theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on their commitments to ensure aid delivery into Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has made repeatedly clear to the Israeli authorities the need to improve aid delivery and increase the variety and volume of goods reaching Gaza. The Foreign Secretary made this clear in a call with Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 8 December. I have raised the dire situation in northern Gaza with both the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on several occasions, most recently on 3 January. As I made clear to Parliament on 7 January, the scale of human suffering is unimaginable. We have been clear that this is a man-made crisis and Israel must act immediately to address it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the threat from the Russian shadow fleet in the (a) Baltic and (b) North Sea. \p Stephen Doughty: Our oil-related sanctions are having a significant impact, with Russia forced to shoulder a 25 percent reduction in oil and gas revenues from January to October 2024, compared to the same period in 2022. Where Russia has sought to circumvent those sanctions, we have taken robust action. We have now sanctioned 93 shadow fleet oil tankers; and we are exposing malign maritime practices by requesting proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels passing through the English Channel - an approach partners along the Baltic route will now replicate. We continue to step up our efforts, working closely with Nordic-Baltic partners and others, to ensure our sanctions' effectiveness and impact. We continue to keep further measures on oil and gas under active review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on freedom of religion or belief of the imposition of legal restrictions on the Burqa in public spaces in Switzerland; and whether he plans to take steps to help promote freedom of religion or belief in Switzerland in the context of that legislation. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK continues to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. We are working to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our important bilateral work. These are ultimately matters for the democratic Swiss authorities but we engage with Switzerland on a range of issues both bilaterally and multilaterally- including human rights and FoRB issues, this includes during the Swiss Chairing of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as well as through our shared membership of the Council of Europe and OSCE.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question xx-xxxx-xxxx on Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Finance, what discussions he has had with international partners on supporting (a) Gavi and (b) upcoming global health replenishments; and when those discussions took place. \p Anneliese Dodds: As Minister for Development, I met with both the CEO of Gavi and the Executive Director of the Global Fund last Autumn to discuss upcoming replenishments. The UK is one of the largest donors to both Gavi and the Global Fund and we want to see successful replenishments for both in 2025. UK funding decisions will be taken as part of the ongoing Spending Review and announced following its completion.
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Mr Calvin Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Troika and (b) other partners on (i) monitoring and (ii) rapid diplomatic responses to escalations in the levels of atrocity risks in (A) Zamzam refugee camp, (B) Darfur and (C) Sudan. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign Secretary has raised the issue of increased atrocity risks in Sudan with a number of key regional and international actors. In December, the Foreign Secretary discussed protection of civilians in Sudan with Troika counterparts Secretary Blinken (US) and Foreign Minister Barth Eide (Norway). The Foreign Secretary also engaged with the African Union and African Security Council members during his visit to New York in November, including at a roundtable he hosted where he urged states to use their influence with the warring parties to push for improved humanitarian access in Sudan and protection of civilians. We will continue to use our engagements with international partners to pressure warring parties to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law.
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Carla Denyer:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Scottish Government's (a) Energy and Climate change directorate and (b) External Affairs directorate on whether any Scotland based companies are undertaking (i) recruitment, (ii) training, (iii) technical management services for Seapeak LLC in relation to the shipping of Russian Liquified Natural Gas to (A) EU and (B) other third countries. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's war. The UK prohibited the import of Russian LNG in January 2023 and banned the export of energy related goods, including those that support LNG production. We continue to consider all lawful and practical options to limit Russian energy revenues.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress he has made on supporting (a) Rakhine Muslim and (b) Christian communities in Myanmar. \p Catherine West: We are committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all. Since 2017, the UK has provided over £48 million in aid including cash assistance and water, sanitation and hygiene services to the Rohingya and other Muslim minorities in Rakhine state. We continue to stress the need for de-escalation in Rakhine and for civilians to be protected. This was recently reiterated in a joint statement with international partners in January 2025. We continue to condemn the abuses taking place against Myanmar's religious minorities, including its Christian population. In response to the Myanmar military's worsening aerial attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including churches, we announced seven sanctions in October 2024, targeting suppliers of aviation fuel and equipment to the Myanmar military.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks by Israel on medical facilities in Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the impact of military activity on healthcare facilities in Gaza. Medical staff and facilities must be protected, and civilians should be able to safely access medical treatment. It is unacceptable that northern Gaza now has no functioning major health facilities, following strikes on the Kamal Adwan hospital. In our statement to the UN Security Council on 3 January, we dismayed at the deterioration of the healthcare situation in Gaza, and called on Israel to clarify the whereabouts of medical staff detained from hospitals in the north. I have repeatedly underlined our grave concern about these issues with Israeli counterparts, most recently on 3 January and again today 8 January.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has met with the UK High Streets Taskforce. \p Gareth Thomas: Across Government, Ministers and officials meet with a range of high street experts. I have recently met with the Hospitality Sector Council and Retail Sector Council and visited Gateshead and Consett town centres.

