theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in his Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if he will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work. \p Catherine West: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not track the costs or total staff numbers required to respond to Freedom of Information (FOIs) as the work is devolved across the department and depends on the complexity and sensitivities involved in each individual request. FOI requests submitted to the FCDO, are handled by officers from the relevant department depending on the: issue, policy or country the request relates to, with input and professional advice concerning the application of the FOI Act from the FOI team within IRU (Information Rights Unit).

As such it is not possible to give an accurate number of staff working on FOIs or the total costs involved. Complex cases may also involve legal counsel from both within and without the department with associated costs.

The FOI team in the IRU consists of 22 staff and deals with FOIs, Internal Reviews, ICO complaints and Tribunals.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of UK aid expenditure has been destroyed during the Israel-Hamas conflict. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has announced £129 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) so far this financial year, providing vital services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to Palestinian refugees across the region. The majority of our aid budget for the OPTs is disbursed as funding to trusted partners. We conduct thorough due diligence assessments of partners to ensure procedures are in place to manage the risks of aid diversion and to report losses. Programmes are monitored regularly, including through annual and project completion reviews. Third Party Monitoring strengthens our assurance, learning and evidence-gathering.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Chinese counterpart on the solitary confinement of Jimmy Lai. \p Catherine West: Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for the Government. We continue to press for consular access, which the Hong Kong Prison Authorities have refused. The Government has consistently raised our concerns around Mr Lai's case with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities: the Prime Minister raised his case with President Xi in November, as did the Foreign Secretary with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 18 October in Beijing. I raised Mr Lai's case in my meetings during my November visit to Hong Kong, and most recently, the Chancellor raised this case on her visit to Beijing.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to introduce a vaccination programme for avian influenza. \p Daniel Zeichner: The vaccination of poultry and captive birds excluding those in licensed zoos in England against avian influenza is not currently permitted. However, Defra continue to invest in avian influenza research, and we continue to monitor the current situation and vaccine usage both in Europe and globally, as well as the effectiveness of any disease control measures taken, including vaccine development.

While avian influenza vaccination will not be a viable option for the 24/25 high risk season, Defra have established a cross-government and industry task force to explore potential for use of vaccination as a preventive measure for avian influenza.

The taskforce is due to publish an initial report in late spring and will be issuing a statement shortly to update on its work and the latest situation.

Details of Defra’s approach and rational regarding avian influenza vaccination have been published here .
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) barriers to accessing the Sustainable Farming Initiative and (b) the removal of the Basic Payment Scheme on farmers who remain in legacy EU environmental schemes. \p Daniel Zeichner: Evaluation has shown that improvements like the simplified Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) application process have reduced barriers to scheme access. Clearly stated requirements and proportionate, regular payments are also viewed positively by participants. With uptake of SFI meeting expectations, ongoing evaluation will ensure we understand and address any further barriers to participation. We are aware of challenges for some farmers trying to move from existing HLS agreements to new SFI agreements and working to resolve this over time.

We publish regular statistics on farm income in England and other data related to farm businesses. For example, on 14 November 2024, we published our Farm Business Income statistics (Farm business income - GOV.UK), which looked at how farm business income has changed in 2023/24, including the contribution of Direct Payments and agri-environment payments to farm incomes. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance (Farming statistics evidence packs - GOV.UK). These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help farmers transition from the Higher Level Stewardship Schemes to the Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship agreements. \p Daniel Zeichner: We want to support farmers with High Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements to apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) or Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier when it becomes available (initially CSHT will be by invitation). To provide farmers in HLS with some certainty and continuity until they can move into the new ELM offer, we have offered extensions for farmers with expiring agreements. Those with HLS agreements expiring in 2024 have been offered 2-year extensions and those expiring in 2025 have been offered 1- or 2-year extensions. These agreement extensions will allow farmers to continue delivering land management practices in their HLS agreement without interruption to the funding they receive and to continue delivering environmental outcomes on their land.

Farmers can still apply for a separate agreement in the expanded SFI offer to run alongside their existing agreement. This is possible if a farmer and their land are eligible for each scheme; if the activities or outcomes they are being paid for are compatible; and if they will not be paid twice for a similar activity or outcome on the same area of land at the same time (known as ‘double funding’).

