Every parliamentary written question tabled by Gregory Stafford this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 381–400 of 565 · this parliament
Whether the Government has considered establishing a regulatory framework for third-party entities that charge for assisting with (a) Government transactions, (b) DVLA licence renewals and (c) passport applications.
It is for those departments providing services to the public to ensure that third parties do not mislead citizens into making additional or unnecessary payments for accessing those services.
Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment made of the potential impact of the Renters’ Rights Bills on employment levels in the estate agency sector.
My Department published the Renters’ Rights Bill Impact Assessment (IA) on 22 November 2024. It received a ‘Green’ rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee, indicating that it is ‘fit for purpose’.In the IA, the government estimates there are 22,900 letting agents in England in 2023 and 64% of landlords use their services (sources: ONS and English Private Landlord Survey).The IA does not assess employment levels in the sector but does monetise the familiarisation costs of understanding and adjusting to new regulations for lettings agents. The IA also monetises the commensurate loss of income for lettings agents and other related business of reduced churn in the private rented sector as a result of more stable tenancies. Landlords will benefit from the equivalent saving in letting agent fees.There are also benefits that the Department has not been able to monetise, for example letting agents are expected to benefit from the Private Rented Sector Database because they will be able to register on behalf of landlords – generating income from this new service.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring housing developers share (a) occupancy projections, (b) site layout data and (c) construction timelines with mobile network operators to allow for forward planning of network capacity.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 29727 on 18 February 2025. In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a formal requirement for local planning authorities to notify mobile network operators when a housing development likely to increase network demand is granted approval.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 29727 on 18 February 2025. In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department assesses the impact of new housing on the mobile telecommunication networks at any stage post-approval.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 29727 on 18 February 2025. In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.
Communities and Local Government, if she will consider issuing guidance to local authorities to treat mobile network operators as statutory consultees for large-scale residential developments.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 29727 on 18 February 2025. In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.
Communities and Local Government, whether mobile network operators were consulted on the deployment of communications infrastructure in areas of planned housing growth as part of the process to inform the December 2024 revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 29727 on 18 February 2025. In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.
Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the NPPF to include guidance on the integration of passive telecommunications infrastructure at the masterplanning stage of new residential developments.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 29727 on 18 February 2025. In addition to national planning policy and guidance, the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England, published February 2022, sets out the roles and responsibilities for all relevant stakeholders, including applicants and local authorities, when planning for, consulting on and installing telecommunications infrastructure.
What steps his Department is taking to prevent unofficial websites from charging fees for government services that are otherwise free of charge.
It is for those departments providing services to the public to ensure that third parties do not mislead citizens into making additional or unnecessary payments for accessing those services.
If he will make it his policy to prohibit (a) Government agencies and (b) Departments from (i) engaging and (ii) endorsing commercial intermediaries that charge users for access to otherwise free public services.
It is for those departments providing services to the public to ensure that third parties do not mislead citizens into making additional or unnecessary payments for accessing those services.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed abolition of NHS England on healthcare suppliers; and whether he plans to publish guidance on changes to (a) procurement systems, (b) leadership structures and (c) the NHS supply chain to support business (i) planning and (ii) continuity.
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, which includes working with healthcare suppliers and the future organisation and leadership of procurement systems and National Health Service supply chains.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job, and we will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up, and getting waiting times down.
Whether her Department plans to review the (a) criteria and (b) process under which information on sex offenders is disclosed to the public under the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme.
The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, introduced in 2011, allows members of the public to make an application to police for information about a person who has contact with a child.To capture better data in order to review the efficacy of the Scheme, an Annual Data Requirement for police forces was introduced in April 2021, requiring police forces in England and Wales to submit data on the number of applications made, how many related to registered sex offenders and how many resulted in disclosure.Following consultation with law enforcement and third sector partners, the police guidance and supporting documents for the scheme were updated and published in April 2023. This included supporting the introduction of online applications to the scheme, making it easier for the public to raise a concern, while also reducing the timeframe for applications to be processed and formalising proactive disclosure processes to ensure that information is provided to the right people at the right time to protect children from harm.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, this government is going further to strengthen the scheme by seeking to place it on a statutory footing. This means that chief officers will have a statutory duty to have due regard to the guidance.
What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme in enabling (a) parents and (b) carers to access information about people who may pose a risk to children.
The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, introduced in 2011, allows members of the public to make an application to police for information about a person who has contact with a child.To capture better data in order to review the efficacy of the Scheme, an Annual Data Requirement for police forces was introduced in April 2021, requiring police forces in England and Wales to submit data on the number of applications made, how many related to registered sex offenders and how many resulted in disclosure.Following consultation with law enforcement and third sector partners, the police guidance and supporting documents for the scheme were updated and published in April 2023. This included supporting the introduction of online applications to the scheme, making it easier for the public to raise a concern, while also reducing the timeframe for applications to be processed and formalising proactive disclosure processes to ensure that information is provided to the right people at the right time to protect children from harm.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, this government is going further to strengthen the scheme by seeking to place it on a statutory footing. This means that chief officers will have a statutory duty to have due regard to the guidance.
