theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Edward Argar:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the net financial savings by year from the abolition of NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The abolition of NHS England is expected to bring savings that would amount to hundreds of millions of pounds a year. While there will be some upfront costs, we are confident that the reform to wipe out duplication and drive a smaller centre, based in a single organisation, will generate significant savings in the long run, which can then be allocated to front line services.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in what month this year he expects the National Cancer Plan to be published. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan will be published in the second half of 2025, after the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. To help inform the content of the National Cancer Plan, on 4 February 2025, the Department launched a Call for Evidence, inviting people from across the country to share their views on what they think should be included within the plan. The Call for Evidence will close on 29 April 2025.

We will provide updates on the development of the plan, including on publication dates, in due course. Those who wish to share their views can do so on the new online platform. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan
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Edward Argar:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what external consultancy support has been procured to advise on restructuring following the announcement of the abolition of NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the structure and requirements of the team required to support the creation of a new centre for health and care.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have died from sepsis in the last 12 months. \p Ashley Dalton: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the number of death registrations where sepsis was the underlying cause of death, and where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, in England and Wales between 2001 and 2023. According to the ONS, in 2023, the number of deaths registered where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate in England and Wales was 26,203. The ONS has not yet published the number of death registrations for sepsis for 2024. ONS data for deaths involving sepsis is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/2111deathsinvolvingsepsisenglandandwales2001to2023
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Edward Argar:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of NHS England's staffing budget that will transfer to other public sector organisations. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.   By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase the level of research into (a) multi-cancer early detection tests and (b) other innovative cancer screening methods. \p Ashley Dalton: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research. In 2023/24, the NIHR invested £133 million on cancer research.

Our investment plays a crucial role in underpinning the research funded by our partners. Examples of research into multi-cancer early detection tests currently funded by the NIHR in partnership with the Offices for Life Sciences are miONCO-Dx, a novel test which aims to detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers at an early stage, and Enlighten, which explores a new means of detecting cancerous cells by analysing protein traces in blood samples. The NIHR also co-funds Cancer Data Driven Detection (CD3), a major new national research initiative in partnership with Cancer Research UK, which uses data to revolutionise our understanding of individual cancer risk, and to allow early detection of cancers.

On 4 February 2025, the Department announced that nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier. The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health trial is backed by £11 million of Government support via the NIHR. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including early detection and innovative cancer screening methods.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the internet-based platform used for the NHS Pension Scheme; and what steps she is taking to improve training for service handlers in using the platform. \p Karin Smyth: Primary Care Support England (PCSE) launched the PCSE Online GP Pensions system to provide general practitioners and general practices with greater convenience, and more transparency and security when it comes to their pension contributions data. NHS England regularly monitors the effectiveness of PCSE Online, to ensure it continues to meet the needs of general practices. This includes performance management of the IT system and service, supporting PCSE’s webinar development and delivery for users, and working closely with NHS Pensions and the British Medical Association to ensure that training is reflective of any changes.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations made by NICE in the House of Commons Coronavirus: Long Covid Research Briefing, published on 31 October 2024 for future research into the management of long covid. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) research recommendations for managing the long-term effects of COVID-19 were made in 2020 and 2021. Since this time, the Government has invested £58 million in research through two specific funding calls to better understand long COVID and how to treat it. Many of the funded research projects address the NICE’s research recommendations.

As findings emerge from the current research, we encourage researchers to apply for funding to build on and develop the newly established infrastructure, partnerships, and research capabilities. Government research funders remain available to support long COVID researchers in their applications for funding. For example, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has an open call for applications to meet the research recommendations identified in NICE guidance.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) Primary Care Support England's (b) Capita's management of the NHS Pensions Scheme. \p Karin Smyth: The NHS Business Services Authority is the scheme manager for NHS Pensions. NHS England is the employing authority for general practices (GPs) and undertakes local pension administration for GPs through Primary Care Support England (PCSE). NHS England entered into a contract with Capita Business Services Ltd, also known as Capita, to deliver primary care support services and save costs. In order to monitor PCSE, NHS England has a monthly governance board in place to monitor and assure the delivery of the PCSE service, which includes assessment of quality and performance indicators.
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Bambos Charalambous:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of young people with cancer who were diagnosed at Stage (a) one and (b) two. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2025 to the Hon. Member for Colne Valley, to Question 38920.
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Caroline Voaden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of eligible families are using the Healthy Start scheme in the South Devon constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/

The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start. The number of people on the scheme receiving Healthy Start in February 2025 for South Devon is 1,239.