We understand for farmers with an existing HLS agreement they may be more limited in their ability to apply for an additional SFI agreement. We are very aware that some farmers wish to end their existing HLS agreement early to apply for our new scheme and we will provide more information soon about how to do this. Due to the complexity of closing agreements early, it may take some time to end an agreement and could result in a period of some months between one agreement ending and a new agreement starting.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to designate thoroughbred horses as high health animals, in the context of the Border Target Operating Model. \p Daniel Zeichner: A commitment to designating thoroughbred horses as high-health animals was made as part of the Border Target Operating model, and we have continued to develop that as part of our preparation to implement that border model.
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Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat on trends in the level of water bills. \p Emma Hardy: Minister and officials speak regularly with Ofwat on a range of issues. Under the Conservatives, our sewerage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers' money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders.

The public are right to be angry after they have been left t pay the price of Conservative failure.

This Labour Government will ringfence money earmarked for investment so it can never be diverted for bonuses and shareholder payouts. We will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 24243 on Government Departments: Written Questions, if she will publish that letter. \p Lucy Powell: It is a long-established precedent that internal government correspondence is not normally shared publicly.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much (a) his Department and (b) each of its Arm’s Length Bodies has spent on external public relations since 5 July 2024; and which firms that funding went to. \p Hilary Benn: Public relations activity is a subset of communication spend. As such, this data is not held. The Government Communication Service encourages the prioritisation of low and no cost public relations activities wherever possible.

It is recommended that all external communications support should be procured through approved government frameworks, with strict controls in place to ensure cost-effectiveness.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the number of people in Hertfordshire who do not have access to an NHS dentist on patient wellbeing. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, and we want to make sure that everyone who needs a National Health Service dentist can get one. The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Hemel Hempstead constituency, this is the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB.
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Peter Dowd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce specialist bipolar pathways in NHS mental health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The standard of training for general practitioners and other health care practitioners is the responsibility of the independent statutory regulatory bodies. They set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses, and higher education institutions, which write and teach the curricula that enables their students to meet the regulators’ outcome standards.

Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all nevertheless emphasize the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans for their patients, including those with bipolar disorder.

Once qualified, health care practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up to date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This should include taking account of new research and guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high-quality care to all patients.

The community mental health framework sets out a vision for transforming community mental health services. The vision is a whole person, whole population approach to community health services, with new integrated models between primary and secondary care that can deliver more flexible, personalised, and holistic care, including diagnosis, for more people with severe mental illnesses such as bi-polar disorder, rather than developing specialist pathways for specific conditions.

Since April 2021, all areas have received significant additional, ring-fenced funding to develop these new integrated primary and community mental health services, built around primary care networks, in line with the community mental health framework. Local health systems have made significant progress in rolling out these integrated models of care, including for people with a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder.
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase the funding available to local authorities to provide living services for people with learning disabilities. \p Stephen Kinnock: High quality, safe, and suitable homes can help people stay independent and healthy for longer and reduce the need to draw on health and social care provision.

We are giving disabled people, including those with learning disabilities, more independence in their own homes through an immediate in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) of £86 million in 2024/25. This increase will provide approximately 7,800 additional home adaptations. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025/26 financial year at the Budget, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million.

We also incentivise the supply of supported housing for older people and adults with a physical or learning disability, autistic people, or adults with mental ill-health.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the NHS Find a Dentist webpage is up-to-date with showing dentists who have available places for NHS patients in Hertfordshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is a contractual requirement for National Health Service dentists to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. Integrated care boards can review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure websites are up to date.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) public health and (b) adult social care services in reducing the demand on (i) primary and (ii) acute services in South Derbyshire constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for meeting the healthcare needs and demands of South Derbyshire's population.

There is evidence that public health and adult social care interventions of different kinds can be effective, and cost-effective, in preventing or delaying the onset of ill health, which in turn supports better use of health and care resources. A shift from treatment to prevention and from acute hospital services to community services are part of the three strategic shifts underpinning our 10-Year Health Plan.

