Every parliamentary written question tabled by James McMurdock this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 3,221–3,240 of 3,503 · this parliament
How many and what proportion of people on the terrorist watch list are dual nationals.
It is longstanding policy not to discuss either the specific information held on any security-related watchlist, the source of the information or how it is used.To do so would be counterproductive and harmful to the national security of the UK.
If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's polices of the Construction Industry Training Board's decision to end the use of Construction Skills Certification Scheme cards.
Construction Skills Certification Scheme Limited is the organisation responsible for providing cards to individuals working on construction sites. The Construction Industry Training Board has not ended the use of Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards.Holding a CSCS card is not a legislative requirement. Most principal contractors and major house builders require workers on their construction sites to hold a valid card.Standardising the approach to construction skills certification was made by the industry to improve standards of safety and competency on construction sites. This specifies and promotes card schemes displaying the CSCS logo with no equivalents accepted.
What steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of workers in the construction industry.
The Department for Business and Trade is working across Government to understand the demand impacts for the construction sector to deliver our built environment and infrastructure commitments. This includes working with industry and the Construction Industry Training Board to support recruitment initiatives such as GoConstruct, and Open Doors, which aim to attract people to the industry. We are also working with DfE Skills England and the sector to improve routes to achieving qualifications and entering the industry, to ensure there are enough skilled workers to achieve our ambitions for housing and infrastructure delivery.
Whether she plans to develop financial literacy education in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools to improve financial resilience in younger people.
I refer the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock to the answer of 06 January 2025 to question 21188.
What steps her Department plans to take to support people to (a) build financial resilience and (b) manage debt.
The Government is committed to helping people build their financial resilience. At Autumn Budget 2024, we announced an extension to the Help to Save Scheme which aims to bolster the financial resilience of low-income households by providing a 50% bonus on savings up to £50 per month. From April 2025, the scheme will also be made available to all Universal Credit (UC) claimants in work, not just those earning over a certain amount. This will ensure that Help to Save reaches many more households who need it while the Government explores delivery options for the future of the scheme. We also introduced a new Fair Repayment Rate to cap deductions on Universal Credit to 15% (previously 25%) of the standard allowance, meaning that individuals will keep more of their Universal Credit payment each month. This will provide a direct cash boost to 1.2 million households on Universal Credit by £420 a year on average. To support those in problem debt, the Government offers a variety of debt advice services through the Money and Pensions Service. These national and community-based services help individuals in England manage their debts. The Government also provides funding for debt advice services in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland which are delivered by the Devolved Governments. Additionally, the Government continues to support the ‘Breathing Space’ scheme. The aim of this scheme is to encourage earlier access to debt advice and enable people in problem debt to get their finances back on track. As of December 2024, over 280,000 people in problem debt have benefited from Breathing Space protections. Going forward, we are also developing a Financial Inclusion Strategy to ensure consumers have access to the affordable and appropriate products they need to support their financial resilience.
What assessment she has made of trends in the level of people receiving an adequate pension since 2019.
There are many ways of measuring of adequacy, such as Target Replacement Rates (TRR) or using minimum income standards such as the PLSA Retirement Living Standards. DWP's latest estimates of undersaving for retirement showed around 4-in-10 working-age individuals were undersaving for retirement according to TRR levels and 1-in-10 working-age individuals were undersaving for retirement as measured by PLSA Minimum Retirement Living Standards. This is published here: Analysis of future pension incomes - GOV.UK. Current pensioners have seen gross incomes increase over the last 10 years in real terms (a 4% increase from 2012/13 to 2022/23). This is available in Pensioners' Incomes: financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK. These statistics are published annually.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Time to Care Programme on mental health treatment.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is introducing its Time to Care programme to transform the delivery of mental health inpatient services so that every patient receives high quality, personalised care to support their long-term recovery. The programme launched in 2022 and NHS England has advised that it will take five years to mobilise and embed the programme.The results of the programme are expected to include: patients, along with their families and carers, to be involved in decision-making about the treatment, therapies and support they receive whilst they are an inpatient, and to have a clear plan for their care during their admission and after they are discharged; the average length of time that people need to spend on an inpatient mental health ward to be reduced; and the number of inappropriate out of area placements for patients needing acute mental health inpatient care in Essex to be reduced or eliminated.
Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to apply to host any major sporting games on behalf of the UK.
The UK has a global reputation for hosting major sporting events successfully. The Government continues to work with our expert arm’s-length body, UK Sport, to grow and develop our strong pipeline of events, ensuring these reflect this Government’s missions, as well as our sporting priorities.Upcoming, secured events include the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, with the European Athletics Championships, Glasgow Commonwealth Games and T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup taking place in 2026. In 2028 the UK and Ireland will host the men's European Football Championships ‘EURO 2028’, which will be the biggest sporting event the UK and Ireland have ever jointly hosted.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to balance the level of consular support it provides citizens abroad and the need to maintain diplomatic relations with host countries.
Strong bilateral relations are essential to enable the FCDO to support British nationals overseas. This government is committed to building broad and deep relationships with countries across the globe to enable us to pursue our international priorities, including support for British nationals overseas.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to improve consular services to ensure faster response times.
The Government is committed to strengthening consular services and continuously reviews its processes to provide an effective service to those who require consular assistance, including through feedback, insight and lessons learned. Calls to our 24/7/365 consular team are answered within the target of two minutes, and a new FCDO digital triage AI tool which British nationals responses to their questions online within seconds rather than days.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to improve coordination with local governments to expedite consular processes for British citizens.
The FCDO provides tailored consular assistance to more than 20,000 British nationals abroad in new cases every year and supports an additional c. 8,000 involved in long-running cases. In FY 2022/23 this included support to c. 4,000 arrested or detained British nationals, c.3,500 who were hospitalised and c.1,300 who were victims of crime. Consular staff also supported the families of c.4,900 who died overseas. Consular staff are contactable 24/7, 365 days a year. Staff across the FCDO network invest continually in relationships with governments, local authorities and third-party organisations around the world to enable the FCDO to support the UK's international priorities, including support for British nationals overseas.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of libraries in primary schools for the development of primary school students.
School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians. There are currently no plans to make it a statutory requirement for primary schools to have a library, although we will continue to keep this matter under review.The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide more effective support through (a) embassies and (b) consulates to UK nationals during crises abroad.
FCDO consular assistance is available 24/7, 365 days a year. We have improved the ability to expand our enquiry handling during a crisis through new digital telephony and AI tools.Whenever a major incident happens overseas and a crisis evolves that affects British nationals - a natural disaster or extreme weather event, a large-scale accident, civil unrest, terrorism or conflict - the FCDO flex and scale our consular response to support those who are directly affected. If a cross Whitehall response is required, the FCDO will lead and coordinate the UK Governments effort, this might include coordinating an assisted departure or an evacuation (as a last resort).The FCDO is committed to learning lessons from past crises and completes a lessons-learned exercise after every crisis response. These lessons enable the FCDO to improve processes and systems, and to review what has worked to enable better preparation and mitigation of future crises. The lessons are also implemented into the continuous training offer available to FCDO staff.
Whether she plans to make libraries in primary schools a statutory requirement.
School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians. There are currently no plans to make it a statutory requirement for primary schools to have a library, although we will continue to keep this matter under review.The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of primary school library provision in (a) schools in deprived areas and (b) schools in affluent areas.
School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school. The national curriculum states that teachers are expected to encourage pupils to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. There are a number of strong links between reading for pleasure and attainment. For example, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report found a 34 point difference in reading performance between pupils in England who “very much” liked reading and pupils who “do not” like reading. Additionally, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment study found that enjoyment of reading links to pupils’ reading engagement, and that reading engagement was strongly positively correlated with reading performance. There is also a strong evidence base linking reading for pleasure to other positive effects, such as improved text comprehension and grammar, increased general knowledge and character development.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an additional £2.3 billion for schools for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25, bringing the total core schools budget to almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians. There are currently no plans to make it a statutory requirement for primary schools to have a library, although we will continue to keep this matter under review.The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) communication and (b) coordination with local authorities in foreign countries to improve consular assistance to British citizens.
