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 1,601–1,620 of 3,691 · this parliament
Pursuant to her Department publishing an open opportunity contract on 6 January 2026 entitled Home Office Returns Reintegration Programme (HORRP) - Phase 3 - 2026 – 2028, whether the funding to support legal migration pathways and recruitment in third countries will include migration to Europe.
Support provided by the HO Returns Reintegration Programme is only in relation to potentially migrating to a third country and not back to the UK.
What assessment he has made of (a) trends in the level of barriers to entry in the fuel retail market and (b) the potential impact of those barriers on competition.
The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) 2023 Market Study assessed whether measures making it easier for new or existing retailers to open new petrol filling stations (PFSs) would address competition issues identified in the market. It concluded that removing barriers to opening new PFSs would not have a significant impact on the number of PFSs, or materially affect competition in the market. This government is implementing the CMA’s recommendations to increase competition by launching Fuel Finder, and the CMA road fuels monitoring function.
Pursuant to her Department publishing an open opportunity contract on 6 January 2026 entitled Home Office Returns Reintegration Programme (HORRP) - Phase 3 - 2026 – 2028, whether her Department plans to issue similar contracts to support deportations to other countries.
This programme plays a crucial part in negotiating returns arrangements with other countries, which is essential to making returns of their citizens effective and sustainable, so we will continue working with countries worldwide to achieve this.
Pursuant to her Department publishing an open opportunity contract on 6 January 2026 entitled Home Office Returns Reintegration Programme (HORRP) - Phase 3 - 2026 – 2028, whether there will be a cap on the quantity of financial assistance provided under the scheme to help migrants with setting up a business.
The in-kind (non-cash) provision to assist returning individuals to set up a business or access locally available educational or training opportunities through the programme is capped at £1500. The £1500 Returnee Educational and Entrepreneurship Fund (REEF) is a ring-fenced amount that those who signed-up to the programme can apply for following arrival. They will have to submit a business proposal to either set up a business, further education or vocational training. If the proposal is successful then the delivery partner procures everything in the individual's behalf so no funds are provided to the returnee.
With reference to her Department’s response of 17 November 2025 to the e-petition entitled Raise the income tax personal allowance from £12,570 to £20,000, what assumptions were used for (a) behavioural changes, (b) labour market participation and (c) projected tax receipts for the £50 billion per annum figure.
The Personal Allowance is uprated in line with CPI by default. The previous Government took the decision to maintain the Personal Allowance at its current level from April 2021 until April 2028. The Government is asking everyone to contribute to maintain funding for the NHS and reduce debt, and it is doing this by maintaining the Personal Allowance for a further three years.As set out in the e-petition response, the Government has no plans to increase the Personal Allowance to £20,000. Increasing the Personal Allowance to £20,000 would come at a significant fiscal cost. This would reduce tax receipts substantially, decreasing funds available for the UK’s hospitals, schools, and other essential public services that we all rely on.Increasing the Personal Allowance to this level would undermine the work the Government has done to restore fiscal responsibility which is critical to getting our economy growing.HM Treasury only provides impact assessments on Government policy. The OBR have made an assessment of the Government’s policy related to the Personal Allowance in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook.The ‘£50 billion’ figure in the e-petition response (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/737513) provided an indicative idea of scale only and does not reflect a full costing as this is not Government policy. Data from the 2022-23 Survey of Personal Incomes and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) economic forecast were used to inform this indicative estimate.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled ‘Government unveils biggest overhaul to water in a generation’ published on 19 January 2026, whether the roll-out of smart meters will remain voluntary for homeowners.
Under the Water Industry Act 1991 and the Water Industry (Prescribed Conditions) Regulations 1999, water companies do not have to ask customers before they install a water smart meter, but can only bill the customer (compulsory metering) where specific conditions are met. These conditions include where the property is in an area designated as under serious water stress, or where specific conditions are met, such as a change of occupier, a new property, or a swimming pool on premise. Any water company using these powers must show this approach represents value for money and has customer support in their Water Resource Management Plan consultations.Moving to a metered supply can deliver water-use reductions of up to 17%. Improving water efficiency offers a win-win by reducing bills, supporting sustainable water supplies, and protecting the environment. Government's commitment to fairer bills and better data for customers in our White Paper seeks to maximise the benefits of this reduction in water usage for customers.
What plans he has to expand orthopaedic theatre capacity at Basildon Hospital.
In June 2026, Basildon Hospital will open a new Acute Kidney Care Ward, providing an additional 24 beds on the site and increasing capacity for people presenting to the emergency department with kidney problems, speeding up access to urgent care.Following this, the current renal ward will be refurbished to support more medical care beds for winter and to provide space to move patients out of older wards so that improvements can be made as part of the trust’s prioritised capital programme.In addition, two newly upgraded orthopaedic operating theatres opened at Basildon Hospital in November 2025 following essential maintenance works to improve the advanced air handling system. Since the start of November, staff working in theatres six or seven in the main theatre department have already completed hundreds of operations and procedures, including shoulder replacements, foot reconstructions, and knee replacements.To help reduce its waiting lists, the trust is running additional capacity theatre slots, as well as outsourcing patients to other hospitals to receive their treatment and reduce waiting times. The trust is also insourcing within the hospital providers for extra outpatient capacity.
