Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Automated External Defibrillator Fund will be made available in (a) Aldridge-Brownhills constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently in the pre-procurement stage in its process of determining a selected partner for the Automated External Defibrillator Fund. A typical procurement that is compliant with the Public Contract Regulations 2015 can take between three and six months depending on the procurement route chosen.
The Department will publish in due course an invitation to bid for the fund through GOV.UK. The invitation will be open to all interested organisations including any in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 177803, on Road Traffic Offences: Accidents, when he expects his Department to commence its call for evidence into road traffic offences.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As noted in the previous answer, we are considering the publication of a Call for Evidence on motoring offences, which we expect to reflect many of the issues that have been brought to our attention and to be published in due course. While the precise content and timings are still to be confirmed, it is expected that it will include aspects of drink and drug driving, failure to stop and report and the opportunity to raise other matters.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to launch a consultation on statutory guidance, external speakers and resources in relationships, health and sex education classes.
Answered by Nick Gibb
On 8 March, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Department had brought forward the review of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. The review will cover the full scope of the statutory guidance, including the use of external speakers and resources, and will involve working closely with stakeholders and experts to draw on the best available evidence.
On 31 March, the Department announced further details of the review, including the plan to set up an independent panel of experts to advise on what can be done to ensure that what is taught is appropriate by, for example, introducing age restrictions. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-of-relationships-sex-and-health-education-to-protect-children-to-conclude-by-end-of-year.
The Department will undertake a public consultation on the amended guidance in the autumn.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including knife crime awareness in the relationships, health and sex education curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The subjects of relationships education for primary school pupils, relationships and sex education for secondary school pupils, and health education for all pupils in state-funded schools became compulsory in state funded schools in September 2020 and can help address the underlying causes of knife and gun crime.
Whilst the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance does not mention knife crime explicitly, it does reference situations that often lead young people to carry weapons. These include criminal exploitation though involvement in gangs and county lines drugs operations, and the grooming relationships that often accompany this.
As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools will have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and backgrounds of their pupils.
Issues around knife crime can also be taught as part of a school’s wider curriculum. For example, schools can choose to include lessons on weapons awareness and gangs as part of their personal, social, health and economic education or citizenship curriculum.
The Department has recently brought forward the review of the RSHE statutory guidance. As part of this, the Department will explore whether any more content is required. The Department expects to consult on guidance in the autumn and publish revised guidance in early 2024.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of carrying out a consultation on creating an offence of failure to stop in a road traffic collision.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department is expecting to conduct a call for evidence into road traffic offences, which will provide an opportunity to consider this issue among others. This is a complex area of the law, which requires careful consideration to get it right.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme in meeting the needs of the hospice sector.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As part of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme review, the Government assessed a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence from businesses and stakeholders, including hospices, on sectors that may be most affected by rising energy prices based on energy and trade intensity. The Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) will run from April until March 2024, and will continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including hospices.
The Government recognises the vital role that charities and the voluntary sector, including hospices play in our communities. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Spring Budget additional funding of over £100m for charities and community organisations who are impacted by high energy costs.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Leader of the House on scheduling Parliamentary time for the report stage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Leader of the House about our legislative programme and other matters. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill contains a number of manifesto commitments, including a ban on live exports and curbs on puppy smuggling, which we are committed to progressing when Parliamentary time allows. The Leader of the House will continue to announce business in the usual way.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had discussions with his international counterparts on steps that could be taken within judicial systems to help support child victims of the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 20 March, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice, co-hosted a Justice Ministers’ Conference with the Netherlands bringing together 42 countries and institutions from across the globe. Support for victims and witnesses of war crimes in Ukraine, including children, was a core theme of the Conference. Additional support for the International Criminal Court was collectively agreed. The UK announced £395,000 for the Office of the Prosecutor Trust Fund which will be earmarked for support for victims and witnesses. The Ministry of Justice is exploring further the provision of expertise, advice and training including specialist support for children.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take diplomatic steps to make experts available to support the collection, documentation and analysis of evidence of potential war crimes against children in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK has allocated up to £2.5 million this year to support Ukraine's domestic investigations and prosecution of international crimes, including sexual violence and crimes against children. In Ukraine, we are providing personnel from the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts to support capacity building amongst prosecutors and the police as well as support to victims, including women and children.
The £1 million additional contribution that the UK has provided to the International Criminal Court will enhance capacity on investigations into crimes of sexual and gender-based violence and crimes against children, led by the Prosecutors' special adviser on crimes against and affecting children.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that child victims are considered in efforts to bring perpetrators of alleged war crimes in Ukraine to justice.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The announcements made by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 17 represent an important step for accountability and demonstrate that the international justice system is working. The UK wants to see those responsible for the atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine, including those against children, held to account. We are supporting the ICC and Ukrainian Prosecutor General in their independent investigations into allegations of war crimes committed in Ukraine.