Written answers

Thursday, 21 December 2023

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Heat Pumps: Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) environmental and (b) biodiversity impact assessment she has made of the production of ground source heat pump...

    • Woodlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the Forestry Commission on promoting woodland creation.

      Sustainable Farming Incentive: South Holland and the Deepings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 have been (a) made and (b) approved in South Holland and the...

      Pigs: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the exemption in the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England)...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Food: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she plans to take to respond to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority that manufacturers of branded food products...

    • Small Businesses: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 4799 on Small Businesses: Exports, how the £200 million of funding to support...

      Companies: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what checks Companies House carry out to ensure that businesses are not being registered fraudulently under incorrect addresses.

      Arms Trade: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish the details of any licences for export of military goods to Israel (a) that have been issued since 7 October 2023 and (b)...

      Arms Trade: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether she has conducted a recent review of his...

      Arms Trade: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether any licences are in place that allow UK...

      F-35 Aircraft: Export Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) L3Harris on and (b) other UK-based companies using the open general export license...

      Arms Trade: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether she has carried out a review of the licences for...

      L3Harris: Export Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether she has carried out a review of L3Harris’s...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Army: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5784 on Army: Procurement, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the...

    • Armed Forces: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many referrals for post-traumatic stress disorder for (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF personnel were made in each year since 2019.

      Army: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5784 on Army: Procurement, what mechanisms his Department has for (a) continuous reassessment and...

      Air Force: Military Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time an RAF aircraft was unable to fly due to it needing to be repaired was in each year since 2019.

      Air Force: Military Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF aircraft were unable to fly in each month since January 2023; and for what reasons.

      Ministry of Defence: Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 1450 on Ministry of Defence: Technology, when he plans to write to the Rt hon. Member for Garston...

      Shipping: Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 4936 on Shipbuilding: Innovation, when he plans to publish the comprehensive study by Maritime...

      Army: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 68 of the Land Industrial Strategy, published by his Department on 18 May 2022, with which industry partners he has shared...

      LE TacCIS Programme: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many senior responsible owners have worked on the LETacCIS programme since its inception.

      Defence Equipment: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to manage the impact of inflation on the Equipment Plan.

      Ministry of Defence: Off-payroll Working

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in his Department have been employed under an off-payroll engagement for (a) 5-10 years and (b) longer than 10 years.

      Ministry of Defence: Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants in his Department were in the redeployment pool in each year since 2019.

      Ministry of Defence Police: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence Police officers were employed by his Department in each financial year since 2019-20.

      Ministry of Defence Police: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of how many Ministry of Defence Police Officers will be employed by his Department in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

      Ministry of Defence: Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the categories are of expenses which can be claimed by staff in his Department.

      Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on administration in each financial year since 2019-20.

      Ministry of Defence: Marketing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on (a) marketing and (b) advertising in each financial year since 2019-20.

      Ministry of Defence: Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants he plans to employ in his Department in each of the next three financial years.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Guyana: Politics and Government

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in (a) French Guiana and (b) Suriname on the situation in Guyana.

    • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Antarctica

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, for what reason the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Americas, Caribbean and the Overseas Territories) visited...

      Russia: Sanctions

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the prosecution of individuals working for service companies which...

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Power Failures

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether there have been any power cuts on their Department's property in each of the last three years.

  • Department for Education

    • Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many international students were enrolled in UK universities in the 2022-23 academic year.

    • Universities: Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of universities the (a) Chairman and (b) Chief Executive of the Office for Students has visited...

      Department for Education: Power Failures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there have been any power cuts on their Department's property in each of the last three years.

  • Department for Transport

    • Blue Badge Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with local authorities on the transfer of Blue Badge (a) status and (b) applications between council...

    • Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on installing six high powered, open access charge-points at each motorway service station by the end of 2023.

  • Home Office

    • Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to increase funding for the fire and rescue service.

    • Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the backlog is for enhanced DBS checks by police area.

      Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to policing of alcohol abuse.

      Gender Based Violence: Mid Bedfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle street crime against women and girls in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

      Antisemitism: Hate Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the polling by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, published on 27 November 2023, what assessment he has made of the...

      Asylum: Military Bases

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a list of the military sites being used to house (a) Afghan and (b) other refugees and asylum seekers; and what the cost...

      Asylum: Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people with rejected asylum applications were removed in each year since 2019.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Feltham Young Offender Institution: Domestic Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when a (a) Minister from his Department and (b) member of the Ministry of Justice Board last visited Feltham Young Offender Institution.

    • Young Offender Institutions: Neurodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, what data his Department holds on the...

      Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5302 on Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse, how many substantiated findings of abuse...

      Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5302 on Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse, what support the Youth Custody Service has...

      Youth Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5311 on Youth Custody, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of children in the...

      Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the criminal justice system of alcohol use.

      Prisons: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department (a) collects and (b) publishes on levels of drug use by prisoners in the prison estate.

      Probate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of HM Courts and Tribunals Service's (a) performance on probate issues and (b) speed at processing...

