Every parliamentary written question tabled by Helen Maguire this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1,101–1,120 of 1,125 · this parliament
How many people were (a) killed and (b) wounded by a (i) licensed and (ii) previously licensed firearm in each of the last ten years.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Lady’s Parliamentary Question of 13 December is attached.
What steps her Department is taking to help mitigate the impact of increases in the cost of living on disabled people.
The extra costs disability benefits are not means–tested, paid regardless of any income or savings and worth up to £9,580 a year, tax free.They were uprated by 6.7 per cent from April and will be uprated by 1.7 per cent from next April subject to Parliamentary approval.
Whether he has had discussions with Ofcom on the future of Royal Mail's delivery of the Articles for the Blind service.
Section 31 of the Postal Services Act 2011 outlines the minimum requirements of the universal postal service and includes the requirement that free-of-charge postal services are provided to people who are blind or partially sighted. Earlier this year, I met representatives of Ofcom, who reasserted their commitment to ensuring that the universal postal service meets the reasonable needs of users. The Government has no current plans to change the minimum requirements set out in the legislation.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of revising the eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge scheme to include children under three requiring bulky mobility aids.
There are already specific criteria in place to assess the need for a Blue Badge for children under three years old who require the use of bulky mobility aids. The Department has no plans to amend the current eligibility criteria.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned 10% cut to his Department's headcount on military capability.
We are currently reviewing the civil service workforce required to deliver Defence’s strategy, and to align with the Chancellor’s announcement on public spending and the recent budget. We are committed to having an agile and sustainable workforce with the right skills, whilst maximising value for the taxpayer. The Strategic Defence Review will ensure our people are at the heart of Defence’s plans, supporting the security, economic growth and prosperity of the UK. Over time the civil service workforce will be smaller, but also a team that is better able to deliver Defence outputs efficiently and effectively.
What steps he is taking to tackle health inequality caused by childhood poverty.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history.The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Taskforce to develop and deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life. An important part of this will be alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty, through supporting families and enhancing public services.The National Health Service also makes a central contribution to tackling inequalities, in access to services, patient experience, and healthcare outcomes. For example, the 2024/2025 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance makes explicit the requirement to address the inequalities of healthcare facing children and young people.
How many of his Department’s firearms were (a) lost and (b) stolen in each month in 2023.
The security of firearms is taken very seriously within the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and we have robust procedures in place to deter and prevent loss and theft. All losses and thefts of firearms and ammunition are fully and rigorously investigated.The below table details firearm losses and thefts from MOD Facilities in 2023 under the previous Government. This includes military establishments, ranges, training areas and on operations.2023DecemberGlock 19 Pistol1StolenAugustDeactivated WWI German Machine Gun1[1]LostJulySA80 Rifle1[2]LostJuneDeactivated WWII Luger Pistol1LostJuneDeactivated WWII Sten Gun SMG1Lost[1] Weapon subsequently found.[2] Weapon subsequently found.
How many service personnel were referred to mental health services in 2023.
3,444 UK Armed Forces personnel had an initial assessment at a Ministry of Defence Department of Community Mental Health centre between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023.
What steps her Department is taking to help support (a) pre-school, (b) primary school and (c) secondary school-aged children living in poverty other than through the provision of free school meals.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. For too many children, living in poverty robs them of the opportunity to learn and to prosper.The Ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce will harness all available levers to drive forward action across government to reduce child poverty. More detail on the approach and priorities for the strategy is set out in the publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’, which was published on 23 October and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.The Children’s Wellbeing Bill will put children and their wellbeing at the centre of the education and children’s social care systems, and make sure every child has a fulfilling childhood, enabling them to achieve and thrive.Breakfast clubs will remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring primary school children, no matter their circumstance, are well prepared with a supportive start to the school day. This will help to drive improvements in behaviour, attendance and attainment, and provide families with more affordable childcare choices. This will also support families, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.This government sees the early years as central to our mission to give every child the best start in life and in the 2025/26 financial year expect to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, to help even more families access affordable, high quality childcare and early education. We have also announced a new £75 million expansion grant, to be allocated later this year, to support nurseries, childminders and other providers to deliver the 35,000 additional staff and 70,000 places required to meet demand for next September.High quality early education leads to better outcomes for all children, but is particularly impactful for those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), where early identification of needs and support can help them to thrive.Families of 2 year olds in receipt of certain benefits can access 15 hours of early education and care per week, over 38 weeks a year, and all 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for 15 hours of early education. Further support for disadvantaged children is available through Early Years Pupil Premium. This government will also be delivering the largest ever uplift to the Early Years Pupil Premium, increasing rates by over 45% to up to £570 per eligible child per year. This unprecedented increase is an investment in quality early education for those children who need it most, in the areas that need it most.To respond to parents’ concerns about the cost of school, as committed in the King’s Speech, we will legislate to limit the number of costly branded items of uniform schools can require, ensuring uniforms make children smarter not families poorer.In addition to free school meals (FSM), schools continue to receive the pupil premium grant, worth over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Also this year, all 153 local authorities in England have continued to deliver the Holiday and Activities Food programme during Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. The programme provides heathy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning. It is primarily targeted at children who receive benefits-related FSM, however local authorities also have the flexibility to use some of their funding to target other vulnerable children.
