Every parliamentary written question tabled by Gareth Thomas this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 201–217 of 217 · this parliament
What the top 10 UK service export destinations were in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.
Whether she has made an estimate of changes to the cost of trading with the EU for financial services firms based in the UK since the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force.
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement remains a cornerstone of our relationship with the EU. The government is committed to its full implementation and to maximising the benefits for UK citizens and businesses. However, it is for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to provide independent and authoritative analysis and forecasting for the UK public finances. We have reset our relations with European partners in order to improve our diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation following Brexit. The Prime Minister hosted the inaugural UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025, where we reached a significant new agreement to build a new strategic partnership with the EU. It was the first of annual summits, that will provide opportunities to strengthen our relationship and ensure that opportunities for cooperation are maximised for years to come. In financial services, strengthening our relationships with all international partners, including the EU, is a key focus of the government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy published in July.
What assessment she has made of trends in the level of bank lending to (a) individuals and (b) businesses in the key areas reviewed by the Independent Commission for Neighbourhoods.
The Government recognises that credit, when provided responsibly, supports business growth, and can be crucial for people facing unexpected expenses or managing their cash flow. The UK has a diverse landscape for credit provision to individuals and businesses, comprising traditional banks, challenger and specialist banks, and non-bank finance providers. As part of this landscape, Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) play a vital role in providing affordable credit to underserved consumers and businesses. In November 2024, the British Business Bank launched the Community ENABLE Funding (CEF) Programme, which aims to deploy £150 million over the next two years to ‘not for profit’ lenders, including CDFIs. This will enable these organisations to provide enhanced support to consumers and businesses by broadening access to finance. In 2024, CDFIs and social banks lent £96.7 million to 364 social enterprises, with 67% of this lending directed to the UK’s most disadvantaged areas. Furthermore, in recognition of the important role responsible credit can play for consumers, the Government’s forthcoming Financial Inclusion Strategy includes a focus on access to credit, among other priority issues, and will seek to ensure people have access to useful products and services for their needs.
What estimate he has made of the number of (a) pubs and (b) other hospitality businesses with outstanding covid-19 loans.
This information is not held centrally by the Department for Business and Trade.
What estimate he has made of the level of (a) exports and (b) imports trade (i) to the nearest billion pounds and (ii) by share with the (A) EU, (B) US and (C) rest of the world in the last period for which data is available.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on (a) the management of foot and mouth disease and (b) recent restrictions on (i) meat and (ii) dairy imports.
Defra and the European Commission regularly exchange information in relation to (a) the management of foot and mouth disease outbreaks in the European Union in 2025 and (b) the import restrictions on meat and dairy products that we put in place to protect UK farmers. This information includes details of surveillance, testing, movements of animals and goods, and other outbreak controls.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 August 2025 to Question 68668 on Israel: Palestinians, if she will have discussions with her Israeli counterparts on (a) releasing children held in administrative detention, (b) the transparancey of information on the number of Palestinian children detained and (c) allegations in relation to the abuse of those children in detention.
The UK regularly raises our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We are clear that children must always be protected, and their rights upheld in accordance with international law. We are horrified by reports of mistreatment or abuse of Palestinian children in detention and call on the Israeli authorities to investigate these urgently and to ensure any perpetrators are held to account. Children must only be detained in line with internationally agreed juvenile justice standards or other applicable international law, and we call for an end to the military detention of Palestinian children where this is incompatible with those principles. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the situation in Nepal.
The UK and Nepal share a deep historic relationship. We were appalled at the violence that transpired in Kathmandu and across Nepal following protests that were triggered by the Government of Nepal banning a number of social media platforms, as well as public frustrations about levels of corruption and nepotism. The UK supports fundamental freedoms and respect for human rights in Nepal and elsewhere, including the right to protest and peaceful assembly. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) made public statements condemning the violence and calling for accountability and peaceful dialogue.On 12 September, our Embassy in Nepal welcomed the appointment of Rt Hon Sushila Karki's as interim Prime Minister. As Nepal's oldest friend, we recognise the challenges ahead and affirm our commitment to support Nepali aspirations for accountability and inclusive governance.
If she will publish the Law Commission’s proposals on reforming cooperative law.
The government is keen to ensure that the law governing co-operatives and community benefit societies is clear and supports their growth. That is why we are funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. The Law Commission’s independent review is considering ways to update and modernise the legislation for co-operatives and community benefit societies, ensuring that it fits the nature and needs of these societies as well as ensuring that regulation is proportionate and effective. The Law Commission will publish its final recommendations in a report and draft bill. These are expected to be published before the end of 2025. The government will then carefully consider the Law Commission’s recommendations to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.
Communities and Local Government, if he will encourage local authorities to set aside land for (a) community land trusts and (b) housing cooperatives.
The government recognises that the community-led housing sector – which includes community land trusts and housing cooperatives – delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.In March, we announced a £20 million 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area.Through the recent revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, we have strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.We are also undertaking a significant research project to inform future interventions to support the sector, with a particular focus on sustainable finance.Looking ahead, as we develop our Long Term Housing Strategy, the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme and the National Housing Delivery Fund, we will consider how the government may further support the growth of the community-led housing sector, helping to deliver the additional homes the country needs.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the performance of Northwick Park Hospital on cancer in the last five years.
