Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department has used to determine the distribution of funds for the Chagossian Support Package projects.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Chagossian Support Package funds projects that address the most pressing needs of Chagossians wherever they live. The government will consider proposals from any organisations interested in delivering projects for the benefit of Chagossians.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had recent discussions with members of the Chagossian community.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly engage with different Chagossian groups on a range of issues.
The Government held an engagement event with Chagossian groups in February 2023 and plans to hold further events in the future.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protection for disabled people when (a) applying for work and (b) having their employment terminated.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There is long-standing legal protection for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). The Act makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a disabled job applicant or employee because of their disability, provided the Act’s definition of disability is met.
Specifically, the Act requires employers to make reasonable adjustments in relation to the disabled job applicant’s assessment and interview process and, once employed, the disabled employee’s job and decisions made in relation to it. These adjustments ensure that disabled applicants or employees are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled colleagues. The failure of an employer to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee or job seeker, or discounting a job application simply because the applicant is disabled could amount to direct disability discrimination under the Act. Similarly, where an employer is looking to reduce their staff, choosing someone for redundancy simply because they are disabled, may amount to unlawful discrimination.
However, the Act also recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled employees and the circumstances of their employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will therefore vary from one employer to another because of factors such as the practicality of making the adjustment, the cost of the adjustment to the employer and the resources available to different employers. In the event of a claim of alleged disability discrimination, it will ultimately be for the courts to decide on a case-by-case basis, what reasonable adjustments should be made for a particular disabled service-user, taking into account all relevant circumstances of the case.
In terms of employment law, should a person be unfairly dismissed because they have a disability, they can seek redress under the Act for being discriminated against by their employer. Where an employer treats a worker with a disability or life-limiting illness so badly that the worker is forced to resign from their job, the constructive dismissal provisions in employment law may apply.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the extension of free childcare will not commence until 2024.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The government announced in the Spring Budget 2023 that there will be a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England.
Currently, eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks a year. From April 2024, working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks a year. From September 2024, this will be extended to parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds, and from September 2025, working parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds will be able to access 30 free hours per week, over 38 weeks a year.
This is a large expansion in the 30 hours offer and will take some time to implement and rollout. The department wants to make sure that taxpayers’ money is used efficiently, and the new offer is delivered in the best way. The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity, and we are working closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms.
The department has already spent more than £20 billion over the past five years to support families with the cost of childcare. In the last decade, we have doubled the free childcare entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds to 30 hours and introduced 15 free hours a week for disadvantaged 2-year-olds.
The reforms announced build on our current early education entitlements which continue to support parents, including a universal 15-hour offer for all 3 and 4-year-olds, the 15-hour offer for the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds, and the existing 30 hours offer, as well as Tax Free Childcare and Universal Childcare.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce cannabis treatment on the NHS for people with Dravet Syndrome.
Answered by Will Quince
The licensed cannabis-based medicine Epidyolex is prescribed and routinely funded by the National Health Service for people with Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex. This follows approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Environment Agency on raw sewage discharges on the Kent coast.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I meet regularly with the Environment Agency (EA) to discuss the unacceptable volume of sewage discharged by water companies. They will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, they will not hesitate to hold companies to account.
I understand the Environment Agency’s Kent Area Director is due to meet with you in May where this matter can be discussed further.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what his timetable is for the UK's association with the Horizon scheme.
Answered by George Freeman
The UK welcomes the EU’s recent willingness to engage in discussions on UK association to EU programmes. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State travelled to Brussels on 4 April for an introductory meeting with R&I Commissioner Mariya Gabriel to discuss research collaboration including the UK’s expectations around association to Horizon Europe. The visit in Brussels follows engagement between the UK and the EU Ambassador on 14 March. The UK wants to engage constructively with the EU regarding Horizon Europe association. Discussions will need to reflect the lasting impact of 2 years delay to the UK’s association.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the validity of veterans' ID cards as a form of identification in the May local elections.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Currently, Veterans’ Recognition Cards are not on the list of approved photographic ID for use in polling stations. This list is set in secondary legislation and further legislation would be required to add the Veterans’ Recognition Cards. A comprehensive list of the accepted forms of identification is available at the following link: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id.
Consideration will be given in the future to including the Veteran’s Recognition Card on the list of approved ID for use in polling stations, once the rollout of cards to pre-2018 veterans is complete. However, in the meantime, there is a wide range of different types of ID on the list, so a lack of Recognition Card should not act as a barrier to veterans being able to vote.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the uptake of veteran's ID Cards.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Veterans’ Recognition Scheme has a two-phase rollout. Phase one is complete; with all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receiving a recognition card from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of their discharge process. As of January 2023, there have been over 62,100 HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Recognition Cards issued as part of phase one
Phase two aims to extend access to the recognition card scheme to those veterans who left service before December 2018, including those residing in Canterbury. The MOD is currently developing the verification system required to enable the delivery of Phase two and is working closely with veterans and other stakeholders to make sure that the system works, before introduction into live service. We will be engaging with veterans over the coming months to participate in this testing phase. Veterans will be able to choose whether to apply for a card, however, we know that 1.85 million people in England and Wales reported that they had previously served in the UK Armed Forces in the 2021 Census (data from Scotland is expected soon).
The Government remains committed to delivering recognition cards to existing veterans and we aim to roll this service out later in the year.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps to increase the number of veteran ID cards issued to veterans in Canterbury.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Veterans’ Recognition Scheme has a two-phase rollout. Phase one is complete; with all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receiving a recognition card from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of their discharge process. As of January 2023, there have been over 62,100 HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Recognition Cards issued as part of phase one
Phase two aims to extend access to the recognition card scheme to those veterans who left service before December 2018, including those residing in Canterbury. The MOD is currently developing the verification system required to enable the delivery of Phase two and is working closely with veterans and other stakeholders to make sure that the system works, before introduction into live service. We will be engaging with veterans over the coming months to participate in this testing phase. Veterans will be able to choose whether to apply for a card, however, we know that 1.85 million people in England and Wales reported that they had previously served in the UK Armed Forces in the 2021 Census (data from Scotland is expected soon).
The Government remains committed to delivering recognition cards to existing veterans and we aim to roll this service out later in the year.