Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether Gibraltar will be included in a future trade agreement with India.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
In all trade deals, HM Government will be seeking trade outcomes that support British Overseas Territories’ economic interests, and which reflect their unique characteristics.
Trade and investment between the United Kingdom and India was worth £48 billion in 2019 and we are developing an even more ambitious relationship. We have committed to an Enhanced Trade Partnership with India, through which both sides are working to bring down trade barriers, open up opportunities for trade and investment, and chart the roadmap towards a potential Free Trade Agreement.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any agreement on the future relationship between the UK and the EU will include Gibraltar.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK continues to negotiate for the whole UK family, which includes Gibraltar. We remain fully committed to finding a solution that supports Gibraltar, its people and its economy.
The UK and the Government of Gibraltar have held a number of constructive discussions with Spain on this issue. It is clearly in all parties' interests to find a solution, to ensure ongoing well-being and prosperity in the region.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress she has made in ensuring that Gibraltar is subject to the same arrangements as the UK in future trade deals.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government is seeking trade outcomes that support all Overseas Territories' economic interests, and which reflect their unique characteristics.
Of course, our Overseas Territories have varied interests and may not always want to take on the obligations of an entire free trade agreement.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance he has issued to schools in the event that a single child in a year group tests positive for covid-19.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The actions that schools should take in the event that a child tests positive for COVID-19 are outlined within the GOV.UK guidance for full opening and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#section-1-public-health-advice-to-minimise-coronavirus-covid-19-risks.
This guidance states that schools must take swift action when they become aware that someone who has attended has tested positive for COVID-19, and contact their local health protection team. This team will also contact schools directly if they become aware that someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 attended the school.
The health protection team will carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period that they were infectious. They will work with schools in this situation to guide them through the actions they need to take. Based on the advice from the health protection team, schools must send home those people who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 14 days since they were last in close contact.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to co-ordinate a cross-Departmental response to a potential increase in the prevalence in covid-19 in winter 2020-21.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The actions of the Government and people across the UK have reduced the transmission of the virus significantly from its peak in the spring, but the coming winter presents further challenges.
Our collective understanding of the virus, and how it spreads, has vastly improved since the initial wave of infections. In the coming months, we will continue to assess what the UK can learn from other nations, and carry out a series of exercises to test the Government’s winter plans, and to ensure effective coordination between departments and with the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of health passports as part of its covid-19 recovery strategy.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We first need to improve our understanding of the science around immunity in order to fully understand the potential of certification in the next phase of our response to this pandemic.
In order to gain answers to critical questions, the United Kingdom Government is conducting some of the biggest seroprevalence surveys in the world. This includes using lab-based tests to monitor the number of people that are presenting an antibody response and how this response changes over time. The UK Government is also closely monitoring the results from clinical trials of candidate COVID-19 vaccines to determine their efficacy and the immune response they generate.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of introducing health passports as part of its (a) economic recovery strategy and (b) pre-second covid-19 wave contingency planning.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We first need to improve our understanding of the science around immunity in order to fully understand the potential of certification to facilitate a return to the ‘new normal’ and as part of pre-second COVID-19 wave contingency planning.
In order to gain answers to critical questions, the United Kingdom Government is conducting some of the biggest seroprevalence surveys in the world. This includes using lab-based tests to monitor the number of people that are presenting an antibody response and how this response changes over time. The UK Government is also closely monitoring the results from clinical trials of candidate COVID-19 vaccines to determine their efficacy and the immune response they generate.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of introducing a documented immunity and vaccination status for covid-19 via a health passport on (a) the operation of the Government's air-bridge system and (b) the UK's economic resilience and efficiency as it recovers from the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We first need to improve our understanding of the science around immunity in order to fully understand the potential of certification to facilitate a return to the ‘new normal’ – including to enable increased travel without the need to quarantine and increased economic activity.
In order to gain answers to critical questions, such as those relating to immunity to COVID-19 following infection with the virus, the United Kingdom Government is conducting some of the biggest seroprevalence surveys in the world. This includes using lab-based tests to monitor the number of people that are presenting an antibody response and how this response changes over time. The UK Government is also closely monitoring the results from clinical trials of candidate COVID-19 vaccines to determine their efficacy and the immune response they generate.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help resolve the political situation in Cameroon.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon. As the UK highlighted at a United Nations Security Council briefing on Central Africa, on 12 June, high levels of violence are having tragic consequences on civilians. On 19 May I spoke to the Prime Minister of Cameroon and discussed the need for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
The British High Commissioner to Cameroon regularly engages in discussions with the Government of Cameroon, on a range of issues, including the situation in the North-West and South-West regions. The UK welcomes the UN Secretary-General's call on armed actors to refrain from attacks against civilians in Cameroon. We continue to call for restraint, an end to the violence and unhindered humanitarian access to the affected population.
Further, inclusive dialogue remains vital to ensure a just, peaceful and durable resolution to the crisis, which meets the reasonable demands of the moderate majority. The UK has shared experiences on conflict resolution with the Government of Cameroon and we will continue to work with international partners to support the restoration of peace in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Independent - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2020 to Question 6631, for what reasons his Department does not extract DNA from the remains of unidentified British soldiers found on former battlefields.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does extract DNA from the remains of some unidentified British soldiers found on former battlefields. Due to the cost of DNA extraction and processing, MOD only recover DNA from historic casualties where it has been possible to draw up a list of potential candidates from other evidence, such as artefacts found with the remains, and analysis of casualty and unit records. The list of potential candidates makes it feasible to carry out the subsequent genealogical research to identify possible next of kin. Only where that subsequent research reveals a potential donor with whom to compare the recovered sample, is DNA used as part of the identity confirmation process.