theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_328

Pippa Heylings:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of including the (a) role and (b) conduct of HMRC within the terms of reference of the independent review of the loan charge. \p James Murray: The Government has commissioned an independent review of the Loan Charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers.

The Government does not think it is right for people affected by the Loan Charge to have to wait years for any progress on bringing this matter to a close for them. The Government has therefore ensured that the review has a focused remit, allowing it to report by this summer. The Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025.

Alongside the review, the Government is committed to tackling promoters of tax avoidance and will consult on measures to tackle promoters of marketed tax avoidance, including new powers focused on those who own or control promoter organisations and options to tackle legal professionals behind avoidance schemes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered amending the eligibility criteria for the Employment Allowance to include pre-schools. \p James Murray: As set out in the response to your written question on 26 February 2025, eligibility for the Employment Allowance (EA) is dependent on individual circumstances, in line with HMRC guidance. However, most private childcare providers, including pre-schools, are eligible for the EA. The Government currently has no plans to change the EA eligibility criteria for private childcare providers. Further guidance on EA eligibility is available on https://www.gov.uk/claim-employment-allowance/eligibility
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Harriet Cross:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether business planning development work will be a qualifying activity to access the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities. \p James Murray: The National Wealth Fund has financial capacity totaling £27.8 billion, of which at least £5.8 billion will be committed over this Parliament to the five priority sectors that the Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit, including ports.

There are no unique or additional criteria for accessing this funding as it will be deployed in line with the National Wealth Fund’s standard approach, an overview of which can be found here: https://www.nationalwealthfund.org.uk/how-we-invest-principles-and-approach.

This capital is available now - and will be targeted into investable projects that meet the National Wealth Fund’s investment criteria and mandate – driving growth, clean energy and creating the jobs of the future.

Anyone with a potentially investable project can contact the National Wealth Fund via its website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising taxation on gambling operators. \p James Murray: Gambling Duties raised £3.5 billion in revenue in 2023-24.

As with all taxes, the Government keeps the gambling duty system under review during its Budget process.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to locate GRS Research Government Scheme Jobs in Northern Ireland. \p James Murray: The Government Social Research Profession (GSR) is made up of over 2,500 members living and working across the four nations of the UK in devolved administrations, departments, and arm’s lengths bodies. There are members of GSR located in Northern Ireland.

Each year, on behalf of its member organisations, the central profession team based in His Majesty’s Treasury run a mass campaign to recruit research officers into the profession. The locations available in any given campaign are provided by the participating devolved administrations, departments and arm’s length bodies and change based on recruitment need.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Graeme Downie:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Chinese made electric vehicles were imported into the UK in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024. \p James Murray: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited Official Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

These tables include country of dispatch (CoD) which gives information on the country of export. If specifically wanting information on country of manufacture/ country of origin (CoO) this is available in the  bulk datasets archive. The data available includes value and number of imports.   To build a table you will need to use a commodity code. These are publicly available from the UK Trade Tariff at https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff. From the information given, electric vehicles would come under Chapter 87.

If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact xxx@xxx.xx.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential cost to the public purse of abolishing the (a) High Income Child Benefit Charge and (b) reductions in the level of Personal Allowance for people earning over (i) £100,00 and (ii) £125,000. \p James Murray: The Government is committed to managing the public finances responsibly. The High Income Child Benefit Charge ensures that the Government supports the majority of families while keeping welfare expenditure sustainable.

Data showing tax revenue raised by the High Income Child Benefit Charge in each financial year is published within Table 1 of HMRC’s Child Benefit statistics.

For individuals with income above £100,000, the Personal Allowance is withdrawn gradually, with £1 of allowance lost for every £2 of income above the income limit of £100,000. This reduction continues until the Personal Allowance is completely withdrawn for those with incomes above £125,140.

The total income tax liability for those earning above £100,000 is published online in Table 2.5 of HMRC’s income tax liabilities statistics. For the 2024-25 tax year, this is estimated at £145 billion, almost half of the estimated income tax revenue for this year.

