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 1,761–1,780 of 3,691 · this parliament
Whether she plans to update the guidance entitled Parental responsibility: guide for schools and local authorities, updated on 24 August 2023.
The non-statutory guidance, ‘Understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility’, is currently being updated to reflect changes that came into effect under the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024. The updated version will be published later this year.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of US military action in Venezuela on UK national security.
I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised in that debate.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department has taken to discourage drug exports from Venezuela in the last 12 months.
I refer the Hon Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on 3 December.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of US military action in Venezuela on regional stability in Latin America.
I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised in that debate.
What steps she is taking to support police forces to tackle the illegal use of e-scooters in residential areas.
Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The police have a suite of powers available to them to tackle the illegal use of e-scooters, including in residential areas, and we expect police to deploy them appropriately.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles including e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before they are able to seize a vehicle. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles more quickly, including e-bikes and privately owned e-scooters, which have been used anti-socially or illegally.These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of e-bikes and e-scooters ridden anti-socially or illegally and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the US on military operations conducted in Venezuela.
I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised in that debate.
How many people have missed the 31 January self assessment filing deadline in each of the last three tax years.
Around 12 million people file a Self Assessment return each year. HMRC aims to help customers get their tax right. Last year, over 90% of customers filed on time. Filing deadlines are essential for the efficient operation of the tax system. The number of customers who missed the 31 January deadline over the past three years was as follows:31 January 2023: 1.2 million customers31 January 2024: 1.2 million customers31 January 2025: 1.1 million customers HMRC supports customers to file their return online with reminders and annual communications campaigns. A wide range of online help and support is available on GOV.UK, including instructions on how to notify HMRC if a return is no longer required.
What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current enforcement measures against the illegal use of e-scooters.
Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The police have a suite of powers available to them to tackle the illegal use of e-scooters, including in residential areas, and we expect police to deploy them appropriately.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles including e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before they are able to seize a vehicle. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles more quickly, including e-bikes and privately owned e-scooters, which have been used anti-socially or illegally.These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of e-bikes and e-scooters ridden anti-socially or illegally and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
What steps she is taking to ensure that schools and academy trusts comply with guidance requiring equal treatment of parents with parental responsibility.
Guidance relating to parental responsibility requires all parents to be treated equally, unless a court order limits a parent’s ability to make educational decisions, participate in school life or receive information about their child. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dealing-with-issues-relating-to-parental-responsibility/understanding-and-dealing-with-issues-relating-to-parental-responsibility.The guidance referred to is non-statutory but does set out some of the duties on schools that must be complied with. Failure to comply with a duty should first be referred to the school via its complaint procedure. Once the school’s complaint procedure is completed in full, if the parent is dissatisfied with the school’s handling of their complaint, they can contact the department via the customer complaint portal, which can be accessed at: https://customerhelpportal.education.gov.uk/.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to improve information sharing and communications with her Egyptian counterparts.
The UK and Egyptian Governments communicate regularly on a range of shared priorities, including our efforts to secure peace and humanitarian relief in Gaza and Sudan.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has taken recent steps to review the level of consular support received abroad by British nationals with dual citizenship.
Information about the consular support available to British nationals overseas, and the criteria for such support, are set out on GOV.UK at the links below. This was last updated in August 2022 and there are no current plans to change it.Consular assistance: how the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office provides support - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/consular-assistance-how-the-foreign-commonwealth-development-office-provides-support)Who the FCDO can support abroad - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/who-the-fcdo-can-support-abroad)
Whether her Department plans to review the British citizenship of dual nationals convicted of previously expressing violent, racist or xenophobic sentiments.
The British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Secretary of State with the power to deprive an individual of their British citizenship where:The Secretary of State is satisfied that it would be conducive to the public good;The person acquired citizenship as a result of fraud, false representations or concealment of a material factThe Government considers that deprivation on ‘conducive grounds’ is an appropriate response to activities such as those involving:National security, including espionage and acts of terrorism directed at this country or an allied power;Unacceptable behaviour of the kind mentioned in the then Home Secretary’s statement of 24 August 2005 (‘glorification’ of terrorism etc);War crimes; andSerious organised crime.The Home Office publishes data relating to those deprived of British Citizenship on ‘conducive to the public good’ grounds. These are published in the Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and Investigatory Powers. Reports have been published up to 2024.The figures from the previous five years of individuals who have been deprived of their British citizenship for this reason, are below: YearNumber of individuals202182022320232202412025Not yet published In the interest of safeguarding national security, we do not break down these figures into sub-categories.
