theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Gareth Bacon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to facilitate the commercialisation of hydrogen-powered aircraft for passengers; and whether she is allocating additional resources for that process. \p Mike Kane: The Government is supportive of new forms of zero-emission aircraft being brought into commercial use.

The Department for Business and Trade is co-investing with industry through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme in R&D on aerospace technology, including projects focussed on zero emission aircraft. The budget confirmed a five-year extension to the programme with nearly £1bn funding.

In addition, from January 2025 the use of low carbon hydrogen as an aviation fuel is eligible for reward under the SAF mandate where it meets sustainability criteria. The Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge is being supported by a £0.9m grant from the Government’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund. Future government funding will be considered within the ongoing Spending Review.

The Jet Zero Taskforce Expert Group, convening representatives from government, industry, and academia with an interest in aviation decarbonisation, have agreed to establish a dedicated group to unlock barriers to the commercial operation of zero-carbon hydrogen aircraft.

The Department for Transport has not made a comparative assessment of trends in operational trials nor infrastructure development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many residential properties have been purchased in preparation for HS2 Phase 2b; and what proportion of these have been vacant for longer than six months in Tatton Constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: 720 residential properties in total have been acquired on the former HS2 Phase 2b route. Of these, 59 are in the Tatton constituency, of which 19 have been vacant for more than six months.
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) frequency and (b) capacity of rail services between Birmingham and Leicester. \p Simon Lightwood: The scope for increased frequency on the Birmingham to Leicester route beyond the current two trains per hour is limited by current infrastructure. The infrastructure capacity is being considered as part of the proposed Midlands Rail Hub project. In terms of train capacity, CrossCountry has recently declassified First Class accommodation on services from Birmingham to Cardiff, Nottingham and Stansted Airport to provide a number of additional seats on each train for all ticket holders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24061 on Rolling Stock, if she will (a) provide a timeline for the (i) development and (ii) publication of the Rolling Stock Strategy and (b) make available opportunities for stakeholders to contribute their input. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government is working at pace to develop the framework for a rolling stock strategy which will include considerations around the timelines for new build, refurbishments, and potential cascades.

Once Great British Railways is established it will take the strategy forward providing a long-term approach to future rolling stock needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of items of correspondence from Parliamentarians received by (a) her Department, (b) herself and (c) her ministerial team have not received a substantive response in each month since August 2024. \p Lilian Greenwood: The information requested is in the table below. Please note that some correspondence received in January will not be due for reply until February and so that month has been excluded.

Month

Number of Cases

Number Closed

Number still Open

% Still Open

August

383

382

1

0.2%

September

343

338

5

1.5%

October

402

398

4

1%

November

385

366

19

5%

December

382

337

45

12%

Total

1895

1821

74

4%
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of car insurance costs on the ability of young people to access employment. \p Lilian Greenwood: The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

The taskforce has been set up to support the Government’s missions to grow the economy and break down the barriers to opportunity for drivers of all ages, by acting on the cost pressures facing industry. We will provide updates on the taskforce’s work in due course.
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of improving transport connections between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham on economic growth in the region. \p Simon Lightwood: Economic growth is the number one mission of this Government. The Department for Transport is playing a key role in this, as we recognise the potential for transport investment to have a significant impact on local economic development across the country, including for Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham.

My Department is currently developing an Integrated National Transport Strategy, which will set the high-level direction for how transport should be designed, built and operated in England over the next 10 years. It will set out a single national vision that will put people who use transport and their needs at its heart and empower local leaders to deliver integrated transport solutions that meet the needs of their local communities.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to require local authorities to use the same licensing regulations for (a) private hire vehicles and (b) taxis. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime. Under this system licensing authorities have the flexibility to set standards they consider appropriate.

The Department for Transport has however issued statutory and best practice guidance to assist licensing authorities with this function, to promote safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. This should increase consistency in requirements and policies for taxis and private hire vehicles.
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Simon Hoare:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish the Road Investment Strategy 3; and what funding is available via that scheme. \p Lilian Greenwood: The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) will cover the five-year period from April 2026 to March 2031. We expect to publish that Strategy at the end of 2025 with a draft Strategy published in the summer of 2025. An Interim Settlement for National Highways will be in place covering 2025-26.
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Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will be reopening for applications. \p Sarah Jones: In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Government committed £163 million to continue delivery for all current projects in Phases 1 and 2 and the first Phase 3 competition window of the IETF (Spring 2024) through to completion.