What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on balancing public access to information on registered sex offenders with (a) data protection and (b) community safety.
Registered sex offenders (RSOs) are managed under the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). Under these arrangements, police, prison, probation service practitioners undertake a formal assessment of the risk posed by an RSO. Information about RSOs is held on ViSOR, the UK-wide database system used to store and share information and intelligence on those individuals managed under MAPPA.The police have common law disclosure powers that allow them to share relevant information with the public when they think there is a credible risk of harm, such as through the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) and the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSODS). With regard to RSOs, the police must ensure that the disclosure of their conviction history is necessary to protect the person from being the victim of a crime, that there is a pressing need for the disclosure. Any decision to disclose under the scheme will be made based on the facts of each individual case, and the police can seek legal advice where necessary.
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme on the number of trade visitors from the EU entering the UK.
Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. In addition, by knowing more about people in advance of travel our ambition is to increase automation of passenger clearance at the border. This will improve the end-to-end experience for legitimate passengers and promote the UK as a top destination for tourism and business passengers. The experience of other countries to have implemented similar schemes (such as the USA) gives us confidence that volumes of business visitors will not be negatively impacted.The application is quick and light-touch, and many applications are decided within minutes. Since the scheme’s introduction until the end of 2024, over 1.1 million ETAs have been granted.The Home Office published an initial impact assessment on the introduction of ETAs, and a further Impact Assessment was published alongside the Fee Regulations in March that increased the chargeable ETA fee (alongside other fees) - The Immigration, Nationality and Passport (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for (a) parents and (b) schools in understanding the legal routes to raise concerns about people who pose a potential safeguarding risk.
This government believes that action must always be taken to protect children from any safeguarding risk. That is why we are taking forward system reforms in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and have published a government progress update to the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The Keeping Children Safe mission board, chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of Education, will ensure that there continues to be a cross-government focus on safeguarding, including how parents can be best supported.We have also provided robust statutory safeguarding guidance for all schools on the policies and procedures they must put in place to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils. This guidance not only sets out the different types of abuse and harm but also supports all staff to know what signs to look out for, including how they must respond to any concerns about a child and when to make a referral to local safeguarding partners, the police and Prevent services.Advice for parents is also clear that where there are child protection concerns, these should be reported to local authority children’s social care departments or to the police if a child is at immediate risk of harm.
What assessment her Department has made of the impact of declining birth rates on (a) the financial sustainability and (b) capacity of nurseries in England; and what steps she is taking to support early years providers impacted by these trends.
It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.We use the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) population estimates (to 2023) and ONS population projections (2022-based ‘principal’ scenario) to inform our internal national level early years funding forecasts. ONS population estimates suggest that the 0 to 4-year-old population in England decreased by 6% in the five years to 2023, driven by falling birth rates. The ONS principal projections assume that fertility rates decrease slightly in the short-term, remain stable in the medium term and increase slightly in the longer term.These projections are used to ascertain funding and capacity needs and to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025. From this year, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25. The early years pupil premium rate has increased by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. We are also providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant and £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance contributions grant for public sector employers in early years.
What recent steps her Department has taken to provide a remedy to the Teachers' Pension Scheme following the McCloud judgement.
Approximately 596,000 members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme require Remediable Service Statements (RSSs) setting out their choices as part of the transitional protection (McCloud) remedy. Of those, approximately 532,000 RSSs were issued by 31 March 2025.The remaining RSSs for members who retired before the relevant legislation was in place, are those that cannot be automated due to their complexity. The department is continuing to work with the scheme administrator to identify ways to increase capacity to complete this work.
What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health treatment; and when he plans to set out further measures to reduce delays for patients in need of support.
Too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we are committed to ensuring we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health so that people can be confident of accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services.Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise the funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement & Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues and providing support for people with severe mental illness to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.We have also committed £26 million in capital investment to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing pressure on busy emergency mental health and accident and emergency services and ensuring people have the support they need when they need it.
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of Estradot hormone replacement therapy patches; and what steps he is taking to ensure consistent supply for patients.
There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products, and the vast majority are in good supply. Previously there has been issues with the supply of a limited number of these products, primarily driven by very sharp increases in demand. Following the Department’s intensive engagement with industry, the supply position has improved considerably. As part of this we have previously met with suppliers on a very regular basis and have held nine HRT supply roundtables since April 2022, with the most recent in September 2024, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists, to provide updates on the supply position and the actions being taken to address them, to share data, and to discuss relevant policy developments and potential impacts.Currently, there are limited supplies of Estradot (estradiol) 37.5, 50, 75, and 100 microgram/24 hour patches, which may be available to local pharmacies to order. We are working with the sole supplier of Estradot to expedite further resupplies where possible. Further deliveries of all patches are expected in late April 2025, except for the 37.5 microgram/24 hour patches, which will be resupplied in July 2025.We have issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service, including Serious Shortage Protocols for some, allowing community pharmacists to supply the equivalent strength patch of an alternative brand without the need for a new prescription.