theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62853 on National Security: Reviews, when he plans to introduce the State Threats Proscription-like Tool. \p Dan Jarvis: Following a review of state threats and terrorism legislation by Jonathan Hall KC, the Home Secretary pledged to take forward his recommendations.

This included a proscription-style tool to tackle state-based security threats in the UK. The Home Secretary has committed to introduce legislation to this effect as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has (a) had communications with and (b) met with representatives of Elbit Systems UK (i) in the last five years and (ii) since July 2024. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Hon Member to the response I gave to UIN 41686 on 14 April.

The Home Office engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry partners and diplomatic counterparts to support its departmental objectives, ensure the effective delivery of its responsibilities, and engage on stakeholder matters of concern.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers in her Department have had recent meetings with (i) the Israeli Embassy and (ii) Elbit Systems. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Hon Member to the response I gave to UIN 41686 on 14 April.

The Home Office engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry partners and diplomatic counterparts to support its departmental objectives, ensure the effective delivery of its responsibilities, and engage on stakeholder matters of concern.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60473 on Defending Democracy Taskforce, if she will publish a redacted version of the findings. \p Dan Jarvis: The Written Ministerial Statement I issued on 14 May provided a transparent and comprehensive overview of the Review’s key findings and recommendations, while protecting sensitive national security information which could be of use to our adversaries.
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Rebecca Long Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether it is her policy to maintain the original terms of the British National (Overseas) visa route. \p Seema Malhotra: The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.

Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in due course.

We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has issued guidance to Ministers on attending office workplaces during periods of strike action. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: No such guidance has been issued by the Cabinet Office.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question HL7244 on Prime Minister: Staff, when the No10 Implementation Unit was disbanded; and whether it was replaced. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: There has not been an Implementation Unit in 10 Downing Street for at least 15 years. It would not be appropriate to comment on the decision made by a previous government to disband the unit. This Government has established the Mission Delivery Unit.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 62083 on House of Lords Appointments Commission, for what reason the competition to recruit members of the House of Lords Appointments Commission is not listed on webpage on gov.uk entitled Apply for a public appointment. \p Georgia Gould: The campaign to recruit up to two independent members to the House of Lords Appointments Commission was launched on 3 January 2025. The competition then closed on 5 February 2025. As such, it is no longer open to new applicants.

The advert can be found on the public appointments website: https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/8519
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) address and (b) building condition metric of central government buildings. \p Georgia Gould: As has been longstanding practice under successive administrations, on security and operational grounds, details of specific central government building addresses and conditions are not published. However, The State of the Estate report containing the aggregated insights across government estate is laid before parliament on an annual basis.

The Cabinet Office is currently working on plans to publish aggregate building condition data and insights for the reporting period of FY2026/27.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 25449 on Government Communication Service, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing its review of the size of the Government Communications Service as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review. \p Georgia Gould: The Government Communications Service (GCS) regularly evaluates communications teams to ensure value for money and operational effectiveness. GCS is currently recruiting a Director of Government Communications who will lead the redesign of the service to ensure it reflects both the evolving communications landscape and government priorities.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60479 on Deputy Prime Ministers: Official Residences, whether broadband is provided to the ministerial residence. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: We do not routinely set out what services are provided at official residences, as doing so might compromise their security.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the funding allocated to the Infected Blood Compensation Authority is drawn from the £11.8 billion set aside by the Government for infected blood compensation or provided from a separate budget. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: In the Autumn Budget, the Government announced £11.8 billion in compensation to people who were infected and affected as a result of the Infected Blood scandal.

