Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to launch a consultation on the disclosure of industry payments to the healthcare sector.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department is developing a UK-wide public consultation on the disclosure of industry payments to the healthcare sector. The consultation will seek views on the possible introduction of regulations through new secondary legislation, as well as views on alternative options to regulations. We anticipate this will launch by autumn 2023.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
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 Israeli counterparts on the Bill in the Knesset to amend the Prisons Ordinance (Revoking Eligibility for Funding Healthcare Services to Improve Quality of Life for Security Prisoners); and whether he has made representations to those counterparts on the need to ensure that prisoners receive medical care equal to that available to the general public.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. We recognise that under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent of the means available to it. The UK Government welcomes any effort to cooperate between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, including in the healthcare sector. The wounded and ill in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether officials in his Department have had discussion with their Israeli counterparts on (a) releasing Walid Al Daqqa and (b) whether Walid Al Daqqa's medical needs are being met in the IPS medical centre.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israel must abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. We recognise that under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent of the means available to it. The wounded and ill in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer 162222 of 14 March 2023, on Veterans: LGBT+ People, if he will take steps to publish the Government's response to the independent review into LGBT veterans in a timely way manner once that review is published.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is committed to understanding, acknowledging and where appropriate addressing the effect that the pre-2000 ban on homosexuality in the UK Armed Forces has had on veterans. In line with the terms of the Independent Review, we will carefully consider the findings and then publish the report and the Government’s response in due course.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason great aunts and great uncles may not claim Specified Adult Childcare Credits; and if he will publish his Department’s rationale for the eligibility criteria for those Credits.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Prior to the introduction of SACC in 2011, a consultation was undertaken (15/10/2010 to 26/11/2010) seeking views. The Government response to the consultation, including the original consultation itself, can be found by visiting www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-insurance-credits-changes.
Specified Adult Childcare Credits (SACC) were introduced to recognise the contribution that family members make by providing childcare and enabling the primary carer to work. The policy intention was to make as many family members as possible eligible to claim SACC whilst being consistent that the child and adult be related by blood or parental relationship.
While understanding that caring relationships vary widely between families, the position taken with the definition of a “family member” is consistent across several pieces of legislation. Great Aunts and Uncles do not fall under this definition.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take further steps to prevent illegal hunting at events described as trail hunting; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We recognise it is possible that dogs used for trail hunting may on occasion pick up and follow the scent of live foxes during a trail hunt. If this occurs it is the responsibility of the huntsman and other members of hunt staff to control their hounds.
Failure to prevent dogs from chasing or killing a fox may be taken as intent to break the law. Anyone who believes that an offence has taken place should report the matter to the police, as the police deal with complaints of illegal hunting.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of illegal hunting at events described as trail hunting.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We recognise it is possible that dogs used for trail hunting may on occasion pick up and follow the scent of live foxes during a trail hunt. If this occurs it is the responsibility of the huntsman and other members of hunt staff to control their hounds.
Failure to prevent dogs from chasing or killing a fox may be taken as intent to break the law. Anyone who believes that an offence has taken place should report the matter to the police, as the police deal with complaints of illegal hunting.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the review of the provision of non-religious pastoral support to the Armed Forces; and whether he plans to work with Humanists UK and the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network to accredit humanist and non-religious chaplains to the Armed Forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Military Chaplains are professionally qualified to provide pastoral care to everyone, regardless of faith or belief background. However, should a Service person feel uncomfortable with talking to a Chaplain, they are able to seek appropriate professional support from a variety of alternative sources, which can be facilitated by the Chaplain. This includes their Chain of Command, through the Services' professional social workers, medical staff, and dedicated welfare staff. Mutual support is also available via the various staff networks, including the Humanist and Non-Religious in Defence (HAND) Network.
Having carefully considered whether this provision is adequate and suitably reflects the needs of all our people, we have recently conducted a review of this matter and consider the provision of pastoral care merits enhancement so that we can deliver even better support. Accordingly, we are intending to recruit a non-religious pastoral officer for each of the Armed Services, and are currently working with a range of stakeholders from the within the breadth of the AF community to determine how best to take this forward including how we engage with appropriate professional endorsing bodies.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the independent review into the service and experience of LGBT veterans who served between 1967 to 2000 will assess the reasons for which people with HIV were discharged in that period; and whether this will be assessed in the Government's response to that review.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is committed to ensuring that the service of every veteran is understood, valued and recognised.
The Cabinet Office and MoD have therefore commissioned an independent review to look at the impact of the pre-2000 ban on LGBT personnel serving in the Armed Forces. Whilst HIV status was not explicitly part of the independent review's terms of reference, the content of the final report will be a matter for the Review. The final report is due by 25 May, and we will publish the report and the Government’s response in due course thereafter.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of capping the number of graduate visas on the UK’s economy.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Graduate route provides an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay in the UK and work, or look for work, at any skill level for 2 years, or 3 years for doctoral students.
An Impact Assessment was prepared to accompany the launch of the Graduate route. This can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment template (publishing.service.gov.uk)
The public rightly expects us to control immigration and ensure we have a system that works in the UK’s best interests. We keep our immigration policies under constant review to ensure they reflect our priorities.