We also recognise the need to alleviate pressures through increasing supply and reducing demand.

We will make sure the future of general practice (GP) is sustainable by training thousands more GPs, guaranteeing a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one, and delivering a modern booking system.

The Government will publish a plan setting out how urgent and emergency care services across England will be supported to deliver improvements.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) modernise NHS IT infrastructure and (b) ensure value for money in upgrading IT systems. \p Karin Smyth: Through the Frontline Digitisation programme, we will work to level up National Health Service trusts to a baseline level of digital capability. Our investment in digitising the frontline will ensure value for money and that health and care staff have access to health-related information when and where it is needed, supporting them to deliver care efficiently, effectively, and safely, thereby reducing variation and improving outcomes.

Currently 91%, or 187 out of 206, of Secondary Care Trusts have an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) in place, with work underway to provide tailored support to the remaining 19 trusts that do not yet have an EPR. Our ambition is for all trusts to meet our stated core digitisation standards, including having EPRs in place by March 2026.

The programme is forecasting to achieve 96% EPR coverage by its end in March 2026, with the remaining 4% of trusts having advanced in their plans for an EPR.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that hospitals can (a) recruit and (b) retain midwives in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to tackling the retention and recruitment challenges that face the National Health Service. Bringing in the staff we need will take time, but this is an absolute priority for the Government. NHS England is leading a range of initiatives to boost retention of existing staff and ensure that the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits. This includes building a compassionate and inclusive culture, supporting staff wellbeing, and promoting flexible working opportunities.

Targeted retention work for midwives is being undertaken by NHS England, led by the Chief Nursing Officer. This work contains a range of measures, including the creation of a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool, mentoring schemes, strengthened advice and support on pensions, and embedded flexible retirement options. NHS England has also invested in unit-based retention leads which, alongside investment in workforce capacity, has seen a reduction in vacancy, leaver, and turnover rates.

The Frimley Health midwifery workforce, which includes the Surrey Heath area, now has in place a fully resourced midwifery workforce. This follows five-years of work, led by the trust, on recruitment and retention, in addition to the ongoing work by NHS England.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support hospitals affected by RAAC in the South East. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to removing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from the National Health Service estate as a priority.

The NHS has been surveying hospital sites to identify the presence of RAAC since 2019. Once the presence of RAAC is confirmed at a hospital site, the trust joins NHS England’s national RAAC programme, which has delivered mitigation, safety, and eradication works across all hospital sites with confirmed RAAC to keep facilities safe and open, and is working to remove RAAC fully from the NHS estate. There are nine hospital sites in the South East currently in the NHS RAAC programme, and one hospital site in the South East, specifically Medway Maritime Hospital, has completely eradicated RAAC.

We confirmed £440 million specifically for RAAC mitigation and eradication in 2025/26 as part of NHS capital guidance. National RAAC funding is allocated annually based on NHS trust plans and delivery progress, and funds mitigation works at the seven hospitals built wholly or primarily from RAAC.

We are working at pace to ensure that the seven hospitals built wholly or primarily from RAAC in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) will be replaced as quickly as possible, including Frimley Park Hospital in the South East, to protect patient and staff safety. Construction for all RAAC replacement schemes is planned to commence and substantially deliver between 2025 and 2030 as part of Wave 1 of the NHP.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of fertility testing in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made of the availability of fertility testing in the South Holland and Deepings constituency or Lincolnshire. Data is not collected centrally.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to section 180 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022, whether he plans to create a licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to taking action to address concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector, and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach at the earliest opportunity.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of instructing the emergency services to contact responders to traumatic emergency incidents within 24 hours to see if they require mental health support. \p Karin Smyth: The mental health of all National Health Service staff is taken seriously, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents. At a national level, Ambulance Trust employees have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health offer for more complex mental health wellbeing support, including for trauma and addiction.

NHS England is working closely with the Ambulance Staff Charity to fund the development of the Ambulance Staff crisis phoneline, to provide immediate, independent, and confidential support to ambulance staff in a mental health crisis.