The NHSBSA does not currently hold data on the number of people who are eligible for the scheme. An issue was identified with the Healthy Start source data that is used to calculate uptake of the NHS Healthy Start scheme. The NHSBSA removed the data for the number of people eligible for the scheme and the uptake percentage from January 2023 onwards.

The issue has only affected the data on the number of people eligible for the scheme. It has not prevented anyone from joining the scheme or continuing to access the scheme if they are eligible.

The following table shows the number of people on the scheme in February 2025 for all three wards in South Devon:

Country

Ward

People on the digital scheme

England

South Hams

165

England

Teignbridge

440

England

Torbay

634
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Torcuil Crichton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to support a national public awareness campaign on prostate cancer risk factors and the benefits of early detection for high-risk groups. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England run Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on signs and symptoms of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. This advice is available publicly on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men.

We have also asked the National Screening Committee to review the evidence for prostate cancer screening, including for high-risk groups like black men.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 39386 on NHS Business Services Authority: Crawford & Company, how much of the budget of £38.6m is set aside for the payment of VDPS claims; and what the forecast is for the number of applications to the VDPS to be processed by Crawford & Co for 2025-26. \p Ashley Dalton: For the 2025/26 financial year, the budget allocated for the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme is £38.6 million. The forecasted amount within this budget for vaccine damage payments is approximately £9 million. The budget for the 2025/26 financial year is based on estimates that approximately 8,500 assessments, including mandatory reversals, will be carried out in 2025/26.

The budget allocated for payments has no bearing on the outcomes of individual assessments. The NHS Business Services Authority will request additional funding from the Department to process additional claims if needed, for example if the number of claims received is more than forecasted.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39387 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, if he will make an estimate of the number of assessments that have missed the 95 per cent target; how many of those have been delayed by more than (a) one, (b) six and (c) 12 months; and whether penalties have been imposed on Crawford & Company for missed deadlines. \p Ashley Dalton: Between January 2024 and December 2024, the percentage of medical assessment reports returned within 15 working days of receipt of a fully completed medical record was 99.8%. In the same period, 10 medical assessment reports were not returned within the 15-day timeframe. Of these, nine reports were returned within a month, with one report delayed by more than a month. No medical assessment reports were delayed either by more than six or 12 months.

The supplier has previously had service credits applied as a result of not returning medical assessment reports to the NHS Business Services Authority within 15 working days. As the supplier has achieved above 95% in relation to this target since August 2023, no service credits have been applied since 2023.
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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish a Sexual Health Action Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: We are committed to improving sexual heath in England, and the Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are working together to develop a new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. A key objective of the new plan will be to stabilise and support wider sexual health system enablers.

To help improve local authority commissioned sexual and reproductive health services, in 2025/26 we are increasing funding through the ring-fenced Public Health Grant to £3.858 billion, providing local authorities with an average 5.4% cash increase and a 3% real terms increase. This represents a significant turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending.

We continue to support the delivery of local sexual health services, by providing guidance and data to support local decision makers. In October 2024, the UKHSA published the STI Prioritisation Framework, which, combined with ongoing support from the UKHSA, will enable local systems to identify which combination of interventions to focus on for which populations, informed by the local situation.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that ethnic minority women are adequately represented in research on maternity care. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027 sets out how NIHR will become a more inclusive funder of research and widen access to participation in clinical trials for under-represented groups, such as pregnant women and ethnic minorities. In addition to these priorities, the NIHR will specifically consider intersectionality, recognising that multiple social identities overlap to exacerbate the experience of inequities.

In March 2024, the NIHR launched a £50 million ‘Challenge’ funding call for research to tackle inequalities in maternity care, bringing together experts from across the country into a new consortium. The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during, and after pregnancy, and will identify specific areas where measurable improvements can be made.

Furthermore, the NIHR is currently funding two studies focussed on ensuring ethnic minority women are adequately represented in research on maternity care. The first aims to co-produce a toolkit or guidance which can be used to improve the inclusion of women from ethnic minority backgrounds in maternity research. The second aims to develop a guide to support research nurses and midwives to effectively communicate maternal and neonatal healthcare research opportunities to back women.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including research on improving the representation of women from ethnic minority backgrounds in research on maternity care.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support children living in poverty to access healthcare services in Stockport . \p Ashley Dalton: Our commitment to tackle child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and the ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Ministerial Taskforce on an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle its root causes, and give every child the best start in life. The Government is committed to alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty through supporting families and enhancing public services.