As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government keeps the withdrawal of the Personal Allowance and the High Income Child Benefit Charge under review and any decisions on future changes will be taken by the Chancellor in the context of the wider public finances.
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Jeremy Hunt:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving Ukrainians with temporary residence the option to apply for visas longer than 18 months. \p Seema Malhotra: We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine to assist in the rebuilding of that country. It is important our approach respects these wishes.

This is why the temporary Ukraine Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK.

We will, of course, continue to keep the Ukraine schemes under review in line with developments in Ukraine.

There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Home Office Firearms Fees Working Group met in 2022 and 2023; what conclusions it reached on firearms licensing fees; and if she will publish its report. \p Dame Diana Johnson: On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto. The fees had not been increased since 2015 and they no longer met the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that the fees were increased to provide full-cost recovery so that service improvements can be made.

A review of firearms licensing fees was started in 2022 under the previous Government, and was informed by a Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office and including representation from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the Scottish Government, the Countryside Alliance and national representative shooting organisations.

The Working Group met in person on 7 April 2022 and again on 3 May 2023. There were also communications between Working Group members on the development of the fee proposals in this period in addition to the meetings. As part of the review, data was collected on firearms licensing costs in 31 police forces in January 2023, and this data was discussed by the Working Group. The previous Government reached no final conclusions before the General Election was called.

The new full-cost recovery fees introduced by this Government are based on the 2023 data, updated to reflect increases in costs since then. A full impact assessment, which shows how the data was used to calculate the fees, was published alongside the relevant statutory instrument.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend Ukrainian’s UK student visas. \p Seema Malhotra: Those granted further permission to remain in the UK under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme will receive the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as provided under the existing Ukraine Schemes.

Individuals with permission under one of the Ukraine schemes have access to standard immigration routes to remain in the UK once their permission expires, in order to complete higher education courses they commence during their initial period of permission.

Individuals will have continued access to student support and home fee status where they can show they have been granted further leave to remain in the UK.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the police grant for 2025-2026 on levels of crime in Lincolnshire. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is committed to ensuring that the police can tackle crime effectively.

Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.5 billion, an increase of up to £1.1 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement. This equates to a 6.6% cash increase, and 4.1% real terms increase in funding. This includes an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of delivering 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles.

Lincolnshire Police’s funding will be up to £173.2m in 2025-26, an increase of up to £9 million when compared to the 2024-25 police settlement. This includes an additional £1.7 million for neighbourhood policing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will steps to ensure that bodies working with young people are required to verify an individual’s DBS certificate directly with the Disclosure and Barring Service. \p Jess Phillips: The safety and security of young people is top priority for this Government and DBS checks are one way we can help to protect them.

The DBS is moving to a model where ‘online results’ will be the default way in which employers engage with DBS products. This approach will help to improve employers’ confidence in any online result that they view, as it will be viewed via secure Government web services.

The Crime and Policing Bill will further strengthen the Disclosure and Barring regime by removing the exemption which currently prevents those working closely with children but under supervision from undergoing the highest level of DBS checks (enhanced with a check of the children’s barred list).

There are already a number of security features relating to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates to assist organisations with verifying their authenticity. These include the certificate being produced on a uniquely sized paper stock, the presence of a crown seal watermark, and a complex design using specific inks. Nevertheless, if an organisation is unsure of a DBS certificate’s authenticity, then they can contact the DBS to explore their concerns.

Additionally, the DBS run an ‘Update Service’ which can confirm whether a DBS check is up to date and contains the most recent relevant information. This annual subscription service allows employers to do an online check which confirms whether the certificate that has been presented to them remains valid, or whether they should apply for a new DBS check to be presented with any updated criminality information.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who arrived in the UK on small boats who have withdrawn their asylum claims remain in the UK. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Available data on returns of failed asylum seekers, including those who arrive by small boat, is published on a quarterly basis by the Home Office. The latest data goes to the end of December 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of power cable thefts in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) England in each of the last three years. \p Dame Diana Johnson: While there is no official estimate of the cost to the public purse of cable thefts in England and Wales, Network Rail believe it costs millions of pounds each year with the total cost to the economy taking into account the impact of freight delays to power stations and supermarkets, and on passengers who miss appointments or have their day ruined even higher.

