Every parliamentary written question tabled by Lee Anderson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 721–740 of 1,315 · this parliament
What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of regional differences in economic inactivity rates by (a) gender, (b) age, (c) ethnicity and (d) religion.
(a)(b)(c): The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp (d): The most recent data is published and available at: Economic activity status by religion - Office for National Statistics
What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of economic inactivity rates amongst (a) foreign and (b) UK nationals.
The latest inactivity rates for UK and non-UK nationals are published and available at:A12: Employment, unemployment and economic inactivity by nationality and country of birth - Office for National Statistics
What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
The number of workdays spent working remotely is not recorded centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Local leadership is actively managing engagement and compliance on office attendance/ working remotely and has reported that compliance with the 60 percent attendance target is being met or exceeded where impediments such as restrictions on car parking and desk space are not prevalent; this has been done in line with, and supported by, HR policy, guidance, and management communications. MOD Main Building (MOD’s HQ) is routinely published in Civil Service HQ occupancy data on GOV.UK. Main Building total occupancy for June 2025 was 87%.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increasing number of people receiving Universal Credit to the British taxpayer.
This Government is committed to a social security system which raises employment and living standards by supporting and incentivising people into work and to work more, reduces poverty by supporting people at times of higher cost and dependency, and promotes fairness and controls overall spending to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system for future generations. The Government’s welfare cap rule also helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the welfare system. A new welfare cap covering the current parliament was introduced at Autumn Budget 2024. The financial sustainability of the benefit system is considered in the round as part of the forecasts for annually managed expenditure which are produced twice yearly as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast process. At Spring Statement 2025 the OBR forecast that expenditure on Universal Credit is forecast to increase from £75.8billion in 2025/26 to £88.9billion in 2029/30 – with Universal Credit expenditure representing a similar share of GDP in 2029/30 as in 2025/26. The number of households on Universal Credit is forecast to increase from 6.3million in 2025/26 to 6.8million over that time period. The OBR will provide a further update as part of the Autumn Budget.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of light pollution from large industrial units.
The Government does recognise that good use of artificial light can contribute to preventing accidents; reducing crime and creating safer spaces and promoting the night time economy, benefiting us all in various ways. The Government has put in place a range of measures to ensure that light pollution is effectively managed through controls in the planning system; the Permitted Development Regime and the Statutory Nuisance Regime. The Environmental Protection Act requires local authorities to take reasonably practicable steps to investigate complaints of artificial light emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to human health or a nuisance and they have powers to take action where there is a problem.
What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
Following a search of our paper and electronic records, we have established that information on the number of workdays completed remotely in 2024 and 2025 is not held by the Wales Office.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Universal Credit expenditure on the sustainability of the overall welfare budget.
This Government is committed to a social security system which raises employment and living standards by supporting and incentivising people into work and to work more, reduces poverty by supporting people at times of higher cost and dependency, and promotes fairness and controls overall spending to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system for future generations. The Government’s welfare cap rule also helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the welfare system. A new welfare cap covering the current parliament was introduced at Autumn Budget 2024. The financial sustainability of the benefit system is considered in the round as part of the forecasts for annually managed expenditure which are produced twice yearly as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast process. At Spring Statement 2025 the OBR forecast that expenditure on Universal Credit is forecast to increase from £75.8billion in 2025/26 to £88.9billion in 2029/30 – with Universal Credit expenditure representing a similar share of GDP in 2029/30 as in 2025/26. The number of households on Universal Credit is forecast to increase from 6.3million in 2025/26 to 6.8million over that time period. The OBR will provide a further update as part of the Autumn Budget.
How many cases of tuberculosis have been recorded in each of the last 10 years.
The number of people notified with tuberculosis in England over the last 10 years is published as part of the UK Health Security Agency’s tuberculosis annual report. The latest annual report, released in December 2024, includes data up to the end of 2023. The full report and data tables are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-in-england-2024-reportThe following table shows tuberculosis notifications for the previous 10 years:YearTotal number of notifications20146,47320155,73420165,62120175,06620184,61020194,70420204,12420214,40720224,37520234,85520245,480Note: data for 2024 is provisional and was included in the quarterly report for quarter four of 2024, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tuberculosis-in-england-national-quarterly-reports/national-quarterly-report-of-tuberculosis-in-england-quarter-4-2024-provisional-data
With reference to the Office for National Statistics’ dataset entitled Business demography quarterly, UK Quarter 2 April to June 2025 edition, if she will consider the effectiveness of the Family Farm Tax policy.