NHS England is also continuing regular communication with key partners from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, to explore wider support opportunities. This includes working with all Ambulance Trusts to support them to utilise the NHS Health and Wellbeing Framework, to improve the health of their workforce based on local bespoke needs.
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Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a public inquiry into the safety of PIP breast implants. \p Karin Smyth: There are currently no plans to commission a public inquiry into the safety of Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) breast implants.

As part of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) market surveillance for medical devices, we worked with the National Health Service and other health partners to ensure the PIP issue was properly investigated. PIP breast implants were withdrawn from the market in 2010. It is important to note that while PIP implants are associated with a higher risk of rupture, leading to symptoms such as tenderness or swollen lymph glands, there is no evidence linking ruptured PIP implants to serious long-term health issues.

As with any medical device, breast implants do not come without risks. The current advice from the MHRA remains that anyone with a PIP breast implant should consult with their doctor about the possibility of removal. The NHS and MHRA provide guidance for patients on the available options for PIP implant removal. This is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pip-implants/

Since PIP breast implants were withdrawn, two independent reviews have identified lessons learnt, specifically the Howe Review in 2012 and the Keogh Review in 2013. The health system has since enacted important changes. As a result of the Keogh Review, since 2016 the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry collects data on all types of breast implant and removal surgeries in England and Scotland, aiming to help detect emerging safety issues and trace patients if necessary.

The MHRA is developing a future regulatory framework for medical devices that will ensure that patients have access to the safe and effective medical devices they need. The first step is the introduction of new Post-Market Surveillance regulations, which will come into force in June, and will put in place strengthened legal requirements for how manufacturers monitor and report on their devices once they are being used in the real world. We intend to follow this with updates to the UK Medical Device Regulations later this year, which will bring further improvements to device traceability and patient safety by introducing additional measures that must be taken before a product can be placed on the market. This will include requirements for unique device identifiers, implant cards, new rules to ensure that claims are consistent with the intended purpose, and changes to the classification of some medical devices, such as implantables, to better reflect the potential risks to patients and ensure risk proportionate requirements for manufacturers.
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Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 13215 on Lead: Contamination, when the review of lead in food (a) commenced and (b) plans to report. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is reviewing dietary lead as part of its ongoing risk analysis of environmental contaminants in food, including in areas with higher exposure. Scoping work has begun to identify the additional evidence needed, including plans to gather data on lead levels in food from high geochemical lead areas. The detailed schedule and plan for this work is not yet finalised. Updates on its progress will be made available on the FSA’s website.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide additional funding for local dental laboratories. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise the importance of dental laboratories and the role they play in support of National Health Service dental services.

The independent pay review body for doctors and dentists recommended a 6% pay uplift for 2024/25. The Government accepted the recommendation and has uplifted NHS primary care dentistry contract values by 4.64%, net of pay and expenses elements. Laboratory costs are part of the expenses element of this uplift.

The Government implemented the overall uplift to contract values on 29 January. Uplifted payments will be made in March, backdated to 1 April 2024.
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Peter Dowd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on improving co-ordination between healthcare services and the welfare system to support people with bipolar. \p Stephen Kinnock: Ministers hold discussions with other ministerial colleagues regularly, on a range of issues.

The Get Britain Working White Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to continuing to expand the number of places on Individual Placement Support schemes to help thousands more people with severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder, to find and stay in employment.

The White Paper also confirms our commitment to expand NHS Talking Therapies. Over 90% of NHS Talking Therapies services in England provide access to Employment Advisers with an aspiration that, by March 2025, 99% will offer employment support as part of their service.
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that thalidomide survivors have effective representation in negotiations with Diageo on long-term (a) assistance and (b) compensation. \p Stephen Kinnock: There is a Deed of Covenant agreed between Diageo plc and the Thalidomide Trust, which is subject to periodic review by both parties, with beneficiary representatives involved in the process. The Department has no role in these periodic reviews.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional (a) funding and (b) other resources his Department plans to provide to primary care providers to support preventative healthcare in South Derbyshire constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the Sentencing Council on the adequacy of the sentencing tariff for perpetrators of disability hate crime. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Disability hate crimes are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling these appalling crimes. We have a robust legislative framework in place in England and Wales to respond to hate crimes, including those which target disability.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts, who are required to take into account statutory aggravating and mitigating factors and follow sentencing guidelines developed by the independent Sentencing Council unless it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. As an independent body, the Sentencing Council decides its own priorities and work plan for producing guidelines. Parliament is responsible for the sentencing framework, including statutory aggravating and mitigating factors, and setting the maximum penalty for offences.