To mark Small Business Saturday, the Secretary of State visited Walthamstow High Street and Sunflour Café in Islington, meeting with the businesses which that make our town centres successful. We continue to engage with those involved in the delivery of the High Streets Task Force, which has now concluded, to learn the lessons from the programme.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had meetings with President-Elect Trump. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The incoming US administration is still in the process of appointing senior staff.

The Prime Minister had a warm introductory call with President-Elect Trump on 6 November. During this call, the Prime Minister offered his congratulations and said he looked forward to working closely with President-elect Trump across all areas of the special relationship. The Prime Minister spoke to the President-elect again on 18 December. Neither the Secretary of State, Ministers, nor officials in the Department have had meetings with President-Elect Trump's transition team.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish a licensing regime for hand carwashes. \p Justin Madders: The Hand Car Wash sector is one of Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (ODLME) priority areas. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) have taken a proactive stance working closely with the Responsible Hand Car Wash scheme and Nottingham Trent University to understand the issues and maximise opportunities to address them within current legislation.

As the scheme has concluded, the Government is assessing these evaluations to understand how both to bolster compliance, and support sector-led initiatives. The Home Office and enforcement bodies, such as the GLAA, continue to support industry initiatives aimed at improving standards.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and (b) value of trade between the UK and Trinidad and Tobago. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The Department for Business and Trade is supporting UK businesses to access opportunities to grow trade with Trinidad and Tobago, including in areas such as critical infrastructure. In October 2024, UK Export Finance signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Finance in Trinidad and Tobago. This provides an avenue of financial support for projects in healthcare infrastructure and airport development, among other areas. And, later this month, the UK will meet Trinidad and Tobago for the Trade and Development Council under the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement to discuss further opportunities to grow our trading relationship.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the cold chain sector with (a) resilience and (b) preparedness for potential disruption as a result of (i) heat waves, (ii) power loss and (iii) cyberattack. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) works with other departments and industry to proactively mitigate the risks and impacts of unplanned power outages, cyber-attacks, and severe weather events like heatwaves, through ongoing horizon-scanning, data sharing, and business engagement.

As part of the next UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), Government departments are inputting into an assessment of the resilience of the cold chain sector to rising temperatures and heatwaves. The assessment will identify cold chain vulnerabilities to heatwaves, explore adaptation responses, and develop an effective adaptation plan through to 2050. The outputs will be included in the next CCRA, to be published in 2027.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the sectors in the scope of an India-UK Free Trade Agreement. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The Prime Minister is committed to delivering growth and opportunities throughout the UK, which a trade deal with India will support.

