Every parliamentary written question tabled by Julian Lewis this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 201–216 of 216 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Mozambique on (a) violence perpetrated against Christians by Islamic extremists in Cabo Delgado and (b) the effectiveness
The UK is committed to working multilaterally and bilaterally to defend Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world. In Mozambique, the UK regularly engages with authorities and religious leaders both in the capital (Maputo) and northern Mozambique (Ca...
What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing National Insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024 on the ability of (a) Citizens Advice services and (b) other community-centred cha
In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. HMRC recently published on 13 November a Tax Infor...
For what reason the Fire and Rescue Service is not receiving the exemption from the rise in National Insurance contributions as the other Emergency Services.
To repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to fund public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Government will provide support for public sector employers, including ...
What his policy is on (a) doctors and (b) other qualified medical personnel administering pain-relieving drugs which may shorten lives; and whether regulations on that issue changed after the convi
A wide variety of medicines are used for the purpose of pain-relief, and they have differing levels of regulation. Some items can be bought off-the-shelf without a prescription, whilst others require authorisation from a medical professional. The Human Me...
What steps he plans to take to ensure the availability of learning disability nursing studies programmes in the South East.
Individual universities are responsible for the courses that they offer. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. A central and core part of this plan will be our workforce, and how we ensure we train and provide the s...
If he will make it his policy to extend the remit of the Care Quality Commission to include vision rehabilitation services for blind and partially sighted people.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities in England have a legal duty to support people with sight loss to develop practical skills and strategies to maintain independence. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is now assessing how local authorities are mee...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 4.44 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, whether any of the additional funding allocated to the BBC World Service wil
The Autumn Budget 2024 announced a government grant funding uplift for the BBC World Service in 2025-26. The uplift is for the BBC World Service only, ensuring it can continue to operate in 42 languages and helping to maintain its crisis response capabili...
Communities and Local Government, if she will remove the presumption in favour of granting planning permission for developments which build extra stories on top of occupied apartment blocks.
As set out in our consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, the government supports upward extensions as a route to urban intensification. Planning policy makes clear that local authorities should support upward extension...
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help end violations of freedom of religion or belief in Afghanistan.
The Government continues to call for the human rights of all Afghans to be protected, including the freedom of religion or belief, and we regularly press the Taliban on this through our Doha based UK Mission to Afghanistan. Ministers and officials also en...
What recent estimate he has made of the number of NHS patients harmed by cobalt poisoning from modular neck hip replacements in each of the last three years.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of concerns regarding modular neck hips and the risk of cobalt poisoning. We are investigating the issue with our stakeholders including the British Orthopaedic Association, British H...
What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on the security of the Diego Garcia strategic base; whether he consulted Lord Robertson of Port
This historic agreement protects the long-term secure operation of the UK-US base on Diego Garcia with Mauritius, which plays such a crucial role in regional and international security. We have full Mauritian backing for robust security arrangements, incl...
How many migrants attempting to enter the United Kingdom illegally in small boats have died in the English Channel in each of the last five years: how many such fatalities were children; and how many
There have been 31 tragedies, since August 2019, where 97 people are confirmed to have died and at least 14 people have been reported as missing at sea, presumed dead, as a result of or linked to attempting these dangerous crossings.Numbers of fatalitiesD...
What recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the use of gas by Russia in Ukraine; and whether he plans to supply respirators to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence continues to assess and monitor the evolving threat picture in Ukraine, including Russian use of chemicals as a method of warfare. The UK has been at the forefront of international support and assistance to the armed forces of Ukra...
Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on the (a) freeport approved for the Solent area and (b) freeports programme.
Future plans for the Freeports Programme are being carefully considered as part of the ongoing Spending Review process.This does not change the fact that Solent Freeport, alongside the other seven English Freeports and the two Scottish Green Freeports, has had tax sites designated and is open for business. Delivery is - and will continue to be - led by local partners and I thank all those involved for their continued hard work on the project.
What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of the outsourcing by a commercial subcontractor of work to coders based in Belarus; what remedial steps he has taken; whether he has made changes to his Department's procedures; and whether sanctions have been imposed.
Both the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Rolls-Royce Submarines (RRS) investigated a subcontractor's outsourcing of development work for a RRS intranet page; this IT system is separate to the RRS classified systems. The investigation found no evidence that Belarusian nationals had access to sensitive information and concluded that no change to MOD procurement policy was required. No formal sanctions were imposed. Defence took steps to ensure and confirm that there had been no compromise of classified information. The safety and security of the United Kingdom's nuclear submarines and the Deterrent, including the Service personnel who operate it, remain our highest priority. Our security processes are under constant review to ensure best practice.
Under what circumstances an individual arrested for murder is (a) held in custody and (b) released on police bail.
A suspect arrested on suspicion of murder may be held in custody before charge where the custody officer a) is determining whether he has before him sufficient evidence to charge them with the offence for which he was arrested and b) has reasonable grounds for believing that the suspect’s detention is necessary to obtain evidence (for example, witness statements, interview, or medical examination) (PACE section 37). There are statutory limits on the time for which suspects can be held in custody without charge (section 41).A suspect arrested, including on suspicion of murder, may be released within the authorised detention period on conditional or unconditional police bail, pre-charge, a) where there is as yet insufficient evidence to charge a suspect and they are released pending further investigation and b) where the police consider that there is sufficient evidence to charge, but the matter must be referred to the CPS for a charging decision (PACE section 35 and section 37).Preconditions for police bail include the need to prevent offending by the suspect, the need to safeguard victims of crime and witnesses, the need to manage risks to the public and the need to secure the suspect’s surrender to custody (PACE section 50A). Where the individual’s release is required and no pre-conditions for bail are met, they must be released under investigation or subject to no further action (section 37).Where a murder suspect is to be released on pre-charge bail, police should seek the views of close family members of the alleged victim, if it is reasonably practicable to do so, when deciding whether the suspect should be released on bail, and if so whether and what conditions should be imposed (section 47ZZA).Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (CJPOA 1994), suspects who have been charged with murder are not eligible for police bail pending appearance at court for that offence unless exceptional circumstances apply (PACE section 38(1)(c) and section 25 CJPOA 1994). They must be kept in police custody and brought before a court not later, in most cases, than the first sitting after they are charged with the offence (section 46).The rules and procedures relating to police bail are governed by PACE and the Bail Act 1976.