Ministers are considering opportunities to support UK industry to decarbonize and reach Net Zero as part of the Spending Review. Further announcements will be made in due course.
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Ann Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to replicate the changes announced for the Mineworkers Pension Scheme to the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: I refer the honourable member to the response from my honourable friend the Minister for Industry on 29 January 2025 (UIN 25410).
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of items of correspondence from Parliamentarians received by (a) his Department, (b) him and (c) his Ministers in each month since August 2024 have not yet received a substantive response. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government attaches significant importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents. The Department’s correspondence team has already implemented an improvement plan that will deliver a more effective and streamlined process.

The correspondence performance of all Whitehall Departments is published quarterly. The full data for 2024 is due to be published soon by the Cabinet Office. Data for Quarter 1 of 2025 will be published in due course.
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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many former British Coal employees were recipients of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme in Stafford constituency. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: As of 30 October 2024, there were 141 members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme in Stafford constituency.
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Barry Gardiner:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change draft rules on the attribution of emissions reductions from bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to the country of origin on UK subsidies for BECCS. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: All UK greenhouse gas emissions are compiled and reported consistent with international guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories provide a methodology for the reporting of emissions from bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) that the UK will follow when the technology is operating at sufficient scale. In line with all IPCC reports, the 2006 Guidelines were written by world-leading experts, underwent multiple rounds of review from other experts and Governments and were formally accepted by Governments including the UK.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the companies involved with the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields proposals on the potential financial risks relating to the time taken for those proposals to be considered; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken for those to be considered on levels of future investment in the North Sea. \p Michael Shanks: Details of Ministers' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly on gov.uk.

The Government is still considering the Court’s decision, and the responses to the recent consultation on updated Environmental Impact Assessment guidance, and will engage further with all relevant stakeholders as soon as possible.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of designating Wylfa as a preferred site for a new nuclear energy generation project. \p Michael Shanks: On 6 February 2025, we published the draft of a new nuclear National Policy Statement (EN-7) for consultation. EN-7 proposes to employ a criteria-based approach, rather than listing potentially suitable sites, to empower nuclear developers to identify suitable sites for their projects.

The Government wants previously listed sites, such as Wylfa, which was acquired by Great British Nuclear in 2024, to meet their potential and EN-7 acknowledges the advantages they can offer for nuclear infrastructure deployment.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the suitability of Wylfa to be designated as a preferred site for a new nuclear energy generation project. \p Michael Shanks: On 6 February 2025, we published the draft of a new nuclear National Policy Statement (EN-7) for consultation. EN-7 proposes to employ a criteria-based approach, rather than listing potentially suitable sites, to empower nuclear developers to identify suitable sites for their projects.

The Government wants previously listed sites, such as Wylfa, which was acquired by Great British Nuclear in 2024, to meet their potential and EN-7 acknowledges the advantages they can offer for nuclear infrastructure deployment.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on how many occasions the Drax power station has claimed that 100% of the wood it burnt is from sustainable sources since 2012. \p Michael Shanks: DESNZ does not hold detailed data on the sourcing of biomass.

Drax’s compliance with sustainability criteria is overseen by Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, and the Low Carbon Contracts Company as the counterparty for the Contract for Difference Scheme.

Government works closely with LCCC and Ofgem to ensure that generators only receive subsidies for biomass that meets our sustainability criteria.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has with the Welsh Government on developing a new nuclear site at Wylfa. \p Michael Shanks: Ministers, and officials within the Department, regularly meet Welsh Government counterparts. As a site which has previously hosted a nuclear power station and is now owned by Great British Nuclear (GBN), we will work with GBN to assess options for new nuclear at the Wylfa site.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 19 December 2024 from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs. \p Michael Shanks: My noble Friend Lord Hunt of Kings Heath wrote to the hon Member on 6 February about Rampion 2.
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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25957 on North Sea Oil: Carbon Emissions, whether he plans to appeal the Edinburgh Court of Session's ruling of 30 January 2025. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is carefully considering the Court of Session's judgment to inform its decisions on next steps.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Grimsby to Walpole National Grid pylon project on house prices in affected areas in Lincolnshire. \p Michael Shanks: The Government does not assess the impact of new transmission network infrastructure on house prices.

However, landowners, businesses, and homeowners that have electrical equipment, such as pylons or towers, sited on their land have the right to compensation for the value of their land, as well as for any losses or expenses incurred. Acquiring authorities can also put in place discretionary schemes offering additional compensation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) resilience and (b) reliability of cloud services, in the context of its plans to designate cloud services as Critical National Infrastructure. \p Feryal Clark: The Government process for designating infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) requires an assessment of the sector’s resilience, and its reliability, in performing its essential function to society and the economy. This was assessed prior to the designation of cloud infrastructure as CNI in September 2024.

