Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government supports Armenia's (a) membership of the ICC and (b) request for an international investigation of alleged war crimes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We welcome Armenia's accession to the International Criminal Court. We support the Court's aim to increase membership, helping to contribute toward universal justice for the most serious crimes of international concern. We respect the independence of the Court and the Office of the Prosecutor, and any decision to open an investigation is a matter for the Court.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the British Armenian community.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We regularly engage with diaspora groups representing a huge range of the diverse communities represented in the UK today. This includes the British-Armenian community, through groups such as the Armenian National Committee of the UK. We are also in regular contact with the Armenian government both through our Embassy in Armenia, and through regular ministerial calls.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) British citizens, (b) dual nationals and (c) family members of British citizens affected by Azerbaijan's military offensive in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has not made an assessment of this nature. However, we are in regular contact with the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan and their Embassies in the UK, as well as through our Embassies in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we use this dialogue to ensure we can provide the latest advice to those living or travelling in Armenia or Azerbaijan. We encourage all British nationals to consult our Travel Advice when considering whether to travel to regions affected by this conflict.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safe and legal routes are available for Sudanese refugees to come to the UK to escape ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has a proud history of supporting refugees. Since 2015, we have offered a place through our safe and legal routes to over half a million people seeking safety in the UK, as well as family members of refugees. Where somebody has a link to the UK, they may be eligible for our family routes.
The UK continues to welcome refugees through our existing global resettlement schemes, which includes the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We are proud to have welcomed over 300 Sudanese nationals through the UKRS and Community Sponsorship since 2021.
Our global resettlement schemes are not application based; instead, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refers individuals for resettlement in accordance with their standard resettlement submission criteria. These are based on an assessment of protection needs or vulnerabilities. The UK does not seek to intervene in or influence UNHCR’s established selection processes.
There are additional routes for people to come to the UK to work or study provided they meet the requirements of the relevant immigration rules under which they are applying. However, the UK has finite resources and is so not able to provide tailored humanitarian routes in every circumstance.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with humanitarian organisations on delivering aid in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is calling for immediate unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza so that essential aid, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies, can reach civilian populations. The UK is also calling on all parties to protect border crossings to support safe humanitarian access and mitigate harm to civilians. The FCDO is actively engaging with the international humanitarian system (including UN agencies, Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), Non-governmental organization (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations) to address the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On 19 October, the Foreign Secretary visited the region where he will meet leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar and push for agreement on humanitarian access to Gaza, the release of British hostages and foreign nationals, and securing safe passage for British Nationals to leave Gaza.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 198639 on Childcare, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that there are an adequate number of (a) trained staff, (b) safe premises and (c) registered places to offer all eligible children access to 30 hours a week of free childcare for 38 weeks each year in Sheffield Hallam constituency.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Having enough staff in place to deliver high-quality education and care will be key to ensuring the successful delivery of our record expansion of early years entitlements. Driving up interest in early years careers and ensuring there are enough opportunities for career development is a priority for this government.
In the government’s Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this Government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The department is developing a range of new workforce initiatives including the launch of a new national campaign, planned for the beginning of 2024, to boost interest in the sector and support the recruitment and retention of talented staff. To increase interest in early years, we are working to remove unnecessary barriers to entering the sector as well as considering how to make early years qualifications more accessible, coordinated and relevant.
Over the summer the department launched a competition for Early Years Skills Bootcamps with a pathway to an accelerated level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship, and we will consider degree apprenticeship routes so everyone from junior staff to senior leaders can easily move into or indeed enhance their career in the sector. We are also working across government to boost early years career awareness by collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions and Careers & Enterprise Company to promote the importance and value of a career in early years.
Regarding safe premises, with a growing number of staff joining the sector, the safety of our youngest children remains as important as ever. All new and existing early years providers must keep children safe and promote their welfare. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers in England must meet to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170108/EYFS_framework_from_September_2023.pdf.
Under these requirements, all owners and managers of childcare settings have a responsibility to ensure that their premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, are fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for and the activities provided on the premises. All providers must also comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation, including fire safety and hygiene requirements. At all times when children are present, at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities should report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.
The Department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours officials in her Department have spent working on the alignment of training standards between the offshore (a) oil and gas and (b) wind sectors in each year from 2018.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department does not collect data on officials’ detailed hourly activities. However, work on this topic is ongoing across government and industry.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education engages in ongoing reviews of apprenticeship standards, including Level 3 Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician which has a wind turbine specialism. The skills learnt in this apprenticeship are transferrable to other sectors including offshore oil and gas. These reviews are led by employers to ensure our apprenticeships are staying up to date with the latest developments in industry.
Industrial bodies such as the Oil and Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) are doing extensive work on policies including the all-energy qualification and skills passport. Industry-based training pathways are a crucial part of ensuring a continually robust offshore workforce. The department works with OPITO to collaborate on skills policy for England.
The Green Jobs Delivery Group is carrying out sectoral assessments through industry-expert task and finish groups to consider current and future demand for skills including for power generation, oil and gas, carbon capture, and hydrogen.
Please refer to the North Sea Transition Authority for further information on the work ongoing to ensure workers in offshore oil and gas have the skills they need for the green economy, including offshore wind.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in which areas of England bilateral hearing aids (a) are and (b) are not provided to all patients with hearing loss in both ears who wish to receive them.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Audiology services are locally commissioned services and responsibility for provision of hearing aids, including bilateral hearing aids, lies with local National Health Service commissioners. Data on provision of bilateral hearing aids is not held centrally, although this information may be collected locally.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for (a) personal welfare and (b) property and financial affairs deputyships have been made under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in 2023; and how many of those applications have been approved.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
All deputyship applications are considered by the Court of Protection, which derives its jurisdiction and powers from the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The Court covers England and Wales and deals with a range of applications in addition to deputyship applications.
In the period 1 January to 31 March 2023, 241 personal welfare applications were made of which 2 had received decisions from the Court of Protection as of 31 March. In the same time period, 2,432 property and financial affairs applications were made, of which had 549 received decisions as of 31 March.
When looking at Court of Protection disposal figures, regard should be given to other factors such as whether the application has been made correctly and whether the court has requested further information. The latter point is particularly prevalent in regard to in health and welfare applications, which are by their nature complex. The court will often consider it needs further information before it will make a decision.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of people from Ukraine that have sought homelessness support after being in the UK for more than six months since February 2023.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Some of this information is published via survey data which is voluntarily provided and regularly updated on gov.uk.