Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Cameroon, and (2) France, about inter-communal violence between the Anglophone and Francophone communities in Cameroon; and what is their assessment of the role of the churches in peace-making in that country.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The UK Government has been tracking the conflict in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, and continue to urge for all perpetrators to be held to account for violence against civilian communities. The Deputy Foreign Secretary raised our human rights concerns with senior government officials during his visit to the country in April 2023. He also set out the UK's commitment to supporting the country to find a peaceful resolution through inclusive dialogue. Our High Commission in Cameroon supports this, including through regular engagement with international partners. We welcome the work of the recent fifth session of the Follow Up Committee to implement the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue in August 2023, including engaging religious leaders.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operations of foreign mercenaries and other non-state armed groupings in the Sahel region of Africa and what support they have given to regional governments and institutions to counter their activities.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The UK has repeatedly raised concerns about non-state armed groups in the Sahel with partners in the region. Russia and its proxies capitalise on instability and poverty to exploit resources and gain influence. This has resulted in a destabilising focus on hard security, human rights abuses and disinformation, leading to the UK announcing 13 sanctions against Wagner in Africa in July 2023. The UK takes approaches conflict and stability holistically, working closely with international partners. In 2024, the UK will provide around £245m to the Sahel, primarily to meet humanitarian needs and support local level conflict prevention programmes in Mali and Niger.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threats to democratic governance in the Sahel region of Africa, and whether they intend to take measures to strengthen civil society in the region.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The UK condemns recent restrictions to democratic space in the Sahel and, in coordination with our international partners, we regularly raise our concerns with governments in the region. The UK remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance and supporting access to basic services for the people of the Sahel region. In doing so we seek to build resilience and address the root causes of insecurity and poverty, including by supporting inclusive political dialogue and engaging civil society actors.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the role of (1) music, and (2) dance, in the school curriculum.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Music and dance are both important parts of a rich and broad school curriculum, underpinned by the existing national curriculum programmes of study for music from age 5 to 14 and for physical education (PE) from age 5 to 16, which incorporates dance.

The government recently announced the independent expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review. This will seek to deliver a broader curriculum, so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music, the arts, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects.

The Review will ensure that the new curriculum provides breadth of opportunity for every child and young person, including supporting their cultural development and allowing them to develop their creativity.

The government will also take more immediate action by launching a National Music Education Network to help parents, teachers and children to find courses and classes. In addition, the department will enable children to be more active by protecting time for PE. We will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject until they are 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.

Found: Edgbaston PC, Chair, Wilton Park • Lesley -Anne Long, self -employed consultant • The Rt Hon the Lord

Found: Edgbaston PC, Chair, Wilton Park • Lesley -Anne Long, self -employed consultant • The Rt Hon the Lord

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The International Agreements Committee (IAC) is the principal body in Parliament tasked with scrutinising treaties under the framework established by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG). Since its establishment in 2020, the IAC has issued two reports on working practices and has made recommendations to Government on how to make treaty scrutiny more effective within the CRAG framework. This short inquiry will review treaty scrutiny practice and consider how treaty scrutiny could be further improved.