Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ben Goldsborough this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 101–120 of 313 · this parliament
How many staff working days have been lost to sick leave in the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last 10 years.
The information is not available for the whole period requested. The data is only available from October 2023. This is due to changes in departmental reporting hierarchies.
Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding her Department has provided for (a) biosecurity and (b) food importation public awareness campaigns in each of the last 10 calendar years.
Marketing and campaign activity is based on need and in-year circumstances. The vast majority of communications is delivered through no-cost communications channels owned by the department (such as outreach to partner organisations, webinars or content posted to Defra social media channels) and earned communications (such as media coverage).
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Mandatory Provident Fund saving being withheld from Hong Kong BNO visa holders.
We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the BN(O) route are having difficulties accessing their Mandatory Provident Fund from Hong Kong. Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority has declared that they will not accept the BN(O) passport or its associated visa as evidence in support of an application for early withdrawal of the Fund because they claim it does not prove permanent departure from Hong Kong. We have called on the Hong Kong authorities to work with trustees to find an immediate solution. Ministers have raised the issue directly with Hong Kong's Chief Secretary and Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury respectively this year, and we will continue to do so.
Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle antisocial behaviour in libraries.
Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances.Libraries aim to deliver their services and activities within a safe and comfortable environment. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 provides for a local authority to make byelaws regulating the use of and the conduct of persons in their public libraries.The revised public library byelaws for England were published in March 2025, following close consultation between DCMS and Libraries Connected. The byelaws are intended to help libraries deliver their service within a safe and comfortable environment, to safeguard library property and to make libraries places everyone can enjoy. They assist the library workforce to deal with disruptive behaviour and allow for flexibility in dealing with local concerns.
What estimate her Department has made of the financial cost of heritage crime in each of the last 10 years.
This Government recognises the distress and disruption that heritage theft and vandalism can cause to local communities. We have supported the work of Historic England which leads on a number of initiatives to tackle heritage crime, particularly theft from church roofs and other buildings primarily in rural locations.We all have a part to play in preventing heritage crime. For example, the Heritage Watch scheme, a project brought together by Historic England and Country Eye Ltd encourages communities and other partners to get involved in protecting heritage buildings, by knowing how to spot the signs a crime has taken place and making it easier for local residents to report these crimes.There is no separate recording code to disaggregate ‘heritage crime’ from the broader range of offences involved, such as theft, vandalism, arson and anti-social behaviour. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other agencies with a range of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, including damage to heritage sites caused by vandalism or graffiti.
Whether she has considered taking legislative steps to ensure that leaders of UK political parties publish their tax returns.
Under the MPs Code of Conduct, the Leaders of UK political parties who are MPs are required to declare any financial interest which might reasonably be thought to influence their actions, however there is no requirement in the parliamentary rules for Leaders, or any other MP, to publish their tax returns. The Government has no plans to introduce requirements for the leaders of UK political parties to publish their tax returns.
What steps she is taking through the Road Safety Strategy to reduce fatalities on rural roads.
This Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. More details will be set out in due course.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the merits of holding an inquiry with HSBC and Standard Chartered on the withholding of the Mandatory Provident Fund from Hong Kong BNO visa holders.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 16 September to question 73901.
What steps she is taking to reduce the number of young people classed as NEET in South Norfolk constituency.
Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET).Under the September Guarantee, local authorities are required to ensure that all 16 and 17-year-olds receive an offer of a suitable place to continue in education or training. The government monitors NEET data and liaises with local authorities regarding their duty to track and support young people who are NEET, or are at risk of becoming NEET.We have invested over £7.5 billion in 16 to 19 programme funding during the 2024/25 academic year. However, we are aware of the particular challenges around access to education and training in Norfolk which relate to the local provider market. Departmental officials are working closely with these local authorities to actively address the issues.
What steps the Treasury is taking to support the biological sciences research sector through the 10 Year UK Infrastructure strategy, published in June 2025.
The 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy is core to delivering the Government’s growth mission and supporting our priority growth sectors, including life sciences. The Strategy will fund at least £725 billion for infrastructure over the next decade and transform how projects are planned and delivered. This includes investment of £2.5 billion to continue delivery of East West Rail in full, enabling the growth of the Oxford to Cambridge corridor and support the world class life sciences, digital and technology sectors. In addition to the infrastructure strategy, we launched our Life Sciences Sector Plan, supported by over £2 billion of funding. The includes investing up to £600 million in the Health Data Research Service alongside Wellcome Trust, and committing up to £520 million to the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, supporting the UK to become a medical research powerhouse and the leading life sciences economy in Europe by 2030.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the readiness of (a) her Department and (b) the Animal and Plant Health Agency for any potential increase in the number of Avian Influenza cases in the next 6 months.
