Ben Obese-Jecty MP: written questions 2024
150 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Private Education: VATTreasuryTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8945More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Exchequer Secretary's oral contribution during the debate on VAT: Independent Schools of 8 October 2024, Official Report, column 171, if she will publish the Government's own analysis on the po
Answer: The government has carefully considered the impact these policies will have on pupils and their families across both the state and private sector, as well as the impact they will have on state and private schools. Following scrutiny by the independent Off...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArmy: TrainingMinistry of DefenceTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8944More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of British Army Training Unit Kenya in financial year 2023-24.
Answer: c.£27 million was directly attributed to The British Army Training Unit Kenya for the financial year 2023-24.
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7614More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Joint Statement by the UK and Mauritius, published on 3 October 2024, what the transformational infrastructure partnership covers; and how much funding
Answer: The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius on 3 October will, for the first time in 50 years, secure the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The base plays a crucial role in regional and international security. It is not normal practice for the...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7613More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Joint Statement by the UK and Mauritius, published on 3 October 2024, what the (a) annual and (b) total projected cost is of the indexed annual payment.
Answer: The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius on 3 October will, for the first time in 50 years, secure the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The base plays a crucial role in regional and international security. It is not normal practice for the...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWater Supply: East of EnglandDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of water companies in the East of England imposing a moratorium on new mains water connections for non-domest
Answer: It is a water company’s duty to assess water available to meet demand and protect the environment. Water companies do this in their statutory water resources management plans every 5 years. Approximately £6 billion is planned for spending across England b...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAsylumHome OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6854More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the page entitled Asylum support on gov.uk, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the information under the heading Cash support on the number of people seeking a
Answer: The prevailing evidence indicates there is a diversity of factors that influence asylum seeker decision-making in seeking to travel in the UK. This government is focused on restoring order to the asylum system.
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGangs: Social MediaHome OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6853More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring social media platforms to remove gang scoreboards of (a) knife crimes and (b) other assaults.
Answer: Under the Government’s Safer Streets Mission, we have committed to ambitious plans to halve knife crime in a decade. As part of this ambition, we are committed to going after the gangs who incite and commit violence on our streets.The use of social media ...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBorder Security Command: Career DevelopmentHome OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what opportunities for career progression will be available to staff in Border Security Command.
Answer: The Border Security Command (BSC) has been launched and will sit as a new bespoke command led by Martin Hewitt and within the Home Office, working collaboratively with colleagues across the department and beyond. Staff will have the same opportunities for...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBorder Security Command: RecruitmentHome OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6851More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Border Security Command will recruit staff directly.
Answer: The Border Security Command (BSC) has been launched and will sit as a new bespoke command led by Martin Hewitt and within the Home Office, working collaboratively with colleagues across the department and beyond. Staff will have the same opportunities for...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBorder Security CommandHome OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Border Security Command’s (a) target and (b) timeline is for reducing the number of people entering the country via small boat.
Answer: The Border Security Command is providing cross-system strategic leadership to tackle Organise Immigration Crime, and wider border security threats. The small boat crisis, fuelled by dangerous criminal smuggler gangs, is undermining our security, and is co...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordYoung Futures Hubs: HuntingdonHome OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new youth hubs will be located in Huntingdon constituency.
Answer: The Government is committed to rolling out a new YF programme including a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need.We will be engaging with local communities, th...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBuildings: Solar PowerMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6848More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce legislation requiring mandatory installation of photovoltaic panels on new (a) houses, (b) commercial buildings and (c) logistic distribution hubs.
Answer: Future standards next year will set our new homes and buildings on a path that moves away from relying on volatile fossil fuels and ensures they are fit for a net zero future. This will support our ambition that the 1.5 million homes we will build over th...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of publicly available roadside electric vehicle chargers that will be required for the phase-out of the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles in Huntingdon constit
Answer: Huntingdon has 81 publicly available chargepoints as of 1 July 2024. The number of future public chargers required in a local area is dependent on a number of factors, such as electric vehicle (EV) uptake, levels of off-street parking and types of chargin...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPensions: ReformDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6846More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to reform the pensions system.
Answer: The Government has already begun work to reform the pensions system: The Pensions Bill, confirmed in King’s Speech, could boost pension pots by over £11,000 for an average earner saving over their career, with further consolidation and broader investment ...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6845More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the projected revenue raised by introducing VAT on independent school fees will be allocated to (a) special education and (b) social, emotional and mental health needs.
Answer: The removal of the VAT exemption for private school fees will not impact pupils with the most acute additional needs, where these can only be met in private schools. Local Authorities (LAs) fund pupils’ places in private schools where their needs can only...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBreakfast Clubs: Primary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6844More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of proposed primary school breakfast clubs will be introduced in Huntingdon constituency.
Answer: The government is clear on the impact that breakfast clubs can have to support children to arrive at school ready to learn, which is why it committed in its manifesto to introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school. The new breakfast club offe...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordStudents: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6843More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase tuition fees for university students.
Answer: The government is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. Funding plans for the HE sector will be set out at the relevant fiscal event, in line with the approach to public...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVeterans: HomelessnessMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6842More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the projected cost to the public purse will be of (a) introducing and (b) managing the Homes for Heroes scheme in (i) 2024-25 and (ii) 2025-26; and from which Department bud
Answer: On 24 September, the Prime Minister announced an ambition to house all veterans in housing need.As a result, the Department will bring forward changes to social housing allocations regulations to exempt all veterans, along with young care leavers and vict...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVeterans: HomelessnessMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6841More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to (a) introduce, (b) manage and (c) monitor the effectiveness of the Homes for Heroes scheme.
Answer: On 24 September, the Prime Minister announced an ambition to house all veterans in housing need.As a result, the Department will bring forward changes to social housing allocations regulations to exempt all veterans, along with young care leavers and vict...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: CybersecurityMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which (a) branch and (b) unit of the armed forces will direct entry cyber military recruits fall under.
Answer: The Direct Entry Cyber Pathway is still being set up; part of the development work is to establish which Branch and Units of the Armed Forces direct entry recruits will fall under. The intent is that entrants, once trained, will operate in a range of unit...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: CybersecurityMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6839More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how a direct entry for cyber military recruits will (a) operate and (b) differentiate to the regular entry route to the Army.
Answer: The Direct Entry Cyber Pathway is still being set up; part of the development work is to establish which Branch and Units of the Armed Forces direct entry recruits will fall under. The intent is that entrants, once trained, will operate in a range of unit...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Private EducationMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6838More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to monitor the potential impact of removing the VAT exemption on independent school fees on service families in receipt of the Continuity of Education Allowance.
Answer: The Secretary of State has noted the contents of the HM Treasury Technical Note (Applying VAT to Private School Fees and Removing the Business Rates Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools), which was recently the subject of public consultation. The M...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: TransportDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6837More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on (a) the number of schoolchildren in Huntingdon constituency who receive local authority-provided school transport and (b) the annual cost of such transport in that constituency
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for assessing children’s eligibility for free home to school travel and for arranging free travel for eligible children. The department does not currently collect data on the number of children who receive free home to sc...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: HuntingdonDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with an education, health and care plan in Huntingdon constituency have a place in (a) primary and (b) secondary school; and how many such children in that constituency do not have a school pl
Answer: The special educational needs (SEN) publication publishes data on pupils in schools in England with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. The data ...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBreakfast Clubs: Primary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding per pupil she plans to allocate to implement free breakfast clubs in primary schools.
Answer: The government has already taken decisive action by announcing in the King’s Speech that, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, every primary school with primary aged children will offer a free breakfast club. Legislating for breakfast club provision will ...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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