Negotiating a deal with India will align with the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, enabling our world-leading sectors to adapt and grow, as well as seizing opportunities to lead in new sectors.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria he plans to use to appoint country-specific trade envoys. \p Gareth Thomas: Trade Envoys are appointed on their ability, relevant skills and experience. This can be based on market and or UK sector knowledge including previous government-to-government experience plus their commitment to support the Government’s trade and investment objectives and priorities when overseas.
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Chris Hinchliff:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to take steps to recover the costs of compensation from Fujitsu relating to failures of the Horizon Post Office IT system. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government welcomes Fujitsu’s acknowledgement of their moral obligation to make a contribution to the cost of the Horizon scandal. Fujitsu’s contribution will be decided once the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry has reviewed all the evidence and the Chair has delivered his report.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and (b) value of trade between the UK and Jamaica. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The Department for Business and Trade is supporting UK firms to access opportunities in Jamaica across a variety of sectors, including critical infrastructure. In November 2024, the UK hosted Senator Aubyn Hill, the Jamaican Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, to discuss opportunities for deeper commercial collaboration following the first UK-Jamaica trade mission in September 2024. Later this month, the UK will meet Jamaica for the Trade and Development Council under the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement to discuss further opportunities to grow trade.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and (b) value of trade between the UK and Malta. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: We are resetting the relationship with our European friends – including Malta – to strengthen ties, secure a broad-based security pact and tackle barriers to trade. We are working with the EU and bilaterally with Member States to identify areas to strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. We will also hold regular UK-EU Summits at leader level to review progress, starting in the first half of this year.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Sri Lankan authorities on strengthening business relations for British citizens who have set up companies in Sri Lanka. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: DBT has a team dedicated to supporting the UK-Sri Lanka trade and investment relationship. Officials have regular contact with Sri Lankan authorities through the annual UK-Sri Lanka Strategic Dialogue to promote areas of mutual interest, including bilateral discussions on trade and investment.

My officials use programmes and levers to strengthen business relations for UK companies, including working closely with the Council for Business with Britain to support the removal of barriers to trade, and the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which cuts tariffs and simplifies trading rules for Sri Lankan exports to the UK.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to respond to Questions 18414, 18415 and 18416 tabled by the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs on 6 December 2024. \p Gareth Thomas: Questions 18414, 18415 and 18416 were answered on 19 December 2024.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many businesses have been supported by the British Business Bank since 2014. \p Gareth Thomas: The British Business Bank’s recently published Impact Report shows that in 2023 alone the Bank funded 23,100 businesses. Data on the number of businesses supported by the Bank since its inception in 2014 is intended to be published in 2025.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the timing of the meeting of 18 December 2024 with the Indian Business Leaders delegation was agreed. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: On 18 December 2024, a business delegation of 13 Indian companies met with the UK's Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers in a curated visit to enhance the UK-India partnership.

The delegation provided perspectives on opportunities for investment and economic growth between the UK and India and discussed opportunities under a UK-India trade deal. The timing of the meeting was agreed in the second half of 2024 and there is no intention to publish minutes of the meeting.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many in-year awards were made to officials in his Department since 5 July 2024. \p Justin Madders: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) operates a fully in year reward system for delegated grades and, like in other departments, has a non-consolidated performance budget that is derived from a percentage of the pay bill. In DBT, this is 1.3% and may be spent on cash or vouchers (up to a maximum of £2,500 per employee in any financial year).

Between 5th July 2024 and 19th December 2024, DBT made 3,468 cash in-year awards (with a total value of £1,551,060) and 2,466 non-cash awards (with a total value of £190,648).
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that Local Housing Allowance rates reflect rents in (a) rural and (b) urban areas. \p Sir Stephen Timms: In April 2024, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents for one year at a cost of £7bn over 5 years.

LHA rates are set within Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs), which are determined by rent officers at the Valuation Office Agency for England, Rent Officers Wales and Rent Services Scotland. There are 192 BRMAs across Great Britain.

A BRMA is an area within which a person could reasonably be expected to live with regard to facilities and services for the purposes of health, education, recreation, banking and shopping. The BRMA criteria takes account of travel to and from those services by both public and private transport in both rural and urban areas.

