Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered allowing medical students in their second foundation year to apply for positions that are ring-fenced for physician associates.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No such consideration has been made. The role of physician associates (PAs) is to work with and support doctors, not to replace them. To become employed as a PA, candidates will need to have completed a recognised PA qualification.

Regulation of PAs by the General Medical Council (GMC) began at the end of 2024. To join the register, PAs must meet the GMC’s requirements and pass both parts of the Physician Associate National Examination.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) career and (b) job search support provisions available to junior doctors.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There has been no recent assessment. Under the UK Foundation Programme curriculum, foundation doctors should receive career guidance and advice from educational supervisors, along with the opportunity to explore potential careers.

A variety of other tools and support are available to support resident doctors with their career development and job searches. This includes an e-learning for healthcare course on career planning, and guidance on training pathways and career opportunities for doctors on the NHS Health Careers website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered reformulating unfilled training posts to enable them to be given to medical students in their second foundation year who have prior experience in the relevant department.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There has been no such consideration. Foundation training and medical speciality training involve different responsibilities, expectations, and levels of experience. The two-year foundation programme acts as a bridge between medical school and specialty training. The programme provides trainees with the defined practical skills, competencies, and sound knowledge of how to manage acutely ill patients that prepares them for entry into specialty training.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any UK Government-funded humanitarian aid projects in Ukraine are scheduled to conclude in 2024; and what assessment has been made of the impact of discontinuation on the Ukrainian population.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are proud of our fast, flexible, and responsive support to Ukrainians living through Russia's invasion. The UK has provided £477 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion. The Prime Minister has recently said in Parliament that we will continue to support Ukraine's humanitarian needs. Funding allocation decisions for the current financial year are ongoing, which will prioritise support for those most in need. We continue to work with Ukrainian government systems, local organisations, international partners, and non-governmental organisations to respond to those needs.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure continuity of humanitarian aid funding to Ukraine beyond the 2025-26 financial year; and whether there are any forthcoming funding cliff-edges.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As the Prime Minister has said in Parliament, we will continue to support Ukraine's humanitarian needs. Funding allocation decisions for the current financial year are ongoing, and we will prioritise support for those most in need. We continue to work with international partners and non-governmental organisations to respond to those urgent needs. The second phase of the Spending Review is currently underway and will inform spending plans for 2026/27 onwards.

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 potential impact of ODA reductions on support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine; and whether he plans to ringfence funding for such programmes in conflict zones.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains committed to ensuring justice for Ukrainian survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). We will continue to provide capacity building support to respond to CRSV through the UK Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), to help embed international guidance and best practice, including on survivor-centred approaches, into the work of Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the revised ODA budget in the 2024–25 financial year is allocated to support Ukraine; and how much was allocated in (a) 2022–23 and (b) 2023–24.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is a leading bilateral donor to Ukraine. In 2022-23, UK Official Developmental Assistance (ODA) spend for Ukraine was £210.11 million and in 2023-2024 it was £222.95 million.

The UK allocated £236.7 million of ODA financing for Ukraine in the 2024/25 financial year. The final outturn and future planned allocations will be published in the 2024-25 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Annual Report and Accounts in summer 2025 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-02-06/hcws421 5 February 2025).

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to prioritise funding within the reduced ODA budget for the reconstruction and rebuilding of (a) healthcare, (b) housing and (c) education infrastructure in Ukraine.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine is estimated to require a total cost of $524 billion over the next decade. Given the scale of the damage, the UK's aim is to use its Official Developmental Assistance resources to deliver impact directly, mobilise other financing and facilitate the UK private sector to engage in supporting the recovery process.

Through initiatives like the Foundations for Infrastructure and Recovery (FIRE) programme, we are helping the Government of Ukraine to lay the foundations for a robust approach to infrastructure identification, appraisal, project preparation, design, and delivery in support of Ukraine's reconstruction.

Through the UK-led multi-donor programme Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), we support local Ukrainian authorities with direct assistance to enable the repair of critical services in regions on the front line. In its first phase, PFRU completed 401 rapid recovery interventions to improve service delivery across eight oblasts in front line areas, enabling more than 2 million residents to regain access to priority services such as healthcare, education, power, and water supplies. Our funding remains prioritised to those in greatest need.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many ODA-funded projects currently operating in Ukraine (a) have secured funding beyond 2024–25 and (b) are at risk of early termination due to ODA budget constraints.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have reaffirmed the need to support Ukraine's needs over the long term as a priority for our future development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Developmental Assistance budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments. Funding allocation decisions for the current financial year are ongoing and will prioritise support for those most in need, including for Ukraine.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many ODA-funded projects operating in Ukraine (a) have secured funding beyond 2024–25 and (b) are at risk of early termination due to ODA budget constraints.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have reaffirmed the need to support Ukraine's needs over the long term as a priority for our future development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Developmental Assistance budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments. Funding allocation decisions for the current financial year are ongoing and will prioritise support for those most in need, including for Ukraine.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which ODA-funded programmes in countries classified as (a) non-priority, (b) high-income and (c) of no current strategic interest are due to receive funding in the 2 025-26 financial year; and whether any such programmes are planned for reduction or cessation.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We will publish the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Official Development Assistance allocations for Financial Year 2025/26 in the Annual Report & Accounts in July.

Mauritius Treaty

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell

Found: Aphra Brandreth (Con) said amendments 3 (see above) and 4 were “vital” as they would remove automatic