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1232145

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
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	Hong Kong: Civil Liberties
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the arrest of newspaper owner Jimmy Lai and the suppression of freedom of speech and press freedoms in Hong Kong.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	905660
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The enactment and imposition by China of national security legislation for Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. It violates the high degree of autonomy of executive and legislative powers and independent judicial authority, provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>We are also deeply concerned by the arrest of Jimmy Lai, and other individuals, in Hong Kong. Freedom of the press is explicitly guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law, and supposedly protected under Article 4 of the National Security Law. The arrests are further evidence that the National Security Law is being used to silence opposition. The Hong Kong authorities must uphold the rights and freedoms provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>Following the enactment of the national security legislation, the Foreign Secretary announced on 20 July that the UK would take clear action in response, including offering a new immigration path for British Nationals (Overseas), suspending the UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and extending our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong.</p><p> </p><p>The Foreign Secretary set out concerns to State Councillor/Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, on 8 June and 28 July. FCO officials have raised recent arrests with the Hong Kong authorities over recent weeks, including with members of the Executive Council and the President of the Legislative Council.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to bring together our international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 08/09/2020 14:56:08 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1232146

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
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	Hong Kong: National Security
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the National Security Law on the people of Hong Kong.
tabling member constituency	Delyn
tabling member printed	Rob Roberts
uin	905670
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The enactment and imposition by China of national security legislation for Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. It violates the high degree of autonomy of executive and legislative powers and independent judicial authority, provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>We are also deeply concerned by the arrest of Jimmy Lai, and other individuals, in Hong Kong. Freedom of the press is explicitly guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law, and supposedly protected under Article 4 of the National Security Law. The arrests are further evidence that the National Security Law is being used to silence opposition. The Hong Kong authorities must uphold the rights and freedoms provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>Following the enactment of the national security legislation, the Foreign Secretary announced on 20 July that the UK would take clear action in response, including offering a new immigration path for British Nationals (Overseas), suspending the UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and extending our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong.</p><p> </p><p>The Foreign Secretary set out concerns to State Councillor/Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, on 8 June and 28 July. FCO officials have raised recent arrests with the Hong Kong authorities over recent weeks, including with members of the Executive Council and the President of the Legislative Council.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to bring together our international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 08/09/2020 14:57:02 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4810 label Biography information for Mr Rob Roberts

1232147

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
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	Colombia: Violence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on increased incidents of violent conflict in that country.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	905674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>Colombia has made significant progress since the 2016 peace agreement was signed with the FARC. For Colombians in most parts of the country where security was an issue, conditions are much improved. Significant challenges remain in some areas, due to illegal armed groups competing for territory and control of the drugs trade and other illicit activities. This has led to violence, and the death and displacement of ordinary Colombians. We regularly raise this violence with Colombian counterparts and in multilateral bodies. I discussed the UK’s concerns in a phone call with Claudia Blum, Colombian Foreign Minister, on 2 June. We also use our position as UNSC penholder on Colombia’s peace process to emphasise the issue and to urge the Colombian government to ensure the rule of law applies to the entire country, most recently at the UNSC session on 14 July. The UK is the biggest donor to the UN Trust Fund for Colombia. Since 2015 we have contributed over £53m to support implementation of the peace agreement. Programmes run by our Embassy in Bogotá aim to tackle the root causes of this violence, by helping communities develop sustainable livelihoods. This issue is a priority for the Colombian government. We will continue to support their efforts to bring long-term security to all communities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 08/09/2020 15:21:05 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1232148

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
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	Sustainable Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What plans he has to help meet all of the Sustainable Development Goals following the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with the Department for International Development.
tabling member constituency	Mid Derbyshire
tabling member printed	Mrs Pauline Latham
uin	905666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The UK was at the forefront of agreeing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, and we remain committed to being at the forefront of global efforts to achieve them. On the 2 September, we appointed Nick Dyer as the UK’s first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, which has strong links to the SDGs including Goal 2 on Zero Hunger. The FCDO brings together the best of our development and diplomatic expertise, projecting the UK as a Force for Good in the world, with a continued focus on supporting the bottom billion. Championing global progress on the SDGs, and using our G7 and COP presidencies, will be crucial to these aims. The SDGs also play a vital role in post-COVID-19 recovery.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 08/09/2020 15:17:16 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4025 label Biography information for Mrs Pauline Latham