The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact.
If her Department will consider the potential merits of extending the validity period for driving theory tests to three years.
The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a customer’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation, and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it. It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time. Ensuring learner drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the learning to drive process as new drivers are disproportionately casualties on our roads. Learners therefore need to pass another theory test if their two-year theory test certificate expires.
What recent assessment she has made of the long term financial sustainability of the number of people on Universal Credit.
This Government is committed to a social security system which raises employment and living standards by supporting and incentivising people into work and to work more, reduces poverty by supporting people at times of higher cost and dependency, and promotes fairness and controls overall spending to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system for future generations. The Government’s welfare cap rule also helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the welfare system. A new welfare cap covering the current parliament was introduced at Autumn Budget 2024. The financial sustainability of the benefit system is considered in the round as part of the forecasts for annually managed expenditure which are produced twice yearly as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast process. At Spring Statement 2025 the OBR forecast that expenditure on Universal Credit is forecast to increase from £75.8billion in 2025/26 to £88.9billion in 2029/30 – with Universal Credit expenditure representing a similar share of GDP in 2029/30 as in 2025/26. The number of households on Universal Credit is forecast to increase from 6.3million in 2025/26 to 6.8million over that time period. The OBR will provide a further update as part of the Autumn Budget.
If he will make provision for the early diagnosis of blood cancers in the National Cancer Plan.
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as well as other unstageable cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, in order to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
The information requested is not available.
What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of days completed remotely by staff. The Ministry of Justice has over 90,000 staff with the majority having operational roles delivering vital frontline services, including in our prisons, courts and probation services.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mixed-mode integrated public transport ticketing across the UK.
The government recognises the value of greater integration between public transport modes, including in relation to ticketing, and will continue to work with local transport authorities, operators and passengers to improve the fares and ticketing offer for passengers across England. Programmes currently under development in England recognise the aspiration for smart, multi-modal ticketing. This includes the Department for Transport working with representatives from the bus industry, Transport for West Midlands and Midlands Connect to develop a national technology solution to facilitate multi-operator ticketing on buses and trams, focusing on contactless bank card payments and enabling fares capping outside of London. In addition, the Fares, Ticketing, and Retail Programme is delivering two new Pay As You Go schemes for the West Midlands and Greater Manchester, and expanding an existing one in the South East. Transport is a devolved matter, and the UK government has policy responsibility for public transport ticketing in England only.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure compliance with benefit eligibility rules by foreign nationals.
The Department applies strict compliance and benefit eligibility checks to all claimants regardless of their nationality. In addition to verifying a claimant’s identity, DWP checks that claimants are habitually resident here before they can receive public funds benefits including Universal Credit. DWP also applies strict past presence requirements to ensure that claimants of disability and carer benefits have a substantial and recent connection to this country before they can claim. In addition, DWP always checks a person’s immigration status before paying them benefits if they are a foreign national. We verify this information with the Home Office, including through automatic system-to-system checks. This Government takes all cases of fraud seriously and has introduced the biggest package of measures in recent history to reduce welfare fraud, error and debt, which includes new legislation, the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. This contains new powers to modernise our defences and is currently progressing through Parliament.
What was his Departments total spend on international climate finance in each of the last 3 years.
DESNZ ICF supports global clean energy deployment, protects the world’s forests and leverages private investment at scale to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s total spend on International Climate Finance (ICF) over the last 3 years is: DESNZ ICF spendFinancial Year£394.9m2024/25£311.1m2023/24£350.2m2022/23
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of borrowing to fund international climate finance on the debt to GDP ratio.
The UK’s current international climate finance commitment of £11.6bn from Financial Year 2021/22 to Financial Year 2025/26 (ICF3) is funded from the government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget. The ODA budget is accounted for as part of the UK's overall fiscal plans which is moving to a position where day-to-day spending is met with tax revenues, so that the government is only borrowing for investment.
Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to support regional tourism boards.
Since 2022, DCMS has delivered significant reform of destination management devolving accountability to a regional and local level to promote regional growth. We now have a network of 40 tourism boards or Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) across England - including the Nottinghamshire LVEP, which received accreditation last year - and two Regional Destination pilots in the North East and West Midlands. In March, we announced a £1.35 million funding boost to help the Destination pilots attract even more tourists and investment to the UK over this financial year.
What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
On 24 October 2024, the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time.Office occupancy data is published on a quarterly basis. The data is published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data