theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of teacher shortages on SEND provision in schools serving communities with higher levels of disadvantage. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs. We will strengthen accountability and inclusivity through Ofsted, support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise, and encourage schools to set up resourced provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.

The department’s mainstream schools funding formula, and the formula that allocates funding for children and young people with complex needs, both include disadvantage factors that provide higher levels of funding to help schools support their pupils with SEND. Overall school funding is £64.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, of which over £12 billion is being allocated for young people with complex needs, including those with SEND.

Supporting our expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child, as the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcomes is high-quality teaching, particularly for those with SEND and who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. All trainees who achieve qualified teacher status must demonstrate that they can adapt teaching to respond to the needs of all pupils.

For 2024/25 and 2025/26, we have doubled the targeted retention incentive, now worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of secondary schools in debt. \p Catherine McKinnell: 83 local authority maintained secondary schools were operating a deficit at the end of the 2023/24 financial year, according to their financial reporting returns.

Academy trusts are responsible for the combined accounts of all the academies within their trusts, and so it is not possible to accurately identify the number of individual secondary academies in deficit. At the end of the 2022/23 academic year, around 98% of academy trusts were in cumulative surplus or breaking even, while 55 academy trusts had a deficit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Iqbal Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) grants and (b) other sources of funding are available for the repair of sports centres with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. \p Alex Norris: The issues with RAAC are longstanding and well known.

All building owners are responsible for managing building safety and performance risks of all kinds in their buildings, including RAAC, in a proportionate, risk-based, and evidence-based manner, and acting where they deem necessary. To do so, they should continue to follow guidance published by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) to identify, assess, and manage RAAC.

Local authorities are responsible for managing their own budgets and delivering on their responsibilities, including their duty as building owners to manage risks in their buildings to keep the public safe. There are no current government schemes or funds available to address RAAC in sports centres. I look forward to meeting the Honourable Member soon to discuss this issue further.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of barring non-compliant developers from being awarded public sector contracts until cladding issues from past projects are resolved. \p Alex Norris: Major developers have already signed a Developer Remediation Contract with government, under which they are obligated to fix or pay to fix the buildings for which they are responsible. Developers who fail to comply with their contractual obligations face significant consequences, including in many cases prohibitions that would be imposed on the developer if it fails to comply with the requirements of the statutory Responsible Actos Scheme. Those prohibitions would prevent a developer from carrying out major development and from gaining building control sign-off in England, subject to limited exceptions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of non-qualifying leaseholder status on the ability of impacted leaseholders to sell their properties in buildings that have undergone remediation under the Building Safety Act 2022. \p Alex Norris: If the non-qualifying lease status automatically disappeared at the point of sale, it would mean that the original holders of non-qualifying leases could effectively pass the additional costs of remediation onto freeholders, which would not align with the intentions of the legislation. That is to ensure defective buildings are fixed and not left in a perpetually dangerous state by carefully balancing the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

As I said in a recent Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee meeting on this topic, that we are looking very closely at what can be done to sunset the “in perpetuity” status of leases which do not qualify for the leaseholder protections.

Ten major banks and building societies (mortgage lenders) have signed a public statement on cladding confirming lenders will consider mortgage applications if the building has funding for remediation works from government or the developer, regardless of the qualifying status of the leaseholder. Buildings which have undergone remediation should be subject to standard lending criteria.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much (a) capital and (b) resource funding she plans to allocate to Investment Zones in each of the next four financial years. \p Alex Norris: The allocation of Investment Zone programme funding to 2028/29 is published in the Investment Zones: technical document - GOV.UK. The amount allocated to individual Investment Zones is determined in consultation with the accountable bodies as part of the year end reporting process and planning for delivery in subsequent years. That reporting and monitoring process is also set out in the Technical Document.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 36686, on MHCLG: Industrial Disputes, what the disputed issue is between her Department and the PCS trade union relating to that industrial action. \p Alex Norris: The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has declared a Trade Dispute and is balloting members on industrial action. The trade dispute includes planned closures of six offices as part of the department's location strategy, office attendance requirements and recruitment policies. Discussions with Trade Union representatives on a range of issues continue to take place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to conduct a review of compliance costs from building regulations. \p Alex Norris: All costs associated with updates to the building regulations are considered prior to publication. Full impact assessments including economic, environmental and equalities considerations, are published alongside amendments to the Building Regulations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role her Department has in setting (a) standards and (b) contents of training for firefighters. \p Alex Norris: It is the responsibility of Fire and Rescue Authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents which they attend. The Government will continue to work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to keep the public safe.