Cloud computing services have also been subject to the security requirements of the Network & Information Systems (NIS) Regulations since 2018 and are subject to ongoing oversight by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). This will be further strengthened by the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which will give the ICO additional regulatory powers for the sector.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment has he made of the impact of social media use on children's well-being. \p Feryal Clark: In November 2024 DSIT announced a feasibility study to further understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children.

The study will review existing evidence on the topic and assess which research methods will be most effective in determining the causal effect of social media and smartphones on children’s developmental outcomes. The study will conclude in May 2025.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what outcomes there were through Innovate UK's Launchpad initiative in Northern Ireland in 2024. \p Feryal Clark: Innovate UK has allocated up to £7.5 million for the Life and Health Sciences Launchpad in Northern Ireland. An initial allocation of funding was made to 14 business-led projects in April 2024. 18 additional projects targeting early-stage businesses in this cluster were funded in summer 2024. Competitions are currently in planning to allocate the remaining Launchpad funds.

Innovate UK is evaluating the impact of all the Launchpads, including the one in Northern Ireland. It will publish interim findings from early 2027 via UKRI’s public website. A full impact evaluation will subsequently report from late 2028.
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Simon Hoare:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the coverage is of superfast broadband in (a) Dorset and (b) North Dorset constituency; and what steps he is taking to improve superfast broadband coverage in hard-to-reach areas. \p Chris Bryant: According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 97% of premises in Dorset can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 61% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps). In the North Dorset constituency, over 98% can access superfast broadband speeds, and over 78% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection.

To improve this coverage further, Wessex Internet is delivering two contracts under Project Gigabit, targeted at bringing fast, reliable broadband to premises in hard-to-reach areas that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.
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Simon Hoare:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the coverage is of 5G in Dorset; and what steps he is taking to improve 5G coverage in rural areas. \p Chris Bryant: I have raised my concerns about the reporting of mobile connectivity with Ofcom, but Ofcom reports that 5G is available outside 86% of premises across the Dorset local authority area from at least one mobile operator.

In order to realise the full economic and social benefits of 5G, our ambition is for all populated areas, including communities in rural areas, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.

We work closely with the mobile industry and are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition in the market. As part of this work, the Government intends to reform the planning system to make it easier to build digital infrastructure.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with businesses on (a) their sustainability plans and (b) assessments of the sustainability of projects they (i) fund and (ii) otherwise sponsor since July 2024; and with which businesses he has had such discussions. \p Feryal Clark: The Department has regular discussions with businesses and universities on a range of issues, including environmental sustainability. UKRI has close engagement with the Research & Innovation sector within the UK through their Environmental Strategy, as well as the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice. The concordat aims to help the sector act responsibly to protect and promote the environment, and representation includes universities, research institutes, catapults and funding organisations. Internationally, UKRI is also part of the Heidelberg Agreement. Nine European countries collaborated on developing the agreement, through which research funders take a proactive approach to promoting sustainability in scientific research.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of Government funding for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy research in financial year 2023-24; and which public bodies provided that funding. \p Feryal Clark: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funds medical research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR funds, enables, and delivers high-quality research to improve patient care and public health and supports liver research through a range of funding programmes, training, support for researchers and facilities.

UKRI delivers a substantial portfolio of researcher-led projects. UKRI’s Medical Research Council also plays a key role in funding underpinning research which may not be attributable to a specific condition but will benefit medical research more generally. UKRI has funded £1,613.772 to the University of College London for a research project into antitrypsin, to form long chains of linked molecules (called "polymers") that are trapped inside liver cells. The build-up of polymers damages the cell and increases the chance of developing liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Funding for health-related research is also available through the UK’s association with the Horizon Europe Programme, worth more than £80 billion.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate she has made of the level of pay rise required by prison officers for salaries to be at the same real-terms levels as they were in 2010. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Pay for Prison Officers is informed by independent recommendations made by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB).

HMPPS’ written evidence to the PSPRB for 2025/26 was published on 10 December 2025. This noted that the rate of economic growth since the global financial crisis of 2008 has been substantially lower than in previous decades. Annual real productivity growth (GDP per hour worked) fell by around 1.5% from an average of 2.1% in the decade prior to 2008, to 0.6% between 2010 and 2019. Higher productivity enables higher wages, and only sustained productivity growth over the medium-term can deliver sustainable long-run economic growth and real-terms wage rises.

In making their independent recommendations, the PSPRB takes account of the written and oral evidence submitted by Government as well as evidence and representations made by the recognised Trade Unions, including the Prison Officers’ Association. The PSPRB considers a range of factors such as private sector wage growth, inflation, and future Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of items of correspondence from Parliamentarians received by (a) her Department, (b) her and (c) her Ministers in each month since August 2024 have not yet received a substantive response. \p Alex Davies-Jones: For the months of August and September all correspondence from Parliamentarians have received a substantive response. The table below covers October-January.

