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1228791

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Health Professions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to extend the health and care visa to include all jobs requiring a HCPC registered physiotherapist.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p><em>The published Tier 2 policy guidance sets out who is eligible for the Health and Care Visa. This includes any person in an eligible occupation, who is employed or engaged by or registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.</em></p><p><em>The Tier 2 policy guidance can be found at: </em>: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-application-for-uk-visa-as-tier-2-worker" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-application-for-uk-visa-as-tier-2-worker</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/09/2020 12:13:13 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1228792

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Health Professions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to extend the health and care visa to include roles in disability charities and hospices that are not direct NHS sub-contractors.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p><em>The eligibility criteria for the Health and Care Visa are set out in the published Tier 2 policy guidance. This guidance can be found at: </em><a href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fpoints-based-system-tier-2&amp;data=02%7C01%7CMatthew.Dine3%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7Cf0adf811b047421c052a08d84e72426e%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637345599932505594&amp;sdata=G%2FU57s2s1Y5PZf3JPAy0v6Q91r9aJg6liM2dcZV8aaY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-tier-2</a>.</p><p><em>A number of health occupations, for example nurses, are eligible for the visa by virtue of being registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This means they will be eligible to apply, even if the organisation is not a direct NHS sub-contractor. </em></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/09/2020 12:20:38 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1228806

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Television Licences: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what additional resources the Government plans to allocate to the BBC to help the free TV licence for people aged over 75 in (a) Newport West constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The government is deeply disappointed with the BBC’s decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC.</p><p>In the 2015 funding settlement, the government agreed with the BBC that responsibility for the concession would transfer to the BBC in June 2020. This reform was subject to public discussion and debated extensively during the passage of the Digital Economy Act 2017 through Parliament. This legislation provides that the future of the concession is the responsibility of the BBC, not of the government.</p><p>The BBC must look urgently at how it can use its substantial licence fee income to support older people and deliver for UK audiences of all ages.</p><p><strong><p><p></strong></p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 08/09/2020 16:22:22 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1229133

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Maira Shahbaz
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with his Pakistani counterpart to raise concerns on the recent ruling of Lahore High Court in Pakistan in favour of a man who kidnapped at gunpoint a 14-year-old Christian girl, Maira Shahbaz, and allegedly fabricated a marriage certificate and forced her to convert to Islam.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82372
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2020 answer text <p>We are closely monitoring Maira Shahbaz's case following her reported abduction in April. We are concerned about women's and girls' rights and ongoing reports of forced marriage and forced conversion in Pakistan, including such reports of this happening to women and girls from religious minorities such as Hindus, Christians and Sikhs. The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls.</p><p>We regularly raise our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief, women and girl's rights and gender equality with the government of Pakistan at a senior level. Most recently, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon raised our human rights concerns with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 15 July.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 09/09/2020 12:44:14 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1229275

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	New Zealand: Foreign Relations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his New Zealand counterpart.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82374
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2020 answer text <p>As one of our closest international partners, the Government has frequent contact with New Zealand. The Foreign Secretary last spoke to his New Zealand counterpart on 30 April. They discussed the international response to Covid-19 and Commonwealth Engagement. The Minister for Pacific and the Environment spoke to the New Zealand Climate Change Minister on 7 May to discuss COP 26 and the recovery from Covid-19.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 18/09/2020 13:36:00 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1229302

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Mozambique: Security
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Mozambique.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82377
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>The UK is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in northern Mozambique and the increasing attacks by groups with links to Islamic extremism. We strongly condemn the targeting of civilians and the temporary seizures of the towns of Quissanga and Mocimboa da Praia by insurgent groups in March and August 2020. We are working with the Government of Mozambique to address the drivers of conflict and instability in northern Mozambique, including through engagement with the Government of Mozambique's regional development authority in Cabo Delgado and by providing targeted technical assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding.</p><p>The Southern African Development Community (SADC) plays a central role in achieving peace and stability in the Southern African region. We welcome the leadership by President Nyusi at the SADC summit on 14 August, in which SADC members discussed a shared approach to help resolve the Cabo Delgado insurgency.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 14/09/2020 11:59:59 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1229303

