Written questions by Mohamed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support disabled Palestinians to access (a) medicines and (b) other healthcare.

The UK government is closely monitoring the impact of the conflict in Gaza on access to medical facilities and healthcare, including for disabled people. Through our support to UK-Med, we are helping to run field hospitals in Gaza. On 16 October, I announced £1 million of UK assistance to support medically evacuated Palestinians in Egypt. Through the World Health Organisation, the funds will provide vital supplies and medications, including rehabilitative equipment, and will strengthen capacity to care for patients with chronic diseases. UK funding to UNICEF is also providing lifesaving healthcare and specialist treatment to families in Gaza. We continue to press Israeli leaders on aid access including medical supplies: On 18 October the Prime Minister underlined that the dire humanitarian situation cannot continue. Israel can and must do more to ensure aid reaches civilians in Gaza.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle potential health inequalities faced by trans people.

The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups. We are dedicated to ensuring that people live well for longer, spending less time in ill health, regardless of where they are born or their financial circumstances.Our Health Mission in England will focus on addressing the social determinants of health, with the goal of halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.The Government is committed to ensuring trans people receive the care and support they need when accessing National Health Services. NHS England’s ambitious two-year action plan sets out how it will implement recommendations from the Cass Review and continue to improve gender services, helping to tackle waiting lists, whilst ensuring safe and holistic care.

If he will hold discussions with his EU counterparts on creating a youth mobility scheme.

The Prime Minister and the president of the European Commission met in Brussels on 2 October and agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and the UK, putting it on a more solid, stable footing.We are committed to finding constructive ways to work together and deliver for the British people.We are not going to give a running commentary on youth mobility. We will obviously look at EU proposals on a range of issues, but there are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme, and we will not return to freedom of movement.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect the rights of Palestinian women and girls.

We are deeply alarmed by the disproportionate impact of the conflict on women and girls. The Foreign Secretary has raised and continues to raise our concerns around International Humanitarian Law compliance with the Israeli government. The UK is funding several trusted partners to support civilians in Gaza, including women and children. Assistance includes support to pregnant women, distribution of dignity kits for women and girls, mental health and psychosocial support, and water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and health services.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Israeli counterpart on protecting the rights of Palestinian women and girls.

We are deeply alarmed by the disproportionate impact of the conflict on women and girls. The Foreign Secretary has raised and continues to raise our concerns around International Humanitarian Law compliance with the Israeli government. The UK is funding several trusted partners to support civilians in Gaza, including women and children. Assistance includes support to pregnant women, distribution of dignity kits for women and girls, mental health and psychosocial support, and water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and health services.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to ensure that humanitarian aid sent to Gaza includes medical equipment for disabled people.

The UK government is closely monitoring the impact of the conflict in Gaza on access to medical facilities and healthcare, including for disabled people. Through our support to UK-Med, we are helping to run field hospitals in Gaza. On 16 October, I announced £1 million of UK assistance to support medically evacuated Palestinians in Egypt. Through the World Health Organisation, the funds will provide vital supplies and medications, including rehabilitative equipment, and will strengthen capacity to care for patients with chronic diseases. UK funding to UNICEF is also providing lifesaving healthcare and specialist treatment to families in Gaza. We continue to press Israeli leaders on aid access including medical supplies: On 18 October the Prime Minister underlined that the dire humanitarian situation cannot continue. Israel can and must do more to ensure aid reaches civilians in Gaza.

If she will remove international students from net migration targets.

Net migration statistics are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS).

What steps she is taking to tackle transphobia.

It is crucial that trans people are safe and protected from discrimination. This government is committed to breaking down barriers by ending the politics of division.Work is underway on the various manifesto commitments that will enhance legislative protections for all LGBT+ individuals, including those who are trans. In particular, the government is committed to delivering a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices; ensuring that all existing strands of hate crime constitute an aggravated offence and reforming the legal gender recognition process to remove indignities for trans people while upholding the Equality Act.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of alleged reports of (a) sexual and (b) gender-based violence against Palestinian women and girls by Israeli Defence Forces.

