Written questions by Osamor.

Whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of Border Force on the potential impact of channel crossings on staff wellbeing.

We recognise the work of Border Force staff in relation to channel crossings and continue to ensure support is in place for them. All Border Force colleagues have access to peer support on a 24/7 basis, allowing them to speak to a volunteer who is trained in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) or Sustaining Resilience at Work (StRaW). All operational colleagues have access to the Police Treatment Centres, which support recovery from a variety of physical and mental ailments on a residential basis.The Border Force Wellbeing team also manage the Border Force Wellbeing Hub and run a variety of events throughout the year on key wellbeing themes, including stress, anxiety, shift working and health. Border Force line managers are also trained with the information and tools to discuss wellbeing and mental health with their teams, how to spot the warning signs and how to refer a team member for further help.All Home Office staff also have access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which provides support for a wide variety of issues.

Whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of third sector organisations on support for refugees outside the UK.

This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Public and Commercial Services Union and Care4Calais report entitled, Safe and Secure Routes: Refugee Visa-to-Travel Proposal, published on 25 March 2025.

This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on media freedom in that country.

The UK is a resolute supporter of democracy, the rule of law and media freedom. This Government has discussed recent events in Turkey with our counterparts at a number of levels. Most recently, on 29 March, the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. Among other issues he raised our expectation that as a key friend and ally, Turkey upholds its international commitments, the rule of law and protects the fundamental rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and media freedom, including the treatment of British and other journalists reporting there.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the remit of legal aid to enable eligible individuals to receive advice on (a) social housing allocations and (b) disputes over the allocation of social housing.

Legal aid is available for possession, evictions, homelessness, and disrepair claims (when there is a serious risk of illness or injury) subject to a financial means test and a merits test. This includes when someone is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, in relation to the allocation of social housing.Additionally, the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service provides free early legal advice on housing matters, council tax reduction schemes, debt, and welfare benefits problems from the moment someone receives notice of possession or eviction, regardless of their financial situation.At present there are no plans to expand eligibility in this area.The Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt legal aid fees, which when implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year. This would increase overall spend in housing & debt legal aid by 24% and improve access to legal advice for people facing unfair housing battles or who are at risk of losing their home. We are currently reviewing consultation responses and will publish the Government’s response in due course.Applicants for social housing have the right to request information from the local authority about the decision that has been made in respect of their application and to ask for an internal review of any decision taken about the facts of their case. The local authority must notify them of the outcome of the review and the grounds for it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his American counterpart on the detention of Mahmoud Khalil.

This individual does not work for the FCDO and has not done so for over two years. We do not comment on personal matters relating to former members of staff

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Tunisian counterpart on the imprisonment of Said Ferjani.

The UK monitors the situation in Tunisia closely, including the recent sentence and ongoing case against Said Ferjani. During his visit to Tunisia in January, the Foreign Secretary noted the importance of political participation and human rights in discussions with the Tunisian Government. and on On 17 February, our the British Ambassador to Tunisia raised the case of Mr Ferjani with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials are observing ongoing trial proceedings against Mr. Ferjani to signal our support for the importance of a free and fair trial, and met members of his family on 27 February to discuss his case.

Whether she plans to require currency exchange services for consumers to display the (a) live exchange rates and (b) commission charged to consumers.

The Payment Services Regulations 2017 outline requirements on UK payment service providers regarding disclosure of fees and charges to the payer where currency conversion is provided as part of a payment transaction. Provisions under the Cross Border Payments Regulation also contribute to price transparency, with further requirements regarding how foreign exchange costs are communicated before a payment is made. The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers. These regulations, amongst other things, are intended to enable consumers to make informed decisions when making use of payment services, including where currency conversion is offered as part of a payment transaction.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating regulations on currency exchange brokers.

The Payment Services Regulations 2017 outline requirements on UK payment service providers regarding disclosure of fees and charges to the payer where currency conversion is provided as part of a payment transaction. Provisions under the Cross Border Payments Regulation also contribute to price transparency, with further requirements regarding how foreign exchange costs are communicated before a payment is made. The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers. These regulations, amongst other things, are intended to enable consumers to make informed decisions when making use of payment services, including where currency conversion is offered as part of a payment transaction.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory disclosure of commission rates for currency exchange brokers.

The Payment Services Regulations 2017 outline requirements on UK payment service providers regarding disclosure of fees and charges to the payer where currency conversion is provided as part of a payment transaction. Provisions under the Cross Border Payments Regulation also contribute to price transparency, with further requirements regarding how foreign exchange costs are communicated before a payment is made. The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers. These regulations, amongst other things, are intended to enable consumers to make informed decisions when making use of payment services, including where currency conversion is offered as part of a payment transaction.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of expanding safe and legal routes available to asylum seekers on the numbers of small boats crossing the Channel.

The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through our existing global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. Safe and legal routes will continue to play a vital role in our overall migration system. However, given the scale of today’s global displacement challenges, it is not possible to offer a pathway into the UK to every person who needs or wants one. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring landlords to hold buildings insurance for properties owned outright.

The government has no plans to require landlords to hold buildings insurance for properties owned outright. Building owners are responsible for ensuring that buildings have appropriate buildings insurance in place.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the development of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.

The UK Government is committed to equality and opportunity for all, with a particular focus on those most likely to be marginalised and discriminated against, including on the grounds of their age. We are open in principle to the idea of a multilateral instrument dedicated to the human rights of older people and will continue to play a constructive role in discussions on this issue at the UN and other relevant fora.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending Paid Parental Bereavement Pay and Leave to those who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks.