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust provides cancer services at Northwick Park, Central Middlesex, Ealing, and St Mark's Hospitals, with speciality cancer teams at each site. Performance data on cancer pathways is reported at trust level.The trust demonstrated strong performance up to mid-2023, particularly for the Faster Diagnosis Standard, with 84.7% performance in July 2023 being 14.7 percentage points above the 75% standard, and the 31-day treatment standard, with 100% performance in July 2023 being four percentage points above the 96% standard.From mid-202,3 data quality issues and a temporary reduction in activity following the implementation of Cerner, an electronic patient record system, plus capacity constraints, saw a decline in performance. Backlogs increased with the number of patients waiting over 104 days for treatment peaking significantly.A recovery programme was implemented to reduce the backlog, using real-time data to drive action and accountability. Actions included increasing the trust’s capacity and workforce, with specialist nurses, radiographers, and consultants, plus extended hours and weekend clinics. Rapid triage and assessment pathways led to faster diagnosis, along with expanded one-stop clinics, especially for breast cancer and gynaecology, with more patients also being sent straight to test for lower gastrointestinal cancers.By early 2025, the number of patients wating more than 104 days was close to zero, with a steady improvement seen in two-week waits and the Faster Diagnosis Standard. As the trust has started to stabilise its backlog, there has been significant improvement in the 62 day performance target with the trust continuing to be above the London target of 70%.Latest waiting time performance from July 2025 has been promising, with the trust achieving 81.5% Faster Diagnosis Standard performance and 100% 31-day treatment performance. 62-day referral to first treatment performance was 83%, one of the best in the country.Full cancer performance figures are published in the trust’s annual report, which is available at the following link:https://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/annual-report-and-accounts
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international partners on greater protections for journalists in Gaza.
The UK is appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the State of Palestine. We have called on all parties to fully uphold International Humanitarian Law and ensure protection of civilians including journalists. In a recent joint statement with 28 other members of the Media Freedom Coalition, we called on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to make every effort to ensure that media workers in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem can conduct their work freely and safely. The statement also called for all attacks against media workers to be investigated and for those responsible to be prosecuted in compliance with national and international law. Earlier this year the UK provided funds to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Special Fund for Gaza, supporting locally based journalists and providing vital equipment.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international partners on greater protections for humanitarian workers in Gaza.
The UK has repeatedly made both public and private representations to Israel to ensure that humanitarian workers are protected and medical and aid workers can do their jobs safely.At the UN, the UK has worked to enhance the safety of aid workers by co-sponsoring United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2730 on the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel in 2024. Working with our Australian counterparts, we developed the political Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel which launched at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 21 and secured endorsement from 105 states. We will continue our engagement to drive forward implementation.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) social enterprises and (b) cooperatives providing (i) NHS and (ii) social care services.
Integrated care boards have a duty to provide health services to meet the needs of their population and already work closely with the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, which includes the commissioning and delivery of services and, in some cases, by appointing representatives from the VCSE sector to their boards.Charities, co-operatives, social enterprises and mutuals have always been part of the National Health Service and social care. Today, social enterprises provide services for approximately two thirds of the United Kingdom population, delivering more than £2.5 billion of NHS care each year. This includes services such as community care, primary and urgent care, out-of-hours services, mental health support, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres, end of life care, physiotherapy, audiology.Social enterprises are often able to take a more agile approach and will continue to be critical to the success of the NHS and in delivery of the 10 Year Health Plan and supporting the three shifts.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she made of the potential impact of agricultural cooperatives on the rural economy.
The Government strongly supports the benefits co-operatives can bring and recognises the important role they play in rural communities. For instance, through collaborating farmers and growers can benefit from peer to peer learning, being able to share equipment and being able to act at scale.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a central finance facility for credit unions.
The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit. HM Treasury is delivering on measures announced by the Chancellor in last year’s Mansion House speech, including: concluding a call for evidence on potential reforms to the credit union common bond, supporting the industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council, and commissioning the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025. The Government currently has no plans to develop a central finance facility for credit unions but continues to engage with the sector and will keep all issues, like central finance functions, under review. There are currently no credit unions in Great Britain or Northern Ireland with more than 500,000 members. According to annual data published on the Bank of England’s website, there were a total of 1,520,300 credit union members in GB in 2024, served by a total of 220 credit unions.
What information her Department holds on the number of credit unions there are with more than (a) 500,000, (b) one million and (c) two million members.
The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit. HM Treasury is delivering on measures announced by the Chancellor in last year’s Mansion House speech, including: concluding a call for evidence on potential reforms to the credit union common bond, supporting the industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council, and commissioning the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025. The Government currently has no plans to develop a central finance facility for credit unions but continues to engage with the sector and will keep all issues, like central finance functions, under review. There are currently no credit unions in Great Britain or Northern Ireland with more than 500,000 members. According to annual data published on the Bank of England’s website, there were a total of 1,520,300 credit union members in GB in 2024, served by a total of 220 credit unions.