Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce cases of (a) anti-Semitism and (b) Islamophobia on university campuses.
Answered by Robert Halfon
This government condemns in the strongest possible terms any form of racial or religiously motivated harassment or violence. In the context of the conflict in the Middle East, there have been unprecedented rises in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents, which are abhorrent on every level. Universities should be welcoming and inclusive environments and higher education (HE) providers have a responsibility to take a zero tolerance approach to any form of racial or religious harassment. They have clear responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to adopt robust policies and procedures that enable them to investigate and swiftly address reports of racism.
The Community Security Trust has reported an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents, which is totally unacceptable.
To support Jewish students, the Secretary of State for Education and I wrote to all universities on 11 October 2023, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. I wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November 2023, emphasising that they must use disciplinary measures wherever appropriate, highlighting the importance of police engagement, and reiterating that student visas could be suspended where a foreign national is found to have committed or incited acts of racial hatred. This was one of the key actions set out in the five-point plan for tackling antisemitism in HE, which was published on 5 November 2023. The plan also involves:
On 22 November 2023, the government announced in the Autumn Statement an additional £7 million over three years to tackle antisemitism in education. The Quality Seal will be the cornerstone of this package for universities, providing a framework of measures that will make clear what good practice is in tackling antisemitism in HE, and making sure that universities are a safe and welcoming space for Jewish students and staff, as for all students and staff.
Anti-Muslim hatred is equally abhorrent and has no place in our society. No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their religion or belief and the government is continuing to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat it.
This government is proud to have funded Tell MAMA, a service that supports victims of anti-Muslim hatred, with over £6 million since their inception in 2012. Tell MAMA’s work has been recognised internationally as a good practice model in recording and monitoring anti-Muslim hate. The organisation has documented 2,010 Islamophobic incidents in the UK between 7 October 2023 and 7 February 2024. This represents a steep rise from the 600 it recorded for the same period the year previously. The government will not tolerate religious hatred towards Muslims and that is why the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities put in place an extra £4.9 million of protective security funding for Muslim mosques, faith schools and communities.
The new Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides physical protective security measures (such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing) in both mosques and associated Muslim faith community centres. Protective security measures are also available to Muslim faith schools. Headteachers of eligible schools were contacted directly by the Home Office in January 2023 to register their interest.
Lastly, as my right hon. Friend, Minister Buchan stated on 4 March 2024, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities plan to appoint a new independent adviser on anti-Muslim hatred, and it will update the house shortly.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 since the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 was published on 6 December 2018; and what progress her Department has made on tackling the disproportionate number of people from black and minority ethnic groups being detained under that Act.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are continuing to pilot models of Culturally Appropriate Advocacy, investing up to £1.5 million to provide tailored support people from ethnic minorities to better understand their rights when they are detained under the Mental Health Act.
The Patient and Carers Race Equality Framework was published by NHS England in October 2023. Rolling this out will support mental health trusts to improve access, experience and outcomes and reduce disparities for people from ethnic minority backgrounds. All mental health trusts will be required to have a framework in place by March 2025.
Between 1 December 2018 and 31 March 2023, there were 218,219 detentions under the Mental Health Act. It is important to note that the number of detentions is not the same as the number of people detained as some people might have been detained more than once during the period.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce racial inequalities in the use of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are continuing to pilot models of Culturally Appropriate Advocacy, investing up to £1.5 million to provide tailored support people from ethnic minorities to better understand their rights when they are detained under the Mental Health Act.
The Patient and Carers Race Equality Framework was published by NHS England in October 2023. Rolling this out will support mental health trusts to improve access, experience and outcomes and reduce disparities for people from ethnic minority backgrounds. All mental health trusts will be required to have a framework in place by March 2025.
Between 1 December 2018 and 31 March 2023, there were 218,219 detentions under the Mental Health Act. It is important to note that the number of detentions is not the same as the number of people detained as some people might have been detained more than once during the period.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce transport barriers to work and apprenticeships to help young people aged 16 to 24.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is taking action to ensure young people can access work, education and apprenticeship opportunities, regardless of where they live. We have consistently invested in public transport to help make services more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.
In 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver Railcard, extending the 50 per cent discount available to children for rail travel to their entire period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel. In October, we announced that the £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London would be extended until the end of 2024. Through the Plan for Drivers, we have also announced measures to help tackle the cost of driving.
