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My Lords, on prevention, as women get to the perimenopausal stage in life, our bones become a lot thinner. Would it not be helpful and useful, while the Government are rolling out other things, to do some public awareness on where women can get support and help in the meantime. That would of course be national and would not have to be rolled out.
My Lords, on prevention, as women get to the perimenopausal stage in life, our bones become a lot thinner. Would it not be helpful and useful, while the Government are rolling out other things, to do some public awareness on where women can get support and help in the meantime. That would of course be national and would not have to be rolled out.
The noble Baroness makes a good point, and we are now including menopause in the NHS health check for those over 40. That will be a very good place to do that, because it will identify where women should speak up. One in three women are likely to have osteoporosis, compared with one in five men.
My Lords, on the first question that was put, on the women’s agenda, given that there has been so much rollback on women’s rights, particularly in Afghanistan, would the Minister please make sure that that is at the forefront of our agenda, that we are able to have the wider discussions, and that we hold the conference that my noble friend Lord Cameron did when he was Prime Minister?
My Lords, on the first question that was put, on the women’s agenda, given that there has been so much rollback on women’s rights, particularly in Afghanistan, would the Minister please make sure that that is at the forefront of our agenda, that we are able to have the wider discussions, and that we hold the conference that my noble friend Lord Cameron did when he was Prime Minister?
We are committed to improving the rights of women on the global stage. This issue has been raised at the UN General Assembly and it will be one that the Government return to regularly.
My Lords, women of all faiths find it difficult these days, particularly women of colour. You cannot say whether someone is Muslim or not because we do not wear a badge on our foreheads to say what we are or are not. We all get abuse. We need to change the tone and the narrative of how we are behaving, not only in Parliament but out there too. I think it is on all of us when we are debating this to make people believe that we are actually coming together to tackle this rather than trying to give it as antisemitic or anti-Muslim. Many of us who are not either are still suffering the same, but we do not have a voice anywhere in the debate.
My Lords, women of all faiths find it difficult these days, particularly women of colour. You cannot say whether someone is Muslim or not because we do not wear a badge on our foreheads to say what we are or are not. We all get abuse. We need to change the tone and the narrative of how we are behaving, not only in Parliament but out there too. I think it is on all of us when we are debating this to make people believe that we are actually coming together to tackle this rather than trying to give it as antisemitic or anti-Muslim. Many of us who are not either are still suffering the same, but we do not have a voice anywhere in the debate.
The noble Baroness will know that the Government have a manifesto commitment to develop a strategy on anti-violence against women and girls and to halve violence against women and girls over 10 years. As part of that strategy, we are acutely aware that the type of violence against women and girls that is of a serious nature begins with disrespect and basic misogyny. Part of the challenge for this Government is to ensure that all women have the right to live their lives free of intimidation and abuse.
My Lords, over the past few days we have witnessed horrifying pictures of murder and torture on our TV screens. We cannot allow that to just go past without making some very strong statements, knowing full well that the IRGC is behind a lot of those murders and killings. Will the Minister— I am sure he will—take back to the Prime Minister our need to be very forthright in condemning this and
making sure that we are working with our other partners to ensure that this horrible regime understands the feeling from the West?
My Lords, over the past few days we have witnessed horrifying pictures of murder and torture on our TV screens. We cannot allow that to just go past without making some very strong statements, knowing full well that the IRGC is behind a lot of those murders and killings. Will the Minister— I am sure he will—take back to the Prime Minister our need to be very forthright in condemning this and
making sure that we are working with our other partners to ensure that this horrible regime understands the feeling from the West?
I can assure the noble Baroness that my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has this week spoken directly to the Iranian Government. The Iranian ambassador to the United Kingdom is being summoned to see Foreign Office Ministers today. As we speak, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is making a Statement in the House of Commons outlining a range of other measures that the Government intend to take. The noble Baroness can be assured that we are appalled by the actions of the Iranian Government and will continue to make representations accordingly.
Will the Minister also look with concern at the Jamaat-e-Islami UK organisation, which should cause us all concern, given the influence it now has with organisations here in the UK, and which might interfere in elections in Bangladesh?
Will the Minister also look with concern at the Jamaat-e-Islami UK organisation, which should cause us all concern, given the influence it now has with organisations here in the UK, and which might interfere in elections in Bangladesh?