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Mozambique: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Mozambique.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82378
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>Mozambique is an important partner for the UK, and a valued member of the Commonwealth. We continue to work closely with the Government of Mozambique on a broad range of issues. The Foreign Secretary reiterated these messages when he spoke to President Nyusi on 11 June.</p><p>We are encouraged by recent progress in Mozambique's post-civil war peace process. This has recently successfully reintegrated former Renamo fighters into either the Mozambican military or civil society through the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process which was agreed as part of the peace deal in August 2019. The UK has contributed over £1 million to Mozambique's DDR programme.</p><p>We are watching developments in the insurgency in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province with concern and providing our support to the Government of Mozambique. The problem requires a cross Government response, including tackling the underlying issues which foster the conditions of such an insurgency. I spoke to Foreign Minister Macamo on 23 July, congratulating Mozambique's efforts to address the causes of instability through the creation of the Integrated Department for the Development of Northern Mozambique (ADIN), and to encourage a holistic approach to tackling the insurgency. I also reiterated our concern over the disappearance of Ibraimo Abu Mbaruco.</p><p>We were concerned to note the attack on the independent media offices of one of Mozambique's main independent media outlets, Canal de Moçambique, on 23 August. We are fully committed to promoting freedom of expression and freedom of the media and welcome President Nyusi's commitment that those responsible will be brought to justice. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon spoke to President Nyusi on 24 August regarding this worrying development.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 14/09/2020 12:04:31 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1229466

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on his Department's ability to meet immunisation targets.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82379
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>The impact of COVID-19 on immunisation targets has been variable. Preliminary data suggests that, whilst there was an initial decrease in the number of pre-school vaccinations delivered in primary care during the early weeks of the pandemic compared with the same period in 2019, the situation rapidly stabilised and recovered. In contrast, school-aged immunisation programmes were more impacted as a result of school closures. Providers have been working with schools to catch-up those programmes as schools have re-opened.</p><p>Due to the public health advice on social distancing and shielding, general practices were not expected to offer the opportunistic shingles vaccine to those aged 70, unless the patient was already in the general practitioner practice for another reason. Coverage among those turning 70 or 78 during quarter 4 – who were vaccinated up to the end of June 2020 - achieved lower coverage (9.3% and 10.4%, respectively) than among those who turned 70 or 78 after the same eligibility interval in previous quarters.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 82200 82323 83812 question first answered 10/11/2020 12:14:53 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1229467

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for a potential second wave of covid-19 during winter 2020-21.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2020 answer text <p>To prepare the National Health Service for winter, the Government is providing an additional £3 billion of funding. This includes funding to allow the NHS to maintain the Nightingale surge capacity and continue to use the extra hospital capacity available within the independent sector.</p><p>Effective local management of any outbreaks is the first line of protection against a second wave that might overwhelm the NHS. To support local authorities, we made £300 million available and they already have robust plans in place to respond to outbreaks.</p><p>We have also made significant strides in our Test and Trace service. We have established one of the world’s largest testing programmes, with capacity at around 350,000 tests every day and we have already traced around 250,000 people who may have unknowingly spread the virus.</p><p>NHS winter preparations include delivering a very significantly expanded seasonal flu vaccination programme for priority groups.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 82112 82201 82572 question first answered 09/09/2020 10:30:41 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1229468

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Influenza: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to maximise the take up of the influenza vaccine in 2020.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	82381
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2020 answer text <p>NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local areas to ensure that regional teams have plans in place to increase coverage of the flu vaccination this winter. In addition to developing the existing system of providing vaccinations through general practice, community pharmacies, schools, community and other National Health Service settings to reach new cohorts and increase uptake in existing cohorts; new models of delivery have been shared with regional commissioning teams to encourage innovative thinking such as mobile and mass vaccination models to allow for increases in uptake safely whilst observing social distancing and personal protective equipment requirements.</p><p>Additional flu vaccine has been purchased by the Department which will be available to providers to facilitate expansion of the programme.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 23/09/2020 13:55:43 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones