Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress on human rights in North Korea since the publication of the UN Report of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea -­ A/HRC/25/63.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is deeply concerned about the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as documented by the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry Report on Human Rights in the country. The UK has responded to the report's recommendations by continuing to press for an annual debate in the UN Security Council, and working to secure a robust resolution on the DPRK at the UN Human Rights Council. On 17 August 2023, at the first UNSC open meeting on the human rights situation in the DPRK since 2017, the UK highlighted inextricable links between the DPRK's human rights violations and its illegal weapons programme, and called on the DPRK to engage with the UN Special Rapporteur. This year, the UK will again work closely with partners to secure a strong resolution which stresses the importance of following-up recommendations from the COI Report and provides the basis for further work on a credible framework for accountability for human rights violations in the DPRK.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to impose sanctions on (a) officials and (b) entities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for supplying weapons to Russia.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) export and Russia's procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles and Russia's decision to use DPRK-supplied missiles in recent attacks against Ukraine, as fifty Foreign Ministers made clear in their 9 January joint statement. The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. It also violates multiple UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) - which Russia itself voted for. On 22 February the UK designated a number of targets including Azia Shipping Company and Ibex Shipping INC, involved in the transfer of weapons from the DPRK to Russia. The UK will continue to work with our partners to hold the DPRK to account for supporting Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to make an autism assessment on employment rates.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are no plans for DWP to make this specific assessment. Whilst we recognise the importance of early identification of autism, a diagnosis is not required to be eligible for reasonable adjustments and the provision of workplace support. These are made, in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, based on functional need.

We are, as you know, encouraging employers to adopt more neuro-inclusive working practices, which benefit neurodiverse employees irrespective of whether they have a diagnosis.

The SoS and I were delighted to see the launch of your excellent Review into Autism Employment on the 28^{th of} February, which has created a focus for action to improve the recruitment and retention of autistic people. It has identified workplace barriers, and the working practices and initiatives that can reduce them, to create a more inclusive working environment for autistic employees and autistic jobseekers.

We now look towards supporting how the 19 recommendations in the report can be implemented to encourage a more neuro-inclusive culture in the workplace.

This is supported by Disability Confident, our scheme to increase employers’ understanding of how to recruit, retain and support disabled employees and the Support with Employee Health and Disability online service which guides employers through health and disability scenarios at work, including making reasonable adjustments.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how she plans to promote research into new models of (a) assessment and (b) support.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government’s November 2023 ‘Response to the Independent Review of the RDI Organisational Landscape’ announced the creation of a new Metascience Unit, jointly run across the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), with an initial funding commitment of £10m. The unit will deliver a competitive grants programme and will also conduct experiments to test and robustly evaluate the effectiveness of changes in the funding processes delivered by UKRI.

This programme of work is intended to generate evidence on more effective ways of funding and supporting scientific research.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what support his Department is providing to partners in East Africa to tackle Kremlin-backed online disinformation campaigns.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The UK has consistently made clear that malign activity by Russia and its proxies, including disinformation campaigns, exploits and exacerbates instability in sub-Saharan Africa. We draw on a range of levers to strengthen security and stability in sub-Saharan Africa. HMG is working with regional and international partners to coordinate activity to counter Russian disinformation and broader foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) targeting African audiences. We also support our African partners through strategic security and defence relationships with countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana, coordinating closely with likeminded states and international organisations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to make an autism assessment on educational attainment.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer my right hon. Friend, the Member for South Swindon, to the answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 18946.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her planned timetable is for the signing of a UK-India trade agreement.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Progress has been made on negotiating a free trade agreement with India, closing the majority of chapters and making headway on the outstanding issues. Only the most complex issues remain open, with talks focused on goods, services, and investment.

The Government remains focused on securing a deal in the best interests of the British people and economy. It has always been about the deal and not the date.

Officials are expected to continue talks during India's pre-election period.

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Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert

Found: Cates Dame Caroline Dinenage Jess Phillips Nickie Aiken Miss Sarah Dines Jane Hunt Sir Robert