What information her Department holds on the number of British citizens born (a) in the UK and (b) abroad who have been deported after their citizenship was revoked in each of the last 5 years.
The British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Secretary of State with the power to deprive an individual of their British citizenship where:The Secretary of State is satisfied that it would be conducive to the public good;The person acquired citizenship as a result of fraud, false representations or concealment of a material factThe Government considers that deprivation on ‘conducive grounds’ is an appropriate response to activities such as those involving:National security, including espionage and acts of terrorism directed at this country or an allied power;Unacceptable behaviour of the kind mentioned in the then Home Secretary’s statement of 24 August 2005 (‘glorification’ of terrorism etc);War crimes; andSerious organised crime.The Home Office publishes data relating to those deprived of British Citizenship on ‘conducive to the public good’ grounds. These are published in the Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and Investigatory Powers. Reports have been published up to 2024.The figures from the previous five years of individuals who have been deprived of their British citizenship for this reason, are below: YearNumber of individuals202182022320232202412025Not yet published In the interest of safeguarding national security, we do not break down these figures into sub-categories.
Pursuant to the press release of 26 December 2025 on defence exports, what assessment the Department has made of emerging markets for future export growth.
The Ministry of Defence continually seeks to identify export opportunities for the UK defence industry, working with the UK Defence Solution Centre and industry, and in line with UK licencing. We have a pipeline of appointments for UK platforms, components and services and as the Minister responsible for exports I need the team regularly to review actions, appointments and next steps.
What information her Department holds on the number and proportion of people who have successfully applied to be a British citizen but have not attended their British citizenship ceremony in each of the last 10 years.
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ground rent escalation clauses on leaseholders.
I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 74455 on 15 September 2025. In addition, measures in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which came into effect in December, will prevent long leases with grounds rents of £250 (or £1,000 in London) from repossession under provisions in the 1988 Housing Act.
Pursuant to the press release of 26 December 2025 on defence exports, how many export licences for defence equipment were approved in 2025; and how many applications were (a) refused and (b) withdrawn.
In 2025 Q1 (between 1 January and 31 March 2025), 2,732 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) were issued, and 140 were refused. 260 were withdrawn. In 2025 Q2 (between 1 April and 30 June 2025), 2,612 SIELs were issued, and 104 were refused.221 were withdrawn. These numbers reflect military and non-military licences, as both licences could include goods that may be considered defence equipment. Our quarterly licensing statistics provide descriptions of the goods covered for licences issued.Information on export licensing decisions from 1 July 2025 onwards has not yet been published as official statistics. Information relating to export licensing decisions covering the period 1 July 2025 to 30 September 2025 (2025 Q3) is planned to be published on 29 January 2026: Strategic export controls: licensing statistics: 1 July to 30 September 2025 - Official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.
What the total cost was of procuring, fitting, and monitoring alcohol tags in each of the last three years.
Financial records allow us to provide the direct contractual costs of alcohol monitoring which include the cost of the tag purchases and system monitoring but do not distinguish between case type for Electronic Monitoring in terms of tag installation or physical monitoring and therefore the table below excludes these costs for the three years. Costs also exclude probation and other criminal justice system partners’ resource supporting EM in the community.As a result of our record investment in electronic monitoring, we are tagging more offenders than ever before. The technology is playing a significant role in the Government’s mission to take back our streets from alcohol-fuelled harm, which the National Audit Office estimate costs the UK economy £21 billion a year. Evidence is increasingly proving the effectiveness of tags, with offenders banned from drinking alcohol staying sober for 97% of the days they were tagged. 2023/242024/252025/26(Actual)(Actual)(Actual)Procurement and System Monitoring of Alcohol Monitoring tags£8.1m £12.5m £15.2m
What the total value of UK defence exports was in 2025.
The figure in the press release stating the UK secures over £20 billion in defence exports to allies in 2025 published on 26 December 2025 refers to the value of several significant and already publicised defence export deals agreed in 2025. The Ministry of Defence does not publish country level data for defence exports. The most recently published defence export statistics, covering 2023, details exports by destination region.
Pursuant to the press release of 26 December 2025 on defence exports, which countries accounted for the largest share of UK defence exports in 2025.
The figure in the press release stating the UK secures over £20 billion in defence exports to allies in 2025 published on 26 December 2025 refers to the value of several significant and already publicised defence export deals agreed in 2025. The Ministry of Defence does not publish country level data for defence exports. The most recently published defence export statistics, covering 2023, details exports by destination region.