Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rupert Lowe this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 2,001–2,020 of 2,322 · this parliament
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14365 on Hospital Beds: Foreign Nationals, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the occupation of hospital beds by chargeable overseas visitors.
There are no plans to collect this data centrally; it is for National Health Service trusts to manage bed occupancy regardless of whether the patient is chargeable or not.
Pursuant to the answer of 14 November to Question 14378 on NHS Translation Services what the (a) cost for translation of and (b) percentage of communications in each language in e-RS communication letters was in each of the last five years.
The e-RS translated letters are based on standard templates, so NHS England only pays translation costs when the templates change, or when they add additional languages. The cost incurred in the last five years is £4,213, which breaks down as:¾ £780 as of June 2019, with 10 languages;¾ £1,593 as of June 2023, with 25 languages; and¾ £1,840 as of January 2024, with 25 languages.In addition, the following table shows the total letters sent and the proportion of translated letters sent each year since April 2019, at a summary level:YearTotal e-RS lettersTotal translated2019/203,050,5463.88%2020/211,056,2183.78%2021/221,454,0614.24%2022/231,496,4274.45%2023/241,147,5436.92%2024/25689,9348.09%Note: for 2024, the data is not for the whole year, but for the year to date.
How much was paid to DA Languages by all Departments in each of the last ten years.
The Cabinet Office does not hold information relating to other Departments’ expenditure. The Cabinet Office has not incurred any spend with DA Languages in each of the last ten years.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14367 on Non-Crime Hate Incidents, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on non-crime hate incidents.
The Government is carefully considering next steps relating to the recording of non-crime hate incidents.
If she will encourage local authorities with (a) hotels and (b) other accommodation housing irregular migrants to impose (i) Public Space Protection Orders and (ii) Community Protection Notices around (A) hotels, (B) schools and (C) other public spaces.
It is for each relevant agency to decide how best to effectively implement PSPOs and CPNs in their local areas depending on the specific circumstances they are dealing with. The Home Office has published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of those powers.
With reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Border Security and Asylum to the Urgent Question on Asylum Seekers: Hotel Accommodation of 20 November 2024, Official Report, column 277, in which constituencies the 220 hotels are; and what the star rating is of each hotel.
For the safety and security of residents and staff at its accommodation sites, the Home Office does not publish detail of each site in use. However, data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, by local authority and accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for the most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
How many dentist appointments were attended by irregular migrants in each year since 2018.
We do not hold data on how many dental appointments were attended by irregular migrants each year since 2018. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and ensuring that the relevant dental services are available.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14197 on General Practitioners: Translation Services, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the cost of translation and interpretation services incurred by GPs.
The Department has not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the cost of translation and interpretation services incurred by general practices (GPs).The Department has also not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of GP and outpatient appointments conducted in a language other than English and British Sign Language.
What the total amount of fines collected for taking children out of school during term time was in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.
The department collects information from local authorities on penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence, including numbers of penalty notices issued, paid within 21 days, paid within 28 days, and other outcomes. This is published in the statistical release ‘parental responsibility measures’ and can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures.The amount payable was £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt, rising to £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days. From August 2024, the fine for school absences is £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.The number of penalty notices issued, paid within 21 days, paid within 28 days, and other outcomes, by local authorities and for England, can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d370ede-53eb-454f-f8ae-08dd0adc50ad.
How much was spent on food for irregular migrants housed in hotels in each year since 2018.
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support and accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. It does not collect or publish a breakdown of the resulting costs by type.The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts: Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
How much the Prime Minister has spent on foreign travel since taking office.
As is longstanding practice, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November to Question 14376 on Health Services: Translation Services, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of (a) GP and (b) outpatient appointments conducted in a language other than English and British Sign Language.
The Department has not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the cost of translation and interpretation services incurred by general practices (GPs).The Department has also not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of GP and outpatient appointments conducted in a language other than English and British Sign Language.