This Government recognises the distress and disruption that such theft can cause to critical infrastructure.

The Government will continue to support the extensive work undertaken by the British Transport Police, in partnership with organisations such as Network Rail, to further improve the response to metal theft by disrupting those involved in this type of crime.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) retailers and (b) trade unions on the risk of misidentifications by private facial recognition systems. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office is not responsible for facial recognition systems procured and operated by independent retailers.

In terms of police use of facial recognition systems, the Home Office supports forces in developing systems, guidance and training to minimise the possibility of misidentification and the consequences of it. Additionally, there are measures in place to mitigate against facial recognition misidentifications by the police. Facial recognition algorithms provided by or procured with Home Office funding for police use are required to be independently tested for equitability frt-equitability-study_mar2023.pdf.

The government is taking the time to make sure that police use of facial recognition operates on a firm footing, including keeping the legal framework under review. To that end, I am listening carefully to stakeholders and partners and have been holding a series of roundtables with policing, civil society groups, regulators and others.

It is important to note that any matches made through facial recognition technologies will always be assessed by a police officer and investigated before an arrest is made; no arrest would ever be made based solely on a facial match made by a computer.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of industrial action by Northern Ireland immigration practitioners; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that asylum claims are not impacted. \p Dame Angela Eagle: All asylum claims will continue to be assessed on an individual basis, in line with published policies.

The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to focus on speeding up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.

This will enable us to maximise our capacity and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Good character: caseworker guidance, updated on 13 February 2025, whether her Department plans to review the £1,630 citizenship application fee. \p Seema Malhotra: Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review. The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025 laid on 21 January, sets out increases to the fee maxima that applies to applications made from within the UK to naturalise as a British citizen or a British Overseas Territories citizen from £1,500 to £1,605.

As stated in the Explanatory Memorandum for that instrument, this maxima change has been made in order to support a subsequent increase to the application fee for naturalisation as a British citizen at £1,605, with the total cost coming to £1,735 when including the ceremony fee. The intention is that this change will be made following Parliamentary clearance of the Fees Order amendment, through a subsequent amendment to the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018, when Parliamentary time allows.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the granting of Indefinite Leave to Remain for Afghans as part of a scheme under the Afghan Resettlement Programme are categorised as (a) In-Country - Leave to enter for persons in the UK who are liable to immigration detention, (b) In-Country - Leave to remain - Other, (c) Overseas - Route to Settlement - other dependant relative and (d) In-Country - Indefinite leave to remain - main applicant and dependants, as per the latest data available. \p Seema Malhotra: Individuals resettled or relocated under the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) are granted Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) when arriving in the UK. In instances where they are already in the UK, they are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2025 to Question 33156 on British Nationality, what is meant by (a) estimated unit cost and (b) maxima in the table entitled Table with details of fees and unit costs: 11 December 2024. \p Seema Malhotra: A fee maxima is the maximum fee level that can be charged for each product and service, with these maximas set out in the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Order 2016. The actual fee that can be charged is set in the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 and must be set at or below the fee maxima.

A Unit Cost represents the estimated full financial cost of providing the relevant service, it includes direct costs; relevant local and central overheads (e.g. accommodation, HR, Finance and IT); depreciation; cost of capital employed, and; other factors that are in connections to immigration and nationality, such as operational policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Amanda Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 30583 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, on how many days Border Force implemented a red rating for expected numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel between (a) 5 July 2023 and 5 March 2024 inclusive and (b) 5 July 2024 and 5 March 2025 inclusive. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Border Force records show that crossing attempts were assessed as being ‘likely’ or ‘highly likely’ on 117 occasions between 5 July 2024 to 5 March 2025, and on 61 occasions between 5 July 2023 to 5 March 2024.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) people and (b) businesses are not disrupted by loss of mobile phone network coverage in areas where coverage previously existed. \p Chris Bryant: UK mobile operators have committed to close all legacy 2G and 3G mobile services by 2033, with some operators having already turned off their 3G networks. The government is working in conjunction with Ofcom and the telecoms industry to minimise disruption and ensure that people and businesses are 4G and 5G ready. This includes close engagement with critical sectors such as the emergency services.

