Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 2,361–2,380 of 2,863 · this parliament
Whether he plans to widen the definition of a public interest entity to include the largest companies not listed on the main London Stock Exchange.
The Government’s plans to widen the definition of a Public Interest Entity were announced in the King’s Speech.
What discussions his Department had with ISG on its internal audit functions prior to that company going into administration; and what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of (a) audit and (b) governance legislation.
The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies. The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement. The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.
For what reason international students from countries with Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results above the UK’s own in English are required to take additional English tests when they apply to UK universities.
The Government has no plans to weaken the UK’s immigration controls on English language requirements in the way suggested by the Honourable Member for Basildon and Billericay.To ensure that all those coming to the UK to study under the Student route are genuine students who can follow a course of study, the Home Office sets minimum requirements for English language competency as specified in the Immigration Rules.Sponsors who are Higher Education Providers (HEP) with a track record of compliance offering courses at degree level or above can also choose to set higher requirements and use their own methods to assess the students’ English language ability.It is important that the English language requirements set out in our Immigration Rules continue to be applied to each individual based on their personal aptitude, rather than handing blanket approval to all students based on the PISA results of their country of origin.
Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 24256 on Electronic Cigarettes: Young People, whether the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will restrict the size of vape tanks.
Whilst nicotine vapes are already subject to tank size requirements, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill goes further and covers all types of vapes, both nicotine and non-nicotine, and consumer nicotine products.As stated in our previous answer, the bill provides powers on product features that allow the Government to regulate the size of a tank or refill container, and the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability.Subject to consultation, regulation making powers in the Government’s bill will allow us to amend or place additional requirements and limits on vape tank sizes, and the size of refill tanks. The Government will consider this issue further as part of its secondary legislation programme after Royal Assent.
If she will take legislative steps to authorise the police to inform youth clubs when people (a) attending and (b) running them have received a police caution for sexual offences.
Ensuring the system for managing sex offenders and those who pose a risk is as robust as possible is a crucial part of preventing sexual violence and delivering our mission to halve violence against women and girls. The disclosure and barring regime protects children and vulnerable adults through the disclosure of relevant criminal records to help employers make informed recruitment decisions. Where an individual is seeking to work in a role that involve special risks and sensitivities, such as working closely with children, an employer may request they obtain an enhanced criminal record certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service. These certificates include details of spent and unspent cautions and convictions recorded on the Police National Computer, subject to filtering rules. Except in some sectors like health and education, the use of DBS checks is at the employer’s discretion. In addition, police can share information about individuals who may pose a risk where disclosure is required to protect the public, including children or vulnerable adults. This can be done either proactively or on request.
If he will publish a table of the total amount spent on (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) tertiary and (d) community care in the NHS in each of the last 5 financial years.
NHS England does not routinely collect expenditure data against the categories requested. However, the table attached shows the total spend in billions for specialised services, primary medical care, community services, continuing care, acute services, core mental health services, and others, as well as total integrated care board and direct commissioning spend, from 2015/16 to 2023/24.
If he will publish a table of the number of (a) doctors, (b) registered nurses and (c) medical scientists were employed as locums in each (i) month and (ii) year since 2021 and what the total cost was for each group in each of those (A) months and (B) years.
The Department does not hold the information requested. NHS England publishes quarterly information on total agency and bank expenditure by National Health Service providers as part of financial reporting, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/financial-performance-reportsThe 2025/26 NHS Planning Guidance states that trusts should reduce their agency spend by a minimum of 30% and bank spend by a minimum of 10%. The accompanying Revenue Finance and Contracting Guidance sets the ambition that agency spend should be eliminated in the coming years.
How many officials in (a) his Department and (b) predecessors to his Department have worked in roles relating to international trade in each of the last 27 years.
The information is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her regulatory policies of the use of category C gaming tablets by high street casinos, in the context of regulations on combined numbers of category B3 and C machines.
No more than 20% of the total number of gaming machines made available for use in an adult gaming centre or licensed bingo premises are permitted to be Category B machines. The other gaming machines made available for use must be Category C machines or Category D machines. This rule is known as the ‘80/20 rule'. It does not apply to casinos or other land-based gambling venues.The Gambling Commission provides guidance around the circumstances in which a machine is available for use, which sets out when a machine can count towards the 80/20 rule. The guidance notes that in relation to tablets, licensees should ensure that there is sufficient floorspace in the premises to permit counted tablets to be used simultaneously.We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform our decisions on the proposals in the previous government’s 2023 gambling white paper, including proposed changes to the 80/20 rule.
Whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on establishing a permanent secretariat for the CPTPP in the UK.
Ministers and Senior Officials meet regularly with their counterparts to discuss CPTPP issues. In November last year, CPTPP Ministers, including the UK, agreed the Vancouver Statement, providing an interim report on the CPTPP General Review. This covered a number of recommendations for taking the review forward, including a proposal for further discussions around improving the effective implementation and operation of the Agreement. The Statement noted that ‘these discussions should cover a range of approaches, including, but not limited to, the possible establishment of a secretariat’. The UK will continue to engage in such discussions with other CPTPP Parties under the auspices of the General Review in the coming year.
Whether his Department has undertaken an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Trade Commissioners programme since it was established.
