Every parliamentary written question tabled by Kim Johnson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 301–320 of 475 · this parliament
What proportion of (a) single parent lead carers and (b) all lead carers are self-employed.
In March 2025, 8% of single parent lead carers on Universal Credit (UC) were self-employed, compared to 8% of all lead carers on UC. This includes both claimants who are classified as gainfully self-employed and non-gainfully self-employed.
Whether he plans to introduce a public health campaign on allergy awareness in children.
To help promote awareness of allergies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions, including food allergy in people under the age of 19 years old, anaphylaxis and drug allergy. NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters and other media.In June 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and provide advice on the use of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs). MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) encourages food businesses to complete the FSA’s allergen e-learning course and recommends that it is retaken annually to refresh knowledge and ensure that businesses are up to date on any changes which may have occurred. The FSA online training is free and offers practical advice to anyone wanting to learn more about food allergy.Section 100 of The Children and Families Act 2014 places a legal duty on schools to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions, including allergies. The Department for Education recently reminded schools of their legal duties in their regular schools’ email bulletin, and also alerted schools to the newly created Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, the Independent Schools' Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation. The Department for Education has now also added a link to the Code to their online allergy guidance on GOV.UK, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools
What information her Department holds on the number of children that live in families with a parent or carer that receives (a) the Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity element, (b) the Personal Independence Payment daily living component, where their claim was awarded less than four points in all daily living activities and (c) both, broken down by constituency.
(a) Official statistics for the number of households on Universal Credit (UC) are published every three months on Stat-Xplore, with breakdowns available by various geographies including Westminster Parliamentary Constituency. In addition, breakdowns are available by the number of children and the different UC elements, including the Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity payment. The latest statistics are available to November 2024. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access general guidance on how to extract the information required. For guidance on the UC datasets on Stat-Xplore, see the Universal Credit Official Statistics Stat-Xplore User Guide. (b) (c) Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is an individual-based benefit and therefore DWP does not hold family information on its administrative systems, so this information is not available.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has held with his Israeli counterparts on lifting restrictions on international journalists to enable them to report on the situation in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary and I have both paid tribute to journalists risking their lives to report in Gaza. Journalists covering conflicts are afforded protection under humanitarian law. The Media have a right to report freely and we urge all parties to permit journalists to carry out their crucial role. The UK remains committed to Media Freedom and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. Independent media is essential to a functioning society. There must be safe access for journalists to conflict situations in order to independently cover events.
How many visas have been denied for Gazan children seeking medical evacuation to the UK.
The information requested on visas 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.The UK has supported an initiative by Project Pure Hope to bring a small number of children from Gaza to the UK for privately funded specialist care. On 1 May, the Minister for the Middle East announced that two children have arrived in the UK to begin treatment. The Government also announced a £7.5m package of support to bolster vital medical care in Gaza and the region, which includes additional funding for UK-Med, WHO Egypt and the OCHA OPTs Humanitarian Fund.
How many visas have been issued to Gazan children seeking medical evacuation to the UK since 5 July 2024.
The information requested on visas 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.The UK has supported an initiative by Project Pure Hope to bring a small number of children from Gaza to the UK for privately funded specialist care. On 1 May, the Minister for the Middle East announced that two children have arrived in the UK to begin treatment. The Government also announced a £7.5m package of support to bolster vital medical care in Gaza and the region, which includes additional funding for UK-Med, WHO Egypt and the OCHA OPTs Humanitarian Fund.
How many (a) certificates of competency and (b) certificates of equivalent competency were issued to ships’ cooks by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each year between 2015 and 2024.
Please see below table for the number of certificates of competency issued for ships’ cooks in each year between 2015 to 2024 Ships Cooks Certificates of Competency issued Year2015201620172018201920202021202220232024TotalCerts Issued141141190254397134836575921572 Please be advised that there is no requirement for a certificate of equivalent competency for Ships Cook.
With reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether the proposed extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will apply retrospectively to people already in the UK with the appropriate visa.
We will reform our settlement and citizenship rules by expanding the Points-Based System and increasing the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement and citizenship based on contributions to the UK economy and society.We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and will provide further details at that stage.
What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the operation of the Skilled Worker route for marine and waterways transport operatives.
The Skilled Worker visa for Marine and waterways transport operatives has not been discussed between DfT and Home Office Ministers. Officials continue to liaise with their Home Office counterparts and update Ministers where appropriate.
What steps she is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of open shipping registers on (a) employment and (b) welfare standards for seafarers working in the shipping industry.
