Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to review the financial support available to carers whose role ends due to the death of a disabled adult child; and if she will introduce (a) a bereavement payment or (b) extended support for long-term carers in such circumstances.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Entitlement to Carer's Allowance in England and Wales can continue for up to eight weeks following the death of the disabled person who was being cared for. If the carer is in receipt of Universal Credit, entitlement continues for the next two full monthly assessment periods following the assessment period in which the Disabled Person dies (a maximum of 13 weeks).
These run-on periods support carers who have recently been bereaved by giving them some time to adapt to their new circumstances.
Within DWP there are a range of employment support programmes available to people who are or have been providing care. Support offered can include access to skills provision, referral to Restart careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what permits his Department has issued to UAV Tactical Systems Ltd for the export of (a) hardware, (b) software and (c) technical support to Israel since October 2023.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
From 1 October 2023 to 31 December 2024, the latest date covered by our most official statistics release, UAV Tactical Systems LTD have been issued 3 export licences covering exports to Israel.
Each licence has been assessed to ensure that the items were not for use by the Israeli military in military operations in Gaza, pursuant to the decision on 2 September 2024 to suspend exports of equipment to Israel that might be used by the Israeli military in operations in Gaza.
Licences for military equipment which is not for use in operations in Gaza or which relate to components for products which are ultimately for re-export to other countries were not included in the scope of the suspension.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 reductions to USAID on humanitarian aid in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK notes the US' decision to disband United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and cancel certain USAID programmes. This is a matter for the US. We are currently working to assess the implications of the US funding pause across all humanitarian and development sectors, including on joint and coordinated programming. Sudan remains a priority for the UK. After the London Sudan Conference, the Foreign Secretary announced a further £120 million in funding which will target over 650,000 people. This brought the total pledged by the attendees of the conference to over £800 million in humanitarian aid, a positive step that will have important protection outcomes for civilians.