Again, I say to the noble Baroness that the Government keep all organisations under review and make assessments accordingly. For example, as she will know, we took the difficult decision to proscribe Palestine Action. We keep all these matters under review. I cannot comment or give a running commentary on those issues from the Dispatch Box, and I know she would not expect me to do so, but I welcome her representations.
My Lords, does the Minister agree that it is time that we brought back in-house catering to schools, so that children can benefit from knowing about food? Would it not be beneficial to also bring back home cooking to schools?
My Lords, does the Minister agree that it is time that we brought back in-house catering to schools, so that children can benefit from knowing about food? Would it not be beneficial to also bring back home cooking to schools?
There are many schools that, in thinking about the sourcing of their free school meals, see the benefits of having those
responsible for buying and cooking the food in the school itself. It is up to schools to determine how they procure their free school meals, although I recognise that the last Government provided support for schools in procuring that as effectively as possible. There are already opportunities for children to learn cooking within school—and at home as well. That will always be an important thing for young people to be able to do.
My Lords, how are the Government working with places of worship to see how they could help alleviate some of the hotel usage problem? There are thousands of places of worship across our country; they should be playing their part. They are often large buildings with catering kitchens and everything else. It is about time we rethink how we look after people who come in but maybe should not be here and, in the meantime, utilise places of worship. They are often left empty and could probably do with a little financial assistance from the Government—but much less than hotels.
My Lords, how are the Government working with places of worship to see how they could help alleviate some of the hotel usage problem? There are thousands of places of worship across our country; they should be playing their part. They are often large buildings with catering kitchens and everything else. It is about time we rethink how we look after people who come in but maybe should not be here and, in the meantime, utilise places of worship. They are often left empty and could probably do with a little financial assistance from the Government—but much less than hotels.
I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her suggestion; I will certainly examine it. It is important that society as a whole embraces individuals who have come to this country fleeing persecution, hunger, war and destitution.
For those who are not across the detail of this proposal, it is about individuals who have been granted asylum and who are being helped to move on from that into the community to begin their new life with approved asylum status. We are trying to ensure that we evaluate that pilot, monitor it successfully and give due regard to those who are already under the 56-day period, but to look at what tweaks we can make, because there are immense pressures in the system on hotels and the whole House wants us to resolve that as a matter of urgency.
My Lords, will the Minister join me in congratulating the Armed Forces on the wide diversity that it holds now? Will he also tell the House what we need to do more of once people leave the forces so that we look after them better?
My Lords, will the Minister join me in congratulating the Armed Forces on the wide diversity that it holds now? Will he also tell the House what we need to do more of once people leave the forces so that we look after them better?
I thank the noble Baroness for her comments and all the work that she does in trying to ensure that we get diversity, which is so important to our Armed Forces. She does a brilliant job, which we need to recognise, and we need more people like her. On how we treat our veterans, she will know that the Government are about to extend, in the Armed Forces Bill that will come forward in the autumn, the Armed Forces covenant so that it covers not only local government but central government and more departments. That is one of the ways that we will do it. We do it also by speaking up for the value which we place on what our veterans have done to defend the freedoms of this country and our allies.
My Lords, I declare my interest as a director of an adult social care business. It is time—and I hope the review looks at this—to rename carers something other than “carers”, because it distorts the training and level of professionalism that carers
provide every day. If we try to rephrase the name “carers”, they may see that there is a career progress model in place for them.
My Lords, I declare my interest as a director of an adult social care business. It is time—and I hope the review looks at this—to rename carers something other than “carers”, because it distorts the training and level of professionalism that carers
provide every day. If we try to rephrase the name “carers”, they may see that there is a career progress model in place for them.
I welcome the comments from the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, that she will look to reach out to all the different organisations, including the voluntary sector and carers themselves. She will hear from across the sector, and I am sure that the noble Baroness, Lady Verma, will make her voice heard as we take this work forward.
My Lords, does the Minister agree that part of how to help children through their education is by encouraging businesses to grow in the countries where it is most needed? Will she look to how we can support UK businesses in that journey, as many are trying their level best against a lot of challenges? If we could work together, maybe in the future we will not need the aid that is delivered.
My Lords, does the Minister agree that part of how to help children through their education is by encouraging businesses to grow in the countries where it is most needed? Will she look to how we can support UK businesses in that journey, as many are trying their level best against a lot of challenges? If we could work together, maybe in the future we will not need the aid that is delivered.