We are committed to meeting the obligations of the Public Sector Equality Duty, including giving due consideration to the needs of different age cohorts.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase transport choices to further and higher education for young people aged 16 to 24.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is taking action to ensure young people can access work, education and apprenticeship opportunities, regardless of where they live. We have consistently invested in public transport to help make services more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.
In 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver Railcard, extending the 50 per cent discount available to children for rail travel to their entire period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel. In October, we announced that the £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London would be extended until the end of 2024. Through the Plan for Drivers, we have also announced measures to help tackle the cost of driving.
We are committed to meeting the obligations of the Public Sector Equality Duty, including giving due consideration to the needs of different age cohorts.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have commissioned into the economic impact of transport poverty for young people aged 16 to 24.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is taking action to ensure young people can access work, education and apprenticeship opportunities, regardless of where they live. We have consistently invested in public transport to help make services more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.
In 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver Railcard, extending the 50 per cent discount available to children for rail travel to their entire period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel. In October, we announced that the £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London would be extended until the end of 2024. Through the Plan for Drivers, we have also announced measures to help tackle the cost of driving.
We are committed to meeting the obligations of the Public Sector Equality Duty, including giving due consideration to the needs of different age cohorts.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that transport policy meets the needs of young people aged 16 to 24.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is taking action to ensure young people can access work, education and apprenticeship opportunities, regardless of where they live. We have consistently invested in public transport to help make services more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.
In 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver Railcard, extending the 50 per cent discount available to children for rail travel to their entire period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel. In October, we announced that the £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London would be extended until the end of 2024. Through the Plan for Drivers, we have also announced measures to help tackle the cost of driving.
We are committed to meeting the obligations of the Public Sector Equality Duty, including giving due consideration to the needs of different age cohorts.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what proportion of bilateral Official Development Assistance programmes have a focus on gender equality in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development and OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2021. This data indicates that in 2021 59 per cent of FCDO bilateral ODA programme budget spend had a focus on gender equality (of which 49 per cent was marked as Significant and 10 per cent marked as Principal). As part of our new International Women and Girls Strategy, we will ensure at least 80 per cent of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030. This is a reflection of how we are prioritising gender equality in our work and investment moving forward.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's response to the Work Capability Assessment: Activities and Descriptors Consultation, published in November 2023, what his planned timetable is for publishing an equality impact assessment on proposals for changes to the eligibility criteria for the (a) Limited Capability for Work and Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity categories within universal credit and (b) Work-Related Activity Group and Support Group within Employment Support Allowance.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We published our response to the consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment criteria on 22 November, having carefully considered feedback from disabled people, and people with health conditions, as well as the organisations that represent and support them.
The consultation was open from 5 September to 30 October 2023. This gave ample time for people to share their views. We undertook extensive engagement during the consultation period and received over 1,300 responses. We listened carefully to what people told us and took their views into account when deciding about which changes to take forward.
We also did a lot of work to make sure disabled people could share their views. We provided the consultation document in a range of accessible formats, including large print, Easy Read, Braille, Audio, BSL and hard copy versions. We ran a programme of in-person and virtual public events, so that people could share their views verbally and offered a range of methods to enable people to respond in writing, including online, by email or by post.
We will publish an Impact Assessment in due course.
The OBR have said that they expect these changes to mean that 371,000 fewer people will be declared as having Limited Capability for Work Related Activity by 2028/29 than otherwise would be the case. HMT have published the impacts in their policy costing note that accompanies the Autumn Statement.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to monitor the effectiveness of hybrid closed loop technology implementation on (i) glycaemic control, (ii) quality of life and (iii) reduction in complications for patients.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published their draft guidance on hybrid closed loop (HCL) technology for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes.
HCL technology represents a step change in care for patients living with type one diabetes, which is why NICE has agreed a five-year roll out of this technology with NHS England. This is to ensure the National Health Service has the staff training and patient support in place to safely roll out this new technology.
Access to medical devices should be determined by clinical need. It is our priority to ensure that all patients have access to the most innovative treatment options, wherever they live in the country.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of their population, managing the NHS budget, and arranging for the provision of health services in the integrated care systems.
For HCL, NHS England will make clinicians aware of priority patients to help ensure equality of access and will keep this under review as it rolled out expands to other groups over the implementation period. NHS England will engage with patient representative groups, ICB leads, trust clinical leads working within children, young people and adult services, and professional bodies as part of the implementation strategy’s development.