Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to increase the vaccination rates for whooping cough.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The whooping cough, also known as pertussis, vaccine is offered antenatally. As part of best practice, NHS England vaccinates pregnant women opportunistically during maternity appointments. Information materials are available across antenatal and primary care settings to increase vaccination rates for pertussis during pregnancy. NHS England will also implement the National Health Service vaccination strategy, building on the success of the COVID-19 vaccine programme, to find innovative ways to reach people.
A recent national marketing campaign reminded parents to check their children’s vaccination status, and stressed the importance of getting vaccinated for pregnant women, infants, and children. A second phase of the campaign is due to begin around mid-summer 2024. Whooping cough and maternal vaccine uptake awareness will be raised with clinicians and key royal colleges through targeted clinical and epidemiological updates, and supportive communications. There will also be engagement with local communities to highlight the importance of vaccination, and how to access the vaccine.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce levels of economic inactivity among women aged between 45 and 60 in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Jobcentre teams are supporting customers into work and helping those in work to progress to higher paid jobs. We are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, recruitment days, Job Fairs, wellbeing events and work trials, all of which can help support women across Wales to return to work.
Eligible older jobseekers on Universal Credit benefit from additional time with their Work Coach and the delivery of Mid Life MOTs in Jobcentres which support people to review their health, wealth and skills, with sessions delivered in Newport Jobcentre and across Wales. DWP also offers the digital MOT which is available online to help anyone who needs help to assess their finances, skills and work.
In addition, Newport Jobcentre offers bespoke support for over 50s including Job Clubs in collaboration with C4W+, offering 4-weeks of employability skills support, events with Springboard Charity focused on the hospitality sector, providing training, qualifications and work placements, and events with 1st Impressions, a charity that supplies clothing to women attending interviews or starting work.
Further planned support in Newport includes a Digital Skills course and wellbeing hubs as part of our 50Plus offer, myth busting sessions with Admiral Insurance and coaching support from Business in the Community. Activity across Wales includes a six week back to work programme for over 50s in Llandudno, and sessions delivered by local provider, Groundworks, to support customers in Shotton, both of which were well attended by local women.
We also work with businesses and the Government's Menopause Employment Champion to drive awareness of issues surrounding the menopause and work; encouraging employers to develop policies that create a more supportive environment to help women return to, stay in and progress in work. As part of the 50plus choices offer, 50plus Champions have delivered presentations to Jobcentre teams in Newport and across Wales on the menopause and the support available.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 8 October 2018 to Question 176667 on Uganda: Military Aid, what military support the UK provided to Uganda between 2020 and 2024.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK provides military support to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to help build its capabilities to contribute to regional security. From 2020 to 2024 we have supported Uganda’s deployment to the Africa Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and its successor mission the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). This assistance includes pre-deployment training and capacity-building that covers engineering, stabilisation operations, intelligence and operational planning courses. In addition, the UK trains UPDF Marines and contingents of the Uganda Police Force deploying to ATMIS. We have also supported anti-poaching by training Ugandan wildlife rangers. All UK support is delivered through a combination of UK military training teams, professional military education courses delivered in the UK and overseas, and through the British Peace Support Team (Africa). All our training assistance includes International Humanitarian Law, Law of Armed Conflict, and Women, Peace and Security.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what funding his Department provided for (a) core, (b) non-core and (c) other funding for (i) the UN Population Fund, (ii) the World Health Organisation, (iii) the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, (iv) the Joint UN Programme on HIV and AIDS, (v) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, (vi) Women and Children First UK, (vii) the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and (viii) the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in (A) 2021, (B) 2022 and (C) 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The table below details the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's contributions to (i) the UN Population Fund, (ii) the World Health Organisation, (iii) the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, (iv) the Joint UN Programme on HIV and AIDS, (v) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, , (vi) the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and (vii) the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in (A) 2021, (B) 2022. Official figures for spend in 2023 have not yet been published.
Funding for 'Women and Children First' ceased in 2016.
