Every parliamentary written question tabled by Nick Timothy this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 801–820 of 956 · this parliament
Whether the Prime Minister and the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East discussed (a) delivering UNRWA operations in Hamas-controlled areas and (b) steps UNRWA is taking to ensure the political neutrality of its staff during their meeting on 11 December 2024.
I refer the Hon Member to the read-out of the meeting on GOV.UK
What the size of the current court case backlog is in England and Wales.
We publish court open caseloads across the criminal court, family court, and tribunals jurisdictions in the following publications:Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.HMCTS management information - September 2024 - GOV.UK.Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reform the current right to roam regime.
Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride, but too many across the country are left without access to the great outdoors. That is why the last Labour Government expanded public access by introducing the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which provided the public a right of access to large areas of mountain, moor, heath, down, registered common land and coastal margin in England. 2024 marked 75 years since the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, which secured public access and preserved natural beauty. This Government will continue to increase access to nature for families to enjoy, boosting people’s mental and physical health and leaving a legacy for generations to come. We will create nine new National River Walks, plant three new National Forests and empower communities to create new parks and green spaces in their communities with a new Community Right to Buy. We will announce further details on our plans for improving access to nature in due course.
What estimate he has made of the average cost, as a percentage of the total paybill, of trade union facility time in the (a) public sector and (b) private sector in the latest period for which data is available.
Under the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017, relevant public sector authorities are required to publish certain information annually on facility time usage in their organisation. The most recently available data, for 2022/23, is published on gov.uk. It provides data on the total cost of facility time for public sector organisations, including as a percentage of total pay. The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the cost of facility time within the private sector. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has made impact assessments relating to the Employment Rights Bill, which have been published on .gov.uk
If he will publish the (a) countries of origin, (b) value, and (c) volume of imported (i) oil and (ii) gas in each year since 2010.
Annual oil and gas imports volume and value figures are published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics, Annex Table G.1: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dukes-foreign-trade-statistics More detailed import volume data are also published in individual chapter tables.For oil see Table 3.7: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/petroleum-chapter-3-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukesFor gas see Table 4.5: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/natural-gas-chapter-4-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes
What steps his Department is taking to help tackle (a) national and (b) local barriers to community energy projects.
The Government recognises the role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change. Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan will partner with and provide funding and support to community energy groups to roll out renewable energy projects across the UK and help develop up to 8GW of cleaner power. DESNZ’s £10m Community Energy Fund enables both rural and urban communities in England to access grant funding to develop local renewable energy projects.
What recent estimate he has made of of the number of employers in the (a) private and (b) public sector whose employees are members of an unrecognised trade union.
The Government does not hold information on the number of employers in the private and public sectors whose employees are members of an unrecognised trade union.The Management and Wellbeing Practices Survey estimates the percentage of employers with recognised unions and employers with union members. The difference in percentages could be used as a proxy to estimate the percentage of employers whose employees are members of an unrecognised trade union.
If he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the processes put in place by his Department to ensure that the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 (a) is open and transparent and (b) will allocate contracts according to which bid achieves the highest value for money.
We are reviewing the Contracts for Difference scheme, as we do before every round, to ensure it continues to deliver value for money and all other objectives. We set out some of the changes to the scheme we are considering in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and will be consulting on these early next year. We will open Allocation Round 7 in the summer of 2025, and publish further details for the round in due course.
What information his Department holds on the number of foreign nationals employed at (a) Sizewell and (b) Hinckley nuclear power station by country of origin in each year from 2010 to 2024.
The department does not collect information on the number of foreign nationals employed on the Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C projects. Access to the critical systems for both reactors would be restricted to UK nationals only. The nuclear license holder will be obliged to meet security standards as set out by the Regulator.
What steps her Department is taking to follow the Prevent duty guidance, published on 12 March 2015, during meetings with Islamist organisations.