      Aiding and Abetting: Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of people who have been convicted of an offence under joint enterprise where the jury were not directed as to...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Levelling Up Fund: Easington

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2023 to Question 6182 on Levelling Up Fund: County Durham, if he will make an...

    • Regional Planning and Development: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Dementia: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Prime Minister launches Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, published 14...

    • Health Services: Weather

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to prepare for winter 2023-24 in (a) Bournemouth East constituency and (b) the South West.

      Care Workers: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of pay for care sector roles on the number of...

      Health Services: Weather

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of extra beds available at hospitals in winter 2023-24.

      NHS: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the Public Services Committee report entitled Homecare...

      NHS: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 159027 on NHS: Expenditure, how much NHS England, clinical commissioning groups...

      NHS Learning Support Fund: Pharmacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason students studying Masters of Pharmacy courses do not qualify for support from the NHS Learning Support Fund.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Gambling: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age, published on 27 April 2023...

  • Treasury

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Guyana: Venezuela

      To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) diplomatic, (2) defence, and (3) other support, they will provide to the government of Guyana, following Venezuela's referendum proposing the illegal...

    • Guyana: Venezuela

      To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Venezuela regarding the territorial integrity of Guyana.

      Bangladesh: Rohingya

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current humanitarian situation for the almost 1 million Rohingya in refugee camps in Bangladesh; and what plans they have to...

      Thailand: Refugees

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make representations to the government of Thailand regarding its policy of refouling of refugees from Karenni state, Myanmar, as reported...

      Libya: Politics and Government

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to bring about a unified government in Libya.

      Guyana: Venezuela

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation between Venezuela and Guyana.

      Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch on 6 December that 13 people have been...

      British Virgin Islands: Marriage

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Governor of the British Virgin Islands in relation to the proposed referendum on same-sex marriage and partnerships;...

      Tigray: Armed Conflict

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement published by Refugees International on 27 November concerning the war in Tigray, which stated that "between 40 and...

      Sudan: Religious Freedom

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the state of freedom of religion or belief in Sudan after the church bombing in Omdurman on 4 November, which left 6 children dead and...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Marines: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether The Equipment Plan 2023–2033, published on 4 December, includes comprehensive cost estimates for the Royal Marines' Future Commando...

    • Guided Weapons: Procurement

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether The Equipment Plan 2023–2033, published on 4 December, includes full predicted costs for their proposed development and acquisition of new...

      Defence Equipment: Procurement

      To ask His Majesty's Government why The Equipment Plan 2023–2033, published on 4 December, includes full predicted costs for the Royal Navy and RAF but not British Army capabilities...

  • Department for Education

    • Apprentices: Taxation

      To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage, of levy-paying employers have spent more than half the funds in their apprenticeship levy account, for each of the past...

    • Universities: Anti-semitism

      To ask His Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to tackle anti-Semitism in universities.

      Children in Care: Mental Health Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timetable for updating the Statutory Guidance on Promoting the Health and Well-being of Looked After Children, published in March 2015; whether...

      Schools: Inspections

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to implement reforms to replace the single-word assessment system for schools currently being operated by Ofsted.

      Ruth Perry

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills following the report of the senior coroner for Berkshire...

      Pupils: Absenteeism

      To ask His Majesty's Government what initiatives and programmes they are pursuing to tackle the problem of pupil absenteeism, and what evaluation of the effectiveness of each of these programmes...

      Schools: Attendance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what are (1) the monthly school attendance figures for the most recent academic year for which they are available, and (2) the comparable monthly...

      Care Leavers: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Autumn Statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22 November (HC Deb cols 325–357), whether they have any plans to provide an...

      Social Services: Racial Discrimination

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to meet representatives of with Barnardo’s to discuss how local authorities can work with partners to prevent the...

      Children in Care: Housing

      To ask His Majesty's Government what forecasting they have carried out regarding the number of children in care aged 16 and 17 who will be living in supported accommodation settings that do...

      Universities: Antisemitism

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of antisemitic incidents in universities, and what steps they are taking in response to such incidents.

      Children in Care: Housing

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on children in care who are moved more than 20 miles from home.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Flood Control

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the potential financial impact of flooding in communities across the UK.

    • Horticulture: Peat

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they collect data on the number of (1) garden centres, and (2) other stockists of horticultural products that have removed peat-containing products from...

  • Ministry of Justice

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Climate Change: Health Hazards

      To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have put in place to deal with the predicted unequal impact of climate change and associated health conditions on those who are vulnerable,...

    • Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact to the NHS of the 16.9 per cent uptake rate, as at 29 October, for the autumn COVID-19 booster vaccine by...

      Climate Change: Health Hazards

      To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have put in place to ensure the right research, data and information are in place to tackle the increasing health risks from climate change.

      Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s preparedness and resilience for increased risk from vector-borne diseases, and how that will be tested.