Rent Officers gather a representative sample of private rental data across the BRMA of all property types and property sizes from a range of sources. They also survey across the full year to capture current market conditions. This includes collecting a representative sample from all the local authority areas within a BRMA, including larger urban centres and more sparsely populated rural areas where relevant.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating an independent process to set benefit levels according to the cost of essentials. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made. The Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to review benefit and State Pension rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. Where the relevant benefit or State Pension rates have not retained their value, legislation provides that the Secretary of State is required to, or in some instances may, up-rate their value.

Following this review, benefit and State Pension rates are increased in line with statutory minimum amounts and others are increased subject to Secretary of State’s discretion.

Following the Secretary of States’ up-rating decisions for 2025/26, DWP expenditure on state pensions and benefits will increase by £6.9 billion.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners have returned to the UK from countries where their state pension has been frozen in each of the last five years. \p Emma Reynolds: The Department does not hold the information to be able to answer this question.
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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the child poverty strategy will include measures to tackle child homelessness. \p Alison McGovern: Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025.

The Taskforce’s publication of 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ sets out how we are developing the Strategy, exploring all available levers across Government to deliver an enduring reduction in child poverty this parliament. This is part of a 10-year strategy for lasting change which will be published in the Spring.

The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The Taskforce will hear directly from experts on each of the Strategy’s themes including children and families living in poverty and work with leading organisations, charities, and campaigners. In December, the Taskforce met with external experts from the housing sector to discuss the critical role of housing in tackling child poverty. The Ministerial session was the first in a series of deep dives into specific policy areas; the focus of this session was on parental employment, childcare and housing.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of paying the State Pension in monthly instalments. \p Emma Reynolds: State Pension payments are usually paid four weekly in arrears. People have the option to be paid weekly or in some circumstances bi-weekly. There are no plans to introduce alternative payment arrangements.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase transparency in the (a) management and (b) adjustment of pension schemes. \p Emma Reynolds: Trustees have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the scheme membership, and are required by law to provide members with information about how the scheme has been managed. This includes legal duties about transparency and disclosure of information. There are also clear legal requirements around a trustee or sponsoring employer’s ability to make changes to a pension scheme, including requirements that members must be properly consulted before a change is made if it will affect their benefit rights.

The Pensions Regulator has powers to investigate and take the necessary action if there is evidence these obligations are not being met.

The Pensions Regulator’s 2024 revised General Code of Practice sets out detailed requirements which all occupational pension schemes are expected to follow in order to maintain an effective system of governance.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the most recent review of the frozen pensions policy was. \p Emma Reynolds: There has been no recent review of the policy.

The policy on the uprating of UK State Pensions paid overseas is a longstanding one of successive Governments, which has been in place for over 70 years.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating.

Up-rating is based on levels of earnings growth and price inflation in the UK which has no direct relevance where the pensioner is resident overseas.

Over many years, priority is given to those living in the United Kingdom when drawing up expenditure plans for additional pensioner benefits.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has taken steps to notify British pensioners retiring abroad that their pension may be frozen. \p Emma Reynolds: The UK's policy on the up-rating of the UK State Pension for recipients living overseas is a longstanding one. The UK state pension is payable worldwide without regard to nationality and is uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so.

Up-rating is based on levels of earnings growth and price inflation in the UK which has no direct relevance where the pensioner is resident overseas.

Over many years, priority is given to those living in the United Kingdom when drawing up expenditure plans for additional pensioner benefits.

Information on what will happen when people emigrate to certain countries is available on www.gov.uk and this includes advice on the impact on State pension for people who do. Further advice can be obtained by calling the International Pension Centre on 0191 218 777 or the Pension Service on xx-xxxx-xxxx.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a frozen overseas state pension live in (a) Canada and (b) Australia. \p Emma Reynolds: Data on State Pension caseloads that are not uprated overseas are published and this can be found on Stat-Xplore. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

As of the quarter ending May 2024, the number of individuals with an overseas state pension that live in a) Canada are 110,860 and b) Australia are 203,699.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had discussions with the Leader of the House on scheduling a parliamentary debate on compensation for women affected by changes to the state pension age. \p Emma Reynolds: Sir John Hayes MP (Conservative, South Holland and The Deepings) has secured a Westminster Hall general debate on the topic of ‘Compensation for women affected by changes to the State Pension age’ on Wednesday 15 January 2024.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help tackle unpaid child maintenance. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring separated parents support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not.

