Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of nutrition to children's educational attainment.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate in school. The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 require schools to provide all children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day. The regulations restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods.
Governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the standards and should appropriately challenge the head teacher and school leaders to ensure the school is meeting its obligations. Departmental advice and guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england, and: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.
The provision of free school meals (FSM) to children who are eligible for them is of the utmost importance to this government. The greatest ever proportion of school children, over one third, are now provided with free school meals. Around 2 million pupils are claiming benefits-related FSM. In addition, almost 1.3 million infants are supported through the universal infant free school meal policy. Free meals are also available to disadvantaged young people in further education.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of food banks in schools; and what guidance they have issued to school governors regarding children having access to at least one nutritious meal a day.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate in school. The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 require schools to provide all children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day. The regulations restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods.
Governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the standards and should appropriately challenge the head teacher and school leaders to ensure the school is meeting its obligations. Departmental advice and guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england, and: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.
The provision of free school meals (FSM) to children who are eligible for them is of the utmost importance to this government. The greatest ever proportion of school children, over one third, are now provided with free school meals. Around 2 million pupils are claiming benefits-related FSM. In addition, almost 1.3 million infants are supported through the universal infant free school meal policy. Free meals are also available to disadvantaged young people in further education.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children in schools who are not in receipt of nutritious meals.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate in school. The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 require schools to provide all children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day. The regulations restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods.
Governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the standards and should appropriately challenge the head teacher and school leaders to ensure the school is meeting its obligations. Departmental advice and guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england, and: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.
The provision of free school meals (FSM) to children who are eligible for them is of the utmost importance to this government. The greatest ever proportion of school children, over one third, are now provided with free school meals. Around 2 million pupils are claiming benefits-related FSM. In addition, almost 1.3 million infants are supported through the universal infant free school meal policy. Free meals are also available to disadvantaged young people in further education.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic and social impact of collaboration in scientific research between British and African universities and research institutes.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Scientific research collaborations between British and African research institutions make vital contributions to economic growth and the UK's wider development in Africa. Scientific collaborations are helping to overcome many of the most significant global challenges, from public health emergencies to climate change, to energy, education and more. HMG therefore invests in a wide range of UK-Africa scientific collaborations, including partnerships with the including the Science Foundation for Africa, the African Research Universities Alliance, and the Science Granting Councils Initiative.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of collaboration between British and African science-based institutions in delivering the UK's International Development Strategy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Science and technology play a vital role in delivering the UK's International Development Strategy. HMG invests to strengthen equitable UK-Africa scientific collaborations and ensure the power of science delivers impactful and transformative change. The UK is a proud advocate for Open Science, deploying our world class expertise to drive open standards for critical and emerging technologies while protecting research security. That is why we invest in collaborations such as the UK-South Africa health partnership, through which UK and South Africa researchers save lives in the UK, South Africa and beyond - with research into vital issues from noncommunicable diseases, health systems and financing to mental health and surgery.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to be represented at the Association of African Universities biennial Conference of Rectors and Vice-Chancellors in Windhoek, Namibia, for the launch of the Charter Initiative to promote equitable partnerships for scientific research between African and British scientific institutions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to strengthening UK-Africa equitable science and tech partnerships to deliver our mutual objectives and address global challenges. We work with leading African research networks and initiatives to drive this agenda forward, including the African Research Universities Alliance, the Science for Africa Foundation, and the African Science Granting Councils Initiative. Our dedicated science and tech teams on the continent are on hand to engage with all relevant stakeholders in pursuit of this common goal and will be exploring how we can work more closely with the Association of African Universities.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with representatives of UK universities to discuss the potential of equitable collaboration between British and African research institutions in enhancing the impact of the UK Science and Innovation Network in Africa.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HMG Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of UK universities to discuss the potential of equitable collaboration between British and African research institutions. As part of this, our Science and Innovation Network frequently engage with UK and African institutions to enhance equitable science partnerships. For example, HMG Science and Innovation officials were instrumental in supporting the signing of a hydrogen collaboration MoU between the universities of Stellenbosch and Teeside during the State visit to the UK, and HMG continues to fund bilateral research chairs in South Africa (SA), which has enhanced University relationships between UK/SA partners, including the Nelson Mandela University and the University of Southampton in Ocean Sciences. The Science and Innovation Network continues to act as a matchmaker between UK and African institutions exploring opportunities for collaboration in a broad range of disciplines.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their most recent assessment of the number of Wagner Group operatives in Africa, and in which countries are they operating.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government has repeatedly emphasised the destabilising role of Wagner Group in Mali, Central African Republic (CAR) and the wider region. Open source reporting has suggested Wagner deployments in CAR, Libya and Mali range between 1,000 to 1,900 operators per country. True numbers are highly uncertain as Wagner is part of a wider grouping of companies associated with Evgeny Prigozhin. We work closely with our international and regional partners, including through the UN, to counter the malign use of proxies like Wagner Group by Russia. The UK Government sanctioned Wagner Group in its entirety in 2022, which will weaken their capabilities in Africa.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with the African Union and African regional groupings to counter terrorism and promote sustainable economic development as a basis for ending armed conflict.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK works with the African Union and other African partners to counter the threat posed by terrorism, foster long-term stability, and to address the root causes of conflict. For example, we have provided £47.5 million of funding over the last two years to the reconfigured African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), working with ATMIS as it supports Somalia's efforts to fight al-Shabaab. The UK is also assessing what support it can offer to the Accra Initiative, a regional security initiative, to help prevent the spread of violence and instability from the Sahel to coastal West Africa. Sustainable development is an important factor in reducing the drivers of conflict and consideration of that factor is an important element in our work with African partners across the continent. One example is our support to the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the supply of armaments to the parties engaged in conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There is a longstanding UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan, as well as a UN arms embargo on Darfur. These sanctions help prevent weapon flow into the country and stop those working against peace in Sudan. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues, including through multilateral organisations, to end the violence and de-escalate tensions in Sudan.