Type | 2021 | 2022 | |
UN Population Fund | Core | 8,000,000 | 8,000,000 |
Non-core | 57,320,000 | 97,510,000 | |
Other | 0 | 0 | |
The World Health Organisation | Core | 97,600,000 | 97,750,000 |
Non-core | 35,530,000 | 43,650,000 | |
Other | 0 | 0 | |
The UN International Children's Emergency Fund | Core | 24,000,000 | 8,000,000 |
Non-core | 201,540,000 | 202,170,000 | |
Other | 0 | 0 | |
The Joint UN Programme on HIV and AIDS | Core | 2,500,000 | 8,000,000 |
Non-core | 0 | 0 | |
Other | 0 | 0 | |
The International Planned Parenthood Federation | Core | 0 | 0 |
Non-core | 42,530,000 | 22,230,000 | |
Other | 0 | 0 | |
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria | Core | 380,000,000 | 434,000,000 |
Non-core | 0 | 0 | |
Other | 0 | 0 | |
The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women | Core | 5,750,000 | 0 |
Non-core | 3,430,000 | 4,700,000 | |
Other | 0 | 0 |
Note:
The 2021 and 2022 figures are drawn from FCDO's Statistics on International Development (SID) reports. 2023 SID figures will be released in Autumn 2024.
The UK's membership fee (Assessed contributions) for WHO is paid by Department for Health and Social care.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that overseas development aid to (a) Sudan, (b) Ethiopia and (c) other East African countries reaches (i) local and (ii) national non-governmental (A) youth, (B) women-led and (C) faith-based organisations.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Local and national organisations - including youth, women-led and faith-based organisations - play a vital role in delivering UK-funded development work across East Africa, where the UK plans to invest almost £750 million in ODA in 2024/25. In Sudan, we are providing technical assistance to the UN to develop a strategy for partnering with local organisations and using our seat on the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) advisory board to encourage a greater portion of assistance to be channelled to local, community-led organisations. The recent International Development White Paper is also clear on this priority and commits the UK to publish a strategy on partnering with national relief actors.
Asked by: Thérèse Coffey (Conservative - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Suffolk.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government provides extensive business support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with over 40 offers of support available to all business including those in Suffolk.
Businesses in Suffolk can access support through GOV.UK, the Business Support Service and network of Growth Hubs. Government-backed financial support is available from the British Business Bank, including the Growth Guarantee Scheme, which has been extended until the end of March 2026.
The Government set out policy actions in the Prompt Payment and Cash Flow which was published alongside the Autumn Statement in November 2023. These actions include extending Payment Performance Reporting Regulations with legislation being passed earlier this month, ensuring that large businesses are required to report their payment performance.
The Start Up Loans Company provides loans and pre- and post-loan business support and mentoring to new entrepreneurs. Since the programme started in 2012, 917 loans have been awarded to start ups in Suffolk totalling over £9 million.
The Government’s recently launched initiatives supporting business:
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index which indicated that British women are sadder and more stressed than their European counterparts, what steps they are taking to improve women's health and wellbeing.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out the Government’s plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system engages and listens to all women.
Achievements since the launch of the strategy include: appointing the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England; investing £25 million of funding into the expansion of women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to services and to create efficiencies for the National Health Service; reducing the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through the launch of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate; and creating a women’s health area on the NHS website, to bring together women’s health content and create a first port of call for women seeking information.
We are focused on delivering our priorities for 2024, which include improving care for menstrual problems, including endometriosis, and maternity care, expanding women’s health hubs, tackling disparities and supporting the most vulnerable groups, and boosting research. Recent progress includes launching baby loss certificates to support patients who have experienced a loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks, continuing to roll out women’s health hubs across the country, and running a national media campaign on periods and menopause to encourage women to contact their general practice, if symptoms are affecting their life.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to support women to stay in employment when managing menopausal symptoms.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In March 2023, the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression announced the appointment of Helen Tomlinson, as the Government's first Menopause Employment Champion. Helen Tomlinson is driving awareness of issues surrounding the menopause and work; encouraging employers to develop policies that create a more supportive environment to help women stay in work and progress.
On International Women’s Day 2024, Helen Tomlinson published her 12-month report – “Shattering the Silence about Menopause” providing an update on progress and reflecting on her first year in the role.
The Government also recently launched the Menopause Resources Hub on the Help to Grow portal. This guidance provides businesses, large and small, with the resources they need to help educate their organisation and workers about the menopause.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) women and (b) children killed in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The situation in Gaza is desperate and too many civilians have been killed, including women and children. The fastest way to end the conflict is to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting in Gaza. We must then work with our international partners to turn that pause into a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.
Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to publish her response to her Department's call for evidence on Variations in sex characteristics, which closed on 28 March 2019.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
It is important to understand the experiences of people living with VSC, as well as the impacts on their family and support networks. In order to understand these experiences, it is vital that research and first hand testimony be conducted and made widely available.
That is why the Government is currently monitoring and considering evidence and research specific to people living with VSC, including the evidence provided through the call for evidence. We hope to be in a position to publish the findings of the review in due course.