The Fire Standards Board is chaired independently of the Government and oversees the identification, development and maintenance of fire standards for fire and rescue services in England.

The Government has accepted in principle the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry’s recommendation to establish a college of fire and rescue. A necessary first step will be to consult on the most appropriate functions for a college – which could, as recommended by the Inquiry, include training provision and standards – and how it could best be structured and delivered. We expect to launch this consultation later in 2025. Implementing a new professional body for the fire and rescue sector would be a complex, long-term project requiring legislation and investment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring firefighters receive suicide prevention training. \p Alex Norris: Every suicide is a tragedy, and we recognise the valuable role that firefighters play in attending these emergency incidents.

As part of the Government’s mission to reduce the lives lost to suicide we are recruiting 8,500 new mental health workers who will be specially trained to support people at risk, and we continue to back fire and rescue services to provide suicide support and training for firefighters.

Firefighters, alongside other emergency services, play an important role in attending emergency incidents relating to suicides. It is for each fire and rescue service to provide support and training for firefighters in relation to these types of emergency incidents.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of equal pay claims on the financial viability of councils. \p Jim McMahon: Local authorities are independent employers and responsible for complying with employment legislation, so the management of equal pay claims is primarily a matter for councils.

The government does however fund the Local Government Association to run a Sector Support Programme, which includes providing support and guidance for councils on equal pay issues.

As always, the Department stands ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its finances, including as a result of equal pay claims, and we will treat all discussions in confidence, with respect and determination to find a solution together.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of local government restructuring on the Local Government Pension Scheme. \p Jim McMahon: Local government reorganisation will have impacts on the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and may require the transfer of various functions, including the responsibility for administering an LGPS fund to a different authority. Member benefits are guaranteed in statue and will not be affected.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) parish, (b) town and (c) community councils which will pay additional employers’ National Insurance in 2025-26. \p Jim McMahon: The government recognises the important role town and parish councils have in improving the quality of life and wellbeing of their communities but has no direct role in funding parish and town councils, and therefore has not provided compensation, consistent with the approach taken by the previous government.

We recognise that the increase in the rate of employers’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs) will lead to increased costs for some parish councils, which may require them to increase their precept. We recognise that decisions to increase precepts are not taken lightly by parish councils.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Employer National Insurance Contributions Grant – Explanatory Note, published on 3 February 2025, which councils were invited to submit their estimates of 2023-24 expenditure. \p Jim McMahon: When determining allocations for the 2024-25 Employer National Insurance Contributions grant, government lacked the relevant, published Revenue Outturn (RO) data for a small number of councils, and we have therefore used councils’ self-submitted expenditure data for 2023-24 where there were gaps. The relevant list of councils with published RO data for 2023-24 is available here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 38609 on Local Government Pension Scheme, what her planned timeline is for the announcement of reforms as part of the Chancellor’s Pensions Review. \p Jim McMahon: The Government consulted on a proposed set of reforms in our “Fit For the Future" Consultation, which closed on 16 January 2025. We are currently analysing responses and will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support she is providing to maintain the roles of (a) parish and town clerks and (b) responsible financial officers on local councils. \p Jim McMahon: Town and parish council clerks and responsible financial officers do vital work which enables councils to represent their communities. The department supports town and parish council officers by establishing clear frameworks for councillor standards and council finances, which allow them to excel in their roles. To stay abreast of evolving requirements of these roles and provide support, the department collaborates closely with the Society for Local Council Clerks and the National Association of Local Councils.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how often her Department assesses compliance costs associated with local government administration. \p Jim McMahon: The Department regularly engages with authorities across the country to understand the administrative costs councils face, and to work with the sector to reduce these.

