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 1,301–1,320 of 2,390 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.
Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
If they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.
General Medical Council guidance states that all possible efforts must be made to ensure effective communication with patients. This includes arrangements to meet patients’ communication needs in languages other than English.Where language is a problem in discussing health matters, NHS England’s guidance stipulates that a professional interpreter should always be offered, rather than using family or friends to interpret. NHS England’s guidance for interpreting and translation services in primary care is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/guidance-for-commissioners-interpreting-and-translation-services-in-primary-care/Working with professional interpreters will:Ensure the accuracy and impartiality of the interpreting;minimise the legal risk of the misinterpretation of important clinical information, for example informed consent to undergo clinical treatments and procedures;minimise the safeguarding risk, for example for victims of human trafficking, where the trafficker may introduce themselves as a family member or friend, and speak on behalf of the patient;allow family members and friends to attend appointments and support the patient, emotionally and with decision-making, without the added pressure of needing to interpret; andfoster trust with the patient.
If they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.
Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
How many cases of communicable diseases were recorded in new arrivals to the UK in the last five years by visa status.
The UK Health Security Agency does not collect or hold data on communicable disease by visa status for new arrivals to the United Kingdom.Advice on communicable disease screening and vaccinations for new arrivals to the UK is available in the Migrant Health Guidance, published on the GOV.UK website, and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/assessing-new-patients-from-overseas-migrant-health-guide
How many people under active surveillance for potential extremist activity are foreign nationals; and what proportion of those people entered via asylum routes.
It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on operational intelligence or security matters.
How many foreign nationals with (a) settled and (b) asylum status have been convicted of terrorism-related offences since 2010.
Obtaining the information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
What the average cost per pupil was of providing English as an Additional Language support in state schools in the most recent academic year.
Each year, schools receive core funding from the department to cover their expenditures, which includes teacher salaries, support staff, school resources, and other expenses. The funding schools receive is not ringfenced for any specific form of expenditure and it is for each school to determine how this money will be best used to support their individual children.The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.2 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total over £64.8 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25.
What proportion of SEND support recipients were children of non-UK nationals in the latest year for which data is available.
The department does not hold information on the nationality of parents of children with special educational needs.
How many civil servants were subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last three years.
Individual departments are responsible for their own discipline policies and guidance in place, which include details of formal processes and procedures. These will be aligned to the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code which set out the standards and behaviour expected from all employees. Departments will collect information as required in their own department in accordance with GDPR.
How many schools in England had a majority of pupils without English as a first language in (a) the most recent year for which figures are available and (b) 2005.
The department publishes school-level data on the number and percentage of pupils who have English as an additional language in state-funded schools. This information is available in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, based on the January school census. The latest figures can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24. School-level data for 2005 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupil-and-their-characteristics-2002-to-2009-data. English as an additional language does not mean a pupil’s first language is a language other than English, but that they are exposed to another language in the home.
What proportion of (a) income tax, (b) VAT and (c) National Insurance revenue was generated by non-UK nationals in the last 10 years; and what information her Department holds on the proportion of public spending on non-UK nationals in the last 10 years.
HMRC previously published Income Tax, NICs, tax credits and Child Benefit statistics for non-UK nationals. This release was discontinued in 2023 following user consultation. HMRC currently publish UK payrolled employments by nationality, region, industry, age and sex. The nationality of the final consumer of goods and services does not appear on VAT returns.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of population changes due to immigration on public transport (a) capacity and (b) congestion levels in urban centres.
The Department models future demand for transport based on the Common Analytical Scenarios (CAS), which are a wide range of plausible scenarios related to population, the economy, behavioural change and decarbonisation. DfT publish the National Road Traffic Projections (NRTP) which are a set of estimates of road traffic using the CAS, these include estimates of urban congestion. Rail analysis also accounts for population and demographic change when estimating future capacity impacts. The population forecasts used at the DfT are published by the Office of National Statistics and include changes in population arising from births, deaths and immigration and other demographic changes.
How many people deported for criminal offences in the last five years had previously been granted (a) asylum and (b) humanitarian protection.
The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Home Office data systems for collecting and processing data on foreign national offenders in the immigration system are currently being upgraded to improve the quality of information held by the department. For more information, please see this recently published note.
What proportion of grooming gang convictions since 2005 have involved perpetrators born outside the UK.
The Government takes the issue of child sexual exploitation extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring that all perpetrators are brought to justice, regardless of their background.It is not possible to identify an offender’s place of birth, or whether their offending was part of a grooming gang, from centrally collated convictions data.The Government is focused on delivering meaningful change for victims impacted by these horrendous crimes and we must do so in a way that is unburdened by cultural sensitivities. This includes legislative reforms to strengthen mandatory reporting as part of our implementation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommendations. A progress update on this work was published on 8 April 2025.
What proportion of new GP registrations were made by non-UK nationals in each of the last five years.
The Department does not hold data regarding the number and proportion of National Health Service general practitioner registrations that were for non-United Kingdom nationals.
How many civil servants across all departments were awarded performance bonuses in the financial year 2024-2025.
Departments are responsible for administering any in year and end of year performance bonuses to their staff. The majority of departments are in the process of finalising performance markings for the 2024/25 performance year, which will determine who will be eligible for an end of year performance bonus. Departments should therefore hold the information requested by Autumn 2025.
Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of new housing demand that is attributable to net migration since 2010.
The government does not routinely publish assessments of the factors that influence housing demand. Boosting the supply of homes of all tenures must be at the heart of any strategy to meet housing demand which is why the government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament. The government is determined to address the dire inheritance left by its predecessor and restore order to the asylum and immigration systems, delivering lower net migration.
How many and what proportion of civil servants have received formal performance ratings of underperforming or equivalent in each department in each of the last five years.
Departments have delegated responsibility for monitoring and reporting on civil servants performance ratings via their internal governance arrangements. Information on how many civil servants in departments have received formal performance ratings of underperforming is therefore not held centrally.
Whether her Department has recorded any instances of police investigating people for speech deemed offensive to religious groups in the last five years.
On the matter of guidance to the police, I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 16 May to Question 5882-84.On the matter of police investigation, the Home Office collects information on crimes and their outcomes recorded by the police but does not hold information on the nature of their investigations.
If she will issue guidance to the police on ensuring that peaceful expressions of (a) opinions that may cause religious offence and (b) other opinions are not treated as hate crimes.
On the matter of guidance to the police, I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 16 May to Question 5882-84.On the matter of police investigation, the Home Office collects information on crimes and their outcomes recorded by the police but does not hold information on the nature of their investigations.