1232149

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
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	Development Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What his policy is on maintaining the statutory target to spend 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh West
tabling member printed	Christine Jardine
uin	905668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>We are committed to spending 0.7% of GNI on aid and development; this is a manifesto commitment and is enshrined in law. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have been firm that development will be at the heart of the new FCDO, working hand in hand with diplomacy. Development assistance provided by the UK aims to tackle the great challenges of our time, transform lives of the world’s poorest, and make the world a healthier, safer and more prosperous place for everyone. This allows us to shape the world around us for the better and help keep us safe. As an example of what UK ODA has achieved, since 2015 more than 33 million people have been reached by our humanitarian programmes, including at least 13 million women and girls. The FCDO brings together expertise from DFID and the FCO to ensure we place our world-class development programmes at the heart of our foreign policy. Supporting the poorest countries to become self-sufficient is firmly in line with British values and our own national interest.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 08/09/2020 15:18:39 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4634 label Biography information for Christine Jardine

1232150

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
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	China: Uyghurs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	If he will extend the list of people designated for Magnitsky sanctions to include senior Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for human rights violations against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	905663
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>On the 6th of July, the UK Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.</p><p> </p><p>It is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated in the future, as this may reduce the impact of sanctions.</p><p> </p><p>We will keep all evidence and potential listings under close review.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 08/09/2020 14:58:34 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1232151

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
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	Development Aid: Nutrition
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What the Government's timescale is for pledging funding for Nutrition for Growth post-2020.
tabling member constituency	Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
tabling member printed	David Mundell
uin	905662
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>Tackling malnutrition is a major priority for our work to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children. From April 2015 to March 2020, we reached 55.1 million young children, women and adolescent girls through UK nutrition programmes. Last week, we announced a package of £119m UK Aid to address COVID-19 and famine. This includes a new partnership with UNICEF to address acute malnutrition more effectively and efficiently. Nick Dyer has been appointed as the UK’s first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs. We are committed to Nutrition for Growth, with a new commitment subject to Spending Review decisions. We will update on plans following the outcome of that.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 08/09/2020 15:16:03 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	1512 label Biography information for David Mundell

1231708

registered interest
date	07/09/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people as they return to school as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	Bromley and Chislehurst
tabling member printed	Sir Robert Neill
uin	905514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>Getting children and young people back into education, with settings devoting time to supporting wellbeing, will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s mental health. The return to school will allow social interaction with peers, carers and teachers, which benefits wellbeing. The department has now published detailed plans for all children and young people to return to full-time education from September. The guidance for schools is available here: <br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We have been working hard to ensure that all pupils and learners will return to a full high-quality education programme in September. Our £1 billion Covid catch-up package, with £650 million shared across schools over the 2020-21 academic year, will support education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. More information is available here: <br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time</a>.</p><p> </p><p>As pupils return to school, staff need to be equipped to understand that some children and young people may be experiencing feelings in such as anxiety, stress or low mood as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, and that these are normal responses to an abnormal situation. Our Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools Advice includes information about what to look for in terms of underlying mental health issues, linked to the graduated response and the support that might be suitable. More information is available here: <br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2</a>.</p><p> </p><p>From September, the Government is investing £8 million to launch the new Wellbeing for Education Return training programme, which will provide schools and colleges all over England with the knowledge and practical skills they need to support teachers, students and parents, to help improve how they respond to the emotional impact of the coronavirus pandemic. This is additional to longer term work to improve support, including the new mental health support teams that we are rolling out across the country, linked to schools and colleges. More information is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8m-programme-to-boost-pupil-and-teacher-wellbeing" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8m-programme-to-boost-pupil-and-teacher-wellbeing</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department in collaboration with Public Health England and NHS England, delivered two webinars in July to provide further mental health support. The first webinar was for schools and colleges to support teachers in promoting and supporting the mental wellbeing of children and young people during the COVID-19 outbreak. The second event was for stakeholders across the local system to support strengthening of local partnerships to further support children and young people’s mental health as they return to school. We had around 10,000 sign up to the first webinar and around 1,300 to the second, and they are now available online for wider use.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to working in partnership across education, health, the voluntary sector and local authorities to ensure that children and young people, parents and carers, and the professionals supporting them:</p><ul><li>can access good-quality resources</li><li>are confident in supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing (as well as their own) and</li></ul><ul><li>ensure access to specialist services when they’re needed.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Access to mental health support is more important than ever during the COVID-19 outbreak. NHS mental services remain open. All NHS mental health trusts are providing 24/7 open access telephone lines to support people of all ages. The Government has also provided over £9 million to mental health charities to ensure they can continue to support people experiencing mental health challenges throughout the outbreak.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 905505 question first answered 07/09/2020 15:10:07 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	1601 label Biography information for Sir Robert Neill

