Holocaust Memorial Day

Posted on January 27, 2024 by ianchisnall

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and one of the significant supporters is the charity “Holocaust Memorial Day Trust” which provides information throughout the year. They have published a piece which is available here Two of our local MPs have commented on X, formerly twitter, Peter Bottomley a Conservative MP for West Worthing and Caroline Lucas  the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion. Subsequently Peter Kyle the Labour MP for Hove has raised it a few minutes ago, so I have included his comments below but he is not shown in the image! Several other MPs have mentioned it in Parliament last week across a range of different events. There were two Holocaust Memorial Day events on Thursday and the Prime Minister introduced it to his event on Prime Minister’s Question Time on Wednesday and several MPs responded. Last week many MPs raised the importance of Holocaust Memorial Day in Parliament Fiona Bruce, Catherine West, Jim Shannon, David Rutley, Brendan O’Hara, Sarah Owen, Patrick Grady, Andrew Mitchell, Lucy Powell, Deidre Brock, Peter Bottomley and Penny Mordaunt. Here is the opening item from the ‘Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’.

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) – the international day on 27 January to remember the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

HMD is marked on this date to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp.

At a time when levels of antisemitism (anti-Jewish hatred) and anti-Muslim hatred are rising across the UK, Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for people from different backgrounds and communities to come together, to engage and take action for a better future.

HMD 2024 is being marked in libraries, schools, prisons, workplaces and a range of other spaces. Read on to find out what has been happening this week for HMD, and how you can get involved.

Peter Bottomley: Today we recognise #HolocaustMemorialDay. Six million were brutally murdered. Five million men and women alongside over a million children. I welcome the emphasis that the Holocaust Commission has put on education, followed up by words from the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Caroline Lucas: I’ve signed the @HolocaustUK Book of Remembrance to mark #HolocaustMemorialDay Today, more than ever, it’s vital to stand up against anti-Semitism, racism & hate in all its forms – and ensure that future generations do not forget @HMD_UK @HolocaustUK

Peter Kyle: This week I signed the #HolocaustMemorialDay book of remembrance. Having been on two visits with @HolocaustUK I’ve learned the importance of striving to learn the lessons from history’s darkest time.

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Bishop Rachel assists parents in prison if they have childs

Posted on January 26, 2024 by ianchisnall

On Wednesday there were a number of members of House of Lords who discussed in a session entitled “Schools: Persistent Absenteeism” and the session was established by a Labour person Fiona Twycross and she began with “To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of persistent absenteeism in English schools; and what steps they are taking to address it.” and the Minister who responded was Diana Barran and seven other people took part in the session which included the Bishop of Gloucester who is the Reverend Rachel Treweek. After the initial request from Fiona Twycross, Diana Barran stated.

Diana: My Lords, tackling attendance and persistent absence is a top priority for my right honourable friend the Secretary of State and all her ministerial team. We have a team of specialist attendance advisers, are increasing the number of attendance mentors to support vulnerable students, are expanding our attendance hubs—supporting over 1,000 additional schools—and have launched a campaign to emphasise the importance of school for learning, wellbeing and friendships. We also now expect schools to meet termly with local authorities to agree plans for at-risk children, and our attendance data tools give schools the information they need to allow earlier intervention and avoid absences becoming entrenched.

Fiona did then ask another question and so did several other people and then Rachel Treweek asked this question and it was responded by Diana Barran.

Rachel: My Lords, when a parent goes into prison, no one is notified if they have a child. The charity Children Heard and Seen, which works with children who have a parent in prison, has shown that, with its support, those children’s attendance has significantly improved. Will the Government put in place a statutory mechanism to identify and support children with a parent in prison, as this would significantly reduce school absenteeism for those families?

Diana: I am interested by the right reverend Prelate’s suggestion and the suggestion from the charity she refers to. One of the things I hear a lot in schools is the importance of a child feeling that they belong—the relationship they have with staff and their friends. I hope we would not need a statutory duty and that a school would know a child well enough, but if it would help, I am happy to meet with the charity and discuss this further.

