Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Khan of Burnley on 7 May (HL6892), whether the stakeholders referred to will include adherents of religions other than Islam.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Working Group includes members from a cross-section of society, who have been selected for their technical expertise, experience and ability to deliver the objectives set out in the Terms of Reference.
Alongside drawing on their own expertise, the Working Group have engaged widely to ensure their proposed definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences across the United Kingdom.
As noted in the Terms of Reference, the advice provided to the Government by the Group will be private. Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.
Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many rites of deliverances have been carried under Church of England deliverance ministry guidance in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these were children.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
This is not a matter for the National Church Institutions and no data or records on numbers or type of deliverance ministry cases are held centrally.
The House of Bishops determines Guidelines for Deliverance Ministry and oversees resources and training for this ministry, but how deliverance ministry teams operate within dioceses is the responsibility of each individual diocesan bishop.
The Church of England has published the following information on its website about best practice in this area, regarding safeguarding, which includes children, vulnerable adults or where an individual is thought to be suffering from a mental disorder.
https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/safeguarding-e-manual/safeguarding-children-young-people-and-vulnerable-adults/section-41-deliverance-ministry
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation; whether his Department plans to cooperate with this organisation; and whether it is his policy that UK humanitarian aid support for Palestine should be delivered solely by (a) the UN and (b) established humanitarian partners.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has not cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. We have been clear that we will not cooperate with any aid delivery mechanism that does not fully respect humanitarian principles. In a joint statement on 19 May with 26 partners, we highlighted our concerns that Israel's new mechanisms for aid delivery in Gaza place beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermine the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and link humanitarian aid to political and military objectives. We continue to call on Israel to enable the UN and humanitarian non-governmental organisations to do their work safely and effectively, in line with the humanitarian principles.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance (1) departments; and (2) the Equality and Human Rights Commission; have issued to (a) public sector, organisations and (b) private-sector, organisations running internships schemes which are not open to certain groups based on their protected characteristics.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) prevents employers from treating people more favourably because of a particular protected characteristic. The positive action provisions in the Act along with certain disability provisions allow some limited exceptions to this general principle of discrimination law, and employers need to understand how these exceptions work in order to use them effectively and avoid straying into unlawful positive discrimination.
In April 2023, the previous government published guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination. The guidance is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include provisions relating to human rights and the rule of law in any future free trade agreement with the Gulf states.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights, and we remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. We have a range of policy tools and levers available to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations and abuses. In the UK-GCC FTA, provisions we are seeking include those that reaffirm core ILO labour protections, and further our efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment. We raise any concerns with the GCC through Ministerial and diplomatic channels. Our strong relationships with the Gulf do not stop us from speaking frankly about human rights or other issues.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to improve education and training opportunities for disabled people with complex needs under the age of 22.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. This includes:
As announced in the spending review, we are investing over £1 billion annually in skills by 2028/29. This will support and grow the wide range of options available for everyone to succeed.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that artisanal miners are buried in mines in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo following severe flooding; and what action they are taking to mobilise international non-governmental organisations and other governments to provide equipment, medical aid and trained rescue teams.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is saddened by reports of artisanal miners trapped underground in the Lomera gold mining site. We extend our condolences to those affected and continue to monitor the situation. The UK is working to address the underlying causes of flooding and climate vulnerability in the DRC, through programmes that aim to protect standing forests and develop nature-based solutions. The UK supports the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which promotes transparency and good governance in the mining sector. We are also a member of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, which guide extractive companies in maintaining safety.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the fuel blockade on Gaza; and if he will take diplomatic steps to ensure the entry of fuel into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Not enough aid is getting in and vital services such as water supplies, ambulances and hospitals are at risk of shutting down due to fuel shortages. On 12 July, the UN stated that fuel shortages in Gaza had reached a critical level. The small amounts that have been allowed to enter in recent days are nowhere near enough. We continue to call on Israel to allow for a full and unhindered resurgence in the flow of aid into Gaza and to allow the UN and humanitarian partners to operate in line with humanitarian principles. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 July, where he reiterated our concerns about the situation on the ground and pressed for a return to a ceasefire.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation; whether his Department plans to cooperate with this organisation; and whether it is his policy that UK humanitarian aid support for Palestine should be delivered solely by (a) the UN and (b) established humanitarian partners.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has not cooperated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and we will not cooperate with any aid delivery mechanism that does not fully respect humanitarian principles.
Since its inception, we have highlighted repeatedly our concerns that Israel's new mechanisms for aid delivery in Gaza places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives. We continue to call on Israel to enable the UN and humanitarian non-governmental organisations to do their work safely and effectively, in line with the humanitarian principles.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect schools from party political interference after the minimum voting age has been lowered to 16.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Schools are subject to statutory duties regarding political impartiality under Sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996. This means schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.
In 2022, the department published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools.
The guidance is clear that all schools should take full responsibility for ensuring lessons and materials are age appropriate, suitable, and politically impartial.