Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs will meet the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary met with Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will raise the missile attack by Iran on Iraqi Kurdistan on 15 January 2023 at the United Nations Security Council.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We stand with the Kurdistan Regional Government in condemning these attacks and will continue to support the sovereignty and security of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region. We continue to work together with international partners on this to agree the best way forward to deal with Iran's destabilising activities across the region. A decision on whether to raise this at the United Nations Security Council will be made in due course.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
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 potential merits of expanding the FibroScan rollout to community diagnostic centres in areas with high prevalence of liver disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently plans for 12 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to offer FibroScan testing, of which five are currently operational. A further seven CDCs plan to offer this service by the end of March 2024.
The CDC modality offer is based on the recommendations in the Sir Mike Richards Review, and decisions on what modalities are offered outside of the core requirements of CDCs will be based on local need and decisions. The Government is working with the National Health Service to deliver and consider the result from the pilot of the community liver health check programme, which in its first year delivered over 17,000 FibroScans to individuals at particular risk of cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis, using 40 FibroScanners, across 19 local areas.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed Alaa Abd el-Fattah when he met his Egyptian counterpart on 22 November 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian government. Most recently, the Prime Minister raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 20 October. The former Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, including on 18 September. The Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, raised the case with the Egyptian authorities on 15 November during his visit to Cairo. The Foreign Secretary's first meeting with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 22 November focused on the crisis in Israel and Gaza.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the release of Palestinians detained since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. We continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities on the troubling high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations. We welcome the release of Palestinian detainees as part of the hostage deal brokered on 22 November, a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We urge all parties to ensure the agreement is delivered in full.
The Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 23 and 24 November. During his visit to Israel, the Foreign Secretary met the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. In their meetings they discussed the importance of getting hostages and British nationals out of Gaza, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the rising violence in the West Bank, and the urgent need for a meaningful, long-term political solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with the Cabinet Office on the potential merits of amending the benefits assessment process for victims of the contaminated blood scandal.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Infected Blood Inquiry is ongoing, and it is only reasonable that the inquiry concludes and provides its final recommendations before the Government responds. The Government is undertaking the necessary work to enable a swift response to the full report, when it is published.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended to act as a contribution towards the extra costs that arise from needs related to a long-term health condition or disability. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is an income-replacement benefit for individuals who have a health condition or disability that limits their capability to work.
People whose ability to work or to live independently which has been affected as a consequence of receiving infected blood can claim, and in many cases are already claiming, these benefits. The department has talked to people affected and improved its processes to ensure these claims are dealt with quickly and accurately.
Eligibility for these benefits is not based on the diagnosis of a health condition or disability. Instead, both the Work Capability Assessment, which determines entitlement to ESA and the additional health-related amount of Universal Credit, and the PIP assessment, assess the impact of a person’s health condition or disability on doing everyday tasks to determine eligibility for the benefit. In practice, these assessments will often be a paper-based process where people are seriously ill.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress the Government has made on implementing the recommendations in the report by (a) Sir Robert Francis entitled Compensation and Redress for the Victims of Infected Blood: Recommendations for a Framework, published on 7 June 2022, and (b) the Infected Blood Inquiry entitled Second Interim Report, published on 5 April 2023; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government continues to make progress and is working to be ready to respond soon after the publication of the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, following the interim payments we have already made. On 23 October I issued a public statement on the Government’s current position in responding to the Infected Blood Inquiry. The timetable of the Inquiry is a matter for the chair. I will update the House as soon as I have further information to provide.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on implementing the recommendations of the Infected Blood Inquiry's report entitled Second Interim Report, published on 5 April 2023.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Honourable Member to my previous answer to UIN 201237 on 20th October 2023.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when a Minister last raised the case of Alaa abd el-Fattah with the Egyptian Government; and what steps his Department is taking to secure Mr el-Fattah's release.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government and have been consistently clear in our calls for his release, whilst continuing to press the need for urgent consular access.
The Foreign Secretary has raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, most recently on 18 September. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, continues to raise his case with the Egyptian Ambassador and with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to provide economic support to the Kurdistan Regional Government in the last 12 months.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a secure, stable and thriving Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage all parties to work together to resolve outstanding regional issues. The importance of our strong and strategic partnership with the KRI was further reinforced during visits by the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon in March, and Security Minister Tom Tughendhat in August this year. Through various funding mechanisms, including Official Development Assistance, and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the UK continues to support efforts to tackle underlying drivers of instability across Iraq and KRI.