Ahead of this strategy, work is already underway to support children living in poverty to access healthcare services. For example, the Department and NHS England are supporting Greater Manchester to improve access to the Healthy Start Scheme and poverty proofing services for children with long term conditions in the Northwest. Services for children offered in Stockport which are supported by the Department include Family Hubs, Start Well, and health visiting services.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the late diagnosis of (a) rare and (b) less common cancers. \p Ashley Dalton: Improving early diagnosis rates is a key priority for the Government for all cancer types, including rare and less common cancers. We are improving public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, streamlining referral routes, and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms as well as encouraging ‘body awareness’ to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

We are also committed to improving waiting times for cancer treatment, so that people with cancer, including rarer cancers, can get access to the care they need more quickly. The National Health Service has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.

Finally, the National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including rare and less common cancers.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on (a) diagnostics and (b) treatment pathways for people with long covid. \p Ashley Dalton: There are no diagnostic tests for long COVID currently approved for use in the United Kingdom, and clinicians must rule out other conditions which present with similar symptoms to diagnose long COVID. Researchers are also working to identify blood-based biomarkers as the basis for diagnostic tests and targets for treatments.

Over the last five years, the Government, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, has invested over £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID.

This includes clinical trials to test and compare different treatments, and to improve our understanding of long COVID and how health professionals can accurately diagnose the condition. This research has improved the evidence base for clinicians in testing for and treating long COVID.

To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice and to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society is available at the following link:

https://www.clinicalpcs.org.uk
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the last 12 months. \p Ashley Dalton: The most recently published data on diagnoses of pancreatic cancer in England is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrd

Between November 2023 and October 2024, the most recent period available, a total of 9,396 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7264 on Liver Diseases, how many community diagnostic centres provide transient elastography liver scans; and what steps his Department has taken to improve early detection of liver disease in high risk groups in (a) primary and (b) community care settings. \p Ashley Dalton: As of 16 February 2025, 14 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are providing transient elastography liver scans, also known as fibroscans. By 31 March 2025, one further CDC is expected to become operational and able to offer fibroscans. NHS England is taking steps to improve the early detection of liver disease in high risk groups, both in primary and community care settings.

As of the end of February 2025, the Community Liver Health Check Programme is now in place across 19 areas, helping to identify individual patients at greater risk of cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis. The programme is identifying people at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and referring them into, as well as supporting them to stay in, surveillance programmes. From June 2022 to January 2025, over 93,500 fibroscans have been delivered through the pilots, with 6,421 people having enrolled into HCC surveillance.

Primary Care Liver Case Finding pilots have also been funded across 12 primary care networks, as of the end of February 2025. These pilots used primary care records to identify patients at high risk of cirrhosis, in order to offer them blood tests and fibroscans. Over 12,700 people have been tested, and 300 people have been identified as having advanced liver disease requiring cancer surveillance, since the pilot began. These pilots are now being evaluated.

The continued funding of Laboratory Information Management Systems will also be a key step in enabling the development of liver disease pathways starting in primary care, along with the use of intelligent liver function tests, which are an effective primary diagnostic test.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on routinely publishing the genomic testing turnaround times, in the context of the targets set out in the National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has specified turnaround times for genomic tests, with times varying based on the type of test and referral, ranging from a few days for urgent tests, a few weeks for single gene tests, to several months for complex tests. Genomic testing is delivered by a network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). Each GLH publishes their own turnaround time activity for genomics testing.

The National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway sets out the target to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard of a maximum 28 days from referral to the communication of a cancer diagnosis, or to rule out cancer. The Department is supporting NHS England to meet this target by investing in increasing diagnostic capacity, with the capacity prioritised for cancer activity.
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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) engage healthcare professionals in the early diagnosis and treatment of facial palsy and (b) support patients in the days following a facial palsy diagnosis. \p Ashley Dalton: The provision of care and management for people with facial palsy, also known as Bell’s palsy, is the responsibility of general practices, under local integrated care boards.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a clinical knowledge summary on Bell’s palsy, last revised in February 2023, which provides primary care practitioners with a readily accessible summary of the current evidence base and practical advice on best practice for Bell’s palsy. This clinical knowledge summary is available on the NICE’s website, at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/bells-palsy/

Our 10-Year Health Plan will consider what actions are needed to improve patient access and reduce waiting times for patients, including those with facial or Bell’s palsy, by setting out a bold agenda to deliver on the big shifts needed, including the shift from the hospital to the community.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering the RSV vaccination to people over the age of 65. \p Ashley Dalton: The policy for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert advisory committee. That advice is provided to the Government to inform, develop, and make policy.