This is separate to the funding allocated to the administrative costs of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the (a) establishment and (b) ongoing administration of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Cabinet Office will lay IBCA's annual reports and accounts before Parliament in the usual way. The Cabinet Office will expect to be consulted by IBCA where there is a risk that IBCA will breach its administrative cost controls, or vary significantly from the agreed business plan.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the equality impact assessments undertaken in relation to the development of regulations on infected blood compensation. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 Equalities Impact Assessment can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348268843/pdfs/ukdsipes_9780348268843_en_001.pdf.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 58776 on National Armaments Director: Public Appointments, when he expects the permanent National Armaments Director to be in place. \p Georgia Gould: I refer to my answer given on 25 June to HC60825 and HC60826.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62283 on Cabinet Office: Pay, whether the Civil Service Statistics 2025 document will publish the annual wage costs of the EU relations secretariat. \p Georgia Gould: Salary data for the Civil Service is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics. This statistical bulletin presents mean and median salary data for Civil Service departments and their Executive Agencies overall. A detailed breakdown for the structure and associated payscales for the European Relations Secretariat is available as part of the Cabinet Office organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries on gov.uk.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people live in private rented accommodation in Ashfield constituency. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th July is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 90.8KB)
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of businesses that have ceased trading in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire each day since 1 July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th July is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 95.6KB)
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62624 on Public Buildings: Concrete, which three Government Property Agency buildings have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. \p Georgia Gould: Due to operational and security sensitivities, we do not disclose sites in which Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete is present.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57252 on Arms Length Bodies: Parliamentary Scrutiny, whether written Parliamentary Questions on the work of (a) public corporations and (b) private companies owned by the Government are expected to be answered by (i) the sponsoring minister or (ii) through correspondence from the Chief Executive of that body. \p Georgia Gould: Written Parliamentary Questions about specific arm’s-length entities, including public corporations or government-owned companies, should be directed to the relevant sponsoring department. The arrangements for answering such questions are a matter for sponsoring departments to agree in consultation with individual arm’s length entities.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of Civil Service employees who possess a Level 7 Apprenticeship qualification. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information. We are committed to apprenticeships as a route to improving the skills of our workforce and opening up careers in the civil service around the UK.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Ministerial pensions in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year. \p Georgia Gould: MPs and Ministers have membership to the Parliamentary Contributions Pension Fund (PCPF) of which the ministerial share is typically around 8% of the total exchequer contribution.

In 2023/24, the Exchequer paid contributions totalling £7,693,885 into the fund and the Ministerial share was £643,123.98.

The total contribution information is available in the PCPF 2023-24 accounts (p45) using the link below:

https://mypcpfpension.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PCPF-Accounts-2023-24-Final-SIGNED-amended-and-certified-no-signature-10-December-24-002.pdf

The 2024-25 figures will be published by the PCPF Trustees in October 2025.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is reviewing the (a) risk and (b) accountability of outsourcing contracts for offender management services. \p Georgia Gould: As the Contracting Authority for the electronic monitoring services contract, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for overseeing the supplier’s performance.
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Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to make changes to the collection of data in relation to (a) suspensions and (b) permanent exclusions in England. \p Stephen Morgan: The department does not collect the pupil characteristics data for reinstated when an Independent Review Panel (IRP) has quashed a permanent exclusion.

The department is taking action to strengthen the oversight and monitoring of all exclusion data collected through the school census, particularly for pupils who may be disproportionately affected by exclusion. This includes strengthening the monitoring of IRP decisions, with a stronger focus on the reinstatement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the most common causes of school absences were in the 2024-25 academic year. \p Stephen Morgan: The department publishes figures on pupil attendance using daily data submitted by state-funded schools. The latest data for the 2024/25 academic year to date is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools/2025-week-24.

According to the absence codes recorded by schools, the most commonly used code is ‘authorised illness absence’, followed by ‘unauthorised other absence’. A full breakdown of absence codes used is available at the aforementioned link.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to make a further announcement on the future of the Bedford Free School. \p Stephen Morgan: The review of mainstream free schools has focused on ensuring that government funding is targeted where it is most needed.

We understand that trusts and local authorities want to have certainty about their projects as soon as possible. We will provide an update on next steps to trusts and local authorities in due course.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered opening new specialist SEND schools, in the context of trends in the number of education, health and care plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: We recognise the vital role that special schools play catering to children and young people with the most complex needs.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities. The department provides local authorities with capital funding to support them to meet this duty and has published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.

