Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to encourage the African Union’s Expanded Mechanism for the Resolution of the Sudan Conflict to take into account the views of (a) Sudanese civil society and (b) the Sudanese diaspora in the UK.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working with regional and international partners to end the hostilities in Sudan. We continue to push for urgently needed humanitarian access, particularly in Khartoum and Darfur, and to secure a viable peace process. This includes support for the emergence of an all-inclusive civilian and political platform. We support the African Union's role in pushing for a resolution of the conflict in Sudan, including the establishment of an 'Expanded Mechanism' aimed at coordinating the process. It is essential that Sudan's civilians, civil society, women, youth, and Resistance Committees, are all represented in negotiations about their country's future. This is a message that we have highlighted with our Sudanese and international partners. We will continue to stress the need for the people of Sudan, rather than its soldiers, to play the leading role in their country's future, including at any upcoming meetings of the AU-convened 'Core Group' of which the UK is a member.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) his Department and (b) the Commonwealth of Nations mediating in the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is playing a significant role in diplomatic efforts for peace in Sudan. We are working with a range of partners, including counterparts from Quad (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK, US), African and European countries, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU) and the UN, to get the warring parties back to the negotiating table and end hostilities in Sudan. The UK continues to advocate for a return to a civilian-led government and the need for a coordinated and urgent response to resolve the crisis in Sudan, which the international community can get behind. It is essential that Sudan's civilians - civil society, women, youth, Resistance Committees - are represented in negotiations about their country's future, and their voices listened to.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to respond to the report of the APPG on Youth Affairs entitled Empowering Youth for the Future of Work, published July 2023.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is aware of the APPG on Youth Affairs Report, Empowering Youth for the Future of Work. Much of the report covers important matters that match our aims and policies, such as ensuring education and training meet future skills needs, giving young people the opportunities to thrive, the value of work experience and careers advice, and the importance of apprenticeships.
The government is committed to creating a world-leading skills system that is employer-focused, high-quality and fit for the future. Departmental reforms are strengthening higher and further education to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives, and to improve national productivity and economic growth. The reforms are backed with an additional investment of £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament to strengthen higher and further education.
The department has invested over £7 billion during the 2022/23 academic year, to ensure there was a place in education or training for every 16- to 18-year-old who wanted one.
The 2021 Spending Review made available an extra £1.6 billion in 2024/25 for 16-19 education compared with the 2021/22 financial year, which is the biggest increase in a decade.
In January 2023 the department announced a further £125 million funding available in 2023/24. In July further announcements were made of investments of £185 million in 2023/24 and £285 million in 2024/25 to help 16-19 providers address key priorities.
The department is investing over £90 million in the financial year 2023/24 to help young people and adults to get high-quality careers provision. The department is supporting schools and colleges, through the Careers & Enterprise Company, to make sustained progress in developing their careers programmes, in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks, which set out what good careers advice looks like. The department has strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have access to independent careers guidance and at least six encounters with providers of technical education or apprenticeships. Currently about two thirds (65%) of year 13 students have experiences of the workplace.
The department wants to support more young people to start and achieve apprenticeships that offer good earnings potential and career progression and funding for apprenticeships will be £2.7 billion by 2024/25. The department is also paying employers and providers £1,000 when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 and covering 100 per cent of the training cost for smaller employers when they take on these younger apprentices.
T Levels will also equip more young people with the skills, knowledge and experience to access skilled employment or further study. They represent a real shift in the quality of technical education and the department has invested significantly to support providers in their implementation. From September 2023 18 T Levels will be available, being delivered through nearly 300 providers across all regions of the country.
In 2021/2022 the department engaged closely with the Education Select Committee on Youth Unemployment which covered similar matters to the APPG report, providing evidence and a government response, which can be found at https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/506/youth-unemployment-committee/publications/.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the United Nations publication entitled World Population Ageing, published 2017, if he will raise the topic of healthcare planning for an aging population at the United Nations high-level meeting on universal health coverage.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As set out in FCDO's Health Systems Strengthening Position Paper, health systems will need to continuously adapt, including for demographic changes such as ageing populations and growing youth generations. The UK will be advocating for renewed commitment to universal health coverage at the High-Level Meeting, including through scaling up investment of primary health care, stepping up efforts to address financial hardship from accessing healthcare, and addressing the global shortage of health workers, all of which will help to meet the needs of ageing populations.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Hiroshima Accord signed by the British and Japanese Prime Ministers on 18 May 2023, what progress he has made on revitalising people-to-people exchanges between the UK and Japan through (a) those in education through study abroad, (b) the youth mobility scheme and (c) other areas.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 21 June the Foreign Secretary met Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. The Foreign Secretary and Minister Hayashi confirmed our joint desire to continue strengthening UK-Japan bilateral relations, building on the landmark Hiroshima Accord signed by our respective Prime Ministers on 18 May. People-to-people exchanges between the UK and Japan, including in education and youth mobility schemes, are a key part of the Accord agenda. Consultations with the Japanese government in this regard are ongoing.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the joint declaration of the Fourth session of the Moroccan-UK Strategic Dialogue and second session of the Association Council of the UK-Morocco Association Agreement, signed on 9 May 2023 by the Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United Nations and the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Co-operation and Moroccan Expatriates, what progress he has made on capitalising on the growing enthusiasm and interest in studying in the UK and the promotion of the English language among Moroccan youth.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and Morocco cooperate closely on education. This includes work to increase English language proficiency among middle school students. The number of British Accredited Schools and international schools adopting a British curriculum has grown significantly over the last two years. The UK and Morocco work closely through the Higher Education Commission. The fifth meeting took place in May, co-chaired by the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and Abdellatif Miraoui, Moroccan Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, and at which a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to increase English language assessments in Moroccan public universities.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Joint statement on foreign, security, defence, development and bilateral cooperation between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Denmark, signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs on 20 June 2023, what progress he has made on enhancing (a) youth mobility and (b) cultural exchange between the UK and Denmark.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As close neighbours and allies, the UK and Denmark enjoy strong people to people links. On 20 June, the Foreign Secretary signed a Joint Statement with Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen that will deepen these ties and we are continuing to explore opportunities to strengthen mobility and cultural exchange with our Danish counterparts.
The UK remains open to negotiating Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with international partners, including EU Member States. Given these are bilateral agreements, further details of additional YMS agreements will be announced as and when they are concluded.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Co-operation between the Prime Minister and the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, signed on 27 April 2023, what progress he has made on enhancing (a) youth mobility and (b) cultural exchange between the UK and Italy.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As close allies, the UK and Italy enjoy strong people to people links. On 27 April, Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Meloni signed a Memorandum of Understanding that aspires to deepen these ties and we are continuing to explore opportunities to strengthen mobility and cultural exchange with our Italian counterparts. The British Embassy in Rome works closely with the British Council in Italy to promote bilateral cultural exchange, for example through programmes with a focus on disability in the arts and a cultural workshop at the annual Pontignano forum on 14-16 September.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Ministers sit on the cross-government ministerial board for care leavers; how many times the board has met in the last 12 months; and if she will publish the board's minutes for the last 12 months.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Care Leavers Inter-Ministerial Board is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Education, and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Ministers that sit on the Board include:
The Ministerial Board has met twice in the last year. Minutes of meetings are not published.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to provide education to (a) adults, (b) young people and (c) children on the environmental effects of vaping.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are aware that the use of vaping devices has increased substantially in recent years and we are considering the implications of this trend on the environment. We are currently reviewing the responses to the Department of Health and Social Care’s recently published call for evidence on youth vaping and the environment and will use this evidence to inform what policy decisions we might take in the future to mitigate the impacts of vapes.