      NHS: Standards

      To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to integrate advanced technologies and data analytics into the NHS to improve patient care and operational efficiency.

      NHS: Training

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to foster a learning culture and service improvement mindset across all career pathways in the NHS, in particular through education and...

      Infant Mortality

      To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards their target, announced in November 2014, of reducing the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain...

      Oral Tobacco: Children and Young People

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of the use of (1) oral tobacco-free nicotine pouches and (2) oral tobacco pouches, in England, especially among...

  • Home Office

    • Immigration: Personal Income

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage of UK citizens who earn above £38,700; and whether it is an intended consequence of the plan to "cut migration levels and to curb abuse...

    • Visas: Ministers of Religion

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on legal migration on 4 December (HC Deb cols 41–43), what changes, if any, will be made...

      Artificial Intelligence: Offences against Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to make (1) the generation, and (2) the possession, of AI-generated sexual images and videos of children a punishable offence.

      Visas: Armed Forces

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the recent proposed increase of the minimum income threshold to £38,700 for a family visa will apply to (1) serving members of the Brigade of Gurkhas,...

      Police: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that police forces across the UK have sufficient funding to meet the needs of their communities.

      Asylum: Rwanda

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK–Rwanda treaty for the provision of an asylum partnership aligns with the UK's international human rights...

      Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

      To ask His Majesty's Government what UK funding has been provided to local communities in France to mitigate the economic impact of illegal crossings of the English Channel.

      Asylum: Rwanda

      To ask His Majesty's Government through which assessment mechanism or framework they have deemed Rwanda a safe country.

      Home Office: Amazon Web Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether Home Office data processed by Amazon Web Services under their contract, agreed on 30 November, will be disclosable to foreign governments, as per...

      Police: Community Relations

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide further advice to the Metropolitan Police and other territorial police forces as to the selection of, and relationships with,...

      Asylum: Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have been received into Home Office accommodation each year since 2021 in (1) Leicester, and (2) Leicestershire.

      Artificial Intelligence: Intimate Image Abuse

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to criminalise the (1) production, and (2) possession, of AI-generated deepfake sexual images and videos involving real individuals.

  • Treasury

    • Small Businesses: Bank Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a fair balance between banks' risk management practices and the impact on small business growth, particularly concerning the...

    • Railways: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Treasury considers net revenue implications when making decisions that relate to the capacity of railway services.

      Carbon Emissions: Taxation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the new carbon import levy scheduled for 2027 (1) balances the protection of domestic businesses against cheaper imports;...

      Public Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the Institute for Fiscal Studies' assessment that (1) the Autumn Statement has extended the squeeze on public service spending to...

      Loans: Interest Rates

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 30 November 2023 (HL457), what assessment they have made of whether the Financial conduct...

      Housing: Prices

      To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that house prices rose for a second consecutive month in November, what steps they are taking to balance the impact of stabilising housing...

      Bank Services: Cryptoassets

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that many UK crypto and digital asset businesses are unable to open a UK bank account.

      Economic Situation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of increasing consumer confidence and economic recovery in the coming months, as indicated by (1) the S&P Global/Cips...

      Economic Growth

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to data released by the Office for National Statistics on 13 December showing that the economy shrank by more than expected in October, what steps they...

      Overseas Trade

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to align new rules on reducing settlement times for trades with the United States or the European Union.

      Mortgages: Arrears

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to recent data from the Bank of England which showed that mortgage arrears are at their highest rate in six years, what steps they are taking to...

      Child Trust Fund

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many unclaimed Child Trust Funds are (1) currently outstanding and (2) outstanding where there is a continuing requirement for court approval to parents being...

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Tree Felling: Urban Areas

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to stop companies installing high speed broadband having the right to fell urban street trees, which is regarded as permitted...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • World War II: Alderney

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations from interested parties regarding restrictions for making submissions to the review into the number of prisoners who...

    • Elections: Disclosure Of Information

      To ask His Majesty's Government when in 2022 officials first received counsel’s opinion from the Electoral Commission in relation to voter secrecy under the Representation of the People Act...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Disability

      To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their disability action plan; and whether they expect publication to be delayed due to the cancellation of the role of minister for disabled...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Heat Pumps

      To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to extending the £7,000 available to homeowners to support air source heat pump installation through the Boiler Upgrade...

    • Energy: Prices

      To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are implementing to alleviate the financial burden of energy bills on struggling households, while ensuring the energy market stays resilient.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Windsor Framework

      To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) further statutory instruments, or (2) other pieces of legislation, they still need to bring forward to fully implement the Windsor Framework.

    • Windsor Framework

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings have taken place of each of the five joint consultative UK–EU sub-groups established under the Windsor Framework.

      Windsor Framework

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether all five joint consultative UK–EU sub-groups as outlined in the Windsor Framework have been established and complete membership appointed on...

What is this?

The parliamentary question is a great way for MPs and Peers to discover information which the government may not wish to reveal. Ministers reply via written answers, a list of which gets published daily.

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