The loss of a child at any age is incredibly difficult. Parental Bereavement Leave is available to parents who suffer a bereavement from 24 weeks of completed pregnancy up to the age of 18.Under existing laws, women are protected against any discrimination regarding pregnancy, including miscarriage. We expect employers to treat their employees experiencing miscarriage with compassion, and we encourage them to where possible go further to support their employees. More broadly, the Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protection for new mothers and establish a new right to Bereavement Leave for other loved ones.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase supplies of (a) potable water and (b) electricity in North Kivu.

The UK is a leading partner for the humanitarian response in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is deeply concerned by the humanitarian impacts of the current situation in North Kivu. We are already the second largest donor in country, allocating over £62 million of assistance this year through capable partners. This includes providing £8 million to fund water and sanitation infrastructure to displacement sites, and £10 million to assist with food security, shelter, healthcare and protection. As a result of this humanitarian programming on water supply development, hundreds of thousands of affected people have been supported with clean drinking water through this crisis period. Our partners are now restarting their work to deliver life-saving infrastructure to scale across North Kivu. UK funds have also supported the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to re-establish electricity access there by at least 75 per cent.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024, published by Education Support on 20 November 2024.

Supporting our teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child, as the within-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcome is high quality teaching.The department wants to improve the experience of being a teacher and re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join. Fair pay is key to this, which is why we accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25.​In addition, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000 after-tax if working in disadvantaged schools. These targeted incentives are helping schools to retain those specialist teachers in the shortage subjects and schools that most need them.Our ‘Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders’ study also shows the importance of reducing teacher workload, improving wellbeing and increasing opportunities to work flexibly in retaining more of our excellent school staff. Already we have taken action to remove the requirement for schools to use Performance Related Pay from September 2024 and clarified that teachers can undertake their Planning Preparation and Assessment time at home.The department is also making available workload and wellbeing resources that were developed with school leaders, through our new improving workload and wellbeing online service, and continuing to promote the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which currently has nearly 4,000 school and college signatories. The department is funding mental health and wellbeing support for school and college leaders, which includes professional supervision and counselling for those who need it. More than 2,000 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. Support continues to be available and can be accessed by visiting Education Support’s website.High quality continuous professional development is also key to ensuring we have and retain an effective teaching workforce. That is why we have committed to introducing a new teacher training entitlement, to ensure teachers stay up to date on best practice with continuing professional development. This builds on the work the department already does to ensure teachers can access high quality development at key points in their careers, underpinned by our Initial Teacher Training and Early Career frameworks, and onwards through our suite of national professional qualifications.We are committed to resetting the relationship with the profession and will continue to work with partners to tackle retention issues.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing an education staff retention strategy.

Supporting our teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child, as the within-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcome is high quality teaching.The department wants to improve the experience of being a teacher and re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join. Fair pay is key to this, which is why we accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools for 2024/25.​In addition, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000 after-tax if working in disadvantaged schools. These targeted incentives are helping schools to retain those specialist teachers in the shortage subjects and schools that most need them.Our ‘Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders’ study also shows the importance of reducing teacher workload, improving wellbeing and increasing opportunities to work flexibly in retaining more of our excellent school staff. Already we have taken action to remove the requirement for schools to use Performance Related Pay from September 2024 and clarified that teachers can undertake their Planning Preparation and Assessment time at home.The department is also making available workload and wellbeing resources that were developed with school leaders, through our new improving workload and wellbeing online service, and continuing to promote the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which currently has nearly 4,000 school and college signatories. The department is funding mental health and wellbeing support for school and college leaders, which includes professional supervision and counselling for those who need it. More than 2,000 leaders have benefitted from the support so far. Support continues to be available and can be accessed by visiting Education Support’s website.High quality continuous professional development is also key to ensuring we have and retain an effective teaching workforce. That is why we have committed to introducing a new teacher training entitlement, to ensure teachers stay up to date on best practice with continuing professional development. This builds on the work the department already does to ensure teachers can access high quality development at key points in their careers, underpinned by our Initial Teacher Training and Early Career frameworks, and onwards through our suite of national professional qualifications.We are committed to resetting the relationship with the profession and will continue to work with partners to tackle retention issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of allegations of serious human rights abuses and atrocities committed by the Ethiopian Government in Amhara.

The UK is aware of reports of human rights violations in Amhara, and we are engaging all sides to call for peace and accountability. The Minister for Africa raised the issue when he met Prime Minister Abiy in October 2024. To help alleviate suffering, we co-hosted a humanitarian pledging conference in April that raised $610 million, including a £100 million UK contribution, with funds raised providing lifesaving support to civilians across Ethiopia, including in Amhara. We are working to assist delivery of this support to those most in need, and we are also supporting the implementation of the Government of Ethiopia's Transitional Justice policy, including by improving the investigative capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to declassify documents on Hong Kong dated prior to 1 July 1997.

Documents created about Hong Kong pre 1997 are part of the FCDO's ongoing high priority transfer programme to The National Archives. Currently we have transferred documents up to 1994 (Link to catalogue: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C15105). We aim to have completed the transfer of all documents up to 1997 to The National Archives by approximately 2027.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending access to student finance to students from Hong Kong with a British National (Overseas) Visa.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill to the answer of 29 October 2024 to Question 10190.