Ben Goldsborough MP: written questions
322 published records · newest first.
Written questions
OffendersMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74597More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Criminals to face football, travel, club and pub bans, published on 23 August 2025, what impact her Department estimates these measures will have on (a) r
Answer: Through the Sentencing Bill we will introduce new powers available to the courts when imposing a community or suspended sentence. This will provide courts with greater flexibility than ever before to tailor punishments to offenders and ensure sentences se...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordYoung Offender Institutions: Crimes of ViolenceMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74596More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on (a) children and (b) staff have occurred in Young Offenders Institutions in each of the last 10 years.
Answer: For the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2025, the requested information can be found in table 1.2.2 of Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: Update to March 2025 - GOV.UK.As the counting rules for assaults in young offender institutions c...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Custody: Sick LeaveMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much staff time, in hours, was lost to sick leave in (a) the open estate, (b) the secure estate and (c) Young Offenders Institutions in each of the last 10 years.
Answer: Sickness is measured across the Civil Service in working days lost rather than the number of hours lost.The number of working days lost to sickness is published in the HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly publication which is available here...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Custody: NeurodiversityMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74594More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many neurodiversity support staff have been employed on the open and secure estate in each of the last 10 calendar years.
Answer: The concept of dedicated neurodiversity support staff was introduced in 2021, with four in post. National rollout commenced during 2022 and was phased in over two years. In 2023, there were 51 staff in post. Implementation was completed in 2024, with 123 ...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: EmploymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74593More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing inmates to apply for jobs in prison while on remand.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice acknowledges the importance of purposeful activity including employment in custody for convicted prisoners and for those on remand.Under Section 31 of the Prison Rules 1999, un-convicted prisoners are already permitted to take up p...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Custody: PsychologyMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many psychologists have been employed on (a) the secure estate, (b) the open estate and (c) young offenders’ institutions in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: The requested information is published in Table 15 of the HM Prison & Probation Service Workforce Statistics, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-prison-probation-service-workforce-statistics.Psychologists in HM Prison ...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWomen's Prisons: Sanitary ProductsMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will make an assessment of the proportion of inmates on the women’s estate who have immediate access to menstrual products in their cells.
Answer: All women in prison have access to menstrual products, which are typically stored in locations that allow women to collect items themselves as needed. They are then able to store them in their cells. In circumstances – such as overnight – where a woman is...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government Finance: NorfolkMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68501More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will initiate an external assurance review following Norfolk County Council's application for Exceptional Financial Support.
Answer: Any support agreed through the Exceptional Financial Support framework is usually agreed in-principle and may be subject to conditions, including ensuring there is appropriate assurance around the circumstances of the request. My department is continuing ...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the proportion of funding for commercial early years providers that comes from voluntary contributions.
Answer: As the entitlements are expanded, it is vitally important that they remain accessible and affordable for families.Providers can ask parents to pay for consumables. However, in line with a recent High Court judgment, charges must not be mandatory or a cond...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHealthy Start Scheme: South NorfolkDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58904More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of eligible families are receiving support through the Healthy Start scheme in South Norfolk constituency.
Answer: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at ...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: FoodDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58903More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the updated school food standards promote the procurement of food from local producers and growers.
Answer: The department is engaging with stakeholders on revising the school food standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.Schools are responsible for their school meals service and how and where they ch...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCooperatives: Rural AreasMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58429More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential merits of community ownership to businesses in rural areas.
Answer: This government is committed to doubling the size of the co-operative and mutuals sector. Diverse business models are important, not only in terms of our growth mission, but also to support our communities to thrive. That is why we welcomed the independen...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCooperatives: Government AssistanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58428More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to support community ownership of businesses.
Answer: This government is committed to doubling the size of the co-operative and mutuals sector. Diverse business models are important, not only in terms of our growth mission, but also to support our communities to thrive. That is why we welcomed the independen...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57838More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to regulate water companies operating in protected landscapes to help prevent environmental harm.
Answer: This Government will continue to work with regulators to hold water companies to account on poor performance and drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment. The Water (Special Measures) Act delivers on our manifesto commitment to put w...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57837More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to compare best practice in (a) the UK and (b) other countries in the development of its policies on early years provision.
Answer: The department meets with Ministers and officials from across the UK and other nations to discuss developments, approaches and best practice in the provision of early education and childcare. International evidence, such as the OECD’s Education at a Glanc...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential impact of early years education in (a) schools and (b) non-school sites on educational outcomes.
Answer: It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.The 2024 Department for Education Provider Survey shows tha...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordNurseries: SchoolsDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of full-time early years places at school-based nurseries.
Answer: It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.The 2024 Department for Education Provider Survey shows tha...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57834More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of enabling parents to be paid their childcare funding using their government tax-free childcare account.
Answer: Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) provides parents with financial support with the aim of allowing parents to work and earn more. It enables parents access funding of up to £2,000 per child for children up to 11 years-old (16 and up to £4,000 if the child is disab...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department calculated the funding rate for each (a) child and (b) age group for early years provision.
Answer: The hourly funding rate for the early years entitlements varies to reflect the costs of delivering provision to different ages. The department knows, from listening to the sector and from our own regular research, that the cost of delivery is highest for ...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56692More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions under the Single Justice Procedure have been reopened via the statutory declaration process in each of the last 10 years.
Answer: Data on the number of prosecutions under the Single Justice Procedure which have been reopened via the statutory declaration process is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55649More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will list the offences for which the Single Justice Procedure can be used.
Answer: We do not have a list of the offences prosecutable under the Single Justice Procedure (SJP). It can be used to deal with any non-imprisonable summary-only offence in cases which are non-contested and where the prosecutor considers it appropriate. In all S...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Investment Fund: South NorfolkDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much Youth Investment Fund money has been allocated to (a) organisations, (b) authorities and (c) other entities with premises within South Norfolk constituency in each year since application
Answer: This Government recognises the transformative role that youth services play in young people’s lives. The detail and scale of the funding commitments included in this Government's National Youth Strategy will be shaped by engagement with young people and t...
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Investment FundDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53734More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of funding allocated through the Youth Investment Fund has been allocated to (a) Town and (b) Parish Councils in each year applications were open.
Answer: This Government recognises the transformative role that youth services play in young people’s lives. The detail and scale of the funding commitments included in this Government's National Youth Strategy will be shaped by engagement with young people and t...
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted under the single justice procedure by offence in each month of 2024; and what the plea rates were for offences charged under the single justice procedure in the same period.
Answer: The requested information is provided in the attached table.The Government is concerned about the consistency in standards of private prosecutors, including those who use the Single Justice Procedure. This is why we launched a consultation on the oversigh...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners' Release: UnemploymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have left prison without an identified (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training outcome in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information.While we do publish employment on release outcomes, this does not extend over the past 10 financial years. Our employment outcomes data report employment status at six weeks following release and six ...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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