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Consider: Hold a parliamentary vote on assisted dying

Posted on January 24, 2024 by ianchisnall

A couple of weeks ago on 5th January Hanna Geissler published this e-Petition called 653593 which was submitted from nearly 82,000 signatures at that time. A few days ago Rabbi Elli Sarah promoted it on Twitter and the text is provided below and the petition can be obtained from here. Since then it has achieved 154,000 signatures. Rabbi has commented that Esther Rantzen was commented in the theme below. There have been a significant number of signatures across the whole UK and it will be interesting to see if it gets adopted by Parliament MPs in the future?

This petition calls for the Government to allocate Parliamentary time for assisted dying to be fully debated in the House of Commons and to give MPs a vote on the issue. Terminally ill people who are mentally sound and near the end of their lives should not suffer unbearably against their will.

We believe dying people in the UK should have the option of requesting medical assistance to end their lives with dignity, through a safe and compassionate system with strict eligibility criteria and safeguards. Without this, too many are taking matters into their own hands with tragic consequences. The Daily Express and Dignity in Dying support Dame Esther Rantzen’s call for a free vote. The time has come to Give Us Our Last Rights.

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MPs set to debate fair pay for our farmers

Posted on January 22, 2024 by ianchisnall

(This blog has been adopted by the Brighton Argus today on the 22nd January 2024 which is published in the OUR MPS IN PARLIAMENT theme on page 30)

Today in Parliament there is an opportunity for a number of Sussex MPs to assist with an e-petition discussion that is being organised by Christina Rees, a Labour MP for the South of Wales. She has published the event as “e-petition 643216, relating to the Groceries Supply Code of Practice” and the public document is listed as “Reform the Grocery Supply Code of Practice to better protect farmers” which was submitted by Guy Singh-Watson. So far it has nearly 113,000 signatures across the UK which includes 500 people in Wealden and Chichester and nearly 500 in Arundel and South Downs but currently in Crawley there is just under a hundred signatures. The first few words from the petition are

“We want the Government to amend the Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCP) to require retailers, without exception, to:

– Buy what they agreed to buy
– Pay what they agreed to pay
– Pay on time

We believe the current GSCP is inadequate and doesn’t protect farmers from unfair behaviour.”

With this amount of signatures the Government must pay attention to the food supply that effects everybody everyday.

It was evident that last week the session organised by the SNP MP Martyn Day on the “e-petition 625515, relating to allowances and tax arrangements for foster carers” sadly did not involve any of our Sussex MPs and the number of signatures for that was far less even though the content of that petition was really very important.

Another theme that is essential for the Government is the decision when the General Election will take place. So far none of our Sussex MPs have raised it in Parliament but interestingly next Monday there is a session organised by Tonia Antoniazzi who is another South Wales MP for Labour. She is organising “e-petition 641904 relating to the next general election” the petition is still active and so far, it has already acquired 283,000 signatures with the Brighton and Hove areas having gathered many signatures and much of the rest of Sussex have also endorsed it. The content for that petition which is shown in the document is

“The Prime Minister should call an immediate general election to allow the British public to have their say on how we are governed, we should not be made to wait until January 2025.”

During this week there is a session on Tuesday in the Westminster Hall which is being organised by Tim Loughton, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham. It is “Future of human rights in Hong Kong” so it will be interesting to see what this will involve and also if any of our other Sussex MPs will contribute. Also this week there are a great many number of Parliament Committees which includes Jeremy Quin, the Horsham MP and today he is in Public Accounts Committee which is referred as

“The Equipment Plan 2023–2033” and on Wednesday he is the Chair member of the Defence Committee. That session is dealing in “Future Aviation Capabilities”.