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The majority of funding in the Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether council tax referendum provisions will be applied to new (a) town and (b) parish councils established in new unitary areas. \p Jim McMahon: In 2025-26 the Government has not set referendum principles for town and parish councils. The Government encourages councils to be mindful of the impact on tax payers when setting precepts. Decisions taken by town and parish councils in 2025-26 will be taken into account by the Government when considering referendum principles in future years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to explore alternative funding models of Internal Drainage Boards. \p Jim McMahon: Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) play a crucial role in managing water levels and flood risk. MHCLG recognises the continued increases in special levies which local authorities are having to pay over the past few years. This is why the government announced, as part of the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, that it will provide £5 million in funding for the local authorities most impacted by Internal Drainage Board levies. This follows the £3 million grant awarded in the previous two years. Allocations for the 2025-26 IDB levy support grant will be announced in due course.

MHCLG recognises the need for a long-term solution and is working with Defra to explore potential approaches.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance she has issued on whether not collecting refuse waste could lead to a best value intervention at a local authority. \p Jim McMahon: All local authorities are under a statutory duty to comply with Best Value and must make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way their functions are exercised, as outlined in the existing statutory guidance on Best Value standards and intervention. Where there are concerns about a local authority's compliance with this duty, the Secretary of State may consider a range of evidence before deciding whether to intervene. No specific, separate guidance on whether the collection of refuse waste could lead to a best value intervention has been issued.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance entitled, Best value standards and intervention: a statutory guide for best value authorities, published on 8 May 2024, if she will take steps to intervene in the bin collection strike in Birmingham City Council area. \p Jim McMahon: The Department is closely monitoring the situation regarding the ongoing bin collection strike in the Birmingham City Council area and stands ready to play its part in supporting the Council where necessary. The Council should remain responsible for managing local service delivery, as is normal practice across local government, and is working to deal with the backlog of waste swiftly. Commissioners, who were appointed in October 2023 under the previous government to oversee the Council’s broader improvement journey, have been working constructively with the Council to ensure that a meaningful, sustainable resolution is found as quickly as possible. We recognise the importance of this issue for local people and are clear that this must be resolved, with regular services returned, and the accumulated waste and fly-tipping removed from the streets of the city as a matter of urgency.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to manage the potential impact of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on future trends in litigation on telecommunications infrastructure installation. \p Chris Bryant: The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (“the 2022 Act”) introduced specific measures affecting applications to the courts on telecoms matters. These included a requirement for operators to inform landowners of the availability of alternative dispute resolution and to consider using it before issuing legal proceedings. This is intended to reduce costs and litigation.

DSIT is working with counterparts in the Ministry of Justice to understand the impacts of the changes made by the 2022 Act, including measures to transfer the jurisdiction for cases currently dealt with by the county court to the First-tier Tribunal or the Upper Tribunal.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Sir Alec Shelbrooke:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that network providers prioritise (a) mast height adjustments, (b) network modernisation and (c) other infrastructure improvements in areas with terrain challenges. \p Chris Bryant: Most digital infrastructure, including new ground-based masts and rooftop antennas, benefit from permitted development rights, which permit deployment of infrastructure that meet certain specifications without the need for full planning permission.

We are encouraging network innovation through our Open Networks Programme. For example, the BEACH project, which deployed shared cellular network solutions via small cells to provide greater network bandwidth based on end-user demand. Similarly, the ONE WORD project utilised existing street furniture, such as lampposts, to deploy small cell infrastructure in high-density areas like Bath and Shrewsbury.

Both projects demonstrated scalable innovative network approaches in challenging environments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Jessica Morden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people eligible for but not claiming Carer's Credit. \p Torsten Bell: The Carer’s Credit allows people who provide care for a person on specified disability benefits for at least 20 hours per week to protect their National Insurance records for the purposes of their State Pension.