His Majesty’s Trade Commissioners (HMTCs) represent and promote the UK in markets across the world. They lead on export promotion, both inward and outward investment, and trade policy overseas on behalf of His Majesty’s Government (HMG). Their work includes developing regional plans to deliver the Department for Business and Trade’s priorities in global markets and then leading their teams to deliver those priorities.HMTCs are an important part of the department’s regional leadership rather than a programme, so are not subject to programme evaluation.
Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2024 to Question 4669 on Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment, whether his policy on collation of data for Senior Civil Service appointments has changed since July 2024.
The policy on collation of data for senior civil service appointments across government remains the same as when the Rt Hon member was in Cabinet Office.
If he will take steps to amend paragraph 8.13 of the Ministerial Code, published on 6 November 2024, to provide guidance on whether meetings with social media organisations should be published on a quarterly basis.
Details of ministers’ and senior officials’ official meetings with external individuals and organisations, including with social media organisations, are already published on a quarterly basis. Data for the period of July to September 2024 was published by departments on the 30th January 2025.
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of ending the vetting transformation programme on (a) national security and (b) staff recruitment delays.
The security of our people, assets and information is a Government priority.The Vetting Transformation Programme (VTP) was first announced in October 2020. The programme was subject of a number of reviews and audits under the previous administration, including by the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) and Cabinet Office Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Hub. These reviews concluded that there were weaknesses in governance and stakeholder engagement. As a result, the programme was closed in September 2024.In its place, this Government is undertaking a range of initiatives to modernise and improve vetting services, delivered through three core workstreams:1. Rationalising Policy and Process - Government Security Group (GSG) and UK Security Vetting are working with departments to standardise and centralise decision making.2. Enhancing Digital and Cyber Security - UKSV are currently in the process of migrating the National Security Vetting System (NSVS) platform to the cloud to enhance the reliability of the current service and bring capabilities in line with industry best practice.3. Increasing Assurance - GSG and UKSV are moving to an approach of continuous improvement across the assurance offered by vetting investigations.In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.
What steps her Department is taking through (a) Young Futures Hubs and (b) Young Futures Prevention Partnerships to help tackle violence against women and girls.
The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening altogether.This focus on prevention also sits at the heart of the Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships.Young Futures Prevention Partnerships will bring local partners together to ensure children at risk of being drawn into knife crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls are identified earlier and offered support in a more systematic way.Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.Officials across Government are working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape how the Young Futures Hubs will work in practice.
Media and Sport, with reference to UK Music’s blog post entitled UK Music & Tik Tok Party at Labour Conference 2024, published in 2024, whether her attendance at the UK Music and Tik Tok party will be declared in her Department’s Ministerial hospitality reporting.
In accordance with the Ministers’ Transparency Guidance, Departments should not include hospitality received by ministers in their capacity as an MP in a constituency or party- political capacity in Ministers’ declarations.
What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) improve cross-Departmental working and (b) provide funding for multi-agency teams to help support (i) early interventions and (ii) other programmes for young people at risk of homelessness, abuse and exploitation.
The government is committed to tackling abuse, exploitation, and homelessness through cross-departmental working. The Department for Education, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Home Office, and the Department of Health and Social Care have a shared commitment through the opportunity mission to improve outcomes for children. From April, over £500 million will be made available to local authorities for Family Help, multi-agency child protection, and Family Network reforms, doubling investment in preventative services by 2025/26. Additionally, £15 million from the Shared Outcomes Fund will support multi-disciplinary teams providing holistic support to children at risk of violence and exploitation through the Support, Attain, Fulfil, Exceed (SAFE) and Alternative Provision taskforces. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced on 17 December, aims to improve information sharing across agencies and strengthen the role of education in safeguarding. The Bill mandates the establishment of multi-agency child protection teams in every local area and includes measures for better planning and support for care leavers. Regulations will be amended to ensure care leavers cannot be found intentionally homeless. On 16 January, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary also made a statement that before Easter, the government will announce a timetable for implementing recommendations from the final Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and their standalone report on grooming gangs, with updates to key departmental guidance on child sexual exploitation.
How many cases relating to breaches of covid-19 laws are (a) awaiting and (b) ongoing in (i) Crown and (ii) magistrates courts.
According to the best available data from our live management information systems, there are 114 outstanding cases in the magistrates court under Coronavirus Offences as at 30 September 2024. There are no cases awaiting trial or sentencing at the Crown Court (although there are 3 appeals against magistrate court decisions there).
Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 902578 on Marriage: Relatives, what her Department's timetable is for the consideration of the Law Commission’s 2022 wedding report.
The Law Commission set out that its recommendations would provide greater choice for couples in deciding how and where they get married. Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions and we must consider any recommendations to change weddings law carefully, including in relation to cousin marriage.We will take the time to properly consider their report before setting out our position in the coming months.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26566 on Special Educational Needs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of lockdown restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic on the (a) behaviour, (b) special educational needs requirements and (c) primary socialisation of school children; and what steps she is taking to help support those children.
The UK Covid Inquiry was set up to examine the UK's response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to learn lessons for the future. The government is committed to learning from the findings of the Covid Inquiry, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for a future pandemic.The pandemic affected all pupils, particularly those that are disadvantaged, leading to dips in attainment and a substantial widening of the gaps between disadvantaged children and their peers. Prolonged periods of absence from schools and colleges may have also contributed to disengagement whilst at school and increased incidents of misbehaviour. The department has also seen more children starting primary schools without basic levels of development, meaning that teachers cannot focus on teaching, impacting all children in the class.