The Brighton Pavilion MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle is participating on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee which on Tuesday is responding in “Civil Service Leadership and Reform”. On Wednesday there are two Committees taking place at the same time that both include Lloyd as members. There is a session with the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee although it is not published. At the same time the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee is operating with the “Keeping the power on: our future energy technology mix” session. I will be keen to see which one of them will be contributed  by Lloyd. There are two other Sussex MPs this week on Committees. On Tuesday Henry Smith from Crawley will be joining the Foreign Affairs Committee and on Wednesday Caroline Lucas from Brighton Pavilion will be involving in the Environmental Audit Committee which will deal with “The role of natural capital in the green economy”

Last week several events took place in Parliament with many contributions from our MPs. On Monday afternoon at the same time as the Petitions were presented for discussion a session was entitled “Defending the UK and Allies” which was set out the Prime Minister. The first person to respond was Jeremy Quin from Horsham followed by Caroline Lucas from Brighton Pavilion, Tim Loughton and later on Henry Smith from Crawley. Jeremy included these words

“Will we encourage them to redouble their efforts to interdict arms smuggling from Iran into Yemen and therefore help to degrade further the military capacity of the Houthis?”

On the first day last week on Monday there were three votes, the first was Animal Welfare Bill with Clause 1, most people voted opposing this, but the three none Conservative MPs voted for Aye. The only person who did not vote for that session was Henry Smith and he was also one of the two Sussex MPs who debated in the session. The other MP who contributed was Tim Loughton who spoke four times. The other two votes related to the Delegated Legislation and all Conservatives voted in support for the two items, and only about fifty people rejected against these two sessions. The only Sussex MP that did so was Caroline Lucas. It is clear that last week’s activities in Parliament showed several voting differences between politicians from the same political parties. I am always interested to know the reason why.

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A contribution on BBC Funding from Steve Bassam

Posted on January 21, 2024 by ianchisnall

On Wednesday 17th January there was a discussion in the House of Lords which was described as BBC: Funding – Question by Amyas Morse, a Crossbench member. Several people took part including Steve Bassam a former labour councillor in Brighton and Hove. Here is the initial call from Amyas with a response from Stephen Parkinson a government member. That can also be obtained from here.

Amyas: To ask His Majesty’s Government, given the freeze in the BBC licence fee over the last two years and following their announcement on 7 December 2023 of changes to the licence fee from April 2024, what are their plans for future changes to BBC funding.

Stephen: His Majesty’s Government are committed to the licence fee until the end of this royal charter period. Decisions on the uplift of the remainder of the settlement period will be made in due course. The review of the BBC’s funding model will ensure that future funding arrangements are fair, sustainable for the long term and supportive of the BBC’s role in our creative industries. Final decisions on a funding model will be considered as part of the charter review.

A number of other people also contributed on this discussion which included Steve Bassam who asked

Steve: My Lords, during Monday’s BBC Question, references were made to the threats posed by disinformation and, in particular, the value of the BBC, which is seen as a trusted provider of news both at home and abroad. The Minister said that it was

“a beacon that shines brightly around the world”.—[Official Report, 15/1/24; col. 222.]

With that in mind, does he welcome the recent launch and gradual scaling-up of BBC Verify? Does he agree that the Government could greatly assist this new team by improving their own presentation of political events and official statistics?

Stephen: That is fitting for a Question begun by the noble Lord, Lord Morse. The noble Lord, Lord Bassam, is right. So many of the world’s democracies go to the polls this year, and this is an issue which will face broadcasters, but the BBC particularly, both at home and through the World Service, does a brilliant job at making sure that the claims of politicians—wherever they are in the world, whatever party they come from—are rightly scrutinised and that people are informed so that they can make decisions about the societies and countries in which they live.

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Questions about children from the Bishop of Durham

Posted on January 20, 2024 by ianchisnall

Last week in the House of Lords there were several questions for supporting children in the UK, organised by the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler. On Tuesday there was a session entitled “Coram’s Charter for Children” and eight other members of the House of Lords asked questions. All of the Government responses came from Diana Barran. On Thursday the Bishop submitted a written question with the headline “Child Benefit“, his question was answered by Charlotte Vere who was once a former conservative candidate for Brighton Pavilion. There has been one positive and one negative public response to the answer from the Government, so here is the beginning of the Coram Charter theme:

Paul: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Coram’s Charter for Children, and what steps they plan to take to implement its recommendations to create better chances for children.

Diana: My Lords, we welcome the publication of Coram’s Charter for Children and are grateful for its work in supporting children, young people and families. All children need love and stability to be happy and to grow up capable of fulfilling their potential. The Government are committed to prioritising the needs of children, ensuring that their best interests are at the centre of policy- and decision-making.