The Department is unable to estimate the number of people who may meet the eligibility criteria for the Carer’s Credit but do not make a claim. Information on the Carer’s Credit and how to claim for it can be found by searching for “Carer’s Credit” on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Dave Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department plans to allocate the additional funding for supporting young people into work outlined in her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025. \p Alison McGovern: In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out plans to invest £1 billion a year by the end of the decade in new employment, health and skills support – one of the biggest packages of new employment support for sick and disabled people ever – including new tailored support conversations for people on health and disability benefits to break down barriers and unlock work, and more intensive programmes of support with health and work.

For 18–21-year-olds specifically we set out proposals at point 256 in the Pathways to Work Green Paper to: “[Delay] access to the UC health element [to 22, in order to] remove any potential disincentive to work during this time. Proceeding with this change would be on the basis that resources could be better spent on improving the quality and range of opportunities available to young people through the [Youth] guarantee, so they can sign up to work or training rather than long-term benefits.” Such a change could support the establishment of a distinct and active transition phase for young people, based on learning or earning for all.

We are consulting on the design options for a work, health and skills support package. The government will actively engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including young people with health conditions and disabilities. This consultation is now open and will close on 30th June.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Mel Stride:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy that people with (a) more than £16,000 in savings, (b) a full National Insurance record and (c) a work-limiting health condition will not be eligible for support through the benefits system after the time-limited period of the proposed new single contributory benefit has elapsed. \p Sir Stephen Timms: This is not current government policy. We are consulting on plans for a new “Unemployment Insurance”. We are asking about what the right level of support is and how long it should last, and we would welcome your response. No final decisions have been taken. To confirm, both Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment will continue to exist in the reformed system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

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Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Spring Statement of 26 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to her Department's planned budget for the 2025-26 financial year on support for independent cinemas. \p Chris Bryant: DCMS’ budget for the 2025-26 financial year was confirmed by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget 2024, not at the Spring Statement.

The creative industries are one of the government’s eight priority Industrial Strategy sectors. At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, we announced a £60 million package of support for the sector, providing a major boost to the wider economy. We also set out new commitments from the British Business Bank, the UK’s economic development bank, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in January to strengthen their support for the creative industries, in addition to making shorter apprenticeships available from August 2025, building towards a more flexible growth and skills levy. These first steps in delivering on our ambitions for the creative industries will be expanded upon with the publication of the Sector Plan.

The government recognises the importance of cinemas as part of the UK’s film industry and as community assets. The Government’s tax incentives, including the new Independent Film Tax Credit, are bolstering the slate of films available to be shown in British cinemas. The BFI’s Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is a collaboration of 8 film hubs, managed by leading film organisations and venues around the UK which provides support to cinemas on a local level.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) preserve and (b) promote traditional boat building as a heritage craft. \p Chris Bryant: We recognise how important our craft industry is and we are committed to supporting future growth in the sector. The creative industries have been identified as one of the governments eight growth-driving sectors, with the craft industry a contributor.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports traditional craft skills and training in a variety of ways, including funding projects that train people in traditional crafts and skills. It also runs a Heritage Crafts programme which offers bursaries to help people train in heritage crafts or develop their skills.

The importance of the crafts sector was a key driver for the Government in ratifying the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage last year. Our first step in implementing the Convention is to create inventories of living heritage in the UK which will help promote items that could include traditional boat building. We will open the public call for submissions to the inventories later this year.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason the Imperial War Museum has decided to close the exhibition of VC and GC medals in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery; and whether Ministers were consulted. \p Chris Bryant: Victoria and George Crosses tell stories of bravery and courage which form an important part of our national history. The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which houses Lord Ashcroft’s personal collection of these medals along with others belonging to the Imperial War Museum and other private owners, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010.

I was informed of the decision to close the Gallery shortly before it was made public. Ministers were not consulted on the decision as national museums are operationally and curatorially independent from the Government. Since that announcement, I have spoken with both the Museum’s leadership and with Lord Ashcroft himself. I continue to support Lord Ashcroft to try and find a new permanent home for his remarkable collection.