We are deeply concerned by allegations of sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians and the disproportionate impact of the conflict on women, children and vulnerable populations. The UK unequivocally condemns any alleged violations and abuses, including sexual violence, and calls for all reports to be fully investigated to ensure justice for victims and survivors. A member of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Team of Experts will support with a gender-responsive and survivor-centred response to reports of sexual violence in both Israel and the OPTs. Following our decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel on 2 September, the Foreign Secretary has raised and continues to raise our concerns around International Humanitarian Law compliance with the Israeli government.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on creating a medical corridor to enable disabled Palestinians in Gaza to be treated in (a) East Jerusalem and (b) the Occupied West Bank.

As the Prime Minister said in his statement on 28 October, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable. We remain gravely concerned about deteriorating health provision, particularly in northern Gaza. We have pressed Israel at senior levels to urgently establish sustained, safe and timely passage for patients who need medical or surgical interventions not available in Gaza. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories raised the issue of medical evacuations for injured Palestinians with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During my visit to Al Arish, Egypt on 16 October, where I announced £1 million of UK assistance for Egypt's support to medically evacuated Gazans, I saw that many tonnes of lifesaving aid continue to be denied entry into Gaza by Israel. The UK is supporting the provision of essential healthcare to Palestinian civilians, including through field hospitals operated by UK-Med in Gaza, and through support to the Egyptian health ministry to care for medically evacuated Palestinians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on evacuating disabled Palestinians so that they can receive treatment.

The plight of sick, injured and disabled people in Gaza is deeply distressing. We have pressed Israel at senior levels to urgently establish sustained, safe and timely passage for patients who need medical or surgical interventions not available in Gaza. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories raised the issue of medical evacuations for injured Palestinians with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The UK is supporting the provision of essential healthcare to Palestinian civilians, including through field hospitals operated by UK-Med in Gaza, and through WHO Egypt to support medically evacuated Palestinians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the potential merits of creating a medical corridor to enable disabled Palestinians in Northern Gaza to be treated in Southern Gaza.

The plight of sick, injured and disabled people in Gaza is deeply distressing. We have pressed Israel at senior levels to urgently establish sustained, safe and timely passage for patients who need medical or surgical interventions not available in Gaza. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories raised the issue of medical evacuations for injured Palestinians with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The UK is supporting the provision of essential healthcare to Palestinian civilians, including through field hospitals operated by UK-Med in Gaza, and through WHO Egypt to support medically evacuated Palestinians.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to healthcare for trans people.

The government is committed to ensuring that trans people receive the care and support they need when accessing National Health Services. Regarding Children and Young People’s Gender Services, the government and NHS England have committed to implementing all of the recommendations of the Cass Review.The independent Darzi investigation found that NHS waiting times have surged, have become normalised across the NHS, and as a result public satisfaction has declined. The Cass review also noted the unacceptable waiting times across Children and Young People’s Gender Services. The government and NHS England are working to improve Children and Young People’s Gender Services in a variety of ways, including expanding the number of services offered. The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations from the Cass Review to ensure children and young people with gender incongruence get the holistic care they need. In line with NHS England’s ambitious two-year implementation plan, three new services in the North-West, London, and South West have now opened. A fourth service in the East of England will open in spring of next year. NHS England is advancing towards meeting its commitment for there to be a specialist children’s gender service in every region by 2026.NHS England has also increased the number of adult Gender Dysphoria Clinics in England from seven to 12, with the rollout of five new adult gender pilot clinics since July 2020. The rollout of these new clinics is helping to tackle long waiting times, which had increased due to a shortage of specialist clinical staff to meet the rapidly rising demand. NHS England is currently undertaking a review of the Adult Gender Services which will examine the model of care and operating procedures of each service, with the aim of producing an updated service specification.NHS England has also increased capacity by recruiting new staff and enabling existing staff to complete further training to expand their role, across services. NHS England is currently undertaking a review of adult gender services, chaired by Dr David Levy. The review will examine the model of care and operating procedures of each service, and will carefully consider experiences, feedback, and outcomes from clinicians and patients, with the aim of producing an updated service specification.

