Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the situation in the Cows Garden site of the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have not held discussions with Israeli counterparts on the situation in the Cow Garden site of the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. The UK is monitoring the situation and are clear on the need to avoid any further rise in tensions. The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and an advocate for the integrity of cultural important areas to be respected. The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence, and urges Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of restitution payments made under the LGBT+ Veterans Independent Review.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence continues to work at pace with experts from across Government, and with reference to schemes developed by allies such as Canada, to establish an appropriate scheme for the financial award, working within the £50m limit recommended in Lord Etherton’s Review.
Development of the scheme is at an early stage and therefore Defence cannot yet confirm the details, the expected number of claimants, or the likely size of awards. However, the Government is committed to delivering the report’s recommendation, acknowledging that the process is intricate and must be followed correctly.
Defence will continue to engage with LGBT veterans as plans for the financial award progress. Defence are committed to providing updates on the development of the scheme, including eligibility criteria and the application process, which will be published to the ‘LGBT Veterans: support and next steps’ GOV.UK page as soon as possible.
Ministers are committed to maintaining the momentum of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review and so are exploring the possibility of holding a debate in the House as soon as parliamentary time allows, following publication of the Government response last year.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the University of Manchester's article entitled Reforming UK fertility legislation: the effects of online DNA testing, published on 27 November.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in 2021 to undertake a review and public engagement about priorities for modernising the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. HFEA published its report on 14 November 2023, which is available at the following link:
While the Department has made no assessment, HFEA’s report makes references to the points raised in the University of Manchester's article, noting the rapidly developing field of genetic testing, including direct to consumer testing, and includes proposals about access to donor information. The Government is considering the issues raised in the report and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in his Department are women.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office has no civil servants on temporary contracts.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in his Department are women.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office has only one SCS2 post which is not currently held by a woman.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to launch a consultation on the disclosure of industry payments to the healthcare sector.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department is developing a UK-wide public consultation on the disclosure of industry payments to the healthcare sector. The consultation will seek views on the possible introduction of regulations through new secondary legislation, as well as views on alternative options to regulations. We anticipate this will launch by autumn 2023.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on the Bill in the Knesset to amend the Prisons Ordinance (Revoking Eligibility for Funding Healthcare Services to Improve Quality of Life for Security Prisoners); and whether he has made representations to those counterparts on the need to ensure that prisoners receive medical care equal to that available to the general public.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. We recognise that under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent of the means available to it. The UK Government welcomes any effort to cooperate between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, including in the healthcare sector. The wounded and ill in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether officials in his Department have had discussion with their Israeli counterparts on (a) releasing Walid Al Daqqa and (b) whether Walid Al Daqqa's medical needs are being met in the IPS medical centre.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israel must abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. We recognise that under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent of the means available to it. The wounded and ill in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer 162222 of 14 March 2023, on Veterans: LGBT+ People, if he will take steps to publish the Government's response to the independent review into LGBT veterans in a timely way manner once that review is published.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is committed to understanding, acknowledging and where appropriate addressing the effect that the pre-2000 ban on homosexuality in the UK Armed Forces has had on veterans. In line with the terms of the Independent Review, we will carefully consider the findings and then publish the report and the Government’s response in due course.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason great aunts and great uncles may not claim Specified Adult Childcare Credits; and if he will publish his Department’s rationale for the eligibility criteria for those Credits.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Prior to the introduction of SACC in 2011, a consultation was undertaken (15/10/2010 to 26/11/2010) seeking views. The Government response to the consultation, including the original consultation itself, can be found by visiting www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-insurance-credits-changes.
Specified Adult Childcare Credits (SACC) were introduced to recognise the contribution that family members make by providing childcare and enabling the primary carer to work. The policy intention was to make as many family members as possible eligible to claim SACC whilst being consistent that the child and adult be related by blood or parental relationship.
While understanding that caring relationships vary widely between families, the position taken with the definition of a “family member” is consistent across several pieces of legislation. Great Aunts and Uncles do not fall under this definition.