The Museum has made the decision to use the space for a new gallery focusing on conflict since the Second World War. It is common practice for museums to update their galleries and displays periodically in order to make the most of the wide range of collection items they hold, and to explore new ways of communicating vital histories to the public.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer on Government funding and (b) Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on planning requirements for the England and Wales Cricket Board's proposed indoor test cricket venue. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport regularly engages with the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a range of issues.

The responsibility for planning requirements and permission lies with local planning authorities (LPA) through the local authority.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to extend the Energy Intensive Industries support scheme. \p Sarah Jones: The British Industry Supercharger was launched in 2024 and provides support to Energy Intensive Industries to bring electricity costs for those strategically important UK industries closer in line with other major economies so that they remain competitive on the world stage. The measures save eligible businesses on average around £24 – £31 per MWh on their electricity costs. The British Industry Supercharger will be reviewed regularly.
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Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of newly formed companies to access finance. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government works with the British Business Bank to improve the access to finance landscape for smaller businesses. An example of the Bank’s interventions is the Start Up Loans programme which provides personal loans to start up a new business or develop an existing early-stage business. The programme also offers pre-application support and post-loan mentoring advice. Programme evaluation in December 2024 found just over two-thirds of the finance provided by Start Up Loans would not have been provided by mainstream providers.   In addition, a call for evidence has been launched by the Department on small business access to finance, seeking views on how far existing policies meet business needs, and where we may be able to go further.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the ability of councils to provide (a) regular refuse collections and (b) other core services. \p Justin Madders: The delivery of the Plan to Make Work Pay is a manifesto commitment. We will be engaging closely with local authorities as the policy develops and further detail on funding models will be provided in due course. We will consult extensively on the implementation of the legislation to ensure it works for workers and employers alike.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-10 conversation_171

Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the he plans to take to improve the system of (a) applying for and (b) receiving export licences. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: ECJU is implementing a new digital export licensing system, LITE, to provide a modern digital service that streamlines the export licence application process.

ECJU has an ongoing programme of Continuous Improvement and we routinely identify and implement opportunities to make targeted improvements to the way we operate and manage the export licensing service to help us adapt to the changing demands on the system.
wrans/answers2025-04-10 conversation_172
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-10 conversation_172

Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue will include joint work on global deforestation. \p Kerry McCarthy: The UK and China have agreed to hold a UK-China Climate Dialogue and a UK-China Environment Dialogue later this year to accelerate action to tackle the global climate and biodiversity crises. The details of the Dialogues will be confirmed in due course. The UK remains committed to working with all international partners to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation.
wrans/answers2025-04-10 conversation_173
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-10 conversation_173

Andrew Ranger:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support social mobility for people from (a) underrepresented and (b) disadvantaged groups in the green energy sector. \p Sarah Jones: The Office for Clean Energy Jobs is working closely with industry and trade unions to improve accessibility of jobs in the clean energy sector, and coordinate across social inclusion initiatives. In January it published a ‘Clean Energy Jobs Employer Handbook’ which summarises support available, including for employees from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups. The Department will set out its wider approach to clean energy workforce strategy later this year, to support delivery of the workforce for the Clean Energy Superpower Mission.
wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_1

Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was allocated in cash terms to West Mercia Police in each of the last five financial years; what level of reserves that force held in each of those years; what the cost of (a) management and (b) administration of that force was in each of those years; and what the cost of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner was for that force. \p Sarah Jones: The total funding amounts for West Mercia can be found in the table below. This includes funding from government grants, precept and in year funding for pay awards. The table does not include funding relating to any crime programmes, such as hotspot policing and county lines, outside of the police funding settlement.