What steps her Department is taking to support asylum seekers who are waiting for a decision on an asylum claim.

Asylum support and accommodation is available for asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their claim (including any dependants) who would otherwise be destitute.Further information about support asylum seekers may be entitled to can be found at Asylum support: What you'll get - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If she will take steps to allow asylum seekers who have not received a decision on their claim for asylum within 6 months to work.

Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can apply for permission to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Immigration Salary List. This list is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. There are no current plans to change this.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact that a UPOV91 seed law may have small farmers in India.

UPOV provides a global system of plant variety protection trusted by plant breeders with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants for the benefit of society. Whether or not a country signs up to UPOV91 is subject to their own policy-making process including impact assessments, so the UK has not assessed impact in India.

Whether he supports regulation of Medical Associate Professionals by the General Medical Council.

Medical associate professions are valued members of the multi-disciplinary team and contribute to patient care. Regulation of Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) will begin in December 2024. The General Medical Council (GMC) will set standards of practice, education, and training, and operate fitness-to-practice procedures to ensure that PAs and AAs can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.NHS England has issued clear guidance on the deployment of PAs and AAs in the National Health Service, which describes the expectations of how organisations providing NHS care should deploy PAs and AAs so that they can contribute to the delivery of safe and effective healthcare, in a supportive environment. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/summary-of-existing-guidance-on-the-deployment-of-medical-associate-professions-in-nhs-healthcare-settings/Ahead of regulation, the GMC has also published advice for doctors who supervise AAs and PAs, alongside updating its clinical governance handbook to set out how organisations that employ AAs and PAs should ensure appropriate deployment and supervision.

If he will take steps to define the role of medical associates to ensure there is a clear distinction with the role of doctors.

Medical associate professions are valued members of the multi-disciplinary team and contribute to patient care. Regulation of Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) will begin in December 2024. The General Medical Council (GMC) will set standards of practice, education, and training, and operate fitness-to-practice procedures to ensure that PAs and AAs can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.NHS England has issued clear guidance on the deployment of PAs and AAs in the National Health Service, which describes the expectations of how organisations providing NHS care should deploy PAs and AAs so that they can contribute to the delivery of safe and effective healthcare, in a supportive environment. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/summary-of-existing-guidance-on-the-deployment-of-medical-associate-professions-in-nhs-healthcare-settings/Ahead of regulation, the GMC has also published advice for doctors who supervise AAs and PAs, alongside updating its clinical governance handbook to set out how organisations that employ AAs and PAs should ensure appropriate deployment and supervision.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with international counterparts to help secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

The UK is working in lockstep with our allies in seeking an end to the violence in the region. The Prime Minister has discussed the volatile situation in the region with His Majesty King Abdullah II, Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Macron and Chancellor Scholz. The Foreign Secretary has also spoken to his counterparts - including Israeli Foreign Minister Katz, US Secretary of State Blinken and French Foreign Minister Barrot. He has also spoken to Lebanon's Prime Minister and previously warned Iran against action that could further push the region to the brink.

If his Department will take steps support healthcare professionals who face (a) discrimination and (b) abuse.

Discrimination and abuse are unacceptable in any workplace, and have no place in the National Health Service. All employers across the NHS should have robust policies in place on how these behaviours should be handled and what support should be made available to staff.In January 2021, and in conjunction with the Social Partnership Forum, NHS England developed and published a national Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard. This supports employers in their efforts to provide a safe and secure working environment for NHS staff, with a focus on risk management, training, and support for those impacted by incidences of violence or aggression.NHS England has also developed an NHS Civility and Respect programme to tackle bullying and harassment in the NHS, and to create positive working environments.