Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the Chagossian population residing in (a) the UK, (b) Mauritius, (c) the Seychelles and (d) all other countries; and how many Chagossians not residing in the UK have applied for British citizenship through the (i) British Indian Oceans Territory citizenship registration route and (ii) other routes, broken down by the country in which each applicant lived at the time of application.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The information requested is not held by the Home Office.
However, the overall number of applications for British citizenship including those made through the British Indian Ocean Territory route is available on:
Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle the shortage of licensed (a) aircraft engineers and (b) pilots.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department works with industry to identify any skills gaps to ensure their workforce is resilient. There are three main approaches Government is taking to support the pipeline of talent:
- Encouraging opportunities for all with the ‘Generation Aviation’ programme raising the profile of aviation careers, removing barriers to access and attracting diverse and talented people to tackle new technologies, decarbonisation and other emerging trends. This includes the Reach for the Sky fund supporting outreach projects that only last week I announced the winners for 2025.
- Making it easier to train engineers and pilots of the future by transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners. As well as encouraging industry to fully funded pilot training programmes and applaud effort of companies such as TUI and British Airways which have established sustainable pipeline for budding aviators.
- Following EU exit, my Department sympathises with the difficulties faced by stakeholders in the aviation industry and establishing an effective personnel licensing regime that supports UK aviation remains a priority for us.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Mauritian counterpart on the return of Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago without fear of (a) discrimination or (b) prosecution under the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act 2021 of Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mauritius will be free to resettle the islands, other than Diego Garcia. It will be for Mauritius to set the terms of and manage any future resettlement. Ministers and officials continue to engage with their Mauritian counterparts as part of routine bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Mauritian counterpart on Chagossians returning to the Chagos Archipelago being able to undertake (a) subsistence and (b) commercial fishing activities in the Marine Protected Area.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mauritius will be free to resettle the islands, other than Diego Garcia. It will be for Mauritius to set the terms of and manage any future resettlement. Ministers and officials continue to engage with their Mauritian counterparts as part of routine bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Mauritian counterpart on the return of Chagossians without a Mauritian passport but in possession of (a) British, (b) Seychellois or (c) other citizenship.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mauritius will be free to resettle the islands, other than Diego Garcia. It will be for Mauritius to set the terms of and manage any future resettlement. Ministers and officials continue to engage with their Mauritian counterparts as part of routine bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement on British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations of 7 October 2024, Official Report, column 45, what guidance his Department has provided to Chagossians who are resident outside of Mauritian territory on accessing the trust fund.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
After a treaty with Mauritius is ratified, the UK will capitalise a new trust fund for Mauritius to use in support of Chagossians. Separate to the Trust Fund, we will also increase our support to Chagossians living in the UK and around the world, through new and existing projects. As details of the Trust Fund will be agreed as part of the implementation of the Agreement after signature, no guidance has yet been issued.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the long-term future of Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Urgent Treatment Centres have played a vital role in supporting patients while A&Es were under high demand this winter. We’ve taken action – announcing an extra £26 billion at the budget, rolling out the new RSV vaccine, and ending the resident doctor strikes. The NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for decisions on commissioning services for the local community.Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to implement the recommendations on a Housing Revenue Account agreement outlined in the report commissioned by Southwark council entitled securing the future of council housing, published in July 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government are giving careful consideration to the recommendations of the report in question as part of our ongoing commitment to support local authorities facing Housing Revenue Account financial pressures.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
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 make ormeloxifene available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to make ormeloxifene available. It is critical that medicines used in the United Kingdom are safe and effective and as such, medicines cannot be marketed in the UK without a marketing authorisation. These are granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which assesses all medicines with regard to their quality, safety, and effectiveness. Ormeloxifene has not been licensed by the MHRA. It is the responsibility of the company to apply to the MHRA for a marketing authorisation. Should an application for it be received, the MHRA will consider this accordingly.
In England, most new licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to determine whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. If the manufacturer of ormeloxifene seeks a licence from the MHRA, then it may be considered for evaluation by the NICE.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help increase the completion rates for EHCP applications within 20 weeks in West Sussex County Council.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
It is important that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.
The department knows that local authorities have seen an increase in the number of assessment requests and that more needs to be done to ensure that some local areas deliver more effective and timely services. This includes better communication with schools and families.
The last local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission for West Sussex was in November 2023, which found inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Five areas for improvement were identified in the inspection report, including an area specific to the timeliness and quality of EHC plans:
The department’s regional team has put in place systems to track outcomes against these areas for improvement and the progress made by children and young people with SEND. To assist the local area, the department has deployed a SEND advisor to offer support and advice. The advisor’s work has included monthly meetings with the local authority to review their statutory progress and to discuss their action plan, analysis of EHC plan data and trends, facilitation of best practice exchange with other local areas, and providing advice and guidance to enhance the quality of EHC plans.