Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people distributing (a) UK aid and (b) other public funding overseas with (i) British and (ii) duel British nationality are not aiding or supporting proscribed terrorist organisations.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO has controls in place to ensure that UK aid - and other funds used overseas - goes direct to intended beneficiaries, and for its intended purposes. The FCDO carries out due diligence assessments of UK aid partners to ensure they have procedures in place to manage the risk of aid diversion, including the risk of support to proscribed terrorist groups, as appropriate. All UK aid fund disbursements are overseen by a Senior Responsible Owner who is accountable for ensuring procedures are followed. The FCDO Programme Operating Framework, which sets out the mandatory rules for FCDO programming, was reviewed by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) in 2023. The review, published in April, said that this was the right approach for the FCDO - calling it a credible and appropriate framework. To date, no individual from an International NGO or body corporate has been prosecuted in the UK for terrorism offences relating to humanitarian, development or peacebuilding work.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that people working for international aid organisations overseas with (a) British and (b) duel British nationality are not aiding or supporting proscribed terrorist organisations.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO has controls in place to ensure that UK aid - and other funds used overseas - goes direct to intended beneficiaries, and for its intended purposes. The FCDO carries out due diligence assessments of UK aid partners to ensure they have procedures in place to manage the risk of aid diversion, including the risk of support to proscribed terrorist groups, as appropriate. All UK aid fund disbursements are overseen by a Senior Responsible Owner who is accountable for ensuring procedures are followed. The FCDO Programme Operating Framework, which sets out the mandatory rules for FCDO programming, was reviewed by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) in 2023. The review, published in April, said that this was the right approach for the FCDO - calling it a credible and appropriate framework. To date, no individual from an International NGO or body corporate has been prosecuted in the UK for terrorism offences relating to humanitarian, development or peacebuilding work.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will conduct analysis on the potential impact on NHS costs of proposed changes to the work capability assessment.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The WCA activities and descriptors consultation closed on Monday 30 October and received over 1300 responses.
The department does not intend to make an assessment of the potential impact on the NHS.
We are committed to ensuring our welfare system encourages and supports people into work, while providing a vital safety net for those who need it most. Working can help promote recovery, lead to better health outcomes, reduce long-term incapacity, and promote participation in society.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a Minister for hostage affairs to help support families of (a) British and (b) dual nationals.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As Minister for consular policy I review all complex cases, including hostage and arbitrary detention for diplomatic leverage cases, with consular officials on a regular basis. When necessary, decisions on individual cases are made by the relevant geographical Minister who understands the region and has a relationship with their counterpart. They are supported in this by our Ambassadors and senior officials who hold the necessary geographic and thematic expertise alongside our consular team. At all times the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs holds ultimate responsibility. We also work closely with other Departments and agencies who also have relevant expertise.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times on Access to Work applications.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Access to Work has continued to improve wait times for customers applying to the service. During the summer wait times have been halved.
Access to Work has received a significant increase in demand and applications over the last year. To address this and to reduce waiting times we have recruited new staff in the year and continue to redeploy staff to reduce decision times. Our latest cohort of redeployed staff started in November. We are now consolidating their learning, which will grow capability and build additional available resource into the next quarter.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that patients are supported in the community once they are discharged from surgical hubs.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In September 2023, NHS England published the Intermediate Care Framework for Rehabilitation, Reablement and Recovery following Hospital Discharge. This best practice guidance aims to improve patient experience and outcomes, as well as improving flow and discharge, freeing-up National Health Service hospital capacity for those who need it most.
Alongside the Intermediate Care Framework, NHS England published good practice guidance for Integrated Care Boards on increasing community rehabilitation capacity to support people leaving hospital and after they have received intermediate care. This includes therapy-led reablement.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to establish a long-term disability strategy from 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government set out its long-term disability strategy in the National Disability Strategy published in 2021. The National Disability Strategy sets out our ambition to improve the lives of all disabled people.
In addition, the Government has recently completed a consultation on the Disability Action Plan, which will set out the immediate action the Government is taking this year and in 2024 to improve disabled people’s lives, as well as laying the foundations for longer term change.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure surgical hubs are fully-staffed with (a) allied health professionals and (b) other staff.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Action is being taken to increase and support the existing NHS workforce capacity. The Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) surgical hub programme has published workforce guidance designed to assist providers and integrated care systems (ICSs) in planning the workforce requirements for new or expanded surgical hubs. The guidance outlines key enablers for successful workforce recruitment, retention and planning, as well as helpful operational tools such as e-rostering and staff passports. The guidance focuses on surgical and theatre teams as well as on the wider hub team including allied health professionals.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the increase in exports to Russia from (a) the People’s Republic of China and (b) some other countries since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022; and what steps he is taking to help tackle attempts to undermine sanctions against Russia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
China's continued failure to condemn the invasion is deeply disappointing and harmful to China's interests and reputation in Europe. We have pressed upon China at all levels not to offer support for Russia's actions. The Foreign Secretary spoke to his Chinese counterpart in August to stress that message. Internationally, we are working closely with the EU and US to engage third countries where we have seen a spike in trade in sanctioned goods with Russia. This joint diplomatic engagement is producing results, with a number of third countries agreeing to control exports of goods that are critical to Russia's war effort.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides (a) guidance and (b) training to police officers on ensuring that (i) Hamas logos and chants are swiftly identified and (ii) any person suspected of promoting terror in the UK is arrested.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government takes proscription offences seriously. Investigations into the activities of proscribed organisations or individuals who may be members of or who demonstrate support for proscribed organisations are an operational matter for the police and intelligence agencies.
Following the terrorist attacks on Israel, the Home Secretary wrote to police chiefs in England and Wales urging them to step up patrols and use the full force of the law to tackle those inciting hatred towards our Jewish communities.
The Home Secretary and the Prime Minister have hosted a roundtable with police chiefs and the Community Security Trust (CST) to discuss the practical steps that can be taken to enhance the operational response to any potential disorder.
Public order policing has disseminated briefing materials to police forces covering hate crime and the proscription offences, including advice on the flags associated with proscribed organisations Hamas and Hizballah.