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Written Question
Syria: Human Rights
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

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 Syrian counterpart on ensuring that people responsible for (a) torture and (b) other human rights violations against survivors of Syria’s detention systems are (i) properly investigated and (ii) held accountable.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has long condemned the gross human rights violations committed by the Assad regime, including those in Syria's detention systems. We support the Syrian Government in establishing Syrian-led processes, such as the National Commissions on Transitional Justice and Missing Persons. We have urged the Syrian Government to engage collaboratively with civil societies and the UN to ensure these are inclusive, comprehensive and transparent. During the Foreign Secretary's meeting with President al Sharaa in Damascus on 5 July, he raised the importance of accountability and transitional justice for a sustainable political transition, and offered UK support.


Written Question
Occupied Territories: Humanitarian Aid
Tuesday 29th July 2025

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, with reference to the oral contribution of the Rt Hon Member for Aldridge-Brownhills on 2 July 2025 on West Bank: Forced Displacement, Official Report, column 770, what steps he is taking to get (a) new aid routes into the Occupied Palestinian Territories opened and (b) more aid where it is needed most.

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 12 July, where he reiterated our concerns about the situation on the ground and pressed for a return to a ceasefire. We called on Israel to open all access routes and allow fuel into Gaza at a meeting of the UN Security Council on 30 June.


Written Question
Care Homes: Complaints
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data he holds on the number of (a) referrals and (b) complaints to social care services received by councils from (i) retirement residential home and (ii) independent living providers.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold this information.

By law, all health and social care services must have a procedure for dealing efficiently with complaints, and anyone who has seen or experienced poor-quality care has the right to complain to the organisation that provided or paid for the care.

If an individual is not satisfied with the way a provider or local authority has dealt with a complaint, they may escalate it to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman who can investigate individual concerns.


Written Question
Respite Care: North Shropshire
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to respite care for unpaid carers in North Shropshire constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support they need. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.


Written Question
Mental Health Services: Standards
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people suffering a mental health crisis are able to access suitable treatment quickly.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Substantial progress has been made in building more robust crisis care pathways across all ages and in all regions, ensuring that people in a mental health crisis can receive the right care. However, the 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambitions to go further.

The plan commits to increasing capacity for urgent mental health care by developing dedicated mental health emergency departments (MHEDs), thereby ensuring patients get fast, same-day access to specialist support in an appropriate setting. We will invest up to £120 million to bring the number of MHEDs to approximately 85, meaning there will be one co-located, or very close to, 50% of existing type 1 accident and emergency units. This expansion builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis.

This is building on the £26 million in capital investment in 2025/26 to support people in a mental health crisis, including opening new mental health crisis centres across England, which aim to provide accessible and responsive care for individuals in a mental health crisis.

In addition, we are piloting six, 24 hour a day, seven day a week neighbourhood mental health centres which provide support to individuals with severe mental illness, without needing to book an appointment.

People of all ages in England experiencing a mental health crisis can speak to a trained National Health Service professional at any time, 24 hours a day, via the NHS 111 service. This service gives people the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place.


Written Question
Nigeria: Christianity
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that Fulani militants murdered Christians in Yelewata, what assessment they have made of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, and what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about protections for Christians facing violence in that country.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt and we express our sincere concern for all those impacted. The root causes of intercommunal violence are complex and often linked to land disputes, historical tensions, and criminal activity. While religion is not a causal factor in these conflicts, the impacts are felt acutely by religious communities, including hindering people's ability to practice their faith freely. The UK supports all affected communities, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and is working through programmes like SPRiNG (Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria) and the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) to promote peace, strengthen local institutions, and protect civilians. The UK remains committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), with Nigeria a priority country under the new FoRB strategy, and we will continue to raise this issue in our engagements with Nigeria.

During my visit to Nigeria from 28 to 30 May, I met ministers and officials to address insecurity and intercommunal violence, with a focus on tackling root causes. Most recently, I raised FoRB with my Nigerian counterpart during the third UK-Nigeria SDP Dialogue (15-16 July) in London.


Written Question
Palestinians: Recognition of States
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to decide when to recognise the state of Palestine.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace. We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process. UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right so that it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We are continuing to engage all partners on advancing a two-state solution and supporting the foundations of Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian statehood is the right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel. The people of the West Bank and Gaza must be given the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. That is why this Government supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. The Government agrees strongly on the importance of recognition, and that is why we will make sure the timing is right. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace.


Written Question
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on ensuring the delivery of (a) baby formula and (b) other essential humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We highlighted the critical situation for Gaza's children at a session of the UN Security Council which we co-called on 16 July, and at the International Development Committee on 16 July. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar about the humanitarian situation in Gaza on 12 July. The UK continues to demand that a full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza takes place immediately. Israel must immediately allow the UN and aid partners to safely deliver aid at scale and in line with humanitarian principles.


Written Question
Civil Service: Equality
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his oral contribution on 10 July 2025 in response to a Question from the hon. Member for Tatton, Official Report, column 1112, how much money has been saved as a result of the implementation of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure guidance, published on 14 May 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The CS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure guidance remains in place.


Written Question
Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the availability of beds at psychiatric inpatient units.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we need to focus treatment away from hospital and inpatient care and improve community and crisis services. Through our 10-Year Health Plan we will make sure more mental health care is delivered in the community, close to people’s homes, through new models of care and support, so that fewer people need to go into hospital.

NHS England has already begun piloting this innovative model of mental health care for people with serious mental health needs through six neighbourhood adult mental health centres that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and which bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.

Integrated care boards have published plans to localise inpatient care by 2026/27 under the national commissioning framework for mental health inpatient services, improving both care quality and value for money.