Month

Outstanding

Percentage

October

6

1.5%

November

9

2.5%

December

58

19.5%

*January *Many of these cases remain within Cabinet Office target of 20 working days.

255

67.5%

These figures reflect correspondence sent directly to MoJ HQ from Parliamentarians, and do not include correspondence sent directly to its executive agencies such as HMCTS or HMPPS.

Ministers and the Department place great value on effective and timely handling of ministerial correspondence and keep performance of this under review.

The Cabinet Office publishes routine statistics on Departmental performance which can be found on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers(opens in a new tab).
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of prison officer salaries given the levels of (a) risk and (b) stress of this role. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Prison Service staff are some of our finest public servants. Despite their hard work, the Prison Service has been under immense pressure due to an increasing population and ageing estate.

One of the first things this Government did upon coming into office was to accept the independent recommendations of the Prison Service Pay Review Body in full. This delivered a pay rise of 5% for Band 3-5 Prison Officers on modernised terms and conditions. This brings the starting salary for an entry level officer (on the national rate, 39 hours with unsocial hours) from £32,851 to £34,494.

Given the challenges of working in a prison, we provide extensive mental health support, including a 24-hour helpline, confidential counselling, and online wellbeing services. Our Trauma Risk Management practitioners and Care Teams provide further support following any incidents while on duty.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of prison officer salary levels on staff retention rates. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The 2024/25 Prison Service pay award delivered a pay rise of at 5% for all Band 3 – 5 Prison Officers on modernised terms and conditions. This brings the starting salary for an entry level officer (on the national rate, 39 hours with unsocial hours) from £32,851 to £34,494.

As of 30 September 2024, there are 23,571 Band 3-5 Full Time Equivalent Prison Officers in post, and nationally across establishments we are at 99.5% of our Target Staffing Figure (when using hours adjusted FTE). We have seen indications of an improving retention picture in the past two years – as of September 2024, the resignation rate for Band 3-5 prison officers was 8.5%, which is an improvement of 3 percentage points since September 2022 (11.5%).

When asked about their primary reason for leaving the prison service, Pay and Reward no longer consistently features in the top five reasons for leaving as cited by staff in exit interviews.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing sentences for knife crime perpetrators. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Tackling knife crime is a priority and this Government is determined to do all it can to break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families, and communities. It is important that those who commit violent crimes receive appropriate, proportionate and robust sentences.

It is the function of the independent courts to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any guidelines that may be laid down by the Sentencing Council or the Court of Appeal. We have a robust legal framework in place to respond to knife crimes, with the maximum penalty for carrying a knife or threatening with an offensive weapon being 4 years imprisonment.

Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that the offender may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, up to life imprisonment.

The Government has launched an Independent Review of Sentencing chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke. The Review aims to ensure that the sentencing framework is consistent, protects the public and that there is always a place in prison for violent offenders.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use by officials in her Department of the DeepSeek artificial intelligence model. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government has a robust set of security policies in place to oversee how information is handled, within our buildings, on our IT and by our staff.

We keep these policies under constant review to ensure they are applicable to new technologies.

The Government's Generative AI framework outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process HMG information. Everyone who works with government has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share, and all government departments are required to meet a range of mandatory security standards.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_221

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure police training is updated so that victims of disability hate crime are appropriately supported. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We have committed to ensuring parity of protection for disabled and LGBT+ people under the aggravated offences and will implement this change in an appropriate legislative vehicle in due course.

The College of Policing is responsible for police training in England and Wales and publishes operational guidance for police, known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP), on how to deal with different types of crimes and incidents, including hate crimes. The College of Policing keeps its APP is under review.

The Government funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_222
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_222

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to allow police survivors who (a) remarry and (b) cohabit after losing a spouse to retain their full pension entitlement. \p Dame Diana Johnson: With the introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme on 6 April 2006, all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme that provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse.

Police pension schemes prior to the 2006 police pension scheme did not have life-long survivor benefits and any retrospective changes to those schemes would need to be fully costed and affordable.

There are no plans at this time to make any such changes to benefits accrued in previous schemes.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_223
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_223

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of items of correspondence from Parliamentarians received by (a) her Department, (b) herself and (c) her ministerial team have not received a substantive response in each month since August 2024. \p Dame Diana Johnson: On policy correspondence cases that have not yet received a substantive response for each month since August 2024 are in the following table.