The CMS has a relatively low percentage of unpaid maintenance. Only 8% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the start of the CMS remains to be collected through the Collect & Pay service.

The CMS has been improving its service to allow Direct Pay arrangements to quickly move to Collect and Pay when the Paying Parent is not paying or when Direct Pay is no longer appropriate.

The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property.

The Department plans to streamline the enforcement process further by removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order and instead allow the Secretary of State to issue an administrative liability order. Introducing this simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15237 on Civil Servants: Political impartiality, whether there has been a disciplinary investigation into party political campaigning by officials in her Department during the Rochdale by-election in February and March 2024. \p Andrew Western: The information you have requested is not on a central system. Gathering this information would require input from team leaders and will incur disproportionate costs.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of additional Pension Credit claims received since the announcement on changing the eligibility of the Winter Fuel Payment; and what proportion of these claims have been successful. \p Emma Reynolds: We are unable to advise how many claims for Pension Credit have been made and then awarded since 29 July 2024. This is because the Department currently reports clearance times by the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made. As such this information is not currently available.

However, statistics published on 28 November, show that 42,500 Pension Credit Claims were awarded between 29 July and 11 November Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, how she plans to measure progress towards her target for safer town centres; and what her target is for reducing levels of (a) anti-social behaviour, (b) shoplifting and (c) other specific crimes. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We are currently in the process of devising a new performance framework for neighbourhood policing to improve standards and performance across the country. We are engaging with police forces, the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council to agree the content of the performance framework, including assessing which measures are available nationally and at the local level.

The Guarantee and associated performance framework will ensure everyone, regardless of where they live, receives strengthened and more consistent neighbourhood policing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_115

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on implementing the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry, published on 19 September 2023; and whether any of those recommendations have been completed. \p Dame Angela Eagle: 30 out of the 33 recommendations made in the Brook House Inquiry report have been accepted or partially accepted, with 12 recommendations met and closed as of October 2024. The remaining recommendations remain on track for closure by summer 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_116

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria she will use to measure the success of the ambition to halve violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: We are undertaking a programme of work to bring together suitable data and metrics to measure progress against the ambition to halve VAWG in a decade. We are working closely with The Office for National Statistics and other stakeholders in producing the metrics underpinning how the government will measure success. Further details will be confirmed in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_117

Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of trends in the level of violent crime during heatwaves in 2024. \p Dame Diana Johnson: There is a wide body of academic research pointing to associations between short-term increased temperatures and violent crime, but the Home Office has no plans to conduct any future specific research in this area in relation to heatwaves in 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_118

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year. \p Dame Diana Johnson: All Civil Service departments work within the Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_119

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the health service in Northern Ireland. \p Fleur Anderson: Improving health outcomes across the UK is a priority mission for this Government. Although health is devolved in Northern Ireland, the Government wants to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to transform its public services and improve outcomes for people in Northern Ireland.

Government Ministers regularly engage with Executive Ministers, including the Northern Ireland Health Minister, to discuss plans to improve public services in Northern Ireland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_120

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the number of people on hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland. \p Fleur Anderson: Improving health outcomes across the UK is a priority mission for this Government. Although health is devolved in Northern Ireland, the Government wants to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to transform its public services and improve outcomes for people in Northern Ireland.

The Government regularly engages with Executive Ministers, including the Northern Ireland Health Minister, to discuss plans to improve public services. I have engaged extensively with stakeholders across the Northern Ireland health service to discuss how the Government can work with the Executive to tackle its shared health challenges, including waiting lists.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_121

Alex Burghart:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar dated 5 December 2024. \p Hilary Benn: I replied to the Honourable Members letter on the 23rd December by email.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_122

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year. \p Hilary Benn: The Northern Ireland Office works within the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit.

