The UK Government strongly supports Human Rights Defenders worldwide to enable them to carry out their work safely and without fear. In 2019, the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, launched the document 'UK support for Human Rights Defenders' which was drawn up with significant and important input from relevant stakeholders, including Amnesty International, and which sets out how the UK Government engages with Human Rights Defenders to advance the human rights agenda globally.

Following the FCDO's reorganisation and publication of the Integrated Review, the UK remains strongly committed to this agenda and will continue to support and work in partnership with Human Rights Defenders to promote open societies and the UK's force for good agenda. We will reflect these commitments in the various strands of strategic planning which will flow from the Integrated Review.

The FCDO also monitors repression of HRDs in its annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, the most recent of which was published earlier this month. That report paid tribute to the courageous work of HRDs and listed support for them as a UK international policy priority.

The UK is concerned about violence against all communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the Banyamulenge. Our six-year £70 million peace and stability programme is helping communities, including the Banyamulenge, secure land access, construct critical infrastructure and access income-generation opportunities. This is in addition to our support to the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, through funding (approximately £50 million in 2019/20) and the provision of three military staff officers. The UK also supports the UN Joint Human Rights Office to monitor and report human rights violations in DRC.

Since 2017, the UK's humanitarian programme has helped over three million people with cash, emergency nutrition, water and healthcare in DRC, including communities in South Kivu such as the Banyamulenge. All UK-funded humanitarian aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of ethnicity. Diplomatically, we continue to urge the UN and the DRC Government to work together to protect civilians from ongoing violence and address the root causes of conflict. During Minister Duddridge's November visit to DRC he discussed the importance of addressing these issues, including during a meeting with President Tshisekedi. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we are committed to ensuring MONUSCO's mandate is focussed on the protection of civilians and that vulnerable communities remain central to the UN's work in DRC.

Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and we fully recognise the impact it has on children and young people who may feel even more vulnerable if they are unable to attend school.

We want to prioritise supporting those most in need at this very difficult time and ensuring that vulnerable children remain protected is a top priority for government. Schools have been asked to continue to provide care for vulnerable children including those who are supported by social work, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children, and those with education, health and care plans.

We will work with schools and local authorities to help identify the children who most need support at this time.

Local authorities have the key day-to-day responsibility for delivery of children’s social care. Social workers will continue to work with vulnerable children in this difficult period and support these children to access provision in schools, and any other support they require.

The latest guidance on vulnerable children and young people can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

In the ‘Putting Children First’ guidance, the department is clear that where failure occurs in children’s social care services we expect most councils to improve with support and challenge from experts, especially when failure is not persistent or systemic. It also highlights that we will review councils’ progress towards improvement. Where insufficient progress has been made, we have the right to appoint a commissioner to review whether services should remain in council control. The guidance is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/putting-children-first-our-vision-for-childrens-social-care.

An Ofsted monitoring visit, published in February 2020, found that progress to improve children’s social care services in Hull has not been good enough to date. The department is aware the council has made changes to the leadership of its social care services and is considering the next steps in our intervention in Hull.

The joint Ofsted and Care Quality Commission SEND local area revisit to Kingston-upon-Hull in October 2019, published on 23 December 2019, found that sufficient improvement had been made in two out of the four significant weaknesses identified in the October 2017 inspection.

The department is clear that progress with addressing the remaining weaknesses must be accelerated, and has requested local area leaders submit an updated action plan setting out how they will achieve this. This action plan must be co-produced with partners and outline how the local area will report on progress and impact, as well as how partners, including families, will be kept fully aware and informed of progress.

The department will review the plan with partners, including NHS England, as part of our assessment of the most appropriate actions that will bring about the required improvement in services. We are working with the newly appointed leadership team at the City Council to establish a joint approach to driving improvement across both services.

The Ministry of Justice is not responsible for funding or provision of Witness Care Units and staff and cannot provide the information requested.

The Ministry of Justice does fund the delivery of the court based Witness Service, delivered by Citizens Advice, which provides emotional and practical support to witnesses giving evidence at criminal courts across England and Wales.

We are yet to begin our negotiations to withdraw from the European Union and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the UK.

We are about to begin our negotiations to withdraw from the European Union and it would be wrong to set out further unilateral positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.

There are no current decisions to be made about whether to review that particular measure. As the hon. Lady knows, there were some widespread changes made during the last Parliament—they were predominantly led by the Home Office, but the Department

for Education was kept closely involved. We feel that we have a robust system in place, but more important is making sure that the people who are delivering the services have the best practice, skills and knowledge at their disposal, because where things go wrong, it tends to be through basic practice failures, rather than systems.

The following table sets out the number of people that have been placed under a discretionary bar from working with (a) children and (b) adults in each of the last five years. Information relating to the reasons and the harm type under which each person was so placed cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority did not have the power to automatically place individuals on the adults barred list where their convictions predated 20 January 2009, when automatic barring on the adults list became available. These cases were considered under the discretionary barring route. The ISA continued to receive notification of these convictions in 2009 and did not conclude all of these cases until 2010/11. This means that the figures for discretionary bars were higher in 2009 and 2010. After 2010, the number of such cases decreased and the number of discretionary bars reduced in line with that change.

It is extremely important that organisations in the children's sector understand their safeguarding responsibilities. 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education' provides information for schools and colleges on their safeguarding responsibilities. Last year we consulted on revising this guidance. Updated guidance will be published soon, reflecting the changes introduced by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The guidance will set out more clearly the statutory duties on schools and colleges to make referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework sets put the statutory responsibilities of early years providers. Registered early years providers are required to comply with the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which was revised by the Protection of Freedoms Act, and are required to refer appropriate cases to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

It is extremely important that organisations in the children's sector understand their safeguarding responsibilities. 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education' provides information for schools and colleges on their safeguarding responsibilities. Last year we consulted on revising this guidance. Updated guidance will be published soon, reflecting the changes introduced by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The guidance will set out more clearly the statutory duties on schools and colleges to make referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework sets put the statutory responsibilities of early years providers. Registered early years providers are required to comply with the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which was revised by the Protection of Freedoms Act, and are required to refer appropriate cases to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

All schools have statutory responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils. As part of this, we expect schools to ensure that pupils understand the risks that they may face and how to keep themselves safe.

Schools can teach pupils about these issues in sex and relationship education (SRE), which is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. When teaching SRE, schools must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance, which makes clear that all young people should understand how to avoid exploitation and abuse, and how the law applies to sexual relationships.

To support schools to deliver high quality SRE, we have asked Ofsted to report on effective practice, as well as providing grant funding to the PSHE Association to undertake work advising schools in developing curricula, improving staff training and promoting the teaching of consent in SRE.

All schools have statutory responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils. As part of this, we expect schools to ensure that pupils understand the risks that they may face and how to keep themselves safe.

Schools can teach pupils about these issues in sex and relationship education (SRE), which is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. When teaching SRE, schools must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance, which makes clear that all young people should understand how to avoid exploitation and abuse, and how the law applies to sexual relationships.

To support schools to deliver high quality SRE, we have asked Ofsted to report on effective practice, as well as providing grant funding to the PSHE Association to undertake work advising schools in developing curricula, improving staff training and promoting the teaching of consent in SRE.