1231709

registered interest
date	07/09/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people as they return to school as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	Cheadle
tabling member printed	Mary Robinson
uin	905505
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>Getting children and young people back into education, with settings devoting time to supporting wellbeing, will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s mental health. The return to school will allow social interaction with peers, carers and teachers, which benefits wellbeing. The department has now published detailed plans for all children and young people to return to full-time education from September. The guidance for schools is available here: <br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We have been working hard to ensure that all pupils and learners will return to a full high-quality education programme in September. Our £1 billion Covid catch-up package, with £650 million shared across schools over the 2020-21 academic year, will support education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. More information is available here: <br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/billion-pound-covid-catch-up-plan-to-tackle-impact-of-lost-teaching-time</a>.</p><p> </p><p>As pupils return to school, staff need to be equipped to understand that some children and young people may be experiencing feelings in such as anxiety, stress or low mood as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, and that these are normal responses to an abnormal situation. Our Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools Advice includes information about what to look for in terms of underlying mental health issues, linked to the graduated response and the support that might be suitable. More information is available here: <br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2</a>.</p><p> </p><p>From September, the Government is investing £8 million to launch the new Wellbeing for Education Return training programme, which will provide schools and colleges all over England with the knowledge and practical skills they need to support teachers, students and parents, to help improve how they respond to the emotional impact of the coronavirus pandemic. This is additional to longer term work to improve support, including the new mental health support teams that we are rolling out across the country, linked to schools and colleges. More information is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8m-programme-to-boost-pupil-and-teacher-wellbeing" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8m-programme-to-boost-pupil-and-teacher-wellbeing</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department in collaboration with Public Health England and NHS England, delivered two webinars in July to provide further mental health support. The first webinar was for schools and colleges to support teachers in promoting and supporting the mental wellbeing of children and young people during the COVID-19 outbreak. The second event was for stakeholders across the local system to support strengthening of local partnerships to further support children and young people’s mental health as they return to school. We had around 10,000 sign up to the first webinar and around 1,300 to the second, and they are now available online for wider use.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to working in partnership across education, health, the voluntary sector and local authorities to ensure that children and young people, parents and carers, and the professionals supporting them:</p><ul><li>can access good-quality resources</li><li>are confident in supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing (as well as their own) and</li></ul><ul><li>ensure access to specialist services when they’re needed.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Access to mental health support is more important than ever during the COVID-19 outbreak. NHS mental services remain open. All NHS mental health trusts are providing 24/7 open access telephone lines to support people of all ages. The Government has also provided over £9 million to mental health charities to ensure they can continue to support people experiencing mental health challenges throughout the outbreak.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford grouped question UIN 905514 question first answered 07/09/2020 15:10:07 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4406 label Biography information for Mary Robinson

1231710

registered interest
date	07/09/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Attendance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to support good (a) attendance and (b) behaviour as pupils return to school as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	Bolton West
tabling member printed	Chris Green
uin	905507
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>It is vital for all pupils to return to school to minimise the impact of the pandemic on their education. It is important for schools to also be calm and disciplined environments, where everyone follows the rules.</p><p> </p><p>We have published guidance for school leaders to support them to:</p><ul><li>communicate clear and consistent expectations around school attendance to families throughout the summer ahead of the new school year</li><li>identify pupils who are reluctant or anxious about returning or who are at risk of disengagement and develop plans for re-engaging them using the additional catch-up funding schools will receive</li><li>work closely with other professionals as appropriate to support the return to school, including social workers and other specialist services</li><li>update behaviour policies and communicate any new rules clearly and consistently to staff, pupils and parents</li><li>ensure appropriate provision is in place for pupils with additional needs. Some children will return to school having been exposed to a range of adversity which may lead to social, emotional and mental health concerns.</li></ul><p> </p><p>To support this work on the ground, regional teams continue to engage regularly with local authorities to understand any barriers to attendance. We are also working with stakeholders to enable schools and LAs to share best practice to improve attendance and ensure a smooth transition back to school.</p><p> </p><p>More widely, we are running a ‘Back to school’ campaign which seeks to reassure parents and explain the measures that education providers are taking to reduce the risk of transmission.</p><p> </p><p>We have also worked with local authorities and transport providers to make sure children/young people can get to school/college safely, providing more than £40 million of additional funding to create extra capacity.</p><p>The Department will shortly be inviting schools with exemplary behaviour to deliver the Behaviour Hubs programme and support those schools that need additional support in turning around their behaviour cultures. Over the Autumn term, National Leaders of Education will continue to work with schools most affected by COVID-19, including in improving behaviour.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 07/09/2020 16:23:25 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4398 label Biography information for Chris Green