Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to implement Section 8 of the Public Order Act 2023.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Section 8 of the Public Order Act 2023.
This section came into force on 3 May 2023.
In addition, the previous Government committed to carrying out post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023 two years after it received Royal Assent rather than the usual three to five years, in line with the recommendation made by the Home Affairs Select Committee.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 tackle equipment waste in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2020, NHS England set out its commitment to reducing its environmental impact, including by increasing the reuse and recycling of medical equipment. This commitment is then applied locally, taking into account local priorities, through local Green Plans.
NHS England also collaborates with NHS Supply Chain to increase availability of reusable products and supports local NHS organisations through the publication of guidance and resources to help with implementing changes.
The Department is also currently considering further opportunities for more efficient and sustainable use of medical technology. We look forward to updating the House at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), services that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance on ME/CFS diagnosis and management, published in October 2021.
The Department funds research into ME/CFS through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR, together with the Medical Research Council, is funding the world’s largest genome-wide association study of ME/CFS. This £3.2 million study, termed DecodeME, will analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME/CFS to search for genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes or an increased risk of developing the condition. A decision on the next steps for ME/CFS at the national level will be taken in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the report of the Older People's Housing Taskforce.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government recognises the need to provide greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people.
No decision has yet been taken with regard to the publication date for this report.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an estimate of the number of unaccompanied children in Gaza that have family in the UK; and whether he is taking steps to support family reunions in those cases.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Far too many children in Gaza have been orphaned or separated from their parents. We do not have an estimate of how many of these may have family in the UK. The UK is supporting a number of agencies who are targeting funding to respond to the needs of these children. The UK's funding to the Red Cross Movement, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Pooled Fund has supported their work to identify unaccompanied minors, provide care options, and in some cases reunited children with family members.
Palestinians who wish to join family members in the UK may apply to do so via the existing range of routes available. Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules and our suitability requirements. Consideration will be given to compelling, compassionate and exceptional circumstances raised and may be taken into account where certain requirements are not met.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle parental alienation.
Answered by Mike Freer
The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” and does not accept that it is a syndrome capable of diagnosis.
In his judgment in the case of Re C the President of the Family Division detailed that the courts focus should be on the “identification of ‘alienating behaviour’” rather than seeking “to determine whether the label ‘parental alienation’ can be applied”. In providing advice to the court, Cafcass does not recognise “parental alienation” and instead looks at the individual behaviours of a parent. In cases where a child is resistant, or refuses, to see a parent Cafcass Family Court Advisers must first consider whether domestic abuse or other forms of harmful parenting are a contributing factor.
The Government is aware of concerns of about unregulated “parental alienation” experts being instructed in the family courts. To address this issue, we are working with the Family Procedure Rule Committee to make changes to the Family Procedure Rules and their associated Practice Directions to prevent the instruction of these unregulated experts.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce barriers to entry for young deaf people in sport.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Opposition Chief Whip (Commons)
The government recognises that there are significant benefits to participation in sport and physical activity for disabled people, including D/deaf people at both the grassroots and elite levels.
We believe that every child, no matter their background or ability, should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s arm’s length body, Sport England, is committing £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to boost deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport.
Sport England have also agreed to work with UK Deaf Sport to help to identify a small number of governing bodies that, on a trial basis, will have their talent pathways supported to be as inclusive to D/deaf athletes as possible. This work with Sport England will help open up opportunities at all levels for D/deaf people.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase participation by deaf people in sport.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Opposition Chief Whip (Commons)
The government recognises that there are significant benefits to participation in sport and physical activity for disabled people, including D/deaf people at both the grassroots and elite levels.
We believe that every child, no matter their background or ability, should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s arm’s length body, Sport England, is committing £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to boost deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport.
Sport England have also agreed to work with UK Deaf Sport to help to identify a small number of governing bodies that, on a trial basis, will have their talent pathways supported to be as inclusive to D/deaf athletes as possible. This work with Sport England will help open up opportunities at all levels for D/deaf people.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to help evacuate people in Gaza who have permission to enter the UK.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
FCDO staff are working with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to ensure any remaining British nationals and eligible persons that want to leave Gaza are cleared to cross as soon as possible. The Rafah border crossing continues to be open for controlled and time-limited periods to allow specific groups of foreign nationals to cross. Whilst it is for the Egyptian and Israeli authorities to determine who is permitted to cross, and when, we have assisted over 300 people to leave so far.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ratifying the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is a major victory for ocean protection and multilateral diplomacy and underpins the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the cornerstone of ocean governance. The Agreement means much greater protection for the two-thirds of the global ocean that lies beyond national jurisdiction. It will play a key role supporting the delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including helping to achieve the target to effectively conserve and manage at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. The UK played a significant and proactive role in achieving this success in over 10 years of negotiations and will continue to be proactive in preparing for implementation and entry into force and supporting other, particularly developing, countries, to do so. The UK continues to work at pace on the legislation and other measures needed to implement the Agreement and aims to implement and ratify in time for the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025 and will be in the forefront of the countries ratifying the treaty.