In 2023, RSV programmes for those aged over 65 years old and those aged over 75 years old were assessed by the JCVI for their potential impact and cost effectiveness. There was more certainty in the data available at the time to support a programme for those aged over 75 years old. Therefore, the JCVI advised a programme for older adults aged 75 years old and above. However, the JCVI did note that as more data accumulated, the impact and cost effectiveness for those aged over 65 years old could be kept under review.

The committee keeps all vaccine programmes under review and will continue to update its advice as new evidence emerges.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase (a) survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and (b) the availability of defibrillators in Woking. \p Ashley Dalton: In a bid to improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government has committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED Fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil the existing applications to the fund.

As part of the application process, the Department has set out requirements to ensure that resources are allocated to where there is the greatest need, for instance in remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest, including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas. Three AEDs have been distributed through the AED Fund in Woking.
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Jack Rankin:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an estimate of the costs of (a) staff time, (b) facilities and (c) any other costs required to host the Youth Select Committee in the House of Commons in the most recent year for which information is available. \p Nick Smith: To support the running of the Youth Select Committee (YSC), £10k is provided to an external delivery partner. Staff from the House of Commons support the YSC in addition to their existing responsibilities so it is not possible to disaggregate staff time in this way. Facilities used for the YSC were on the parliamentary estate so no additional costs were incurred.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adopting minimum recycled content requirements for (a) new infrastructure projects and (b) finished steels. \p Sarah Jones: The Government works with the Green Construction Board, part of the Construction Leadership Council, to reduce levels of waste within the industry, increase recycling, and support the transition to a circular economy. The Green Construction Board published its Zero Avoidable Waste Routemap in 2022, which covers issues such as designing out waste, encouraging refurbishment over demolition, reducing waste going to landfill and the recycling and reuse of energy intensive materials such as concrete and steel.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to re-shore manufacturing. \p Sarah Jones: Reshoring, alongside progressive key trade agreements, will be important of our national resilience, and we are determined to make the UK a prime location for globally competitive manufacturing.

The Industrial Strategy this spring will set out an ambitious long-term vision for UK manufacturing competitiveness and will detail how we intend to boost R&D, skills, and fast track adoption of new manufacturing technologies here in the UK.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the total cost was of providing translation services in his Department in the last year. \p Justin Madders: We can confirm the Department for Business and Trade spent £53,491.37 on translation services from April 2024 – 25th March 2025.

As the department for economic growth, we support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. This figure includes providing translation services and also where the Department required translations or interpreters.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department. \p Justin Madders: The median age of computers issued to officials in the Department is 2 years.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_94
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_94

Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals on cooling-off rights in the consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime, published on 18 November 2024, on (a) the heritage sector and (b) visitor attractions. \p Justin Madders: The Consultation on the implementation of the new subscriptions contract regime closed on 10 February 2025. We are analysing the responses, including submissions from the heritage and visitor attraction sectors. Officials have also met with relevant representatives and individual organisations in those sectors to hear their views.

The impact assessment for the subscriptions chapter in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act can be found here: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment. Together the subscription measures are anticipated to provide £400m of consumer benefits per year and the estimated net cost to businesses is £171m per year.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_95
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_95

Bobby Dean:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has consulted the independent Task and Finish Group on its resilience strategy. \p Sarah Jones: A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK’s economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. The Government will work hand in hand with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. The Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.

DBT regularly engages with industry and academia to inform policy development, including through the Critical Minerals Expert Committee. DBT also plans to reconvene the independent Task and Finish Group members following their 2023 report, informing development of the new Strategy.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_96
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_96

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what meetings his Department has had with Lowick since 4 July 2024. \p Justin Madders: Details of Ministerial and Senior Civil Servant meetings with external organisations are published routinely on Gov.uk as part of the Government’s transparency agenda. The latest returns can be found here for Ministers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbt-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-july-to-september-2024 and here for Senior Civil Servants: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbt-senior-officials-business-expenses-hospitality-and-meetings-july-to-september-2024
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_97
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_97

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) total and (b) full-time equivalent trade union representatives in his Department receive trade union facility time; how many trade union representatives spend over 50% of their working hours on facility time; what the cost of facility time was to his Department in the latest period for which data is available; what proportion of his Department's paybill was spent on facility time (i) since July 2024 and (ii) in the equivalent period in the 2023-24 financial year; and whether he has had discussions with trade unions on these arrangements. \p Justin Madders: The Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) provides annual data to Cabinet Office on facilities time for its employees who are Trade Union representatives. The report for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 has not yet been published.

