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 561–575 of 575 · this parliament
What recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
At present, the department is working to ensure that our approach to lifelong learning will be as effective as possible and will enable people to gain the skills they need to support their careers.The government recognises that lifelong learning is a core...
Whether she plans to review the opt outs for the teaching of religious education in secondary schools.
The government has launched an independent review of Curriculum and Assessment and will also consider any changes it wishes to make to support the aim of delivering a rich and broad curriculum for every child whilst the review is conducted.The Curriculum ...
What was the total salary cost of the civil service in each year between 2010 and 2024.
The Cabinet Office does not hold actual outturn salary cost information for all Civil Service departments and organisations since 2010. However, estimated nominal Civil Service salary costs have previously been calculated for the years 2010 to 2024. These...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the enforcement powers of the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency (EA) publishes an annual Review of Activities Regulated by the EA setting out, details of enforcement action taken. The most recent of these reports was published in March this year and sets out statistics demonstrating the effectiv...
Whether he has made an assessment of the compatibility of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees with the Government's obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998.
Paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code states: ‘the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority’. This is known as the Law Officers’ Conventio...
Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the supply of social rented homes.
The Government is committed to the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. Our aspiration is to ensure that, in the first full financial year of this Parliament (2025-26), the number of Social Rent homes is rising rather than falling.Our proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework include setting a clear expectation that housing needs assessments must consider the needs of those requiring Social Rent homes, and that local authorities should specify their expectations on Social Rent delivery as part of broader affordable housing policies.We have asked Homes England and the Greater London Authority to maximise the number of Social Rent homes in allocating the remaining Affordable Homes Programme funding. The Government has started to review the increased Right to Buy discounts introduced in 2012, on which we will bring forward more details and secondary legislation to implement changes in the autumn. We have also announced new flexibilities for how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts to deliver replacement homes; these flexibilities will be in place for an initial 24 months, subject to review.We are committed to setting out details of future Government investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review.
Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities work collaboratively when preparing local plans.
Local authorities should already be working together when preparing development plans under the current plan making system as the Duty to Cooperate remains in place.The consultation on proposed reforms to the NPPF published on 31 July included proposals to strengthen co-operation between local authorities on the sharing of unmet housing need and other strategic issues.It also sought views on our proposed intention to introduce mandatory mechanisms for cross-boundary co-operation with a view to moving to a model of universal strategic planning coverage within the next five years.
How many prisoners usually resident in Mid Leicestershire constituency are eligible for early release.
The change to the Standard Determinate Sentence release point was the only option to prevent the imminent collapse of the Criminal Justice System and ensure we protect the public.The amended release point is applicable to eligible sentences only. Certain offences have been excluded from this change. This includes sex offences irrespective of sentence length; serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more; specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation); as well as offences concerning national security. The change will also not apply to sentences subject to release at the discretion of the Parole Board or to offences which currently attract automatic release from an SDS at the two-thirds point (certain serious sexual and violent offences).Some offenders will have a mixture of eligible and ineligible offences. Whether an offender is released early or not depends on their other sentences, and how they were imposed by the court to be served consecutively or concurrently.The number of revised releases for those currently in custody are being recalculated to ensure probation and prison staff have time to prepare proper plans for their release. This data is being provided at local authority level to align with service provider boundaries, and therefore is not being provided at a constituency level.
How many asylum applicants are resident in hotels in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation is published by the Government in table ASY D_11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
What representations she has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on retaining the £2 bus fare scheme beyond December 2024.
Delivering reliable and affordable public transport services for passengers is one of the Government’s top priorities and we know how important this is for passengers and for local growth. The Government is urgently considering the most effective and affordable ways to deliver on these objectives.
If she will make an estimate of the revenue to the public purse from reducing the top rate of tax relief on pension contributions to 30%.
The Government does not publish such estimates.
Food and Rural Affairs, what the ecological rating of rivers are in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
The Environment Agency undertakes a programme of ecological, water quality and chemical monitoring on the Somerset Frome according to the requirements defined by the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 (WFD). This provides an understanding of the overall Ecological Status of the river. The WFD monitoring classification shows the ecological rating of rivers in the Mid Leicestershire constituency as follows: The Grand Union Canal, Leicester Line, summit to Aylestone is rated as GoodThe Lubbesthorpe Brook Catchment (tributary of Soar) is rated as ModerateThe Quorn Brook Catchment (tributary of Soar) is rated as ModerateThe Rothley Brook Catchment (tributary of Soar) is rated as ModerateThe Eye / Wreake from Langham Brook to Soar is rated as PoorThe Soar from Sence to Rothley Brook is rated as Poor. This information is publicly available on England Catchment Data Explorer.
How many people in Mid Leicestershire constituency will be impacted by the decision to abolish universal winter fuel payments.
An estimated 70,000 people in Mid Leicestershire constituency will be affected by the change to Winter Fuel Payments. This is the estimated number of people in Mid Leicestershire constituency that will no longer receive Winter Fuel Payment as they do not claim Pension Credit. This estimation is calculated by subtracting the number of Pension Credit recipients for Mid Leicestershire from the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients for Mid Leicestershire (using the latest statistics, sources shown below). Please note that following boundary changes to Parliamentary Constituency, data on Mid Leicestershire constituency is not explicitly available/ published. To obtain the above figure, local authority data on Blaby, Charnwood and Hinckley & Bosworth have been combined. Therefore, the above figure of 70,000 is likely to be an overestimate as the Mid Leicestershire constituency consists of some wards of the boroughs of Blaby, Charnwood and Hinckley & Bosworth. Also, the published Pension Credit figures refer to households, so the number of individuals will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where it’s a couple claiming Pension Credit). Furthermore, the above does not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up we might see as a result of the policy. We do not have data on those additional Pension Credit claims by Parliamentary constituencies. Sources used:winter-fuel-payments-caseload-2022-to-2023.ods (live.com)Stat-Xplore - Table View (dwp.gov.uk)
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) facilities are being used by Hamas in Gaza.
We are aware of reports of Hamas using healthcare facilities and other infrastructure, such as schools, as bases and command nodes. UNRWA has condemned the use of UN facilities by any party to the conflict for military and fighting purposes. All parties must act in accordance with International Humanitarian Law.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of the misappropriation of international aid by Hamas in Gaza.
FCDO has systems in place to monitor how UK funding is safeguarded against aid diversion. Measures include rigorous due diligence assessments, thorough and regular risk management assessments, and clauses on preventing aid diversion in our Memoranda of Understandings and agreements with partners. We continuously monitor our programmes and partners, including through annual review processes. We coordinate closely with our partners and any concerns about misappropriation of aid are proactively raised to us.