Written questions by Osamor.

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.

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.

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 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.

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...

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

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 ...

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...

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.

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...

Whether she plans to negotiate a reciprocal social security agreement with Taiwan.

There are no current plans to negotiate a reciprocal social security agreement with Taiwan.

Whether he plans to establish a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Taiwan.

Department officials continue to engage with Taiwanese officials. Any new reciprocal healthcare agreement between the United Kingdom and Taiwan would be subject to negotiations.

What recent progress the Child Poverty Taskforce has made on developing strategies to help reduce child poverty.

Tackling the terrible state of child poverty in this country is our priority every day and the Taskforce is looking at every lever we can pull across Government to do this.The Taskforce has already heard from charities, experts and families and will publi...

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the availability of allergen information in hospitality venues where food is not pre-packed.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods,...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that humanitarian funding is allocated based on assessed needs.

The FCDO is committed to being a principled humanitarian donor, prioritising humanitarian assistance to people in greatest need by using data and evidence to guide allocation decisions.We have announced a doubling of support for people hit by the humanita...

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making allergen training a mandatory requirement for hospitality venues.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods,...

If he will extend the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019 to (a) restaurant menus and (b) non-pre-packed food.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods,...

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of severe food allergy labelling requirements for hospitality venues.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods,...

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending access to benefits for families with children who have no recourse to public funds on levels of child poverty.

In developing a Child Poverty Strategy, the Child Poverty Taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom. We recognise the distinct challenges of poverty faced by migrant children. The causes of child poverty are deep-rooted, with solutio...

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of families that have no recourse to public funds.

The availability of data in respect of the number of families that have No Recourse to Public Funds condition is currently limited, while the Home Office transitions its casework operations to a new management information system until the transition proce...