Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out a timeline for implementation of measures to improve miscarriage care recommended in the Pregnancy Loss Review published on 22 July 2023.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that experiencing a miscarriage can be an extremely difficult time, and we are determined to make sure that all women and babies receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care, particularly when things go wrong. We will ensure that we listen to women and their families, and learn lessons from recent inquiries and investigations, including the Pregnancy Loss Report.
Since publication we have launched the Baby Loss Certificate Service, updated the Human Tissue Authority Guidance on the sensitive handling of pregnancy remains, and NHS England has published a new policy to support National Health Service employees and provide managers with advice on how to support people affected by baby loss, including paid leave.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help uphold the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of the All-Serbian Assembly.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to upholding the constitutional framework, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as set out in the Dayton Agreement. We have underlined with Serbian and BiH leaders concerns about the 'All Serb Assembly'. I raised the importance of maintaining peace and stability in BiH on my visit to Serbia with senior government figures this week, alongside the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Lord Peach. We consistently encourage Western Balkan leaders to strengthen regional stability and adhere to their commitments on good neighbourly relations, including those made at 2018's Berlin Process Summit.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Emergency Alert System since its introduction.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
In September 2024, the Cabinet Office delivered a thorough internal One Year Evaluation Report. Lessons identified from the report have been considered and are being implemented into processes used during an alert activation. Since the release of the cross-HMG evaluation, the capability has been used three times, each successfully mitigating danger to lives and most recently in support of organisations in Northern Ireland and Scotland coordinating the response to storm Eowyn.
Whilst the system was used sparingly in its first year of operation, it is expected that it will be used more often and for a variety of use cases as the confidence of the resilience community builds in requesting Alerts.
The Cabinet Office and other government departments continue to work closely to deliver training and facilitate exercising to empower requesting authorities to be confident in the request protocol and drafting process.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support pensioners on the poverty line.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The last Labour government lifted over one million pensioners out of poverty, and this government – despite having to make the tough decisions to deal with our fiscal inheritance – remains absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving pensioners the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.
We will honour our commitment to the Triple Lock throughout this parliament with a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension this April, and we are also increasing the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit by 4.1%. As such, according to the latest OBR projections, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.
The Government also offers an array of support to ensure pensioners remain comfortable and safe in the winter months. This includes direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, the Warm Home Discount and (in England & Wales) Cold Weather Payments and Winter Fuel Payments.
We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit and want to ensure as many people as possible have access to this support. We urge pensioners to check their eligibility. Pension Credit will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payments in future, alongside other benefits. Our take-up campaign has been successful in boosting applications by 145% since July.
All pensioners will also continue to benefit from free eye tests, free NHS prescriptions and free bus passes.
Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what further support may be available to them. They may be able to receive support from Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programs – or through the Household Support Fund (a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water). The Government has extended the Household Support Fund in England by a further year, (until 31 March 2026) – with funding of £742 million provided to enable this extension in England, plus additional funding for the devolved Governments to be spent at their discretion, as usual.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle post-separation economic abuse.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
I recognise the devastating impact financial and economic abuse can have on victims, even after they have separated from an abusive partner. We continue to work closely with and fund Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), which supports victims of economic and financial abuse - offering specialist advice to victims via the Financial Support Line in partnership with Money Advice Plus, training financial services providers, and rolling out the Economic Abuse Evidence Form to ensure victims only have to tell their story once. We are committed to working across Government, and with stakeholders, to prevent economic abuse and improve our response to it when it does arise as part of the wider mission to halve VAWG within a decade.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing carers to receive covid-19 vaccinations on the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme covering vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:
The Government is considering this advice carefully and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making people with less than 12 months to live to automatically eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government remains completely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.
Linking Winter Fuel eligibility to Pension Credit and other means tested benefits for pensioners, ensures the least well-off pensioners still receive the help they need; this includes people with a terminal illness who are eligible. There are no plans to change the eligibility criteria.
To ensure that Winter Fuel Payments are received by those on the lowest incomes, the Government is determined to do everything it can to maximise take-up of Pension Credit which provides a safety net for the pensioners on the lowest incomes and opens the door to other benefits including the Winter Fuel Payment.
For disabled pensioners or those with long-term health conditions, the “extra costs” disability benefits, including those provided for by the Scottish Government, provide a tax free, non-income-related contribution towards the extra costs people with a long-term health condition can face, such as additional heating costs. They are paid in addition to any other benefits received.
The Department supports people nearing the end of life through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment and without serving waiting periods – and, in most cases, they receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, the Special Rules have applied to people who have 6 months or less to live and have now been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to determine which Personal Independence Payment recipients need to have a regular work capability assessment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment is available to people with a long-term health condition or disability regardless of whether they are in work, training or education or not. As such, the PIP assessment looks at an individual’s ability to carry out a series of key everyday activities which are fundamental to living an independent life, such as their ability to prepare, cook and eat food, dress and undress, make budgeting decisions, manage and monitor their health condition, engage with other people, and plan and follow journeys.
The PIP assessment does not look at an individual’s capacity to undertake work or work-related activity. This is the purpose of the Work Capability Assessment which determines eligibility for Employment and Support Allowance and the additional health-related amount of Universal Credit.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has with international allies on the provision of arms and resources to Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State for Defence regularly holds discussions with international partners on how to best support Ukraine, including at the recent NATO Defence Ministers meeting. This includes regular discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart.
At the last Ukraine Defence Contact Group in September, Allies committed to continue their support for Ukraine, both in the immediate fight and for the long term.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the vulnerabilities that children experience in relation to climate change are (a) acknowledged and (b) addressed in Nationally Determined Contributions.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable, including children, who are experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis, and working together with partners to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
For example, through UK support to the NDC Partnership, the global coalition for coordinating support for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), we will enable up to 40 countries to strengthen the ambition, quality and investability of their NDCs ahead of COP30. The NDC Partnership is committed to supporting a country-driven process to advance youth engagement in NDC implementation.
The UK has just launched its own new, ambitious 1.5C-aligned 2035 NDC. The Government has consulted with civil society and youth groups to advance the policies on which our NDC target is based.