What steps his Department is taking to tackle the (a) mental health and (b) social needs of kidney patients.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs, including kidney patients, and where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.Local authorities further have a duty to shape their care markets and commission a diverse range of care and support services that enables people to access quality care.We recognise that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people, including kidney patients where appropriate, can be confident in 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, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.The 10-Year Health Plan will ensure a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. On 21 October, we launched a national conversation on the future of the NHS, inviting views from across the country on how to deliver a health service fit for the future. Patients, staff, and organisations, including those with experience of or expertise in kidney disease, can make themselves heard by logging onto the online portal, which is available at the following link:www.change.nhs.uk
How many incidents of (a) mould, (b) fire, and (c) flooding were recorded in military service personnel housing in each month in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
The number of reported incidents of damp and mould, fire, and flooding in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in each month in 2022 and 2023 is detailed in the tables below: Damp and Mould reported in SFA:2022Number of incidents2023Number of incidentsJan-22-Jan-231,204Feb-22-Feb-23592Mar-22-Mar-23534Apr-22176Apr-23341May-22326May-23325Jun-22268Jun-23192Jul-22225Jul-23199Aug-22207Aug-23201Sep-22215Sep-23199Oct-22389Oct-23408Nov-221157Nov-23575Dec-22817Dec-23455Total3,780Total5,225 Fire Incidents reported in SFA:2022Number of incidents2023Number of incidentsJan-22-Jan-232Feb-22-Feb-231Mar-22-Mar-230Apr-223Apr-232May-220May-230Jun-222Jun-233Jul-221Jul-232Aug-221Aug-231Sep-221Sep-230Oct-222Oct-232Nov-221Nov-230Dec-221Dec-232Total12Total15 The figures for fires in SFA, include smells of burning or a melted plug and the figures for flooding in Service Family Accommodation include incidents that occur inside the property and includes garages and outhouses. Flooding Incidents reported in SFA:2022Number of incidents2023Number of incidentsJan-22-Jan-2359Feb-22-Feb-2333Mar-22-Mar-2334Apr-229Apr-2316May-2214May-2318Jun-2218Jun-2321Jul-2220Jul-2318Aug-2212Aug-2325Sep-2225Sep-2318Oct-2210Oct-2329Nov-2225Nov-2317Dec-2281Dec-2330Total214Total318 The number of reported incidents of damp and mould, in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) in each month in 2022 and 2023 is detailed in the table below: Damp and Mould in SLA:2022Number of incidents2023Number of incidentsJan-22-Jan-23226Feb-22-Feb-23240Mar-22-Mar-23216Apr-2274Apr-23119May-22126May-23216Jun-22132Jun-23241Jul-22134Jul-23163Aug-2293Aug-23155Sep-2299Sep-23167Oct-22153Oct-23233Nov-22171Nov-23305Dec-22101Dec-23182Total1,083Total2,463 The number of reported incidents of fire and flood, in SLA can only be provided at a disproportionate cost. Data relating to incidents prior to April 2022 is not held as this predates the current Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts. The figures for damp and mould include work orders raised and can include small amounts of mould where a bathroom has not been ventilated.
What steps his Department is taking to help encourage more people to become organ donors.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for organ donation across the United Kingdom. The Department works closely with NHSBT to identify opportunities to encourage people to record their wishes on the Organ Donor Register, as we know that approximately nine in 10 families support organ donation going ahead when they know that it is what their loved one wanted. Current examples include building registration into the UK driving licence application and passport renewal process, as well as providing links to the Organ Donor Register in the NHS App. Partnerships like these account for approximately 90% of registrations.NHSBT runs high profile, year-round campaigns, including Organ Donation Week, World Sight Day, and World Kidney Day, in partnership with a wide range of charities and community groups. NHSBT also funds a network of Organ Donor Ambassadors and provides grants to community groups who raise awareness at a local level.
What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) urology and (b) continence services.
NHS England published the Excellence in Continence Care on 23 July 2018, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, and health and social care staff, and which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/In addition, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the management of faecal incontinence in adults, which healthcare professionals and commissioners are expected to take fully into account when delivering services for people with bowel incontinence.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his department is taking to help protect chalk streams from (a) pollution and (b) overextraction.
