Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the immigration of scientists from other countries, including the United States, to the UK.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK has a world-leading science base, supported by four universities in the global top 10 and outstanding research institutions, we are committed to attracting the best international talent.
We have recently announced a new £54 million Global Talent Fund to attract top individuals – lead researchers and their teams – to the UK this financial year. This is just one part of over £115 million in funding dedicated to attracting top talent to the UK.
The Government is also committed to a competitive visa system, including simplified access to the Global Talent visa and expanded fast-track routes. These measures aim to attract exceptional individuals to supercharge growth in the UK’s strategic industries.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Falun Gong practitioners from persecution in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief, this includes protecting the rights of Falun Gong Practitioners.
We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated.
Where individuals have concerns for their safety, they should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have made of easing spousal visa restrictions for senior scientists wishing to immigrate to the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 10 June the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published their independent review of the financial requirements across the family routes. The report is now under review, and we will respond in due course.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any information on the proportion of deaths in Gaza reported by the Gazan Ministry of Health represented by (1) civilians, and (2) Hamas operatives.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Like many of our partners, the UK Government uses data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH). Producing reliable casualty statistics in contexts of violent conflict is never straightforward. The MoH verify and identify the dead by age, gender and ID number.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has consulted experts, including from the London School of Tropical Medicine, OCHA, the World Health Organization and Every Casualty Counts, and interrogates relevant research. Experts assess that the total number of deaths in Gaza since 7 October 2023 estimated by the Gaza Ministry of Health is a reasonable figure, and likely to be an underestimate. MoH data does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas operatives.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have about the condition of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas; and what assessment they have made of reports that the hostages are being denied medical care.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Reports of the mistreatment of the hostages held by Hamas, as set out by released hostages such as Eli Sharabi, are deeply concerning. We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, including Avinatan Or, Shay Levinson, and Yossi Sharabi who have strong links to the UK.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has consistently shared that it hasn't been permitted access to hostages. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We have reiterated our call for the ICRC to be granted unfettered and immediate access to the hostages in Gaza and Palestinian detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The ICRC has been facilitating the handover of hostages and the delivery of aid into Gaza.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Israeli hostages held by Hamas have access to the Red Cross.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has consistently said that it has not been permitted access to hostages. The ICRC has been facilitating the handover of hostages and the delivery of aid into Gaza. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We have reiterated our call for the ICRC to be granted unfettered and immediate access to the hostages in Gaza and Palestinian detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to meet university vice-chancellors to discuss how they are dealing with the rising incidence of antisemitism on campuses.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
My right hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Education is due to host a roundtable shortly with leading vice chancellors to discuss what more can be done collectively, and at all levels, to make our universities safe and inclusive environments for all.
Departmental officials continue to liaise closely with Universities UK and with key Jewish community stakeholders, to remain appraised of issues and how they are being handled by universities.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have on the number of prevented terrorist attacks purportedly by Iran in the UK in the past 10 years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government's top priority is our national security, and we will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from any Iran-linked threats. As is our longstanding position, the Home Office does not comment in detail on specific operational matters.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the current vacancy rates for care workers in care homes in England and Wales; and whether these rates have changed in the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The policy for health and adult social care is devolved across the United Kingdom. The Department is responsible for adult social care in England, and therefore only captures information on vacancy rates for England. The following table shows estimates of the vacancy rates for the adult social care workforce, including the independent and local authority sectors, from 2019/20 to 2023/24:
Year | Vacancy rate |
2019/20 | 7.3% |
2020/21 | 7.0% |
2021/22 | 10.6% |
2022/23 | 9.9% |
2023/24 | 8.3% |
Source: Skills for Care using the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set.
It is important to note that vacancies include roles advertised by independent providers and therefore reflect market conditions. Vacancies include both posts that are vacant in the short term, due to recent or anticipated staff turnover, and posts created by employers who want to expand and grow their businesses, rather than only roles needed to meet statutory entitlements. Therefore, vacancy rates are likely not the best measure of capacity, or lack of capacity.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the proportion of overseas workers in the care workforce.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
According to Skills for Care’s The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2024 publication, three quarters of the adult social care workforce had a British nationality in 2023/24, and the remaining quarter, 394,000 filled posts, had a non-British nationality.