Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to end the use by NHS England of generic drugs manufactured by companies with links to Israel.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to end such purchases as the UK Government currently has a trade and partnership agreement in effect with Israel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to end the purchase of Israeli manufactured generic drugs by NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to end such purchases as the UK Government currently has a trade and partnership agreement in effect with Israel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there is a safe evacuation route that allows Palestinian academics to be evacuated from the Occupied Palestinian Territories to allow them to take up positions at universities in the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working urgently to support Chevening Scholars and fully-funded scholarship holders in Gaza who have offers from British universities to leave and take up their places in the UK. We are doing everything we can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, but the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging. All individuals who enter the UK are subject to robust security checks and have to submit their biometrics ahead of travel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to establish a scheme to facilitate the evacuation of Palestinian academics to the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working urgently to support Chevening Scholars and fully-funded scholarship holders in Gaza who have offers from British universities to leave and take up their places in the UK. We are doing everything we can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, but the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging. All individuals who enter the UK are subject to robust security checks and have to submit their biometrics ahead of travel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Amnesty International entitled Amnesty International Investigation in Gaza highlights human toll of Israel’s Apartheid System against Palestinians, published on 13 June 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not made an assessment of the 13 June 2023 Amnesty report which was published a year before the current Government entered office.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the International Court of Justice’s finding that Israel is in breach of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government strongly opposes all forms of racism and is committed to promoting a tolerant society for people of all ethnicities, religions and nationalities. The UK is fully committed to international law and respects the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to consider the Court's Advisory Opinion with the care and seriousness it deserves.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered the potential merits of ending the export of demolition equipment to Israel.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Exports to Israel of demolition equipment that is specifically designed or modified for military use are subject to export controls.
Such controlled exports fall under the scope of the decision announced in September 2024 to suspend export licences for military equipment to Israel that might be used in operations in Gaza, based on our assessment that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. We have maintained the suspension and have refused new licence applications on the same basis.
Other demolition equipment is not routinely subject to export controls unless it is intended for military use in a country subject to a formal arms embargo.
We keep our export controls including in Israel under close and continual review.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Ofcom is taking steps to ensure that companies involved in age verification do not (a) retain and (b) misuse personal data.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act requires providers to protect users’ right to privacy when implementing age assurance. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act requires data to be processed fairly, lawfully, and transparently. Where Ofcom is concerned that a provider has not complied it may refer the matter to the ICO.
Under the Act, regulated services that are likely to be accessed by children must implement highly effective age assurance to prevent exposure to harmful content. There are cost-effective compliant methods available.
Highly effective age assurance must be robust, and services must take appropriate steps to mitigate against circumvention.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an estimate of the cost to health advice charities of setting up age verification procedures.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act requires providers to protect users’ right to privacy when implementing age assurance. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act requires data to be processed fairly, lawfully, and transparently. Where Ofcom is concerned that a provider has not complied it may refer the matter to the ICO.
Under the Act, regulated services that are likely to be accessed by children must implement highly effective age assurance to prevent exposure to harmful content. There are cost-effective compliant methods available.
Highly effective age assurance must be robust, and services must take appropriate steps to mitigate against circumvention.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that computer generated proofs of age are not used to verify age on websites.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act requires providers to protect users’ right to privacy when implementing age assurance. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act requires data to be processed fairly, lawfully, and transparently. Where Ofcom is concerned that a provider has not complied it may refer the matter to the ICO.
Under the Act, regulated services that are likely to be accessed by children must implement highly effective age assurance to prevent exposure to harmful content. There are cost-effective compliant methods available.
Highly effective age assurance must be robust, and services must take appropriate steps to mitigate against circumvention.