Paul: I thank the Minister for her Answer. The charter outlines a social contract between society and children which seeks to ensure that they get a fair share, a secure future and an equal chance. It states clearly that, at the moment, life is not getting better for children and young people in our country. Will His Majesty’s Government ensure that children’s best interests are always preserved by having child impact assessments and finally appointing a Cabinet- level Minister for children?

Diana: The Government absolutely accept that Covid in particular had a marked effect on our children, but we already have a Cabinet-level Minister for children—the Secretary of State for Education, who represents the interests of children in Cabinet. We also have a child rights impact assessment that government departments can use.

Here is the written question and the response:

Paul: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the positive impacts of the Canada Child Benefit that was introduced in 2016, and what lessons they have learned from it in developing their own policies.

Charlotte: We keep Child Benefit under regular review and part of that includes considering international comparisons.

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Prime Minister to back a permanent bilateral ceasefire?

Posted on January 19, 2024 by ianchisnall

On Wednesday this week on 17th January during the Engagements session which are opportunities for MPs to ask questions from the PM, the Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas of the Green Party focused on the Gaza theme. So below is her question and the answer from Rishi Sunak which can be obtained from here. Two days previously on Monday 15th January Layla Moran the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon asked another question to the Prime Minister during the Defending the UK and Allies session. It also included the Iranian regime for a bilateral ceasefire so that piece is below the text from Caroline on this and it can be obtained from here.

Caroline Lucas: Mr Speaker,

“Until the UK Government calls for an immediate ceasefire, it is complicit in the horrors…in Gaza.”

Those are not my words but those of the head of Oxfam who, like every single agency trying to operate on the ground, is clear that aid cannot be effectively delivered while fighting continues. More UK aid is of course welcome but even when it does get through, it can result in what one Palestinian aid worker calls

“bombing us on full stomachs.”

Some 24,000 people have already been killed so what will it take for the Prime Minister to back a permanent bilateral ceasefire?

Rishi Sunak: Of course we want to see a peaceful resolution to this conflict as soon as possible. A sustainable permanent ceasefire with an end to the destruction, fighting and loss of life, the release of hostages and no resumption of hostilities would of course be the best way forward, but in order to achieve that a number of things need to happen: Hamas would have to agree to release all the hostages; Hamas would have to no longer be in charge of Gaza; the threat of more rocket attacks from Hamas into Israel would have to end; and the Palestinian Authority, boosted with assistance, would need to return to Gaza in order to provide governance and aid. That is a sustainable ceasefire that we will work very hard to bring about.

Layla Moran: Nothing angers me more than those who choose to use the plight of the Palestinians to further their own nefarious ends. That applies to Iran primarily, but also to its proxies. Does the Prime Minister accept that the best way to pull the rug from under the Iranian regime is to achieve that two-state solution by way of an immediate bilateral ceasefire in this conflict?

Rishi Sunak: As I have said previously, we do support a ceasefire but it must be sustainable, and multiple things have to happen for it to be so. As I have also said previously, we remain committed to a two-state solution, because I believe in a future—as do the Government and, I think, the House—in which Palestinian and Israeli people can live side by side in peace and security and in which everyone can live their lives with dignity and opportunity. That is the future that we are striving to build.

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The titanic error was belief in the technology

Posted on January 15, 2024 by ianchisnall

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on the 15th January 2024 which is described within the OUR MPS IN PARLIAMENT theme on page 29)

Today is the beginning of the second week of Parliament but last week on Monday there was a session about “Horizon: Compensation and Convictions” which involved three of our local MPs, Peter Bottomley, Tim Loughton and Lloyd Russell-Moyle. Peter Bottomley was the first Sussex MP who spoke

I also refer my hon. Friend the Minister to the article in The Sun about my constituent Cheryl Shaw, who gave up in 2008. Having lost £400 week after week, she brought in the Post Office investigators, who claimed that they could not find anything to explain what was happening. She had to sell out, she lost her home and she took on work as a carer. She is illustrative of those who were convicted and those who gave up before they were prosecuted. Many people now believe that the Horizon system was set up for one purpose and adapted to another, for which it did not work. When people started entering things twice, there was apparently a loss where the Post Office did not actually lose any money. If the Post Office did not lose any money, how could people have been properly prosecuted? The titanic error was the belief in technology.

