK and overseas. In addition, businesses can access DBT’s export services via Great.gov.uk, including the UK Export Academy, International Trade Advisers in England, Help to Grow and the Export Support Service.

The creative industries are one of the Industrial Strategy’s growth-driving sectors. The Industrial Strategy will be published alongside a Creative Industries Sector Plan in Spring 2025 which will set out a 10-year plan to drive growth in the creative sector. We are reviewing our Export Services as part of our work in the Industrial Strategy, our Trade White Paper and on better support for small businesses.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people whose (a) biometric residence permit and (b) biometric residence card are scheduled to end on 31 December 2024 but haven't yet accessed an e-visa.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

An extensive communications campaign is being delivered in support of the transition to eVisas, which includes guidance available at: www.gov.uk/evisa, as well as direct messaging to individuals with Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), out of home advertising, print and social media alongside engagement activity through multicultural community organisations, embassies and stakeholder events. We have also produced an eVisa partner pack, which includes guidance for those who check immigration statuses, informative factsheets and a range of social media assets which stakeholders can use on their channels.

Over 4 million BRPs and over 200,000 BRCs are due to expire on 31 December 2024. BRC holders granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) already have an eVisa, and do not need to take any action to obtain one. As part of the transition to eVisas, we are closely monitoring the volume of customers who have registered for a UKVI account and the forecast total volume of affected customers, and we will shortly publish updated data on the number and breakdown of UKVI registrations.

For many, the expiry of BRPs and BRCs on 31 December 2024 will have no immediate impact; most people don’t need to prove their immigration status on a day-to-day basis, and many of the checks performed will be unaffected by the expiry of biometric residence permits (BRPs). The underlying status of the customer’s current immigration status will also not be affected upon creation of a UKVI account. BRP holders will still be able to use the online right to work and rent services to prove their rights once their BRP expires – provided they still have valid status. They will also be able to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa using an expired BRP. We are planning to update the biometric registration regulations to make this clear.

While we are encouraging legacy immigration document holders to transition to eVisas, they can still use their legacy documents to prove their rights as they do today, where these are permitted.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people that need to register for an e-visa before 1 January 2025.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

An extensive communications campaign is being delivered in support of the transition to eVisas, which includes guidance available at: www.gov.uk/evisa, as well as direct messaging to individuals with Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), out of home advertising, print and social media alongside engagement activity through multicultural community organisations, embassies and stakeholder events. We have also produced an eVisa partner pack, which includes guidance for those who check immigration statuses, informative factsheets and a range of social media assets which stakeholders can use on their channels.

Over 4 million BRPs and over 200,000 BRCs are due to expire on 31 December 2024. BRC holders granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) already have an eVisa, and do not need to take any action to obtain one. As part of the transition to eVisas, we are closely monitoring the volume of customers who have registered for a UKVI account and the forecast total volume of affected customers, and we will shortly publish updated data on the number and breakdown of UKVI registrations.

For many, the expiry of BRPs and BRCs on 31 December 2024 will have no immediate impact; most people don’t need to prove their immigration status on a day-to-day basis, and many of the checks performed will be unaffected by the expiry of biometric residence permits (BRPs). The underlying status of the customer’s current immigration status will also not be affected upon creation of a UKVI account. BRP holders will still be able to use the online right to work and rent services to prove their rights once their BRP expires – provided they still have valid status. They will also be able to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa using an expired BRP. We are planning to update the biometric registration regulations to make this clear.

While we are encouraging legacy immigration document holders to transition to eVisas, they can still use their legacy documents to prove their rights as they do today, where these are permitted.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on the end of (a) biometric residence permits, (b) biometric residence cards and (c) e-visas.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

An extensive communications campaign is being delivered in support of the transition to eVisas, which includes guidance available at: www.gov.uk/evisa, as well as direct messaging to individuals with Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), out of home advertising, print and social media alongside engagement activity through multicultural community organisations, embassies and stakeholder events. We have also produced an eVisa partner pack, which includes guidance for those who check immigration statuses, informative factsheets and a range of social media assets which stakeholders can use on their channels.

Over 4 million BRPs and over 200,000 BRCs are due to expire on 31 December 2024. BRC holders granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) already have an eVisa, and do not need to take any action to obtain one. As part of the transition to eVisas, we are closely monitoring the volume of customers who have registered for a UKVI account and the forecast total volume of affected customers, and we will shortly publish updated data on the number and breakdown of UKVI registrations.

For many, the expiry of BRPs and BRCs on 31 December 2024 will have no immediate impact; most people don’t need to prove their immigration status on a day-to-day basis, and many of the checks performed will be unaffected by the expiry of biometric residence permits (BRPs). The underlying status of the customer’s current immigration status will also not be affected upon creation of a UKVI account. BRP holders will still be able to use the online right to work and rent services to prove their rights once their BRP expires – provided they still have valid status. They will also be able to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa using an expired BRP. We are planning to update the biometric registration regulations to make this clear.

While we are encouraging legacy immigration document holders to transition to eVisas, they can still use their legacy documents to prove their rights as they do today, where these are permitted.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to maintain levels of mental health spending in line with planned increases in other NHS spending in (a) the next financial year and (b) the future.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Operational and Planning Guidance for 2024/25 makes clear that integrated care boards are expected to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increase in funding for the year.

Further details on mental health spending for 2025/26 will be set out in the NHS Operational and Planning Guidance for 2025/26, following which we will provide an update to Parliament.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will pause action related to the IR35 loan charge while the newly announced review is underway.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

IR35 rules are distinct from the Loan Charge.

The Government has now announced a further independent review of the Loan Charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers. The Government will provide further details on the review in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport, (b) rail operators, (c) regional mayors and (d) Transport for London on ensuring that apprenticeships are open to young people wherever they live.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity and we want to rebalance opportunities towards young people, who have the most to gain from apprenticeships but who too often have been locked out of accessing these opportunities. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education held a recent roundtable with Regional Mayors which included discussions on how we can work together more closely to boost opportunities for young people. The department and Skills England will continue to have discussions with the Department for Transport and its stakeholders.

This government’s reformed growth and skills offer, which will have apprenticeships at its core, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers, including through shorter duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors. This will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work, and fuel innovation in businesses across the UK. The department has also begun work to develop new foundation apprenticeships, a training offer that will give more young people a foot in the door and support clear pathways and progression in work-based training and employment.

The department provides employers and apprenticeship providers with additional funding to support more apprenticeship opportunities. The department provides two payments of £500 to employers and providers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and up to age 24 for apprentices with an education, health and care plan or who have been in local authority care. These payments are used in many cases to support costs such as work equipment, uniforms or travel.

Apprentices may also be eligible for local discounted travel schemes. For example, apprentices over 18, living in a London borough and in the first year of an apprenticeship can get discounted travel with an Oyster photocard.

Apprentices aged under 25 who have been in local authority care may be eligible for a £3,000 bursary, as well as wages from their employer. The bursary is not subject to tax and is not treated as income for benefits purposes.

The department is also continuing to promote apprenticeships in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme as well as targeting young people through the ‘Skills for Life’ campaign.

Found: October Members present: Debbie Abrahams, in the Chair Johanna Baxter Mr Peter Bedford Neil Coyle