Month

Total received

Total Outstanding

Home Secretary response

Other Ministerial response

% outstanding

August 2024

538

0

0

0

0

September 2024

472

1

0

1

0.2%

October 2024

606

5

1

4

0.8%

November 2024

625

8

0

8

1.3%

December 2024

541

69

3

66

12.8%

Total

2782

83

4

79

3%

Data about intake and performance in answering MP Correspondence on case specific matters (including UK Visa and Immigration, Immigration Enforcement, Border Force and HM Passport Office) is published quarterly with the latest data available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-q3-2024
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_224
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_224

Chris Philp:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will instruct the Southport public inquiry to make an assessment of the adequacy of public communications by the Government in the aftermath of those murders. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We are moving swiftly to set up the inquiry.

We will consult the families and other interested parties on its scope to ensure all critical issues are addressed while remaining manageable and sensitive to the needs of those most affected.

We will announce further details about the inquiry in due course.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_225
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_225

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has used powers under section 44 of the Police Act 1996 to require Chief Constables to provide information on the time taken by firearms licensing departments to process (a) grants and (b) renewals for (i) shotguns and (ii) section 1 firearms. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Constables, who are held to account by Police and Crime Commissioners.

However, the performance of forces in this space is being actively monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and both he and his predecessor have been working actively with forces on performance related issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_226

David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle speeding by motor vehicles in rural areas of Hertfordshire. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Excess speed is still a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads. Anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face sanction.

Enforcement of speeding offences in rural areas of Hertfordshire and the deployment of available resources and capabilities is an operational matter for Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Chief Constable and Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner to determine, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_227
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_227

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made changes to the level of funding to local authorities for asylum seekers since July 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.

In recent years, the Home Office has had various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities, with responsibilities for housing asylum seekers.

Grant 7 was launched in April 2024 to facilitate local authority support of increased dispersal accommodation (DA) accommodation. A £3500 payment was allocated for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, overflow dispersal accommodation (ODA) and initial accommodation (IA).

Grant 6 was launched in April 2024 to acknowledge the contribution of Local Authorities to supporting asylum seekers. A payment of £750 was made for each occupied bedspace as of 01 April 2024 and a subsequent payment was allocated for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, ODA and IA and contingency accommodation (CA).

All local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales who support asylum seekers are eligible for payment. Similar arrangements are in place for Northern Ireland.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_228
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_228

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the potential merits of expanding the provisions of the Online Safety Act 2023 to help tackle violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government, and that's why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG within a decade.

The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.

We will go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve all forms of violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year. In January 2025, the Government introduced new legislation which will make creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images a criminal offence.

The Online Safety Act designates material relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority offence. Platforms must put in place systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Illegal Harms Codes, laid before Parliament in December and coming into force from 17 March this year, sets out the steps companies must take to meet their duties under the Act to tackle this content."

I regularly meet with Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to discuss these matters.

My officials also engage regularly with DSIT and the Ministry of Justice to identify the most appropriate legislative vehicles to tackle technology-facilitated VAWG.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_229
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_229

Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on tackling violence against women and girls using the Online Safety Act 2023. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government, and that's why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG within a decade.

The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.

We will go further than before to deliver a cross-Government transformative approach to halve all forms of violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year. In January 2025, the Government introduced new legislation which will make creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images a criminal offence.

The Online Safety Act designates material relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority offence. Platforms must put in place systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Illegal Harms Codes, laid before Parliament in December and coming into force from 17 March this year, sets out the steps companies must take to meet their duties under the Act to tackle this content."

I regularly meet with Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to discuss these matters.

My officials also engage regularly with DSIT and the Ministry of Justice to identify the most appropriate legislative vehicles to tackle technology-facilitated VAWG.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_230
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_230

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration system statistics data table entitled Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets, year ending September 2024, what information her Department holds on the location of the people who made implicit withdrawals between Q1 2020 and Q3 2024; and what estimate she has made of the number of these people who are still in the UK. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The information you have requested is not published. It has not been verified for publication and therefore cannot be released.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_231
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_231

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's transparency data entitled Small boat arrivals: last 7 days, last updated 31 January 2025, if she will make it her policy to include data on the number of small boat arrival deportations. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes data on the return of small boat arrivals in the “Immigration System Statistics quarterly release”. Quarterly data on returns of small boat arrivals is published table Irr_02e of the “Irregular migration summary tables”. This covers the period 2018 to September 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_232

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential contribution of youth services to the prevention of violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening all together.

The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will set out our strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver this ambition. We are considering a range of policy options across Government to prevent these crimes including education for young people around healthy relationships and consent, community interventions and tackling online VAWG.

That includes looking at how we can work most effectively with youth services and through the Young Futures programme to deliver this ambition.