Improving the pay and working conditions of seafarers is a priority for this government. We are committed to working with the sector and our international partners to improve standards. All vessels visiting the UK must comply with international minimum standards on employment and welfare. We work with like-minded states and our social partners to continue to improve those international standards. The UK has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Spain, Greece and Cyprus agreeing to coordinate on matters relating to the conditions of seafarers.
What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Shipping Deputy Ministry of the Republic of Cyprus in promoting higher standards of seafarer (a) employment and (b) welfare in the short sea ferry industry.
The Memorandum of Understanding covers maritime safety, security and environment and is a basis for dialogue of mutual interest to both states, and to exchange information and best practice. It also promotes cooperation on dialogue in the international fora on areas of common interest. For seafarers, we have seen this most recently in April in our co-operation with Canada, EU member states including Cyprus, and others on important amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention that the UK helped to drive through. As the flag state for several vessels on the short sea ferry sector, Cyprus complies with all international and EU requirements in terms of employment and welfare of seafarers. Domestic regulations put in place by the coastal state may go over and beyond international requirements. These are compliant with international law and recognise the authority of the flag state.
How many skilled worker visas have been issued for marine and waterways transport operatives under the points based system.
The Home Office publishes data on sponsored work visas by visa type and occupation in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on grants of visas are published in table ‘Occ_D02’ of the sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data is from January 2021 up to the end of December 2024.
Who represented her Department at the second annual review of the Cyprus-UK bilateral Memorandum of Understanding in December 2024.
The annual review of the Cyprus-UK bilateral Memorandum of Understanding is led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Director General for Europe. The Department was not represented during the second annual review which took place in December 2024. However, the Department worked with the FCDO to review the UK-Cyprus Joint Statement and provided written contributions on transport related issues covered in the strategic dialogue as part of the second annual review.
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the recruitment of firefighters in line with demand.
Firefighters play a vital role in keeping the public safe and we are grateful for the work undertaken by fire and rescue services across the country in support of their local communities. The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet their core functions, including meeting response times, is a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority, based on risks identified within local Community Risk Management Plans. This includes ensuring that their Fire and Rescue Service has sufficiently trained, qualified and competent persons to meet their legislated functional requirements.
Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to return central funding to the fire and rescue service to pre-2010 levels.
I met with the FBU General Secretary in February 2025, in preparation of fire functions being transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 April 2025. We briefly discussed future investment in the fire and rescue service and are due to meet again shortly for further discussion. I am also due to speak at the forthcoming FBU conference. I recently met with the FBU General Secretary on 15th May. Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5 million in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.
Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with the Fire Brigade Union on funding for the fire and rescue service.
I met with the FBU General Secretary in February 2025, in preparation of fire functions being transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 April 2025. We briefly discussed future investment in the fire and rescue service and are due to meet again shortly for further discussion. I am also due to speak at the forthcoming FBU conference. I recently met with the FBU General Secretary on 15th May. Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5 million in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure fire and rescue services have adequate (a) personnel and (b) life saving equipment to safely respond to (i) flooding and (ii) wildfires.
The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.MHCLG also supports fire and rescue authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capability comprising 45 HVPs.Additionally, since 2024 the government has funded a national resilience wildfire advisor to consider whether additional national wildfire capabilities might be needed within the Fire and Rescue Services and to increase the coordination approaches across the sector.The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure Fire and Rescue Services have the resources they need to protect communities.
What estimate she has made of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s expenditure on support for the maritime training scheme in 2024-25.
The estimated expenditure by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme for the financial year 2024–25 is £16.835 million.
Communities and Local Government, what discussions she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) frontline fire fighters and (ii) the Fire Brigades Union on improving response times to incidents.
Firefighters play a vital role in keeping the public safe and we are grateful for the work undertaken by fire and rescue services across the country in support of their local communities. The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £65.5m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet their core functions, including meeting response times, is a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority, based on risks identified within local Community Risk Management Plans. This includes ensuring that their Fire and Rescue Service has sufficiently trained, qualified and competent persons to meet their legislated functional requirements.
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 48569 on Shipping: Training, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the (a) number and (b) type of maritime apprentices that will be offered by maritime (i) colleges and (ii) training providers in England in each year from 2025-26 to 2029-30.
There have been no discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the (a) number and (b) type of maritime apprentices that will be offered by maritime (i) colleges and (ii) training providers in England in each year from 2025-26 to 2029-30. The UK remains committed to growing the number of trainee seafarers, as demonstrated though the work of the Cadet Training and Modernisation Programme and the Ratings Review. Trained seafarers benefit both UK economic growth and support a maritime sector fit for future. DfT officials are engaging with the Department for Education on the establishment of Skills England and Ministers are kept updated as this work is progressed.