Later on in the discussion Tim Loughton commented as part of his speech

I am aware of only one sub-postmaster in my constituency who was pursued by the Post Office and not convicted, but it struck me that that is because I have very few sub-post offices left. Are there grounds for investigating whether the Post Office used this dodgy accounting to mismanage the profitability of individual branches to accelerate the closure programme of many of those branches, which left us, in many cases, with very few post office branches left for our constituents to use?

Towards the end of the session Lloyd Russell-Moyle spoke,

In 2018, my local post office was subject to an armed robbery. Those who ran the post office were hauled up to the regional office, where they were interrogated. They felt like criminals. They were not allowed to bring their reps from the Communication Workers Union; they were told they could bring reps only from the National Federation of SubPostmasters, which they had no trust in. In the end, although of course they were found not to have given over the money willingly, they left and handed over the post office to someone else.

This afternoon in the Westminster Hall session there is a planned discussion for a public petition event organised by Martyn Day the Scottish National Party MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk.  His session is entitled “relating to allowances and tax arrangements for foster carers” and it involves the e-petition 625515, “Review and increase foster care allowances and tax exemptions”. The petition was established in October 2022 until April 2024 and was published by Amanda Mogan-Wilson. Unfortunately, it only achieved 13,310 signatures across the UK. However, the petition content is memorable and entitled

We want the Government to review and increase allowances paid to foster carers, and also tax exemption levels for foster carers, so they reflect the true cost of caring for a child.

It included the additional item

FosterTalk’s Cost of Living report shows: – 43% of carers may leave fostering in the next 2 years – 56% of carers haven’t received an uplift in allowances and those who have, 90% felt it doesn’t cover the cost of caring for a child – 38% of carers have experienced mental health issues due to the crisis The number of carers is declining and it’s expected there’ll be a deficit of around 25,000 foster care families by 2026 in England alone. The cost of living crisis is worsening the situation.

Only sixteen people endorsed the petition in Martyn’s constituency and I was disappointed that some areas of Sussex had even less signatures than that but there were thirty-two people in Crawley and more than twenty in East Worthing, Bexhill and Hasting areas. There is also a lot more support from other parts of the UK including Kent and Hampshire groups.

Along with the focus of this petition this week there are two Committees that are taking place in Parliament that involve Sussex MPs. Today there is the “Public Accounts Committee” which includes Jeremy Quin, that will be debating “Levelling up funding to local government”. On Wednesday there is a session for the “Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee” which involves Lloyd Russell-Moyle and another session for the “Public Accounts Committee” which is debating “Lessons for government: monitoring and responding to companies in distress” that will involve Jeremy Quin again.

During the last week there have been a number of comments from MPs about this year’s General Election. So far no Sussex MPs have spoken about it but the first person who raised it last week was Wes Streeting the Labour MP at North London who stated last Monday

Patients are sick and tired of waiting—waiting for ambulances, waiting for a GP appointment, waiting for their operation and waiting for a general election that cannot come soon enough. Why do the Conservatives not get out of the way and let Labour fix the mess they have made?

It will be interesting to see if any of our local MPs will raise the requirement in the future. Many of us are very keen for the General Election to happen in May this year! 

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A significant question from the Bishop of Chelmsford

Posted on January 14, 2024 by ianchisnall

Last Wednesday the House of Lords held a session entitled “Social Housing: Mould” which involved a number of questions. The Minister who responded to them was Baroness Scott of Bybrook who is Jane Scott previously the leader of Wiltshire Council. The opening question came from Wajid Khan the Baron Khan of Burnley who began with “To ask His Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of conditions in social housing, including levels of mould.” The Minister responded to his question and many others including the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani. Initially is the response from Bybrook responding to Burnley

My Lords, the English Housing Survey found that in 2022, 10% of social homes failed to meet the decent homes standard and 5% had a problem with damp. The Government have now introduced Awaab’s law, requiring the Secretary of State to set out new requirements for landlords to address hazards such as damp and mould in social homes within a fixed period. We published our consultation on those requirements yesterday, 9 January.