The FCDO provides tailored consular assistance to more than 20,000 British nationals abroad in new cases every year and supports an additional c. 8,000 involved in long-running cases. In FY 2022/23 this included support to c. 4,000 arrested or detained British nationals, c.3,500 who were hospitalised and c.1,300 who were victims of crime. Consular staff also supported the families of c.4,900 who died overseas. Consular staff are contactable 24/7, 365 days a year. Staff across the FCDO network invest continually in relationships with governments, local authorities and third-party organisations around the world to enable the FCDO to support the UK's international priorities, including support for British nationals overseas.
What steps she is taking to improve the sharing of real-time information about criminal investigations with overseas authorities.
His Majesty's Government has committed to resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU. As set out in the Government’s manifesto, this includes seeking a new security agreement with the EU on access to real-time intelligence sharing. Having left the Schengen Information System following the UK’s departure from the EU, the UK now uses INTERPOL to exchange real time alerts with EU countries, as well as the rest of the world.We are rolling out the International Law Enforcement Alerts Platform (I-LEAP) to frontline UK law enforcement and border officers to provide real-time access to INTERPOL nominal data, stolen-lost travel documents and stolen motor vehicles; phase 2 of I-LEAP will strengthen alert-sharing capabilities with international partners.
Pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 19157 on Bowel Cancer: Health Services, what steps he has taken to support Bowel Cancer UK's Never Too Young campaign.
The Department has not made a specific assessment of Bowel Cancer UK’s Never Too Young campaign. To improve awareness, NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them. The campaign encourages people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner, focusing on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging ‘body awareness’ to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of bowel cancer.We will improve National Health Service cancer waiting time performance so patients, including those with bowel cancer, are diagnosed and treated faster. The NHS is prioritising the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. As well as this, all patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support.My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear in his view that there should be a National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, including for bowel cancer. We are currently in discussions about what form a potential National Cancer Plan for England should take, including its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission, and will provide updates in due course.
Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Basildon Council on (a) their management of homelessness services and (b) the breaches recorded by that Council of the requirement to avoid placing (i) families with children, (ii) pregnant women and (iii) care leavers in temporary accommodation.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for setting the national framework for housing, including the legislation and Homelessness Code of Guidance to which councils must have regard.Compliance with legislation, guidance, and the statutory homelessness duties rests with local councils. It is the responsibility of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to investigate individual complaints and take action where they consider councils have not applied their duties correctly.MHCLG’s homelessness advice and support team (HAST) continue to work closely with local authorities, such as Basildon Council, to develop B&B elimination plans to reduce families and vulnerable people being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks.The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high and we will develop a long-term, cross government strategy, to put us on track to end homelessness.
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department takes to hold to account councils that fail to comply with the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003.
Too many children are spending years in temporary accommodation, at a point in their lives when they need space to play and develop, nutritious food to thrive and access to education. We must build more homes so we can reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation, which is why we will deliver the biggest increase to social and affordable housing in a generation.MHCLG’s dedicated team of homelessness advisers continue to work closely with local authorities under the highest bed and breakfast (B&B) pressures, including to develop B&B elimination plans, to reduce families being placed in this accommodation for longer than six weeks.The Government will also work with 20 local authorities with the highest levels of B&B use for temporary accommodation through a new programme of Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, backed by £5 million to test innovative approaches and kickstart new initiatives.All temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable for households with babies and children, and we are taking action to improve standards across the housing sector. The death of any child is devastating, and we must do all we can to prevent avoidable deaths. The Homelessness Code of Guidance is therefore clear that temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for a family with children under 2 if there is not enough space for a cot and that housing authorities should support families to secure a cot where needed.Housing authorities must, as a minimum, ensure that all temporary accommodation is free of Category 1 hazards as identified by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Housing authorities have a continuing obligation to keep the suitability of accommodation under review, and to respond to any relevant change in circumstances which may affect suitability. Households may request a review of their accommodation if they feel it is unsuitable.