That is the aim of many countries that we are working in. They want to move on from being an aid recipient and be a partner with us, not least in the area of business and economic growth. Relationships, such as on infrastructure and in higher education, are starting to develop. I would like the FCDO to play a leading role in this. As we move towards a change in our approach, having that expertise here in the UK to facilitate those relationships, in finance or technology, is exactly the direction that we should be going in.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of age discrimination in recruitment and employment, and what steps they are taking to combat that discrimination.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of age discrimination in recruitment and employment, and what steps they are taking to combat that discrimination.
It is not possible to accurately estimate the prevalence of age discrimination in recruitment and employment because not all such discrimination is reported or challenged and in some cases such differential treatment can be objectively justified.
The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) provides strong protection against discrimination related to age in both an employment and service provision context, as age is one of the nine protected characteristics listed in The Act. In addition, employers are not permitted to use a default retirement age for their employees.
These protections enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including recruitment processes and when in work. Where age discrimination in recruitment and employment cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress at an employment tribunal.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support and promote Age Without Limits Day across government departments, and whether they plan to develop a strategy to address ageism in society.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support and promote Age Without Limits Day across government departments, and whether they plan to develop a strategy to address ageism in society.
We acknowledge the commitment of the organisers of the Age Without Limits Day and will follow it with interest. Ageism has no place in our society where we want to see and build inclusion, not exclusion.
The Equality Act 2010 has strong protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including recruitment processes. These protections make it unlawful for an employer, service provider or someone exercising public functions to treat a person less favourably because of age, unless this can be objectively justified.
Any older person who may have been personally discriminated against because of age may also contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the government helpline established to provide free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. The EASS can be contacted via their website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/, by telephone on 0808 8000082 or text phone on 0808 8000084. The EASS has the ability to intervene on an individual’s behalf with a service provider to help resolve an issue. The EASS can also advise people who wish to take their complaint further on their options.
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to supporting the aims of Age Without Limits Day, and whether they will take steps to raise awareness of age-related discrimination.
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to supporting the aims of Age Without Limits Day, and whether they will take steps to raise awareness of age-related discrimination.
We acknowledge the commitment of the organisers of the Age Without Limits Day and will follow it with interest. Ageism has no place in our society where we want to see and build inclusion, not exclusion.
The Equality Act 2010 has strong protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including recruitment processes. These protections make it unlawful for an employer, service provider or someone exercising public functions to treat a person less favourably because of age, unless this can be objectively justified.
Any older person who may have been personally discriminated against because of age may also contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the government helpline established to provide free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. The EASS can be contacted via their website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/, by telephone on 0808 8000082 or text phone on 0808 8000084. The EASS has the ability to intervene on an individual’s behalf with a service provider to help resolve an issue. The EASS can also advise people who wish to take their complaint further on their options.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Minister for Women and Equalities plans to take part in activities to mark Age Without Limits Day; and what role the Office for Equality and Opportunity will play in highlighting ageism as a cross-cutting issue.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Minister for Women and Equalities plans to take part in activities to mark Age Without Limits Day; and what role the Office for Equality and Opportunity will play in highlighting ageism as a cross-cutting issue.
We acknowledge the commitment of the organisers of the Age Without Limits Day and will follow it with interest. Ageism has no place in our society where we want to see and build inclusion, not exclusion.
The Equality Act 2010 has strong protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including recruitment processes. These protections make it unlawful for an employer, service provider or someone exercising public functions to treat a person less favourably because of age, unless this can be objectively justified.
Any older person who may have been personally discriminated against because of age may also contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the government helpline established to provide free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. The EASS can be contacted via their website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/, by telephone on 0808 8000082 or text phone on 0808 8000084. The EASS has the ability to intervene on an individual’s behalf with a service provider to help resolve an issue. The EASS can also advise people who wish to take their complaint further on their options.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address age-related disparities in mental health provision, particularly in assess to talking therapies.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address age-related disparities in mental health provision, particularly in assess to talking therapies.
The Government’s mission is to improve mental health care across the spectrum of need so that people of all ages can access the right support at the right time.