In 2024 a new definition of extremism was published, alongside a set of engagement principles, to ensure that the Government is not inadvertently providing a platform, funding or legitimacy to groups or individuals who attempt to advance extremist ideologies.The definition sits alongside a set of cross-government engagement principles. The definition and engagement principles are used by Government departments when considering with whom to engage.The Prevent duty guidance advises specified authorities on best practice to help them comply with the Prevent duty. It includes advice on how they can limit exposure to radicalising narratives and ensure radicalising ideologies are challenged and are not permitted to flourish.The latest iteration of the Prevent duty guidance came into force in December 2023.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the threshold for the number of employees within an organisation for it to be eligible for the statutory trade union recognition ballot process.
The Government is simplifying the process and the law around statutory recognition thresholds, so that working people have a meaningful right to organise through trade unions. As part of this, we are removing the antiquated rule that means that unions must show at the application stage that they are likely to get a majority in a subsequent recognition ballot. We will also consult on whether the 10% membership requirement on application should be reduced following Royal Assent of the Employment Rights Bill.
With reference to his Department’s consultation, Making Work Pay: Consultation on creating a modern framework for industrial relations, published in October 2024, what his planned timetable is for the consultation on lowering the admissibility requirements for the statutory trade union recognition ballot process.
The Employment Rights Bill includes a provision to provide Ministers with the power to bring forward secondary legislation to vary the trade union recognition admissibility threshold between 2% and 10%. Once the Bill obtains Royal Assent the Government intends to consult on lowering the admissibility threshold prior to issuing secondary legislation.
If he will take steps to consult on (a) secondary legislation and (b) policy on trade union voluntary access (i) agreements and (ii) adjudication.
Clause 46 of the Employment Rights Bill provides a framework for trade unions to access workplaces where an access agreement is reached between an independent trade union and an employer, making it easier for union representatives to recruit, organise and carry out other union-related activities. The Government ran a consultation that closed on 2 December about the approach to enforcement of the right of access provisions. We are currently considering the responses to that consultation and will publish a government response in due course. The Government will also consult on secondary legislation relating to the right of access framework following Royal Assent of the Employment Rights Bill.
What funding has been provided to the counter-extremism centre of excellence since 4 July 2024.
The March 2024 announcement of a new centre of excellence for counter-extremism within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was a commitment by the previous administration and has not been continued by this Government.
Whether his Department has identified the (a) location and (b) severity of capacity constraints in the energy distribution network.
Ofgem’s price control supports network reinforcement to enable Distribution Network Operators to increase network capacity where required. Ofgem has published analysis of current and future capacity constraints in its framework consultation for the next electricity distribution price control period, beginning in 2028.Ofgem will also promote data sharing and digitisation across DNOs to improve network visibility and reduce constraints. In 2026, National Energy System Operator will publish Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESP). RESPs will support coordinated development of the distribution system and enable long-term investment in capacity to be made with confidence and ahead of need.
Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on the freedom of the press of the recent IPSO ruling in relation to a complaint made by Juno Dawson against the Spectator newspaper.
The Government is committed to protecting press freedom, which is essential to a strong and functioning democracy. In the UK, there exists an independent, self-regulatory system for the press, which is crucial to maintain press freedom. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment on a specific ruling by IPSO, as an independent press regulator.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of expanding (a) offshore wind, (b) onshore wind and (c) solar energy on environmental conservation.
We have important checks and balances in the planning system that require extensive up-front environmental surveying, and for decision makers to ensure statutory environmental and habitats impact assessments are conducted as part of the planning determination.
How many staff work in the Border Security Command; and how many of those staff were not previously working on small boat crossings.
I refer the Right Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 14 October to Question UIN 6818.
How much public investment has been directed to Sizewell C in each year since 2022.
The Government has announced funding provided to Sizewell C in the following financial years: £100m in 2021/22, £679m in 2022/23, £1,811m in 2023/24 and £1,200m in 2024/25 to date.
Whether an assessment has been made of the potential impact of expanding (a) onshore wind and (b) solar energy on the availability of agricultural land.
Current planning policies guide developments away from using Best and Most Versatile agricultural land where possible. Developers will submit information on land use and classification when seeking planning consent, and this information will be taken into account by decision makers. However, Government does not set a prescriptive approach and as such does not hold this information.