As well as maintaining our commitment to our target of 95% of the UK geography being covered by 4G, our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which government departments and agencies are responsible for (a) civil contingency planning, (b) warning and (c) mitigation in relation to (i) Near-Earth Objects and (ii) space debris. \p Chris Bryant: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for civil contingency planning, warning and mitigation in relation to Near-Earth Objects and space debris.

Risks associated with these events are considered as part of the national risk assessment process and proportionate mitigation activity identified. Risks are published in the National Risk Register.

Contingency planning and event warnings are delivered through the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure schools in rural areas have access to full fibre broadband. \p Chris Bryant: Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises, including schools, that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.

Alongside connecting premises through a series of Project Gigabit contracts across the UK, we are currently delivering a specific project in partnership with the Department for Education which is set to give a further 780 schools access to a fast, reliable broadband connection.

Earlier government-funded programmes have already delivered gigabit-capable connections to over 2,400 schools.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether there are funds available under the Shared Rural Network; and whether he has plans to use the network to eliminate partial non-spots in North Cornwall constituency. \p Chris Bryant: North Cornwall has already benefited from the industry-funded part of the Shared Rural Network which aimed to tackle the majority of partial not-spots across the UK. In North Cornwall, 4G coverage from all four mobile network operators has risen from 68% to 83%, and 99% of the constituency now has 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator, up from 97% at the start of the programme. This part of the programme has now been completed, and we do not expect there to be further improvements in this constituency from the programme.
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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to increase the uptake of broadband provision (a) across the country and (b) in rural areas. \p Chris Bryant: The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage, with 86% of premises now able to access a gigabit-capable connection thanks to a pro-competition regulatory environment.

Take-up is just as important as roll-out. This is primarily the responsibility of industry, but the government is encouraged to see increasing levels of gigabit take-up, and in particular the positive effects of the industry launch of the One Touch Switch (OTS) and terminology changes from Ofcom last year. We continue to work with industry towards greater roll-out and take-up.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 33910, how many staff were employed at the Fraud team at the DVSA at the end of (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023. \p Lilian Greenwood: The table below shows the number of people employed within the Counter Fraud & Investigation team at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for the years ending 2019 to 2024.

Year-end

Headcount

Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

Dec 2019

48

47.26

Dec 2020

48

46.47

Dec 2021

50

49.25

Dec 2022

48

47.25

Dec 2023

48

47.6

Dec 2024

65*

59*

*In 2024-25, the team dedicated to investigating fraud in the driver theory and practical test schemes was doubled as a result of additional funding provided by the Department for Transport.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate travel disruptions caused by flooding in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government recognises that flooding can have a devastating impact on people, businesses and communities, as well as causing disruption to all road users. The Government is working at pace to accelerate the building of flood defences through a new Floods Resilience Taskforce and is investing £2.4 billion to better protect people and communities across the country.

Surrey County Council is the local highway authority for Surrey Heath. For the 2025/26 financial year, the Government is providing Surrey County Council with £32.4 million for local highway maintenance, which is an extra £8.5 million compared to 2024/25. Funding allocations can be found on gov.uk.

In addition, the Department is working with the UK Roads Leadership Group’s (UKRLG) Adaptation, Biodiversity & Climate Board to provide guidance to local highway authorities on how to reduce the mitigate the impacts of flooding on local roads. A recently published UKRLG-commissioned report, Emergency Preparedness, Response & Recovery, considers the lessons learned from extreme weather events, such as flooding, and makes recommendations for Government and local highway authorities on improving resilience.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents involving horses took place between 2019 and 2024 in (a) England, (b) East Anglia and (c) South West Norfolk constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The department publishes statistics on road injury collisions which occur on the public highway and are reported by police via the STATS19 system.

The number of such collisions involving ridden horses are shown in the table below for 2019 to 2023, which is the latest year for which data is available.