What plans he has to expand clinical capacity at Basildon Hospital.
In June 2026, Basildon Hospital will open a new Acute Kidney Care Ward, providing an additional 24 beds on the site and increasing capacity for people presenting to the emergency department with kidney problems, speeding up access to urgent care.Following this, the current renal ward will be refurbished to support more medical care beds for winter and to provide space to move patients out of older wards so that improvements can be made as part of the trust’s prioritised capital programme.In addition, two newly upgraded orthopaedic operating theatres opened at Basildon Hospital in November 2025 following essential maintenance works to improve the advanced air handling system. Since the start of November, staff working in theatres six or seven in the main theatre department have already completed hundreds of operations and procedures, including shoulder replacements, foot reconstructions, and knee replacements.To help reduce its waiting lists, the trust is running additional capacity theatre slots, as well as outsourcing patients to other hospitals to receive their treatment and reduce waiting times. The trust is also insourcing within the hospital providers for extra outpatient capacity.
What plans he has to help ensure that increases in the number of GPs in training results in a sustained increase in the number of qualified GPs.
The Government has committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) and has increased the number of available GP training places by an additional 250 from September 2025. This brings the total number of GP training places to 4,250 per year.Since October 2024, we have funded primary care networks with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,900 individual GPs have now been recruited, preventing them graduating into unemployment.We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest cash increase in over a decade and will facilitate the recruitment of GPs. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.In spring 2026, we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure that staff will be better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future, so they can achieve more.
With reference to the news story from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales entitled The evolving response to ethnic disproportionality in youth justice, published on 19 December 2025, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in the level of adultification bias within youth justice decision making.
The Ministry of Justice has not made an assessment of the impact of Islington’s changes to pre-sentence reports which the independent Youth Justice Board (YJB) included in its news story. We encourage YOTs to make full and effective use of pre-sentence reports in order to ensure judges make the most informed decision possible when sentencing a child.Research commissioned by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in 2021 highlighted that disproportionate outcomes for some ethnic groups persist, including more restrictive remand outcomes, fewer out-of-court disposals, and harsher court sentences, even when accounting for demographic and offence-related factors.While these disparities cannot be attributed solely to adultification bias, evidence indicates that differential practitioner assessments can inflate the perceived reoffending risk for ethnic minority children, increasing the likelihood of disproportionate outcomes. Research commissioned by the YJB in 2024 found that pre-sentence reports for Black children gave less consideration to their health, life experiences and trauma than those for White children, which may contribute to Black children being viewed through a less safeguarding- and support-focused lens. However, the small sample size means these findings may not be representative.The Government is clear that racial disparities within the youth justice system must be addressed. The YJB’s news story highlighted a number of issues, including poorer remand outcomes for Black and Mixed children even after accounting for offence severity. The Ministry of Justice is committed to tackling unnecessary custodial remands, and is currently developing a package of reforms to ensure that custody for children is only used as a last resort.
What assessment he has made of the potential implication for his policies of the news story from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales entitled The evolving response to ethnic disproportionality in youth justice, published on 19 December 2025.
The Ministry of Justice has not made an assessment of the impact of Islington’s changes to pre-sentence reports which the independent Youth Justice Board (YJB) included in its news story. We encourage YOTs to make full and effective use of pre-sentence reports in order to ensure judges make the most informed decision possible when sentencing a child.Research commissioned by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in 2021 highlighted that disproportionate outcomes for some ethnic groups persist, including more restrictive remand outcomes, fewer out-of-court disposals, and harsher court sentences, even when accounting for demographic and offence-related factors.While these disparities cannot be attributed solely to adultification bias, evidence indicates that differential practitioner assessments can inflate the perceived reoffending risk for ethnic minority children, increasing the likelihood of disproportionate outcomes. Research commissioned by the YJB in 2024 found that pre-sentence reports for Black children gave less consideration to their health, life experiences and trauma than those for White children, which may contribute to Black children being viewed through a less safeguarding- and support-focused lens. However, the small sample size means these findings may not be representative.The Government is clear that racial disparities within the youth justice system must be addressed. The YJB’s news story highlighted a number of issues, including poorer remand outcomes for Black and Mixed children even after accounting for offence severity. The Ministry of Justice is committed to tackling unnecessary custodial remands, and is currently developing a package of reforms to ensure that custody for children is only used as a last resort.
Pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones, published on 16 January 2026, what proportion of the 1,712 drone incidents at prisons were related to (a) drug and (b) weapons smuggling.
We publish the number of drone incidents in prisons in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest. Data specific to the recoveries of illicit items cannot be disclosed for security reasons.We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the use of drones to deliver contraband into prisons, which poses a major threat to prison security. In this 2025-26 financial year, we are investing over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons. This includes circa £10 million on anti-drone measures such as secure windows and robust netting at 15 prisons.Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, legislation, and working closely across Government, with law enforcement, the private sector, and international partners on this global issue. Due to operational sensitives, we are not able to discuss in detail the tactics used, as that would aid those seeking to exploit prison security.
Pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones, published on 16 January 2026, whether his Department have had discussions with private drone companies to consult on anti-drone measures in prisons.
We publish the number of drone incidents in prisons in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest. Data specific to the recoveries of illicit items cannot be disclosed for security reasons.We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the use of drones to deliver contraband into prisons, which poses a major threat to prison security. In this 2025-26 financial year, we are investing over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons. This includes circa £10 million on anti-drone measures such as secure windows and robust netting at 15 prisons.Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, legislation, and working closely across Government, with law enforcement, the private sector, and international partners on this global issue. Due to operational sensitives, we are not able to discuss in detail the tactics used, as that would aid those seeking to exploit prison security.
What discussions he has had with local authorities such as Basildon Council on energy infrastructure for communities not connected to the main gas grid.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
What steps he is taking to help ensure that rural electricity networks are adequately prepared for (a) extreme weather and (b) future levels of demand.
The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero works extensively with the energy sector to continually improve and maintain the resilience, preparedness and security of energy infrastructure against risks including severe weather events. Ofgem provides a specific Worst Served Customers allowance through the RIIO-ED2 price control to provide funding to electricity Distribution Network Operators to improve the service experienced by those customers who receive the poorest levels of performance. Worst Served Customers are classified as being worst served because they experience interruptions caused by faults on the high voltage network. This often occurs in rural areas where the cost of improving the reliability of this part of the network is particularly high, in part due to the low volume of customers served by that part of the network. We are also taking action to upgrade and expand electricity networks, including in rural areas, to ensure the network is ready to meet increasing demand. We are increasing capacity in the network by accelerating infrastructure build through our reforms to planning, regulation, supply chains regulation and a reformed connections process.
Pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones, published on 16 January 2026, what proportion of the 1,712 drone incidents referenced resulted in prison officers intercepting and seizing contraband.
We publish the number of drone incidents in prisons in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest. Data specific to the recoveries of illicit items cannot be disclosed for security reasons.We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the use of drones to deliver contraband into prisons, which poses a major threat to prison security. In this 2025-26 financial year, we are investing over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons. This includes circa £10 million on anti-drone measures such as secure windows and robust netting at 15 prisons.Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, legislation, and working closely across Government, with law enforcement, the private sector, and international partners on this global issue. Due to operational sensitives, we are not able to discuss in detail the tactics used, as that would aid those seeking to exploit prison security.
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of households not connected to the main gas grid in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, such as (a) Felmores and (b) Langdon Hills.
The Department publishes annual estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain by country, English regions, local authority, constituency, middle layer super output area and lower layer super output area.
With reference to the news story from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales entitled The evolving response to ethnic disproportionality in youth justice, published on 19 December 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Islington’s change to pre-sentencing reports to include statements on local over-representation data and adultification on local reoffending rates.
The Ministry of Justice has not made an assessment of the impact of Islington’s changes to pre-sentence reports which the independent Youth Justice Board (YJB) included in its news story. We encourage YOTs to make full and effective use of pre-sentence reports in order to ensure judges make the most informed decision possible when sentencing a child.Research commissioned by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in 2021 highlighted that disproportionate outcomes for some ethnic groups persist, including more restrictive remand outcomes, fewer out-of-court disposals, and harsher court sentences, even when accounting for demographic and offence-related factors.While these disparities cannot be attributed solely to adultification bias, evidence indicates that differential practitioner assessments can inflate the perceived reoffending risk for ethnic minority children, increasing the likelihood of disproportionate outcomes. Research commissioned by the YJB in 2024 found that pre-sentence reports for Black children gave less consideration to their health, life experiences and trauma than those for White children, which may contribute to Black children being viewed through a less safeguarding- and support-focused lens. However, the small sample size means these findings may not be representative.The Government is clear that racial disparities within the youth justice system must be addressed. The YJB’s news story highlighted a number of issues, including poorer remand outcomes for Black and Mixed children even after accounting for offence severity. The Ministry of Justice is committed to tackling unnecessary custodial remands, and is currently developing a package of reforms to ensure that custody for children is only used as a last resort.
What steps is he taking to help improve the resilience of electricity networks serving rural areas in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.
The Government is taking clear steps to strengthen the resilience of electricity networks serving rural areas, including those in South Basildon and East Thurrock. Following the Storm Arwen Review, network operators have made a significant number of improvements to both customer communications and the resilience of Great Britain’s electricity network during severe weather events. Ahead of winter, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) provided assurance that industry had suitable arrangements in place, and we continue to work closely with them to monitor readiness. The Government will also publish an Energy Resilience Strategy in 2026 to set longterm priorities for maintaining a secure and resilient energy system.
With reference to his Department's press release entitled New ambulances deployed to boost NHS winter response, published on 31 December 2025, how many new ambulances have been allocated to Essex.
The 500 new ambulances announced in the Department’s press release of 31 December 2025 form part of East of England Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust’s wider ambulance replacement and expansion programme.Allocations have not been finalised at individual county level, meaning it is not possible at this stage to confirm how many of these vehicles will be deployed in Essex.