Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including (a) Nalmefene and (b) Naltrexone as part of an alcohol harm reduction strategy.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends nalmefene as an option for reducing alcohol consumption for people with alcohol dependence who have a high drinking risk level, without physical withdrawal symptoms and who do not require immediate detoxification. NICE also recommends oral naltrexone for harmful drinkers and people with mild dependence who have not responded to psychological interventions alone, and for people with moderate and severe dependence, following successful withdrawal. NICE recommends that these medications should only be prescribed along with psychosocial intervention.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is developing United Kingdom guidelines for the clinical management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence, which will include guidance on prescribing nalmefene and naltrexone. Publication of these guidelines is expected later this year.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to increase Romani representation in public life.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
It is important that all members of a local community are able to able to access opportunities to participate in public life. Our Levelling Up White Paper outlined plans to remove barriers to community organisation and neighbourhood governance, supporting community leadership to take root and thrive. This includes launching a review of neighbourhood governance in England, looking at how to make it easier for local people and community groups to come together, set local priorities and shape the future of their neighbourhoods. The review will consider how people of all backgrounds can participate in neighbourhood governance.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle discrimination against Romani people.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Equality Act 2010 provides protection against discrimination for people because of various characteristics, including race, which covers colour, nationality, and ethnic and national origins. The Roma community is considered to be an ethnic group for the purposes of legislation.
The Government sponsors the Equality Advisory & Support Service (EASS), which is a free helpline offering advice and support to anyone in England, Scotland, and Wales who feels that they have suffered discrimination or had their human rights infringed. One of the stakeholder organisations that the EASS regularly deals with is Friends, Families and Travellers which works on behalf of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that Roma refugees from Ukraine are (a) able to reach the UK and (b) treated fairly in the visa application process.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Ukraine Family Scheme allows applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK.
The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
As part of the Home Office’s commitment to make it easier for applicants to apply to our schemes, Ukrainians with valid passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK. This revision to the process can mean applicants who submitted their applications at the same time, but via different biometric routes, may not receive their visas at the same time.
Each case is treated fairly and judged on merit, taking into account the individual circumstances of the case.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on safeguarding human rights for Romani people in EU countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We remain resolute in our commitment to combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The UK Government is fully committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all individuals, everywhere, including members of Roma communities in Europe. We believe the best way to promote human rights is to encourage states to uphold their human rights obligations. Bilaterally, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps is his Department taking to support the Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to assess the best options for supporting its decarbonisation commitments, including international projects.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the Kingdom of Morocco in developing a vaccine manufacturing facility.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Through the (£100 million ODA-funded) continental Manufacturing Africa programme, the FCDO provided technical support to develop business cases for Morocco's vaccine production initiative that not only serves Morocco (reportedly 3 million doses thus far) but plans to become a manufacturing hub for Africa. The initiative was publicly launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the Summer of 2021. Further support is channelled through the FCDO's contribution to Africa CDC's new "Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing" initiative. We are exploring work to strengthen Morocco's National Regulatory Authorities, including by mobilising the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for peer learning. The Government has brokered conversations with UK and international pharmaceutical companies, which Moroccan counterparts are following up with. Encouraged by support to date, Morocco has invited the UK to formally set up a bilateral vaccine manufacturing taskforce to explore development and commercial investment and partnership opportunities further.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is British International Investment taking to support finance development projects promoting women's empowerment in the Kingdom of Morocco.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
British International Investment (BII) is a leader in gender-lens investing, a strategy that incorporates gender-based factors into the investment process to advance gender equality and better inform investment decisions.
Over the past four years BII has worked with other development finance institutions to mobilise over $11.4 billion to enhance women's opportunities including women's employment, as well as women-led and owned businesses. Supporting women's economic empowerment is a key part of BII's next five year investment strategy (2022-2026). BII will look to make investments that support this criteria in all the countries it invests in, including Morocco.
In Morocco, BII is actively supporting its largest investment, BMCE Bank of Africa, through a dedicated Gender Action Plan. This includes supporting the bank to strengthen gender diversity in the workforce and training in banking strategies that are targeted at women and their empowerment.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to reach an agreement on investment with the Kingdom of Morocco.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Bilateral trade between the United Kingdom and Morocco was worth £1.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2021, up £124 million on the same period the previous year. Our trade relationship is underpinned by the United Kingdom-Morocco Association Agreement. The Association Council met in December 2021 to discuss commercial opportunities and to establish a new trade sub-committee, tasked with identifying opportunities to enhance trade and investment and to address market access barriers.
The United Kingdom already has a Bilateral Investment Treaty with Morocco, which came into force in 2002. The Association Agreement, which came into effect on 1st January 2021, contains provisions on investment too.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she has taken to increase trade with the Kingdom of Morocco this year.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Bilateral trade between the United Kingdom and Morocco was worth £1.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2021, up £124 million on the same period the previous year. Our trade relationship is underpinned by the United Kingdom-Morocco Association Agreement. The Association Council met in December 2021 to discuss commercial opportunities and to establish a new trade sub-committee, tasked with identifying opportunities to enhance trade and investment and to address market access barriers.
The United Kingdom already has a Bilateral Investment Treaty with Morocco, which came into force in 2002. The Association Agreement, which came into effect on 1st January 2021, contains provisions on investment too.