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

2024-25

2025-26

Total funding (£m)

£249.3

£264.4

£279.5

£300.8

£318.9

The Home Office does not hold data relating to the management and administration costs of forces as well as the cost of the officer of the Police and Crime Commissioners. Decisions on how funding (including the holding of reserves) and resources are utilised are an operational matter for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, who are best placed to make resourcing decisions within their communities based on their local knowledge and experience.
wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_2

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the physical fitness standards required of serving police officers on (a) public safety and (b) operational effectiveness. \p Sarah Jones: Chief Constables are able to locally determine the standards and assessment at recruitment for physical fitness of police officers. At the same time, chief officers have a statutory duty of care to their officers, and the public, and they must, therefore, satisfy themselves that officers can be deployed safely in a role and fulfil the duties of a police officer.

The College of Policing holds guidance to support forces on the implementation of fitness testing and standards for officers. Work is underway, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College, to commence a review of the current demands of operational policing to inform future decisions on fitness standards at recruitment.
wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_3

Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the deterrent effects of classification on drug (a) use, (b) production, (c) sales and (d) the reduction of anti-social behaviour. \p Sarah Jones: The Government has not made a formal assessment of the deterrent effects of classification. The Government consults the statutory expert advisory group, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) established under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, about the classification of drugs under the Act.

Recommendations made by the ACMD about classification are determined by an assessment of health and social harm, based on the evidence at the time of the review. ACMD advice on classification will depend on a range of factors, including evidence of actual and potential harms and comparisons with the harm of other controlled substances. While the Government must consider ACMD recommendations it is not bound by ACMD advice.
wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_4

Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the most recent assessment of the classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was conducted; and what evidence base was considered in reaching the conclusions of that assessment. \p Sarah Jones: The Government has not made an assessment of the classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Ministers have a statutory obligation to receive and consider advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (‘ACMD’) before seeking to make changes to the classification of drugs. It is our understanding that the most recent assessment of the classification of cannabis was undertaken in 2008. This followed a review by the ACMD in that year.

The then government published its response to the ACMD review setting out the reason for its classification decision at that time.
wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_5

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase levels of police (a) visibility and (b) presence to help tackle (i) youth violence and (ii) knife crime in (A) Essex and (B) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. \p Sarah Jones: Knife crime has destroyed far too many lives. That is why, as part of the Safer Streets mission, we are working to halve knife crime within a decade.

We have a comprehensive, data-led and Government-wide approach to this goal. Driving down youth-related violence across the UK, including Essex South Basildon and East Thurrock, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.

To increase police visibility and presence, the Government has introduced the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which ensures neighbourhood policing teams are spending the majority of their time within their communities, delivering visible patrols and actively engaging with residents and businesses.

Essex Police have also been allocated £1.63m for 2025/26 to deliver the Hotspot Action programme. This programme is a combination of increased high visibility foot patrols and funding of problem-oriented policing (POP) tactics. POP is bespoke to the local areas to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions, such as increased targeted knife sweeps, and licensed premises checks.
wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_6

Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle road freight crime. \p Sarah Jones: This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime has on businesses and drivers and we are aware of worrying increases in its frequency.

There are strong links between freight crime and serious, organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.

This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms, and we are continuing to work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.

We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it. I also recently met with Rachel Taylor MP, and Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads at the Department for Transport (DfT) to discuss this very matter.

The DfT also hosts the Freight Council; this group regularly discusses crime against freight companies, and the Home Office works closely with DfT to engage with the sector on this issue through the Freight Council.
wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_7

Markus Campbell-Savours:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an estimate of the financial impact of amending the 1987 Police Pension Scheme to allow widowers of police officers to retain survivor’s pension entitlement if they (a) remarry and (b) cohabit regardless of how the officer died. \p Sarah Jones: The 1987 Police Pension Scheme provides survivor benefits to widows, widowers, and civil partners of police officers who die. In line with most public service pension schemes of that era, these benefits cease upon remarriage or cohabitation.

With the introduction of the 2006 and 2015 Police Pension Schemes, all eligible officers were able to join a pension scheme that provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including for those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse.

The 1987 police pension scheme is a closed scheme and there are no plans at this time to make any further improvements to benefits accrued in it.