APHA regularly monitors the prevalence and spread of avian influenza, supported by epidemiological modelling, during critical disease transmission periods. This information is used to help with scenario planning and the allocation of resource. APHA also keeps readiness to respond under review in its animal disease readiness index. Defra has robust, well-established protocols for exotic disease response, outlined in its annually updated Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases, including how resource might be increased to deal with additional demand through mutual aid across Government. As a department Defra has strengthened its approach to resilience over the past few years. This approach has been reviewed by the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA), who said it was well-structured, comprehensive, aligned with key frameworks, and supported by strong governance, communication, and lessons management processes.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to the Skilled Workers visa route on recruitment in (a) the biological sciences research sector, (b) universities and (c) the NHS.
On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. We have now made Immigration Rules changes to bring the first of these reforms into effect.It is our intention to publish an Impact Assessment (IA) at the earliest opportunity. A technical annex (www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex) was published alongside the Immigration White Paper setting out the impact of some of the key policy changes.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Hong Kong BNO immigration pathway on diplomatic relations with (a) China, (b) NATO allies and (c) Ukraine.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 22 September to Question 76322.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered increasing funding for the Capital Grants scheme, in the context of levels of demand.
As of 1 August, strong demand for the Government’s £150 million Capital Grant offer means that all available funds for this round have now been allocated. We plan to make further improvements to the offer for future rounds. We expect to open a new round for farmers to secure more funding during 2026. Other Countryside Stewardship capital grants which remain open for applications now are Woodland Tree Health grants, Capital grant plans, woodland management plans, Protection and Infrastructure grants and Higher Tier capital grants.
How many neurodiversity support staff have been employed on the open and secure estate in each of the last 10 calendar years.
The concept of dedicated neurodiversity support staff was introduced in 2021, with four in post. National rollout commenced during 2022 and was phased in over two years. In 2023, there were 51 staff in post. Implementation was completed in 2024, with 123 in post. This number has since remained broadly stable.
How many psychologists have been employed on (a) the secure estate, (b) the open estate and (c) young offenders’ institutions in each of the last 10 financial years.
The requested information is published in Table 15 of the HM Prison & Probation Service Workforce Statistics, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-prison-probation-service-workforce-statistics.Psychologists in HM Prison and Probation Service are organised into regional teams. Although each is based at an individual establishment, they work across sites, depending upon demand.A breakdown of establishments by category can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prisons-and-their-resettlement-providers.
If her Department will make an assessment of the proportion of inmates on the women’s estate who have immediate access to menstrual products in their cells.
All women in prison have access to menstrual products, which are typically stored in locations that allow women to collect items themselves as needed. They are then able to store them in their cells. In circumstances – such as overnight – where a woman is confined to her cell and does not have access to menstrual products, she can alert a member of staff, who will ensure that appropriate provision is made without delay.
How many assaults on (a) children and (b) staff have occurred in Young Offenders Institutions in each of the last 10 years.
For the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2025, the requested information can be found in table 1.2.2 of Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: Update to March 2025 - GOV.UK.As the counting rules for assaults in young offender institutions changed during 2018-19, comparable figures are not available for earlier years.
If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing inmates to apply for jobs in prison while on remand.
The Ministry of Justice acknowledges the importance of purposeful activity including employment in custody for convicted prisoners and for those on remand.Under Section 31 of the Prison Rules 1999, un-convicted prisoners are already permitted to take up prison employment voluntarily, though they are not compelled to do so.
With reference to her Department's press release entitled Criminals to face football, travel, club and pub bans, published on 23 August 2025, what impact her Department estimates these measures will have on (a) rates of first offence and (b) rates of reoffence.
Through the Sentencing Bill we will introduce new powers available to the courts when imposing a community or suspended sentence. This will provide courts with greater flexibility than ever before to tailor punishments to offenders and ensure sentences served in the community are not a “soft option” but represent a genuine punishment by restricting offenders’ freedoms.The four new powers which this Bill includes are:Banning offenders from attending public events (including sports events);Banning offenders from attending drinking establishments (including pubs, clubs and bars);Prohibiting offenders from driving, andRequiring an offender to stay within a geographic location (restriction zones).We believe that these new powers, for example banning criminals from football matches and pubs, will help to deter offending and hammer home that under this Government, crime no longer pays.The Sentencing Bill seeks to increase the robustness of community sentencing. Evidence suggests that community orders and suspended sentences are more effective than short custodial sentences at reducing reoffending in certain circumstances.