Year

England

East of England

South West Norfolk constituency

2019

51

5

0

2020

73

3

0

2021

76

7

1

2022

68

7

2

2023

49

7

0
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that road infrastructure works on the A35 Sea Road South are not indefinitely delayed due to funding constraints. \p Lilian Greenwood: Improvements across the strategic road network are evidence led, and National Highways will continue to use a prioritisation matrix to ensure that schemes are progressed in line with the associated need across the network. As such the proposed safety improvements running between Charmouth and Yellowham, inclusive of Sea Road South, have been allocated funding for 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria her Department uses to determine the level of prioritisation of road improvement schemes. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department has responsibility for prioritisation of investment in enhancement on the strategic road network and considers a balance of funding, economic, and strategic factors. These are principally considered through a proposed scheme’s value for money assessment, affordability, deliverability, and alignment to wider government objectives and plans. Prioritisation decisions for local roads are a matter for the relevant local highway authority.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and dangerous driving. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and dangerous driving.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse for legal costs relating to compulsory purchase orders made for the HS2 project. \p Lilian Greenwood: All property acquisitions under compulsory purchase orders entail legal costs, for example in relation to conveyancing. The Department has not made an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse for legal costs associated with compulsory purchase orders for the HS2 project, as these costs vary depending on the size and complexity of each transaction and some cases have not yet been completed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_360

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to improve DVSA’s online booking service to ensure it can handle the demand for driving tests without technical issues. \p Lilian Greenwood: As set out in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) 2024/25 business plan, DVSA is beginning the process of replacing its booking system. The system has many uses including:

DVSA will start by replacing the test booking and scheduling service. This will allow better capture and meeting of customers’ requirements, including those with additional needs. DVSA will update the way it schedules tests using modern, flexible technology that makes better use of examiners’ time and reduces manual processes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_361

Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways is taking with (a) other road agencies, (b) utility companies and (c) local councils to help ensure minimal disruption when roadworks take place in (i) Ashford constituency and (ii) Kent. \p Lilian Greenwood: National Highways is part of the Kent Corridor Coordination Group (KCCG), which was established as a collaborative forum to coordinate the delivery of multiple concurrent road improvement and maintenance schemes in Kent.

By adopting a ‘corridor approach,’ the group works with local authorities, businesses, and community stakeholders to minimise disruption, improve safety, and streamline project delivery.

This innovative model of collaboration has delivered significant efficiencies, reduced delays, and fostered stronger partnerships among stakeholders.

In addition to NH’s work in the KCCG, it holds quarterly meetings with major utility companies to discuss performance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_362

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will have discussions with East Sussex County Council on ensuring timely progress on (a) the Bishopstone Junction and (b) other key infrastructure improvements. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year following collaborative and open engagement with our stakeholders and will meet the manifesto commitment to develop a “long-term strategy for transport”.

Regarding the A259 South Coast Road Corridor scheme, all future spend is subject to the Spending Review and until that is completed, I am unable to provide assurances on any individual project. Local authority scheme promoters will be updated on the future of schemes in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_363

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention of driving examiners in high cost of living areas. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) examiner recruitment campaigns continue to be successful but, like many employers, DVSA is finding the job market extremely competitive. As it moves through each recruitment campaign, DVSA will continually review and make changes and improvements to its recruitment and selection process, and training courses.

Driving examiners are Civil Servants so their salary is determined by the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance. The guidance sets out the financial parameters within which Civil Service departments can determine pay awards for their staff. DVSA cannot act independently from this guidance. DVSA is working with Department for Transport colleagues to consider a new approach to the pay structure for all its front-line workers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_364

Jon Trickett:To ask the Solicitor General, how many of her Department's officials have been seconded from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024. \p Lucy Rigby: The Attorney General’s Office has not seconded any officials from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_365
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_365

Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Solicitor General, how many social media accounts their Department operates; and how much their Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government communicates across a range of media channels in order to reach its target audience effectively. Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the intended audience on a specific issue to have the most impact.