The Department will only limit a campaign to a specific group as a form of positive action as a proportionate response to achieve a legitimate aim as defined in section 159 of the Equality Act 2010.

The Northern Ireland Office has not used any positive action schemes, as defined by the Equality Act, to support the hiring of those with protected characteristics in the last financial year.

The Civil Service is committed to a diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity - not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve.

The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 Promoting Fairness and Performance, published in February 2022, is positioned as an essential lever to deliver a Modern Civil Service, where our values are to serve with integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality; driving our vision to be a skilled, innovative and ambitious Civil Service equipped for the future. This strategy sets out a broader definition of diversity, to include geographical, social and career backgrounds alongside the protected groups.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_123

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a plan to help tackle the use of Uyghur slave labour in solar supply chains. \p Michael Shanks: The Government opposes all forms of slave labour. The Government is clear UK businesses should monitor their supply chains and do everything in their power to remove any instances of forced labour they may find.

Through the reconvened Solar Taskforce, the Government is working across Whitehall and closely with industry stakeholders to take forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative, and free from forced labour. Further information will be set out in the Solar Roadmap, to be published in Spring 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_124

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing bus fares on customers. \p Simon Lightwood: The previous bus fare cap was unfunded beyond 2024. The Government is stepping in and investing over £150 million to ensure single bus fares in England outside London remain capped at £3 throughout 2025. The cap ensures that millions can continue to travel for less and access better opportunities with potential savings of up to 80% on some routes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_125

John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve local bus services. \p Simon Lightwood: The government is committed to delivering better, more frequent and more reliable bus services for passengers. We have already made significant progress, introducing the Bus Services Bill to help give local leaders the powers they need to take control of their local services if they choose to do so, and announcing investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_126

Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve bus services in rural areas. \p Simon Lightwood: The government is committed to delivering better, more frequent and more reliable bus services for passengers. We have already made significant progress, introducing the Bus Services Bill to help give local leaders the powers they need to take control of their local services if they choose to do so, and announcing investment of over £1 billion to support and improve bus services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_127

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department is providing for public transport projects in the North East. \p Simon Lightwood: We announced a £200m uplift for City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements in 2025/26, in addition to the £310m and £563m already allocated to Tees Valley and North East Combined Authority respectively. We announced a further £31m for buses in the region; reopened the Northumberland Line and funded new Metro trains.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_128

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the regularity of bus services on vulnerable users in West Dorset constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: We know that bus services can be a lifeline for many, and are committed to delivering better, more frequent services across the country. That is why we are allocating bus funding based on need not the quality of bids. Dorset Council will receive £3.8m next year, a £2.5m annual increase on the previous year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_129

Lillian Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve passenger rail performance. \p Simon Lightwood: Improving the performance of our railways, including by delivering the biggest overhaul of the railway sector in a generation, is a top priority for this Government.

I have been clear with operators and with Network Rail that I will not tolerate poor performance while we rewire the system to work in the interest of passengers.

Ministers continue to meet with Managing Directors of Train Operating Companies and their Network Rail counterparts to assess their performance, and we will not hesitate to demand immediate action to raise standards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_130

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) regulate delivery drivers working for food delivery companies to ensure they are using roads and pavements safely. \p Lilian Greenwood: Everyone who drives, rides or cycles, including delivery drivers and riders, has a duty to behave in a safe and responsible manner, and to follow the rules set out in The Highway Code. They must also hold the necessary registration, tax, licence and appropriate insurance for driving or riding the vehicle they are using: if they do not, they may be liable for prosecution. Enforcement of these rules is a matter for the police.

Employers have a duty to manage the safety of their employees, and their employees in turn have a responsibility to drive, ride or cycle appropriately and to comply with relevant laws.

Last month, the Minister for Local Transport wrote to the main food delivery companies to remind them of their obligations, and of the importance the Government places on the safety of all road users. The Department will consider next steps in the light of the responses received to the letter.