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1315295

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	COP26
answering dept id	210
answering dept short name	COP26
answering dept sort name	COP26
hansard heading	UN Climate Conference 2021: Civil Society
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the President of COP26, what steps he is taking to help ensure there are opportunities for civil society to engage with the COP26.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	2365
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>Civil society, with their links to on-the-ground communities and practitioners, are key partners to achieve the goals we have set for COP26. We want to work with civil society to amplify and learn from the voices of those most affected by climate change, to inspire increased climate ambition and to deliver a truly all-of-society and inclusive COP.</p><p>This is why I have set up an International COP26 Civil Society and Youth Advisory Council so that we can hear and act on the expertise of civil society groups. I have also committed to, and have been meeting young people and civil society in every country that I visit in the run up to November. Finally, I have a dedicated civil society engagement team in the COP26 Unit to ensure civil society voices are heard at COP26. My officials run regular calls with a large network of civil society organisations to share updates on our planning for COP26.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/05/2021 10:32:36 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1315296

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Loneliness
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 steps he is taking to measure delivery of the Government's loneliness strategy.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	2366
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>In the Tackling Loneliness Strategy, published October 2018, the government committed to publishing annual progress reports to provide an update on the implementation of policies set out in the strategy.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The first annual report was published in January 2020 and the second in January 2021. The two reports set out progress to date, including action by frontline workers across the public sector to recognise and act on loneliness, the launch of the Let’s Talk Loneliness campaign, and the inclusion of standardised loneliness measures in a range of national surveys. The 2021 report also set out the government’s response to tackling loneliness during Covid-19, including investing over £34 million to charities focused on reducing loneliness in response to the pandemic.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Copies of the progress reports are available in the Libraries of the House and online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-first-year" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-first-year</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 24/05/2021 16:31:35 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1315297

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Kickstart Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the proportion of organisations offering kickstart placements that are SMEs.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	2271
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>We are unable to provide an estimate of the proportion of SME employers participating in the Kickstart Scheme. However, we know that many small businesses have applied through approved gateway organisations. In February, the department removed the 30 job minimum requirement for applications to Kickstart to make the scheme more accessible to small businesses and sole traders giving them choice to apply direct or via one of over 900 Kickstart gateways organisations.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 20/05/2021 13:12:50 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1315298

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Loneliness
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 his priorities are for delivering the loneliness strategy.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	2367
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>In the Tackling Loneliness Strategy, published October 2018, government set out three overarching goals which guide its work on loneliness: reducing stigma by building a national conversation on loneliness; driving a lasting shift so that loneliness is considered in the work of government and other organisations across society; and improving the evidence base on loneliness. Delivering progress against these three goals remains a priority, particularly as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Over the coming year, we will make progress against our three goals by: delivering communications activity to amplify loneliness messaging; supporting organisations to tackle loneliness through our Tackling Loneliness Network; and convening organisations interested in coordinating research activity so that we can fill priority gaps in our understanding of the issues surrounding loneliness.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 24/05/2021 16:32:31 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1315299

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Kickstart Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the average number of kickstart places made available by each employer participating in the scheme.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	2272
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/05/2021 answer text <p>Employers wishing to participate in the Kickstart scheme can apply direct or with the support of a Gateway organisation – a Gateway application will usually include jobs from a number of employers. As of 6<sup>th</sup> May (since the beginning of the Scheme) the average number of vacancies per approved Kickstart application is 15 for Employers, 41 for Gateways, and an average of 28 for both Employers and Gateways combined.</p><p> </p><p>*the above figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.</p><p> </p><p>The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 28/05/2021 13:54:16 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 1428 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1315300

