Fiona Bruce: My hon. Friend is making an important point about grit bins. Does he agree that it would be helpful for the Minister, in responding to this debate, to consider the provision of grit bins within a highways authority’s overarching obligation? Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980 states that highways authorities “are under a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe...
Fiona Bruce: I thank the hon. Member for his constant dedication in his role as the chair of the all-party group on international freedom of religion or belief; he is an example to us all. Will he join me in welcoming plans for the UK-hosted ministerial meeting on freedom of religion or belief in July this year, an international conference that will bring together Government Ministers, faith leaders and...
Fiona Bruce: What steps the Church of England is taking to promote freedom of religion or belief.
Fiona Bruce: I thank my hon. Friend for those words and welcome the international opportunities to champion freedom of religion or belief at the ministerial conference in London in July, which I am very proud that the UK is hosting, and at the Lambeth conference. Will my hon. Friend join me in commending the motion of the diocese of Lichfield at the forthcoming General Synod that the Church of England not...
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) her Department has made an estimate of the number of UK citizens who own properties in Ireland affected by defective concrete blocks used in construction in Donegal and (b) the Government is taking steps to work with the Irish Government on that matter.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what Government support is offered to families in which someone lives with Noonan's Syndrome; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing a blue badge for the carer of that person.
Fiona Bruce: I thank my hon. Friend the Minister for her statement today and also for her dedicated hard work on this really challenging but very important issue. I also commend the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this debate. I very much support what he said, particularly regarding targeted religious minorities, which I want to focus on in my speech, particularly because I am...
Fiona Bruce: I will do so, Ms Ali. I suggest to the Minister that we consider the main elements of the Canadian community sponsorship model and see how we could adopt them in the UK. May we meet to discuss this issue? Finally, I place on the record my commendation of the volunteers in my constituency, the Welcome Churches in Sandbach and the LOL Foundation in Congleton, which have done so much to support...
Fiona Bruce: The Government have rightly included minority groups, including those at risk due to their religious beliefs, in the eligibility criteria for the ACRS. Will the Minister reassure me that the ACRS is now open to those vulnerable religious minorities and that that could be combined with community sponsorship?
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the findings of the judgment of the Uyghur Tribunal, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, published on 9 December 2021.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support Uyghurs.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking towards imposing sanctions on individuals responsible for oppressing the Uyghur people.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to begin recording data on prisoners' family circumstances and caring responsibilities as set out in the Prisons Strategy White Paper; and what data will be recorded.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the planned publication date is for the collection of research into the numbers of children affected by parental incarceration as referred to in the Prisons Strategy White Paper; and what steps his Department is taking to address the specific needs of that group of children.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure prisoners who lack family or other support are being helped to form relationships to support their rehabilitation with people outside or peers inside.
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken since the Farmer Review to increase the involvement of families in release planning.
Fiona Bruce: It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Upper Bann (Carla Lockhart), my co-chair on the pro-life all-party parliamentary group. I commend her for her informed and sensitive speech and for all that she does to be a voice for the unborn in this place. I rise to speak in this debate to support the right of the Northern Ireland Assembly, representing the people of Northern Ireland, to...
Fiona Bruce: Is it not extremely difficult to assess when a life will end? Is that not one of the challenges that we have with regard to this proposal of a timed end to a life?
Fiona Bruce: As we celebrate the advent of Christmas, I thank the Prime Minister for his support for Christians, and those of other faiths and beliefs, who face persecution across the world. We here stand with them. The Government have talked about the gift of resettlement for Afghans who are members of religious minorities—those who are at risk of persecution, targeted for their beliefs. Will this gift...
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department takes to help ensure that Government funding allocated to local authorities for children's and young people's mental health services is used effectively to meet their needs; and what oversight there is for the effective use of those funds.