This funding can be used to improve access to schooling for children and young people with a variety of SEND. It is intended to adapt schools to be more accessible, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

We also want more children and young people to receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through Resourced Provision and special educational needs units.
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John Glen:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 58204 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, if she will publish the data her Department collected on the costs of applications for (a) therapeutic interventions and (b) specialist assessments funded by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. \p Janet Daby: The department published management data from the adoption and special guardianship support fund for the first time in September 2024 and is planning to publish updated data for 2024/25 in the autumn. This will include cost information data.
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Cat Eccles:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the post- (a) 16 and (b) 18 support for young people raised in kinship. \p Janet Daby: This government is committed to ensuring more children are supported in a strong kinship care arrangement, avoiding care where possible, because we know that this leads to better outcomes.

We are legislating through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require local authorities to publish a local offer for children and families in kinship arrangements and requiring local authorities to offer family group decision making to families with children on the edge of care. These measures will ensure more children are supported within their family networks, and with kinship carers instead of entering care.

Some children in kinship care, such as those placed with kinship foster carers, are entitled to leaving care support if they have been in care for a minimum of 13 weeks, some of which was after they reached age 16, when they cease to be looked after. This includes support from a Personal Adviser up to the age of 25, and support to engage in education, employment or training, including a £2,000 bursary if they attend higher education.

This support will also include providing continuity of support and relationships when care leavers reach age 18 through the ‘Staying Put’ programme and investing in family-finding, mentoring and befriending programmes.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to improve the use of technology to support inclusion for children with SEND in schools in Bournemouth. \p Catherine McKinnell: Assistive technology has the potential to improve early intervention and enable more children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in a mainstream setting, by supporting both confidence and independence.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has announced £740 million for high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. Local authorities can use this to create new places, but also to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, including through investment in assistive technology interventions to support pupils in mainstream settings. Of this £740 million, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council has been allocated over £4 million in 2025/26.

We will continue to build our evidence base on the potential for assistive technology to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, including testing a pilot of assistive technology lending libraries through the SEND and alternative provision Change Programme. This will allow up to 4,000 mainstream schools in participating local authorities to borrow and trial technology on a temporary basis, to identify the right products to support their pupils.
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Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring schools to (a) implement (i) individual healthcare plans for pupils at risk of anaphylaxis and (ii) other allergy policies and (b) provide regular staff training on allergy management. \p Catherine McKinnell: Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions and the duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. They can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate. ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on costs to the public purse in each of the next five years. \p Janet Daby: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

From January 2026, we will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable government funding to be rebalanced towards young people and training at lower levels.

Apprenticeship spend is dependent on employers choosing to offer apprenticeships and learners choosing to take them.

The department does not publish information on projected apprenticeship spend.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with NHS Employers on planned changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships. \p Janet Daby: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable apprenticeship opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people, whose rate of apprenticeship starts has fallen by almost 40% over the last decade.

This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with relevant stakeholders, including NHS employers.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of people working for state schools who possess a Level 7 apprenticeship qualification. \p Janet Daby: The requested information is not collected centrally.
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Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for the completion of Education and Health Care Plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department wants to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to assess whether children and young people have special educational needs that require an EHC plan. Plans must be issued within twenty weeks of the needs assessment commencing so that children and young people can access the support they need.

The department continues to monitor and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we help them to identify the barriers to this and put in place an effective recovery plan. This includes, where needed, securing a specialist special educational needs and disabilities adviser.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents regarding dangerous dogs have been reported in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each of the last 5 years. \p Daniel Zeichner: This information is collected by the NHS, individual police forces or local authorities.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the role (a) pubs and (b) brewers play on the provision of (i) first jobs and (ii) early career opportunities for young people. \p Alison McGovern: We recognise that the pub and brewery industry is an important part of the Hospitality sector, and that it provides good prospects for young people to start their career. DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team actively works with trade bodies, including the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), to promote opportunities to support individuals looking for work.

From April 2021 to March 2025 a fifth of all participants in DWP Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) were young people aged 16 to 24 years old. We know that SWAPs are successful at getting people into work, which is why as part of the expansion to 100,000 starts in 2025/26, we have been working with UK Hospitality on the roll-out of Hospitality SWAPs in 26 areas, including 13 coastal towns such as Scarborough and Blackpool. This will ensure young people have the best support to gain employment in the sector, as part of our wider reforms to get Britain working.

The Department understands the negative effects of unemployment are particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings and life chances. This is why DWP have a particular focus on ensuring young people are supported into employment.

DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners
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Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of statutory sick pay. \p Alison McGovern: The Government is bringing in changes to Statutory Sick Pay through the Employment Rights Bill which will mean up to 1.3 million low-paid employees will now be entitled to SSP, and all eligible employees will be paid from the first day of sickness absence, benefitting millions of employees.

Removing the waiting period means that all employees will receive at least £60 extra at the start of their sickness absence, rising to £150 if they work two days per week, compared to the current system.

With these changes, we believe the current rate is fair and achieves the right balance between providing support for employees who are unable to work due to sickness or ill-health whilst limiting the cost to employers. We also know that many employees are eligible for more than the statutory minimum through contractual or occupational sick pay arrangements with their employer.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) the Health and Safety Executive’s assessment of lithium salts for classification is rigorously evidence-based, (b) the weight of scientific evidence is prioritised in decision-making and (c) a clear timeline is established for completion. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) assessment of lithium salts (lithium substances/compounds) for classification includes a technical assessment that is rigorously evidence-based. The weight and strength of the relevant available scientific information relating to the hazardous properties of a chemical are used when making recommendations for mandatory classification and labelling.

Further information has been submitted in addition to that identified by HSE regulatory and scientific specialists during the drafting of the Agency Technical Report and Agency Opinion. Under the Article 37A procedure, HSE specialists are now investigating this information and scientific data and, if necessary, seeking additional information or consulting other departments or agencies.

There is no statutory time limit on HSE to prepare and submit a GB mandatory classification and labelling proposal. Once HSE has submitted its proposal for public consultation, there is a clear timeline for completion and milestones established in statute under the procedure set out in Article 37A of the GB CLP Regulation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_345

Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the proportion of Personal Independence Payment claimants who were below the poverty line on 4 July 2025. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Estimates of the proportion of Personal Independence Payment claimants below the poverty line in July 2025 are not available. Estimates for the 2025/26 financial year are due to be published in March 2027 as part of the “Households Below Average Income” publication. The most recent publication covers the 2023/24 financial year and can be found here: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK

Statistics on the number of individuals living in families where at least one member is in receipt of Personal Independence Payment that are in Absolute and/or Relative Poverty in 2023/24 are published on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/) in the Households Below Average Income dataset.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_346

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse for (a) Universal Credit and (b) Personal Independence Payment for non-British citizens in the (i) last 12 months and (ii) last five years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_347
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_347

Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of how a private diagnosis of (a) Autism and (b) ADHD in children will be taken into account in future PIP assessments when those children are adults. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment is based on the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, rather than focusing solely on the health condition itself.

When making decisions on PIP, DWP case managers consider all available evidence including that from treating health professionals. Claimants are encouraged to provide supporting information, and the claim form details the type of evidence that is useful to provide.
wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_348
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_348

Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of (a) UK-flagged and (b) EU member state-flagged fishing vessels were subject to port inspections in in Scotland in the last 12 months. \p Ian Murray: The regulation and oversight of port inspections in Scotland predominantly fall within the remit of the Scottish Government. As such, the Scotland Office does not hold the specific information requested. I recommend contacting the Scottish Government for further details on this matter.
wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_349
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_349

David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proposals put forward for new rail investment in Wales as part of the Spending Review 2025 were rejected by the Treasury. \p Jo Stevens: The Chancellor set out that the UK Government will commit at least £445 million investment into Welsh rail infrastructure upgrades at the Spending Review in June.

For too long, Wales’s long-term infrastructure needs have not been recognised. This government is taking a different approach, delivering at least £445 million of rail enhancements funding for Wales. UK Government does not comment on Spending Review discussions, however we are delivering the maximum number of projects the sector can deliver in the next few years.

My top priority in advance of the Spending Review was to tackle historic underfunding in Wales’ rail infrastructure. This funding will mean new stations, more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales - connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs we are creating across Wales.