Under Section 66 of the Sentencing Code for England and Wales, the court must treat as an aggravating factor the fact that an offender demonstrated hostility towards the victim based on his or her disability (or presumed disability); or the offence was (wholly or partly) motivated by hostility towards persons who have a particular disability. An aggravating factor makes an offence more serious and must be considered by the court when deciding the length of a sentence.

Additionally, the Government has committed to ensuring parity of protection for disabled and LGBT+ people under aggravated offences and will implement this change in an appropriate legislative vehicle in due course.

The Government has delivered on a manifesto commitment to bring sentencing up to date and ensure the framework is consistent by launching an Independent Review of Sentencing, chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke. The Review will examine options following three core principles: sentences must punish offenders and protect the public, sentences should encourage prisoners to turn their backs on a life of crime, and we must expand and make greater use of punishment outside of prison.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of children under 18 that have received detention and training orders have had an identified SEND issue since 2023. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: From 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024, 429 children (under 18) were admitted into the Children and Young People Secure Estate under a detention and training order. Of these, 44% (where information is known) were identified as having special educational needs or disabilities. These figures are derived from responses gathered to inform placement decisions, and do not represent formal diagnoses.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions for financial year 2025-26. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Government will provide support for Departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to Departments, with the Barnett formula applying in the usual way, which is in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

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Ben Lake:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time taken was for an inquest to be concluded in Pembrokeshire in each of the last five years. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The requested information is set out in the table below or can be extrapolated from the data published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coroners-statistics-2023.

Year

Number of inquests opened

Number of inquests concluded within 6 months

Average length of inquest process (in weeks)

Ceredigion

Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*

Ceredigion

Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*

Ceredigion

Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire*

2023

12

170

4

102

14

34

2022

22

210

6

106

35

30

2021

15

143

8

18

38

22

2020

32

126

7

27

36

32

2019

32

145

21

106

23

28

2018

41

147

18

127

2017

28

161

21

148

2016

33

221

36

221

2015

37

226

37

204

2014

19

109

9

70

* The Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire coroner area includes both the Carmarthenshire County Council and Pembrokeshire County Council areas, and it is not possible to provide information for Pembrokeshire only.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_217

Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed deletion of the Gang Violence Matrix on (a) legal risks and (b) access to justice for affected people. \p Sarah Sackman: The now decommissioned Gang Violence Matrix (GVM) was an operational risk assessment tool used by the Metropolitan Police. The Metropolitan Police is the controller of this data and is operationally independent of Government.

The Metropolitan Police has already extended the retention of the data for 12 months to enable persons seeking clarity on their inclusion on the GVM to exercise their Right of Access. Any individual who considers they may have been included on the GVM is entitled to submit a Subject Access Request to the Metropolitan Police by 13 February 2025. The Metropolitan Police advises the public of this on its website.

As the GVM is a policing tool and matter, the Ministry of Justice has no input or remit in relation to its deletion.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_218

Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving custodial sentences were convicted based on evidence from the Gang Violence Matrix. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on offenders convicted and sentenced to immediate custody in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

However, data held centrally does not include information on whether defendants were sentenced based on information obtained from the Gang Violence Matrix.  This information may be held in court records, but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_219

Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with Network Rail on the steps it is taking to ensure the health and wellbeing of neighbours impacted by rail maintenance. \p Simon Lightwood: I am replying as Minister responsible. I am not aware of any discussions between the Secretary of State and Network Rail on this issue. The health and wellbeing of lineside neighbours is a key consideration for Network Rail in undertaking any essential rail maintenance work. These are reflected in Network Rail’s safety management system arrangements, which covers how they manage operations and connected activities to ensure that disturbance is minimised as far as reasonably practicable, whilst upholding their statutory duties on safety and performance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_220

Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance she has issued on the recourse available to neighbours to Network Rail maintenance and construction projects for disputes relating to planned works. \p Simon Lightwood: While the Secretary of State has not issued specific guidance on this, there are options available for raising a dispute. Ahead of planned works Network Rail consults with communities affected, to address their concerns. Compensation for disruption will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Network Rail has a contact centre and webpage which details the process for making a complaint: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/contact-us/making-a-complaint/.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_221

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take into account the potential impact on (a) health, (b) hospitals and (c) health services when making decisions on (i) transport and (ii) connectivity. \p Simon Lightwood: Transport investment decisions are based upon the development and consideration of a business case, which assesses the costs of investment against a wide range of benefits to transport users and the rest of society, including health-related impacts such as air quality, noise, accidents, and physical activity. The Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) provides comprehensive guidance and tools to support the inclusion of these impacts in business cases.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_222

Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the (a) British Transport Police and (b) National Police Chiefs Council on levels of violence against women and girls on trains. \p Simon Lightwood: The department and ministers are in regular contact with the British Transport Police (BTP), who are a member of the National Police Chiefs Council, regarding their commitment to tackling VAWG offences on the rail network. The Force are a key partner in supporting the Government’s mission to take back our streets which includes a commitment to halve VAWG offences in the next decade.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_223

Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a passenger focused plan on train travel post rail-reform which includes recommendations on ensuring the safety of women and girls on trains. \p Simon Lightwood: Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a priority for the Government. We have set ourselves the ambitious target to halve VAWG offences in the next decade using every lever available to us.

My Department and the rail industry, including the British Transport Police are committed to ensuring the safety of women and girls on trains. As we deliver rail reform, we will ensure that plans are in place to build on the good work being done by the rail industry to improve the safety of the rail network for all who use it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_224

Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of (a) trends in the level of congestion on the Witney-Oxfordshire section of the A40 and (b) the potential impact of increased housebuilding in West Oxfordshire on congestion on that road. \p Lilian Greenwood: Any assessment on congestion levels on this section of the A40 would be a matter for the local highway authority, in this case Oxfordshire County Council. Government has committed over £160 million of investment to the A40 West of Oxford, this would allow the County Council to take forward their housebuilding ambitions in the area with better infrastructure, including improved public transport priority measures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_225

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the carbon emissions were for Highways England in each year between 2014 and 2024. \p Lilian Greenwood: The corporate carbon emissions for National Highways (NH), or predecessor organisations (Highways Agency and Highways England), within the period requested were as follows:

Year

tCO2e

2013-14

98,496

2014-15

104,978

2015-16

95,373

2016-17

89,591

2017-18

83,659

2018-19

72,302

2019-20

66,046

2020-21

57,055

2021-22

50,388

2022-23

44,809

2023-24

45,266
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_226

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what services the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will have available at Post Offices between 2027 and 2029. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s current contract with Post Office Ltd expires on 31 March 2026, with an option to extend until 31 March 2027.  The DVLA is preparing to launch a procurement for a new contract for the service currently provided by Post Office. This contract which will begin when the current contract expires.  The requirements for this contract are currently being developed and the winning supplier will be determined in compliance with UK public procurement regulations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_227

Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report entitled The cycling opportunity by Sustrans, published in September 2024, what recent discussions she has had with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on the Cycle to Work Scheme. \p Simon Lightwood: The Cycle to Work Scheme is a salary sacrifice scheme and any changes to it would be a matter for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The Department continues to have conversations with HMRC regarding the scheme, but has had no such discussions with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_228

Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on railway station lift maintenance in (a) 2014 and (b) 2024. \p Simon Lightwood: Network Rail reported that in 2013/14 it spent £4.2 million maintaining 1127 lift assets, compared to £8.3 million in 2023/24 to maintain 1516 lift assets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-06 conversation_229

Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the number of days when lifts were out of service at (a) underground and (b) overground stations in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2024. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department does not hold this information as transport in London is devolved to the Mayor, and TfL is responsible for managing the London Underground and the London Overground.