What steps the Government is taking to use (a) section 24(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 and (b) section 2 of the Asylum & Immigration Act 2004 to stop people entering the country via small boats.
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 amended Section 24(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971, to introduce tougher criminal offences for those attempting to enter the United Kingdom (UK) illegally or found to be facilitating illegal immigration.Since the Act came into force on 28 June 2022, Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams have pursued a number of suspects for offences brought in under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.For example, in the current calendar year to 18 November 2024, 53 individuals identified as small boat pilots have been convicted under the Act.
How many GP appointments were attended by irregular migrants in each year since 2018.
Primary care services delivered by general practitioners and nurses are free for all in England. Therefore, the migration status of individuals is not recorded, as it is not relevant to the care provided, or in relation to cost recovery.
What the total cost was for the covid-19 vaccine roll-out in each year since 2021.
The total cost for the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, each year since 2021, is as follows:£2.1 billion in 2020/21;£5.6 billion in 2021/22;£2.8 billion in 2022/23; andthe audited accounts for 2023/24 have not yet been published, and so finalised figures will be unavailable until they have been published.These figures cover the costs incurred by the Department’s group of the procurement of the vaccines and subsequent costs of administration.
What consultations her Department is holding with public schools in relation to the removal of VAT exemptions.
The government carried out a technical consultation from 29 July to 15 September 2024 and published a response alongside a tax information and impact note on 30 October. The documents are published on GOV.UK and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees-removing-the-charitable-rates-relief-for-private-schools.The government received over 17,000 written responses during the consultation period, all of which were carefully considered.During the consultation period, the government also held a series of meetings with stakeholders who represent private schools. As the regulator of private schools, the department will continue to have regular meetings with representatives of private schools.
What proportion of payments of court fines were made by benefit payment deductions in each of the last ten years.
There is no central data available on the proportion of court fine payments made through benefit deduction payments. Gathering this information would incur disproportionate cost.
How many people smugglers have been sentenced in relation to irregular migration across the English Channel since 2018.
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on offenders sentenced for irregular migration offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: June 2024.However, data held centrally does not include information on whether offenders were people smugglers involved in irregular migration specifically across the English Channel. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Whether there is an official process to inform local residents when a hotel is used to house irregular migrants.
For the safety, security and wellbeing of those indiviuals staying in Home Office accommodation and the staff who work there, we do not disclose information about specific hotels which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office to the general public.However, to ensure that views of key external stakeholders are sought and partners are engaged, the Home Office works with Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships to engage directly with local authorities and other statutory partners when there are plans to open a hotel in their local area.
What is the total amount deducted from benefit payments to pay for claimants' court imposed fines each year for the ten previous years.
Table 1 provides the total amount deducted from Universal Credit payments to repay a Court Fine debt for each financial year from April 2018 to August 2024. Table 1: the total amount deducted from Universal Credit payments for Court Fines, April 2018 to August 2024Financial YearsTotal Amount Deducted for Court FinesApr-18 to Mar-19£2,000,000Apr-19 to Mar-20£49,000,000Apr-20 to Mar-21£95,000,000Apr-21 to Mar-22£52,000,000Apr-22 to Mar-23£45,000,000Apr-23 to Mar-24£58,000,000Apr-24 to Aug-24£28,000,000 Notes:1. Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest million. 2. Court fines are classed as a Third Party Deduction. Data for Third Party Deductions is incomplete before April 2018, so we can't provide data for earlier years. 3. Data up to August 2024 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Deductions Statistics.4. Data for 2018/19 only includes Universal Credit full service claims. Data on Universal Credit live service for 2018/19 is not available. In May 2016 the Universal Credit full service for all claimant types began to rollout nationally and was completed by the end of 2018.5. Comparison across the different financial years is problematic due to changes in the deductions policy for Universal Credit, which would have affected the number of households having a third party deduction.6. Figures have been provided for Universal Credit households in Great Britain. Northern Ireland claims are administered by the Department for Communities. 7. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.8. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.