Through the Wales Rail Board, we will work in collaboration with the Welsh Government to agree and develop future rail service improvements, delivering a sustainable pipeline of investment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-14 conversation_350

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of Freedom of Information Requests received from (a) individuals and (b) organisations in (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025. \p Charlotte Nichols: The number of Freedom of Information requests received by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in 2024 was 167, and as of 8 July 2025, the number received in 2025 is 152. In 2024, ninety requests were received from organisations and forty-four from individuals, with thirty-three requests not possible to determine. In 2025, seventy-five requests have been received from organisations and forty-three from individuals, with thirty-four requests not possible to determine.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_1

Adam Jogee:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Church-owned hospices. \p Marsha De Cordova: Thanks to the pioneering work of Dame Cicely Saunders, many modern hospices started off as church-affiliated institutions. The majority of these organisations and charities have now become affiliated to Hospice UK, which supports over 200 hospices across the UK. Adult hospices in the UK receive on average only a third of their funding from the state, and for the rest, many rely on charitable support.

Professional bodies in the hospice sector have given written and oral evidence to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee to highlight their concerns about the legislation.

The precarious funding of palliative and end of life care means not everyone has full and equal access to the care that they need, which is one of the reasons why it is wrong to legislate for assisted suicide. It is crucial that the public funding that hospices currently receive does not come into question in relation to the provision of assisted suicide, should the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill pass.

Most recently, the Rt Revd Lord Bishop of London gave written evidence to the Bill Committee on behalf of the Church of England. The evidence can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmpublic/TerminallyIllAdults/memo/TIAB28.htm
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) fathers and (b) partners take (i) paternity leave and (ii) unpaid parental leave in Broxtowe constituency. \p Justin Madders: Through the Employment Rights Bill, the government will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave 'day one' rights. This will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of Paternity Leave and an extra 1.5 million parents into scope of Unpaid Parental Leave. We will also remove the requirement that Paternity Leave and Pay must be taken before Shared Parental Leave and Pay.

The parental leave system needs improvement and we have committed to conduct a review to ensure that it best supports working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_3

Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Trading Standards system meets consumer needs. \p Justin Madders: Trading Standards are provided by local authorities who operate independently from central government and make enforcement decisions according to local need.

Trading Standards act in the collective interest of consumers rather than resolving individual matters. In most cases, Trading Standards will not need to contact a complainant directly but will use information provided to prioritise intervention or enforcement action against rogue traders causing the most harm.

Citizens Advice consumer service received over 827,000 contacts in 2023-24. Every contact received by Citizens Advice is logged on a national database, which is accessible by consumer enforcement agencies, including local Trading Standards, to analyse trends and inform their enforcement activities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_4

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-India free trade agreement on levels of investment in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: This comprehensive agreement is expected to boost increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion and boost wages by £2.2 billion each and every year in the long run.

This deal is expected to make trade between the UK cheaper and easier, which helps encourage more businesses to expand and invest. For example, the high-value manufacturing sector will benefit from reduced Indian import tariffs on many advanced manufacturing goods.

We will set out further information on the regional impacts of this agreement in our Impact Assessment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_5

Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support cycle manufacturers. \p Sarah Jones: UK bicycle manufacturers stand to benefit from the Secretary of State’s pro-business agenda, as outlined in the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper. The strategy targets key growth levers, boosting scale-ups, growing the co-operative economy, revitalising high streets, improving access to finance, unlocking new markets, and strengthening business capabilities, creating a more competitive and resilient business environment. Recently, the Business Secretary announced a new Business Growth Service (BGS) to streamline the process for businesses across the UK to access the support they need to grow. The Department will continue to engage with the industry on key issues moving forward.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_6

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce an expedited visa process for immediate family members of Ukrainian military personnel who are on active service. \p Seema Malhotra: UKVI are currently operating the Ukraine Scheme visa routes within the published processing times, so there are no plans to introduce an expedited route.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_7

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the process for Ukrainian military personnel to apply to visit family in the UK. \p Seema Malhotra: All visit applications from Ukrainian nationals made in Ukraine are currently being processed within UK Visas and Immigration’s customer service standards.

Customers wishing to apply for a visit visa may apply within 3 months in advance of their intended date of travel to the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_8

Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether the proposed extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will apply retrospectively to people already in the UK with the appropriate visa. \p Seema Malhotra: We will reform our settlement and citizenship rules by expanding the Points-Based System and increasing the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement and citizenship based on contributions to the UK economy and society.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and will provide further details at that stage.