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to universities on the provision of mental health support to students.
tabling member constituency	Kingston and Surbiton
tabling member printed	Ed Davey
uin	2180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>Student mental health and suicide prevention are key priorities for this government. We continue to work closely with the higher education (HE) sector to promote good practice. Universities are not only experts in their student population, but also best placed to identify the needs of their particular student body.</p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has overall policy responsibility for young people’s mental health. We continue to work closely with them to take steps to develop mental health and wellbeing support.</p><p> </p><p>On 27 March 2021, DHSC published the ‘COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing recovery action plan’: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-recovery-action-plan" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-recovery-action-plan</a>. It is backed by £500 million of funding, and its aims are to address waiting times for mental health services, to give more people the mental health support they need and to invest in the NHS workforce. £13 million will be used to accelerate progress to support young adults aged 18 to 25. This group includes university students and those not in education or training, who have reported worst mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 outbreak, and who sometimes currently fall between the gaps between children’s and adult services.</p><p> </p><p>While it is for HE providers to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students to offer that support, the government is proactive in promoting good practice in this area. We continue to work closely with Universities UK on embedding the Stepchange programme within the sector: <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/stepchange" target="_blank">https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/stepchange</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Stepchange calls on HE leaders to adopt mental health as a strategic priority and to take a whole-institution approach, embedding it across all policies, cultures, curricula and practice. The Stepchange programme relaunched in March 2020 as the Mentally Healthy Universities programme. The University Mental Health Charter, announced in June 2018, is backed by the government and led by the HE sector: <a href="https://www.studentminds.org.uk/charter.html" target="_blank">https://www.studentminds.org.uk/charter.html</a>. The charter, developed in collaboration with students, staff and partner organisations, aims to drive up standards of practice, including leadership, early intervention and data collection.</p><p> </p><p>Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, I have stressed the importance of protecting student and staff wellbeing. We recognise that many students are facing additional mental health challenges due to the disruption and uncertainty caused by the outbreak. I have engaged with universities on this issue and have written to Vice Chancellors on numerous occasions during the past year, most recently last month, outlining that student welfare should remain a priority. I have also convened a working group of representatives from the HE and health sectors to specifically address the current and pressing issues that students are facing during the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p> </p><p>My hon. Friend, the Minister for Children and Families and I have also convened a Mental Health in Education Action Group to drive action to mitigate the impact of the outbreak on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff in nurseries, schools, colleges and universities.</p><p> </p><p>We expect HE providers to continue to support their students, which has included making services accessible from a distance whilst restrictions have been in place. We encourage students to stay in touch with the welfare teams at their HE provider, as these services are likely to continue to be an important source of support. Many providers have bolstered their existing mental health services, and adapted delivery mechanisms including reaching out to students who may be more vulnerable. Staff at universities and colleges have been proactive in supporting their students, showing resourcefulness and there are many examples of good practice.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked with the Office for Students (OfS) to provide Student Space, a dedicated mental health and wellbeing platform for students. Student Space has been funded by up to £3 million from the OfS in the 2020/21 academic year. We have also asked the OfS to allocate £15 million towards student mental health in 2021/22 through proposed reforms to Strategic Priorities grant funding to help address the challenges to student mental health posed by the transition to university, given the increasing demand for mental health services. This will target those students in greatest need of such services, including vulnerable groups and hard to reach students.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 2181 question first answered 20/05/2021 15:57:29 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	188 label Biography information for Ed Davey

1315301

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Hospitality Industry: Recruitment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to incentivise people to return to or apply for hospitality jobs as businesses begin to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	Newton Abbot
tabling member printed	Anne Marie Morris
uin	2300
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>The Department has and continues to regularly meet with representatives from across the sector to discuss how it can recover and build back from the pandemic.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 20/05/2021 16:09:32 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4249 label Biography information for Anne Marie Morris

1315302

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Tigray: Armed Conflict
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 steps his Department is taking to monitor the withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces from Tigray.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	2232
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>We are closely monitoring the situation and are clear that the withdrawal of Eritrean forces must be swift, unconditional and verifiable. However, despite Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy's commitment that Eritrean troops would withdraw from Tigray we are yet to see any evidence that this is happening. There are numerous shocking reports of atrocities committed by Eritrean forces in Tigray, and their continued presence is fueling insecurity. These forces must leave Ethiopia immediately. We continue to press hard for this commitment to be delivered. I made this clear on my call to the Eritrean Ambassador on 16 March.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 20/05/2021 14:27:45 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1315303

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Tigray: Armed Conflict
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 assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the article entitled Tigray Is Being Deliberately Starved to Death by Alex de Waal, published in World Politics Review on 6 April 2021.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	2233
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>The UK shares the call, in the report from Alex de Waal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation, for all parties to the conflict to place the survival and welfare of the affected people above political and military goals. We also share concerns about a continued lack of information about the humanitarian situation and lack of access. The UK has been consistent in calling for the protection of civilians in Ethiopia, unfettered humanitarian access, and respect for human rights. We are deeply concerned about the impact of the conflict on food security and nutrition in Tigray, including reports of people dying from hunger.</p><p>To date the UK has provided £22 million of badly needed support to people in Tigray. UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are delivering support in challenging circumstances, including food, shelter, water and healthcare. A joint humanitarian and political team from the British Embassy in Addis Ababa visited Tigray 4-5 March, 4-7 April and the week of 19 April. They met with the provisional administration of Tigray, the Mayor of Mekelle, the Interim Head of Administration in Shire and with humanitarian agencies working in the region. They spoke directly to people displaced by violence and heard harrowing accounts of human rights violations.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 20/05/2021 14:24:14 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1315304

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Switzerland: 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, when he last held formal discussions with his Swiss counterpart.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	2383
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>Ministers regularly engage with their Swiss counterparts. The Foreign Secretary last held substantive discussions with Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in September 2020 and I last held discussions with State Secretary Livia Leu in March 2021.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 20/05/2021 07:18:33 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq