David Mundell

As a newly formed Government we will need time to review and consider the Ombudsman’s report along with the evidence provided during the investigation.

This Government respects the work of the Ombudsman. Now the election has concluded we need to consider the views that have been expressed on all sides.

The issues outlined in the report are significant and complex, as such they require serious deliberation. Once this work has been undertaken, the Government/we will be in a position to outline its approach.

Lord Collins recently visited DRC and announced £3.1 million to UNICEF to support the local response. This will reach 4.4 million people in affected communities. The UK's £340 million core voluntary contribution to the WHO supports it to allocate resources where they are needed most, including responding to health emergencies such as mpox. We have also contributed £3 million to WHO's Regional Office for Africa for health emergency response. Alongside our financial support, the FCDO continues to monitor the situation closely, staying in regular contact with the WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The UK is second largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, providing £1.65 billion over 2021-2025. We are working closely with Gavi to enable access to mpox vaccines for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African countries at risk. The UK have committed £160 million to international partner, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). CEPI and Bavarian Nordic recently announced a clinical trial launching in late 2024 to assess vaccine effectiveness in children in Africa. Lord Collins has announced the additional £3.1 million funding to UNICEF for cholera and mpox response. This will reach 4.4 million people in affected communities.

The UK is proud to be a long-term funder of the Robert Carr Fund (RCF). Our assessments have found it to be a very effective mechanism that supports the leadership, priorities and rights of some of the most marginalised people, in order to expand their access to the HIV, SRHR and health services they need.

Robert Carr is the world's leading international fund focused on funding global and regional networks led by, involving, and serving people who face a higher HIV risk than the general population, systematic human rights violations and barriers to information and HIV and SRH services.

As a new Government, we are commissioning a review into the circumstances where those who are living with HIV are not permitted to fulfil some roles within the Armed Forces.

After recent changes there are only a very small number of roles where those living with HIV are currently excluded from serving, including aircrew and pilots. We note changes made to rules around civil aviation in respect of people living with HIV and I have asked the Department to consider whether the current policy measures, especially given advances in PREP, are consistent with the values and standards of our Armed Forces.

I have asked for this review to be delivered swiftly. I would be happy to meet the righ hon. Member and cross-party colleagues to discuss this matter further with a view to a decision being taken by the Ministers in the coming weeks.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 1308 on 26 July 2024.

The park homes sector is an important part of the housing market. We recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. We will set out the Government’s position on this matter in due course.

The Electoral Commission will publish a report on the administration of the General Election held on 4 July later this year, and the Government will give careful consideration to any findings or recommendations made in the report in relation to the current arrangements for postal voting.