Then later on this session was a question from Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani and the response from Jane Scott

Chelmsford: May I say on behalf of these Benches, too, how pleased we are to see the noble Baroness back in her place. We know that cots are extremely important for the health and well-being of babies and young children. What is the Government’s policy on the provision of cots to those in social housing? The charity Justlife states that around 25% of temporary accommodation falls under the purview of the social housing regulator. With nearly 140,000 children living in temporary accommodation in England alone, what steps are being taken to ensure that cots are provided for families in temporary accommodation under the purview of the social housing regulator?

Bybrook: I thank the right reverend Prelate for that question. I do not know the answer to it, but I will certainly find out. I know that this is an important issue. Housing associations providing temporary accommodation have to provide the correct furniture and fittings for such families, and I will check that cots are included. I also know that such charities—which I have been involved with many times, and which do a wonderful job—are providing not just cots but all the other things that babies and young people need, particularly if they are being moved around a lot. I will get a Written Answer to the right reverend Prelate regarding cots.

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Free School Meals: Children with SEND for Brighton and Hove

Posted on January 13, 2024 by ianchisnall

On Wednesday the 10th January a Parliament session was debated by Ian Byrne the Labour MP for West Derby in Liverpool.  He started the session about Free School Meals: Children with SEND. His first few words were “I beg to move, That this House has considered access to free school meals for children with special educational needs and disabilities.”. After more significant comments from several Parliament members which included Mary Foy the Labour MP for Durham who raised the consideration in respect of Brighton and Hove Lloyd Russell-Moyle the labour MP for Brighton Pavilion responded. Here is Mary Foy’s comment.

The solutions are obvious, as my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, West Derby, outlined: update the free school meals guidance, and make it clear that schools can provide an alternative for disabled children, such as supermarket vouchers. Brighton  and Hove City Council has introduced such a scheme, so will the Secretary of State pledge to do so here today? That would be a start in repairing our society’s safety net, which has been so badly damaged by the last 14 years of austerity.

And here is the full text from Lloyd Russell-Moyle

It is an honour to follow all the previous speakers. I will follow on from that mention of Brighton and Hove.

Brighton and Hove is slightly, but not hugely, above the national average for young people and children who have special educational needs, and for young people with EHCPs. We are not an outrider in that sense, but we do notice more and more children not attending school, not because their parents are keeping them at home—that is another issue entirely—but because the schools are unable to provide the special educational needs support that those children need. My view is that this issue is caused by two things. The first is the disastrous austerity policies that have led to our schools suffering and unable to support pupils. Secondly—this is more controversial—I personally believe that we have had a 20-year incorrect educational project, which believes in integration only, and not that separate special schools are sometimes best for many young people.

No matter what additional support is provided, I am afraid that a pupil with sensory needs will not always manage to work in a large secondary school where there are thousands of children running around, and they can sink. However, if they are at a special school that can provide for their needs in an alternative location with sensory adaptations, usually off site, they can flourish. These schools used to be commonly provided by the mainstream—by local authorities, at a reasonable price for the authority. Then, when the children leave the school or move into mainstream school, if that moment comes, they are a big fish in a small pond, rather than a small fish with lots of sharks. I am afraid that we have shut down many of those local authority schools, and local authorities cannot afford to place pupils in special schools, so a lot of children have been put into education otherwise than at school, and are therefore not provided with free school meals.

Only yesterday, the Minister wrote to me to say:

“Regarding students receiving…EOTAS, the department’s position is that pupils must be registered with a state-funded school in order to be eligible”,

and that the Department does not plan to change that. Well, that seems different from today’s briefing from the Department, so of course there is confusion. Brighton and Hove has decided that we will skip past this confusion and mandate free school meals for all those children. They are not there because of parent choice; they have been placed there by the authority, because the authority cannot find suitable accommodation. They must be given vouchers, and the Minister should update the guidance to ensure that that happens.

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