Within the last reporting return period, 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 DBT had 16 FTEs employees who were Trade Union Representatives. Of these, zero claimed over 50% facility time. The cost of facility time was 0.01% of DBT’s pay bill.

Specific Information from July 2024 is not available as this is reported on annually.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_98
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_98

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the speech entitled PM remarks on the fundamental reform of the British state, published on 13 March 2025, on what methodological basis the Prime Minister said that compliance costs for businesses would be cut by a quarter. \p Justin Madders: On 13 March, the Prime Minister issued a new target for the government to cut the costs of regulation to business. This target for government departments and regulators will lead to less red tape, more delivery and renew the country with economic growth. Government also successfully delivered a similar 25% reduction target between 2005 and 2010. The government will bring forward its plans to meet the target and its method for assessing progress towards it later this year.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_99
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_99

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with representatives from the metals sector on the trade of scrap metal. \p Sarah Jones: I have held discussions with representatives of the metals sector on the trade of scrap metal at a steel strategy roundtable on the 25 March 2025 and at the Steel Council meeting on 30 January 2025. The British Metals Recycling Association is a member of the Steel Council.

My officials have also been attending regular meetings of the Industry Scrap Working Group, since July 2022, where steelmakers and metal recyclers are working together to ensure a suitable supply of high-quality scrap is available for future requirements.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_100
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_100

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of welders to meet demand in the (a) infrastructure, (b) construction and (c) manufacturing sector. \p Sarah Jones: We are working across Government to understand the demand impacts for the construction sector to deliver our built environment and infrastructure commitments. This includes working with Skills England, who will bring businesses, training partners and unions together with national and local government to develop a clear assessment of the country’s skills need – and map pathways by which they can be filled.

On 23 March, Government announced reforms that will get young people into well paid, high skilled, jobs in the construction sector by funding additional placements, establishing Technical Excellence Colleges, launching new foundation apprenticeships, and expanding Skills Bootcamps.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_101
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_101

Graham Leadbitter:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 38512 on Trade: Occupied Territories and Western Sahara, whether his Department has issued guidance on the nature of the risks related to economic and financial activities in (a) Western Sahara and (b) Occupied Palestinian Territory. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The UK government provides guidance to British businesses on potential business risks which may affect economic and financial activity in Western Sahara and Occupied Palestinian Territory on the Overseas Business Risk webpage on gov.uk. This guidance is routinely updated.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_102
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_102

Terry Jermy:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner on the Financial Conduct Authority's handling of Safe Hands Plans Limited, published on 11 March 2025. \p Emma Reynolds: I am sympathetic to all the Safe Hands customers who have lost money, following the collapse of the firm in 2022.

Once concerns were raised about the funeral plan market, in 2021 the Government legislated to bring all pre-paid funeral plan providers and intermediaries within the regulatory remit of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This made it illegal to sell pre-paid funeral plans without authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority, protecting 1.6 million customers and their families.

The FCA has published its response to the Financial Regulator Complaints Commissioner. The FCA has been clear that it is not possible to immediately act on every piece of anonymous intelligence they receive and Safe Hands failed to meet the threshold for authorisation due to underlying issues with their business model.

We support the FCA's handling of Safe Hands, and it is clear that they acted reasonably in this case, as they had a clear plan to properly scrutinise Safe Hands’ business during the authorisations process. As the Commissioner acknowledges, there is also no evidence that alternative action from the FCA would have led to different outcomes for Safe Hands customers.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_103
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_103

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to end the digital services tax. \p James Murray: The Digital Services Tax was introduced as a temporary measure to address international corporate tax issues, until a global solution on the taxation of the digital economy is reached through Pillar 1 of the G20-OECD Inclusive Framework project. It is the UK’s intention to repeal our DST when this international solution is in place.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_104
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_104

Priti Patel:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what budget assumptions her Department has provided to the Office for Budget Responsibility on the potential costs to the public purse relating to the proposed treaty with Mauritius on the British Indian Ocean Territory. \p Darren Jones: As usual, the OBR will include costs in its forecast once the approach to implementation of government policy is clear. In this case, that will be after any agreement has been scrutinised by Parliament and then ratified. Financial obligations arising from an agreement will be managed responsibly within the government’s fiscal framework by the lead departments, the FCDO and MOD, and no payments will be made until the treaty is legally binding.
wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_105
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-01 conversation_105

Pippa Heylings:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will increase the cap on Lifetime ISAs. \p Emma Reynolds: Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by boroughs with very high property values.

The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.