Social media is an essential part of government communications and is used to inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

The Attorney General’s Office operates five social media accounts across X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Threads. It has not spent any money on social media subscriptions or advertisements in the last three years.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_366
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_366

Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the long-term future of free-to-air terrestrial TV and radio services in Scotland. \p Ian Murray: I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

I understand that DCMS, as the lead department, are currently seeking to understand how people receive their television and radio services now and in the next decade. As part of this process, DCMS has established a stakeholder forum which will take views on this topic from a range of broadcasters active in Scotland, including STV, the BBC and ITV.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_1

Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who had been referred to (a) secondary mental health services and (b) NHS Talking Therapies who were referred with (i) autistic spectrum disorders, (ii) ADHD, (iii) dyslexia, (iv) dyspraxia, (v) PTSD, (vi) schizophrenia and (vii) anxiety disorders as the other presenting condition or symptom for referral were waiting for a first contact on 31 January 2025, by NHS Trust. \p Stephen Kinnock: Information on mental health conditions by referral is not available, and a diagnosis may not have been established at the time of referral.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_2

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51549 on Exercise: Older People, what the cost to public purse was of producing the NHS 10 walking app. \p Ashley Dalton: The NHS Active 10 app was initially launched in February 2017 by Public Health England, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield. Initial development costs totalled £700,807.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_3

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage Hormone Replacement Therapy implant manufacturers to apply for UK licenses. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department have kept ministers informed of the ongoing issues in the manufacturing of unlicenced products used as medicines for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants.

Regular discussions with the importer of the unlicenced medicines have been held, and the Medicines Supply team in the Department are actively looking at both licenced and other sources, to ensure an ongoing supply of appropriate products.

The MHRA welcomes these applications and has processes in place to review applications for HRT implants, as soon as they are received.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_4

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on encouraging manufacturers to apply for UK licenses for Hormone Replacement Therapy implants. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department have kept ministers informed of the ongoing issues in the manufacturing of unlicenced products used as medicines for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants.   Regular discussions have been held with the importer of the unlicenced medicines, and the Medicines Supply team in the Department are actively looking at licenced alternatives to ensure ongoing supply.

A medicine can only become licensed if an application is made for such a licence, usually by the manufacturer, and the MHRA is only able to grant a marketing authorisation after the supporting data has been assessed to demonstrate its quality, safety, and efficacy for the conditions it is intended to treat, and to confirm that it has an acceptable balance of risk and benefit. In our role as the medicines regulator, we are not in a position to solicit for new product licence applications.

However, the MHRA welcomes marketing authorisation applications for HRT implants and has processes in place to review applications as soon as they are received. In addition, manufacturers can seek scientific advice on their product from the MHRA at any stage of development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_5

Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with the Health Innovation Network to support digital innovation in local NHS services. \p Karin Smyth: The Government continues to fund and support the Health Innovation Network to help the adoption of local innovation into National Health Service care pathways, and digital innovation into local NHS services. Each of the 15 regional networks deliver services for their local population, as well as working as a national network.

The network’s Innovation Collaborative for Digital Health exemplifies their support for digital innovation in local NHS services, and the scaling of these innovations across the NHS, as the collaborative supports 487,000 people with technology-enabled remote monitoring at home.

Since 2020, over 340,000 hours of healthcare staff capacity has been released through the network’s national programmes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_6

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to licenced Hormone Replacement Therapy implants for women. \p Karin Smyth: There are currently no licensed United Kingdom suppliers of oestrogen and testosterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants in the UK, and companies are free to decide what they market.

The Department is working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to ensure safe access to these products. As part of this, we have also reached out to specialist importers who can source unlicensed medicines in order to find HRT implants for UK patients.
wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-05 conversation_7

Henry Tufnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he made of the use of dopamine agonists as a first-line treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS) before the NICE guidance was updated in February 2025; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people with RLS receive effective treatment. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not developed any guidelines on the diagnosis and/or management of restless leg syndrome (RLS) but has commissioned a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on the diagnosis and clinical management of RLS, which was updated in February 2025, and which can be used as a source of information for healthcare professionals. This CKS is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/restless-legs-syndrome/

Licensed dopamine agonist medicines that are indicated for the treatment of RLS are ropinirole, pramipexole, and rotigotine. Decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by healthcare professionals and National Health Service commissioners, based on an assessment of the available evidence, taking into account national guidance and advice, such as CKS’.