The Government is committed to the protection and restoration of our cherished chalk streams. We have taken immediate action to clean up our waterways, including a new Water (Special Measures) Bill to ban the payment of unfair bonuses to polluting water bosses, and bring criminal charges against those who persistently break the law. In October we launched an independent commission into the water sector regulatory system to deliver transformative change to the water system. We are investing in initiatives to improve chalk streams including 55 projects this financial year through the Water Environment Improvement Fund. As part of the Water Resources Chalk Partnership Fund, this financial year, the Government will contribute £1m for chalk stream projects with partners on 30 projects, aimed at safeguarding these rare and irreplaceable habitats. We are committed to ending damaging abstraction of water from rivers and groundwater wherever possible. We will make full use of our existing powers to amend abstraction licences to protect and improve the environment and make sure water companies deliver the improvements in their current business plans, including licence reductions of around 100 million litres per day in chalk streams. Through the Price Review 2024, Ofwat will set out the next cycle of planned water company investment covering 2025-2030, which will include further actions to restore chalk streams. The exact funding is currently being determined by Ofwat, with final determinations due to be published on 19 December. Environmental requirements for abstraction reductions to improve chalk streams flows are part of the environmental planning scenarios that Regional Water Resources Groups and water companies have included in their planning to 2050.
What funds the Government has committed to veterans charities in each of the last two years; and how much each such charity has received.
The information is not held in the format requested. Information held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not differentiate between veterans’ charities; charities that generally support the Armed Forces community including veterans; and charities that have a wider remit but include support to veterans. For the MOD, the majority of grant programmes supporting veterans are administered via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT), and are listed on their website: https://covenantfund.org.uk During financial year (FY) 2022-23 the AFCFT awarded 134 grants, totalling just over £7 million to 112 different not-for-profit organisations towards projects to support veterans. During FY 2023-24 the AFCFT awarded 180 grants, totalling £23.8 million to 122 different organisations. In addition, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), now part of the MOD, has also funded grant programmes to support veterans, some of which were awarded to charities. For OVA grants administered by the AFCFT, a total of £12 million has been allocated to the following programmes in FYs 2022-23 and 2023-24, some of which were awarded to charities: Veterans’ Capital Housing FundReducing Veteran Homelessness ProgrammeVeterans’ Employment Enhancement ProgrammeVeterans’ Mobility FundLGBT Support Fund In addition, during FY 2022-23 and 2023-24 the OVA has directly administered grants to veterans’ charities as detailed in the table below. CharityFY 2022-23FY 2023-24Blesma£50,000£150,000Bravo Victor£40,310£178,255Combat Stress-£65,000Dame Kelly Holmes Trust-£500Defence Medical Welfare Service£34,801£304,204Fighting with Pride£15,000£1,500Forward Assist£40,000£76,500LGBT Foundation£10,210£1,500Nuclear Community Charity Fund-£35,000Royal British Legion£250,000-Total£440,321£812,459
How many of his Department's (a) computers, (b) laptops, (c) phones and (d) USB sticks were (i) lost and (ii) stolen in each month in 2023.
The table below shows the number of computers, laptops, phones and USB sticks which were either lost or stolen in each month in 2023.DateComputersLaptopsUSBsPhonesJan-2301329Feb-2301003Mar-23038210Apr-2301003May-230828Jun-23010112Jul-230968Aug-2305139Sep-230738Oct-230819Nov-2309011Dec-2303011We take the security of defence assets very seriously and have robust policies and procedures to prevent losses and thefts. Defence personnel are regularly reminded of their responsibilities to safeguard Defence assets.Proportionate security controls are used to protect electronic devices according to the classification and nature of the information which the asset can hold.
If he will make an estimate of the proportionate change in (a) spending on service personnel in (i) real and (ii) cash terms and (b) the number of frontline service personnel in each financial year between 2015-16 and 2024-25.
The information you have requested is set out in the table below. The figures for financial year 2024-25 will be available once the accounts have been closed and audited. All personnel numbers are as at 1 April of the relevant financial year. Financial Year2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24Spend on Service Personnel in Cash Terms (£million)9,3199,6239,6849,78510,69111,26911,18411,44911,954Spend on Service Personnel in Real Terms (£million at Constant 2023-24 prices)12,05012,16912,05611,93112,73412,73812,71612,15111,954Total UK Regular Forces153,724150,996149,366146,556144,428145,317149,280147,978142,556of which Royal Navy and Royal Marines32,73932,50232,54432,48332,53732,75533,84833,92932,840of which Army87,05885,03883,56181,11679,02979,62482,23180,73077,536of which Royal Air Force33,92733,45633,26132,95732,86232,93833,20133,31932,180
Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of maintaining real-term levels of funding for the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond March 2025.
Now that the department has been given its overall budget, we are working through the details of the budget settlement. Departmental budgets for 2025/26 will be confirmed in due course, including the exact funding available to support children, young people and families during the holidays.
What recent discussions she has had with South Western Railway on the accessibility of their fleet.
Department officials have regular conversations with the operator seeking to improve accessibility across South Western Railway’s fleet. Improvements include the new fleet of Class 701s with fully accessible toilets replacing the Class 455s which do not have toilets, an App with Artificial Intelligence generated British Sign Language and a planned rollout of improved Passenger Information Screens on services between Waterloo and Exeter. South Western Railway also has guards on all of its fleet providing assistance for all passengers who require it.
Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that youth homelessness is included in the cross-government strategy to end homelessness.
The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including young people. We will consider youth homelessness as we develop our long-term cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country, to get us back on track to ending homelessness.We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.