James McMurdock MP: written questions
830 published records · newest first.
Written questions
British Indian Ocean Territory: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion entitled Legal Consequences of
Answer: The 2019 ICJ Advisory opinion was not the only long-term challenge we faced, and claims that we negotiated this deal solely because of it are simply wrong. Since 2015, 28 international judges and arbitrators have expressed views on the sovereignty of the ...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordUnited NationsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the UK's engagement with the United Nations.
Answer: The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable D...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUnited Nations: FinanceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30549More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the UK's financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies.
Answer: The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable D...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUnited Nations: FinanceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK's contributions to the United Nations are not helping to fund initiatives that undermine the UK's national interests
Answer: The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable D...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUnited Nations: FinanceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the UK’s financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies.
Answer: The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable D...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: AppealsMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the independence of the courts from external influence from (a) UN bodies and (b) non-governmental organisations when enacting immigration law.
Answer: As the Prime Minister has said, it is Parliament that enacts the law on immigration, and it is Government that makes the policy (Official Report, column 249). It is an enduring strength of our democracy that when judges apply the law, they decide cases im...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: AppealsMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30544More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the number of times courts have cited (a) the UN Global Compact for Migration and (b) other non-binding international agreements in
Answer: The Ministry of Justice does not have policies in relation to asylum and immigration, responsibility for which sits with the Home Secretary. Nor does the Ministry of Justice consider or hold any data on the number of times in which the UN Global Compact f...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational LawMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require courts to abide by domestic law over (a) policies promoted by UN agencies and (b) non-legally binding in
Answer: As the Prime Minister has said, it is Parliament that enacts the law on immigration, and it is Government that makes the policy (Official Report, column 249). It is an enduring strength of our democracy that when judges apply the law, they decide cases im...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGlobal Compact for MigrationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Global Compact for Migration on (a) demands for NHS services and (b) the provision of healthcare for migrants.
Answer: The term 'migrants' encompasses a diverse group of individuals, including authorised and unauthorised migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, each with varying legal statuses that impact their entitlement to healthcare services in the United Kingdom. The ...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGlobal Compact for MigrationHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30541More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the UN Global Compact for Migration.
Answer: The Global Compact for Migration, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, aims to foster international cooperation on migration in a comprehensive way. The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migra...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGlobal Compact for MigrationHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration on (a) UK immigration laws and (b) legal challenges to border control poli
Answer: The Global Compact for Migration, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, aims to foster international cooperation on migration in a comprehensive way. The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migra...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPalliative CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30024More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve end-of-life care in the community.
Answer: The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big ro...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFood BanksDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30016More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the reasons behind the increase in food bank usage, as reported in the Family Resources Survey 2022-23.
Answer: This Government is committed to addressing poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels, which is why we published official estimates of foodbank use. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into pov...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFamilies: Government AssistanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30015More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the proportion of families who received state support in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answer: DWP publish information on households in receipt of Universal Credit and other benefits. Ministers consider all the relevant statistics when making policy decisions. The latest available data can be found on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/)....
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPensions: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30014More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the tax relief ceiling on private pensions.
Answer: The Government wishes to encourage pension saving, to help ensure that people have an income, or funds on which they can draw, throughout retirement. This is why, for the majority of savers, pension contributions are tax-free. The annual allowance is cur...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPensioners: Food PovertyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30013More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support pensioners with (a) the cost of household bills and (b) food insecurity.
Answer: The State Pension is the foundation of income in retirement and will remain so, protecting 12 million pensioners through the triple lock, with a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension from April 2025. We are also increasing the...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30012More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with partners in the Global South to help ensure that Official Development Assistance spending aligns with their development priorities.
Answer: Our mission is to build partnerships to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. We will build modern, mutually beneficial, bilateral development partnerships to drive growth, protect our planet and strengthen security, which will help ...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Development AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30011More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the £236.75 million allocated to Ukraine in the Official Development Assistance Programme was designated for (a) humanitarian aid and (b) economic developm
Answer: The bilateral Ukraine portfolio totals £282 million in 2024/25 covering humanitarian, stabilisation, energy, recover and reform programmes. The majority of this is through Official Development Assistance. This includes £122 million in humanitarian assista...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEthiopia: Development AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which initiatives have been supported by the £216 million funding to Ethiopia through the Official Development Assistance Programme in 2024-25.
Answer: UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Ethiopia for 2024/25 was £216 million. Most of this allocation has been used to provide lifesaving humanitarian aid, focused on emergency health, nutrition, and social protection. This includes our Productive Sa...
Answered 19 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30009More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of Vehicle Excise Duty retained by local authorities to be directly allocated to local road maintenance.
Answer: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is collected by the DVLA on behalf of HM Treasury. Estimates for the amount of VED raised in Essex is not available.The OBR forecast that VED will raise £8.3 billion in 2024-25. Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital pub...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30008More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will launch a pilot scheme with local authorities on increasing the level of Vehicle Excise Duty retained by such authorities to be directly allocated to local road maintenance.
Answer: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is collected by the DVLA on behalf of HM Treasury. Estimates for the amount of VED raised in Essex is not available.The OBR forecast that VED will raise £8.3 billion in 2024-25. Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital pub...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30007More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the proportion of Vehicle Excise Duty revenue (a) raised in and (b) allocated to maintain roads in Essex; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing that p
Answer: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is collected by the DVLA on behalf of HM Treasury. Estimates for the amount of VED raised in Essex is not available.The OBR forecast that VED will raise £8.3 billion in 2024-25. Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital pub...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: EssexDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional ring-fenced funding for road safety improvements in Essex.
Answer: We have no plans to make an assessment of the merits of additional ring-fenced funding for road safety improvements in Essex. Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce l...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30005More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to increase levels of funding for casualty reduction schemes.
Answer: There have been no discussions between the Department for Transport and Essex County Council on achieving its Vision Zero target by 2040. Decisions on funding will come at the conclusion of the current spending review.
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: EssexDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to allocate Local Highways Panel funding for the 2025-26 financial year on road safety improvements in Essex.
Answer: Local authorities often use Integrated Transport Block funding for road safety improvements and the Department hopes to announce ITB allocations for 2025/26 for Essex and other authorities shortly. This will allow Essex’s Local Highways Panels to decide h...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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