NHS England is committed to ensuring that the proportion of people aged 65 years old and over receiving a course of treatment through NHS Talking Therapies is maintained or increased. Currently, approximately 7% of courses of treatment delivered by NHS Talking Therapies services are for individuals in this age group.
The Positive Practice Guide, published in 2024 by NHS England and other stakeholder organisations, is designed to support therapists working with older adults. This resource addresses the diverse needs of older people and seeks to challenge misconceptions that may act as barriers to older people accessing psychological therapies.
To ask His Majesty's Government why they have created the new Combatting Hatred Against Muslims Fund and not one that commits to combating hatred against people of all faiths.
To ask His Majesty's Government why they have created the new Combatting Hatred Against Muslims Fund and not one that commits to combating hatred against people of all faiths.
All forms of hate crime are completely unacceptable, and this government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. Our efforts to build a country of tolerance and inclusion apply to people of all faiths and none.
The recent hate crime statistics showed almost 2 in 5 religious hate crimes were targeted against Muslims, which is why the Government announced this funding to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hate and support victims. With cases on the rise, up-to-date and detailed information on incidents and drivers of this form of hatred will play a fundamental part in supporting the government to combat anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia and ensure Muslim communities feel safe and supported.
No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their race or religion and the Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat this.
The Government has worked with the police to fund True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of all forms of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report.
We are committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion and we will not tolerate religious hatred in any form.
My Lords, I refer to my interests in the register. Can the Government look also at all government buildings, because there are a lot of savings we can make? I am pleased to say that Leicester City Council has started to look at how it can issue tenders for solar on its properties in the city.
My Lords, I refer to my interests in the register. Can the Government look also at all government buildings, because there are a lot of savings we can make? I am pleased to say that Leicester City Council has started to look at how it can issue tenders for solar on its properties in the city.
I thank the noble Baroness and congratulate Leicester on the work it is doing in this space. It is important to say that current standards, introduced in December 2021, already encourage the use of solar panels in non-domestic buildings, and they are expected to produce around 27% lower carbon emissions compared with those built to the previous standards. To meet the 2021 standards, they are expected to be built with very high fabric standards and improved building services, including heat pumps and solar panels. When we make our announcement, we will encourage as many non-domestic building owners as possible to take that on board and to use every technique they can to improve the standards they work to, including on government buildings.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to consult relevant parties and stakeholders to define a "reference period" as set out in the Consultation on the application of zero-hours contracts measures to agency workers, updated on 31 October 2024.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to consult relevant parties and stakeholders to define a "reference period" as set out in the Consultation on the application of zero-hours contracts measures to agency workers, updated on 31 October 2024.
The Government consulted on how to apply the zero hours contracts measures in the Employment Rights Bill to agency workers, because of the intricacies of the tripartite employment model between agencies, agency workers and hirers.
We will respond to that consultation in due course, and we will subsequently consult on the details of zero hours contracts measures - including reference periods and hours thresholds - to inform their implementation. The measures are expected to be implemented no sooner than 2026.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to consult with relevant parties and stakeholders to define a "guaranteed hours contract" as set out in the Consultation on the application of zero-hours contracts measures to agency workers, updated on 31 October 2024.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to consult with relevant parties and stakeholders to define a "guaranteed hours contract" as set out in the Consultation on the application of zero-hours contracts measures to agency workers, updated on 31 October 2024.
The Government consulted on how to apply the zero hours contracts measures in the Employment Rights Bill to agency workers, because of the intricacies of the tripartite employment model between agencies, agency workers and hirers.
We will respond to that consultation in due course, and we will subsequently consult on the details of zero hours contracts measures - including reference periods and hours thresholds - to inform their implementation. The measures are expected to be implemented no sooner than 2026.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to consult with relevant parties and stakeholders and define a "low hours contract" as set out in the Consultation on the application of zero-hours contracts measures to agency workers, updated on 31 October 2024.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to consult with relevant parties and stakeholders and define a "low hours contract" as set out in the Consultation on the application of zero-hours contracts measures to agency workers, updated on 31 October 2024.
The Government consulted on how to apply the zero hours contracts measures in the Employment Rights Bill to agency workers, because of the intricacies of the tripartite employment model between agencies, agency workers and hirers.
We will respond to that consultation in due course, and we will subsequently consult on the details of zero hours contracts measures - including reference periods and hours thresholds - to inform their implementation. The measures are expected to be implemented no sooner than 2026.