Every parliamentary written question tabled by Peter Bedford this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 241–260 of 575 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds data on dogs being transported to China for use as meat for human consumption.
APHA, Defra’s executive agency, has data on the number of commercial and non-commercial dogs exported to China. The system does not record the purpose of movement for commercial dogs and therefore does not hold data on dogs being exported to China for use as meat for human consumption.
What information her Department holds on the annual cost of free bus passes for people over the State Pension age.
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually.
What the cost to the public purse is for free prescriptions for people over the age of 60.
There were 781 million items with a combined total net ingredient cost (NIC) of £5.9 billion dispensed to patients aged 60 years old and over in 2024/2025.National Health Service patients pay a fixed charge for each prescription item dispensed in primary care, unless they are exempt from prescription charges. All patients aged 60 years old and over are exempt so no prescription charges are collected from these patients. The flat-rate NHS prescription charge is not related either to the cost of the item prescribed or to the cost to the NHS of dispensing it. As well as the NIC of drugs and appliances, the cost of medicines prescribed in the NHS include the dispensing fees and allowances paid to pharmacists and appliance contractors for the service they provide to the NHS.To note, the NIC is the basic price of a drug excluding value-added tax. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income. The data is taken from supplementary data alongside official Prescription Cost Analysis statistics, for 2024/2025.
If she plans to review the governance of the Sentencing Council.
The Lord Chancellor is currently undertaking a review of the Sentencing Council’s role and powers and has indicated that she will introduce reforms in future legislation, if considered necessary
How much her Department spent on in-person surveys conducted by external polling companies in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 to date.
The department’s expenditure is recorded by financial year. It has spent the following on public polling through external polling companies between 2023 and 31 May 2025:2022/23: £66,750.2023/24: £45,750.2024/25: £24,250.2025/26 (to date): £0.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Houthi rebels in Yemen on the interests of (a) the UK and (b) UK allies.
Over the last 19 months, the Houthis have conducted attacks against international commercial shipping, as well as British and American warships. This has violated the principle of freedom of navigation, further destabilised the region, and caused the peace process in Yemen to stall. In addition, the Houthis have waged economic warfare against the Government of Yemen and obstructed humanitarian aid from reaching Yemenis in need.The UK has underlined these concerns at the UN Security Council alongside our international partners.The best route towards a secure, stable and prosperous future for Yemen is through an inclusive peace process, under the auspices of the UN Special Envoy, and negotiated political settlement.Furthermore, the UK continues to call for de-escalation within the region. We have long been clear about our concerns over Iran's political, financial and military support to militant and proscribed groups, including the Houthis.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the cost pressures faced by local authorities in providing statutory services.
The government recognises the significant pressures that councils are facing. This Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding to be delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29. The £3.4 billion, when taken together with a 3% core council tax referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept, results in an average overall real terms increase in local authority core spending power of 2.6% per year over the next multi-year settlement (2026-27 to 2028-29). The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, alongside regular engagement with local authorities.
Whether she has made representations to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the monetary value of VAT registration thresholds.
At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether.The Chancellor has regular discussions with other Government Ministers on matters of common interest.
Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of tax reliefs for research and development on economic growth.
The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues. Research and development (R&D) tax reliefs play a vital role in the Government’s mission to boost economic growth and drive innovation in the UK. Overall, R&D reliefs will support an estimated £56 billion of business R&D expenditure in 2029-30, roughly a 20 per cent increase from £47 billion in 2022/23.
With reference to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2025, what estimate he has made of the number of new Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations which will be created.
Proposals for new bodies are subject to the ongoing ALB review, announced by the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster on 6 April, to ensure their existence can be strongly justified against key principles.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of applying the Government commercial function terms and conditions of employment to the wider civil service.
No such assessment has been made. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and nature of the role and as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
Whether her Department is taking steps to prevent criminals in India from scamming UK citizens.
With over 70% of fraud estimated to have an overseas element, international collaboration is a vital part of the Government’s work to protect UK citizens from that threat.The UK is driving global action on tackling fraud, working with individual countries as well as multilateral bodies to develop an expanded programme of upstream international work to stop fraud before it reaches our shores.In October 2024, the first ever UN Resolution on Fraud was passed at the 12th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. This marked a significant advancement in the global fight against fraud and the UK played a leading role in supporting these efforts. The UK is also supporting the next Global Fraud Summit (after the first in London in 2024), at the UN in Vienna, to further raise fraud as a priority in Member States.We will build on this progress through the new Fraud Strategy, where a key priority will be expanding our international work to tackle fraud at source.
What role the voluntary and community sector will have in delivering the Neighbourhood Cancer Care model in the National Cancer Plan.
The National Cancer Plan will seek to foster improved collaboration with the voluntary and community sector. We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and to support people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer.Neighbourhood Health Guidelines have been published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance, and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, to help integrated care boards, local authorities, and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26, in advance of the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. NHS England has also recently published case studies alongside this, setting out examples of existing good practices, on 5 March 2025. The full vision for the health system will be set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the 10-Year Health Plan.
Innovation and Technology, how many permanent civil servants had contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.
Human Resources data for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been available from September 2023. Since then, the Department dismissed 1 permanent employee in 2023-24 and 2 permanent employees in 2024-25.
How many permanent civil servants had contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.
No permanent civil servants have had their contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in the time frame given.
Whether he plans establish a governance framework for (a) monitoring and (b) ensuring accountability in the delivery of the National Cancer Plan.
Governance mechanisms for monitoring and ensuring accountability for delivery will be established as part of the development of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year.
What steps he is taking to (a) reduce inequalities in cancer care and (b) improve outcomes for underserved communities through the National Cancer Plan.
Reducing inequalities in cancer diagnosis, care, and outcomes is a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival, and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location.We are committed to engaging with patient groups and all communities to make sure that we hear and learn from different voices to shape the long-term vision for cancer. We are also working closely with charities who focus on tackling health inequalities to develop the plan, which will be published later this year.
How many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
No permanent civil servants working in the Scotland Office had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
In financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24 fewer than five permanent Civil Servants were dismissed due to poor performance, and in 2024/25 there were five dismissals.
Whether she has made representations to the Court of Appeal on the unduly lenient sentencing of those convicted of causing the death of Bhim Kohli.
The Law Officers have 28 days from the date of sentence to consider any requests received under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal. I can confirm my department has received such referral requests in relation to the sentencing of two youths responsible for causing the death of Bhim Kohli. The deadline for any referral to the Court of Appeal is 3 July 2025. The hon. Member will be informed in due course of the Law Officers’ decision.