Edward Leigh MP: written questions
22 published records · newest first.
Written questions
United Kingdom: WalesWales OfficeTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 900389More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to strengthen Wales’ place in the Union.
Answer: Wales benefits from being a part of the United Kingdom and the UK is stronger for having Wales in it.We will do whatever it takes to strengthen the union by focusing on our economic, national, and energy security. This is a UK Government that is fully foc...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordGaza: Armed ConflictForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 908756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to support the humanitarian aspects of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.
Answer: Under the 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, the Government of Israel committed to the full entry of aid without interference. It is unacceptable that over the last 6 weeks, volumes entering Gaza are only 35 per cent of the minimum targets agreed in the Plan.This ...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence and National Security: FinanceMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 908286More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of Exchequer on meeting the NATO target of spending five per cent of GDP on defence and national security.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence remains in close contact with His Majesty's Treasury and No.10 at all levels of the Department on defence spending. This Government has committed to deliver the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War. In ...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: Crowborough Training CampHome OfficeTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117233More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to establish a community liaison group, to be attended by the Home Office and representatives of residents, including local MPs, councillors, Crowborough Shield & other community org
Answer: The Home Office has been and continues regular engagement with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, via the Multi Agency Forum and its sub-groups. Regular meetings with the office of the local MP, Parish counc...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordJin MingriForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterparts on the detention of Pastor Jin Mingri; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure his release.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 75048.
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordYemen: ChristianityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with international counterparts to help ensure the protection of Christian communities in Yemen.
Answer: The UK remains committed to freedom of religion or belief for all. We are concerned about the situation facing minority communities in Yemen, including Christians, particularly in areas under Houthi control. Reports indicate that minorities cannot practis...
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordEritrea: ChristianityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85080More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with her international counterparts to help ensure the protection of Christian communities in Eritrea.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 August 2025 to Question 68341.
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordUnited KingdomWales OfficeTabled 21 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 905993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on strengthening the Union.
Answer: I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on how our two governments are delivering, investing in Wales’s future and strengthening our union.Through a record budget settlement for the Welsh Government, alongside our investment into Welsh rail, ...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordEgypt: Identity CardsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Egyptian counterparts on the potential impact of the inclusion of religious affiliation on national identity cards on people who
Answer: The Egyptian Government has stated its commitment to protecting the rights and freedom of worship as well as the protections enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and we conti...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCatholicism: AnniversariesCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82269More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to mark the 200th anniversary of Catholic emancipation.
Answer: The 200th anniversary of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 will take place in 2029.The Act removed many of the legal barriers to participation in public life for Roman Catholics and was an important milestone in the development of religious freedom in th...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordUzbekistan: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of Uzbekistan on the (a) treatment of Christians and (b) reports of (i) arbitrary arrests and (ii) forced marriage in that co
Answer: The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief for all. We highlight this issue at the UN, G7 and as a member of the Article 18 Alliance. Our Embassy in Tashkent regularly raises human rights with the authorities and maintains a dialogue...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 905656More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the reason for the increased number of asylum seekers in hotels on 30 June 2025 compared with the same date in 2024.
Answer: This government inherited a hotels policy which saw 400 hotels opened and a staggering £9million spent a day housing migrants across the country.Instead of clearing the asylum backlog to reduce those costs, the previous government allowed asylum decision-...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAmphibious Warships: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 905507More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the UK’s amphibious capabilities.
Answer: Amphibious shipping remains critical to delivering Littoral Strike and supporting NATO and global crisis response. Following the Strategic Defence Review 2025, the Royal Navy is committed to enhancing its amphibious capabilities through investment in new ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordIran: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67802More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken in response to the persecution of Baha’i and Christian communities in Iran.
Answer: The UK strongly condemns the repression of religious minorities in Iran, including Baha'is and Christians. On 18 March, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN highlighted the continued systematic targeting and repression of religious minorities at th...
Answered 6 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordColombia: Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart on the forced disappearance of eight people in Guaviare Department on 4 and 5 April 2025; and whether he has had
Answer: We are concerned at the increasing rate of violence in Colombia, including the killing of eight social leaders in Guaviare. We work closely with the Attorney General's Office and Colombian authorities who are investigating the killings, and through our pe...
Answered 17 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChina: Overseas InvestmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor UK funding in the People's Republic of China; and how much has been allocated to the provinces of (a) Tibet and (b) Xinjiang.
Answer: As an open economy, the Government welcomes foreign trade and investment where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security.The Government expects all UK busine...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence: Manufacturing IndustriesMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 901271More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to help increase levels of defence manufacturing.
Answer: Our UK industry partners are at the heart of our One Defence approach. This Government is committed to supporting defence manufacturing in the UK and will bring forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 900988More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of abolishing business rates.
Answer: The government will create a fairer business rates system that protects the high-street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. Autumn Budget 2024 announced the first steps including an intention to introduce permanently lower multipliers f...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEgypt: CoptsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10039More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports of violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt.
Answer: The UK will champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including through the UN, G7, in multilateral fora and in bilateral relationships. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. The Egyptian Government has stat...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Syncytial Virus: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9121More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of age-based eligibility criteria for the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine.
Answer: In June 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) suggested an initial respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme to potentially vaccinate a cohort aged from 75 to 79 years old, and then for those turning 75 years old in subsequent...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFrancesca AlbaneseForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 15 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have (i) met and (ii) had discussions with UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
Answer: I am not aware of any recent meetings by FCDO Ministers or senior officials with UNSR Francesca Albanese. The Foreign Secretary regularly engages with UN representatives to discuss aspects of shared interests and concerns. Minister Dodds and I met Sigrid ...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTransport: East MidlandsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 900489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to increase transport connectivity between the East Midlands and London.
Answer: This government is undertaking an internal review of the department’s capital spend portfolio which will support the development of our new long-term strategy for transport infrastructure. We are working at pace to improve transport provision across the c...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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