James McMurdock MP: written questions 2025
1340 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Natural Gas: EquipmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100774More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) introducing a national inventory registrar for gas-critical products and parts and (b) restricting access to those items to operatives h
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2025 to Question UIN 89028.
Answered 30 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordInfected Blood Compensation Scheme: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100773More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans she has to amend inheritance tax legislation to ensure that compensation paid to the estates of deceased victims of the Infected Blood scandal is exempt from inheritance tax.
Answer: At Budget 2025, the government announced that it would extend the existing relief from inheritance tax for compensation payments made from the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme and the Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payment Scheme (‘infected blood c...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordEast of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Sick LeaveDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100772More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of staff sickness levels within East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust; and what support is being provided to reduce sickness absence.
Answer: As of July 2025, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) had an average annual sickness absence rate of 7.6%. This has remained at the same rate as the average for the 12 months to July 2024. The EEAST average annual sickness absence rate is 0...
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAmbulance Services: East of EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100771More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of rising demand for ambulance services on Category 2 performance in the east of England.
Answer: The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) has experienced sustained growth in demand in recent years. In the current financial year-to-date, to November 2025, the service has responded to over 640,000 incidents. This represents the highest y...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordEast of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100770More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s Category 2 response times.
Answer: The Government recognises that in recent years ambulance response times have not met the high standards patients should expect.We are determined to turn things around. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capita...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordJuriesMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to monitor data on (a) conviction rates, (b) sentencing patterns and (c) appeals arising from cases affected by the removal of the right to elect a jury trial; and whether that data will be publ
Answer: We will continue to monitor conviction rates, sentencing outcomes and appeals volumes as part of our ongoing assessments of the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentencing outcomes for a wide range of offe...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordTrials: RecordingsMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100768More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to publish recordings made of trials heard without a jury; and what safeguards will govern the use of those recordings for (a) scrutiny and (b) appeals.
Answer: Transcription services are available for all Crown Court cases. We are exploring the potential use of AI to produce transcripts more quickly and cost effectively.As recommended by Sir Brian Leveson in his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, the Gov...
Answered 23 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: SentencingHome OfficeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether sentencing outcomes for immigration-related offences under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 reflect the seriousness of those offences.
Answer: The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 introduced new and tougher criminal offences for those attempting to enter the UK illegally. Specifically, it raised the maximum penalty for illegal entry from 6 months to 4 years’ imprisonment, increased the maximum p...
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPrison SentencesMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100766More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of whether the discretion for courts to depart from sentencing guidelines in the interests of justice affects the (a) consistency and (b) effectiveness of sentencing outcomes.
Answer: All sentencing courts in England and Wales must follow any sentencing guidelines which are relevant to the offender’s case, unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so (by virtue of section 59 of the Sentencing Code). Whilst there is a high bar ...
Answered 23 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPrison SentencesMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100765More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 9th December 2025 to Question 96041, on Reoffenders: Sentencing, what assessment he has made of how frequently courts depart from sentencing guidelines on the basis that it is in the interes
Answer: All sentencing courts in England and Wales must follow any sentencing guidelines which are relevant to the offender’s case, unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so (by virtue of section 59 of the Sentencing Code). Whilst there is a high bar ...
Answered 23 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordReoffenders: Undocumented MigrantsMinistry of JusticeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data he holds on the reoffending rates of individuals convicted of offences relating to illegal entry into the UK.
Answer: Providing this would incur disproportionate costs.More broadly the Government is tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. T...
Answered 23 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: CrimeHome OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the relationship between enforcement activity and a) arrests, b) convictions and c) sentencing outcomes for immigration offences.
Answer: The Government has made a strategic shift in Border Security, focusing on long-term systemic improvements, smarter, intelligence-led interventions and stronger partnerships across agencies.The Border Security Command (BSC), established in July 2024, provi...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: Convictions and SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to publish data on convictions and sentencing outcomes for immigration offences.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data on prosecutions, convictions and sentencing at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. This tool includes convictions and sentencing for immigration offences and can be d...
Answered 23 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Migrants: English ChannelHome OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 8th December 2025 to Question 95558, how many of the 153 individuals returned to France under the agreement have subsequently attempted to re-enter the UK illegally.
Answer: Anyone who re-enters illegally may face immediate detention and, where appropriate, we will seek to expedite removal. This will not count as a new removal in the reciprocal scheme. The system is working: two individuals who returned to the UK having alrea...
Answered 19 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordUndocumented WorkersHome OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish sector-specific data on illegal working enforcement outcomes, including gig-economy sectors.
Answer: The Home Office takes the issue of illegal working seriously and continues to take robust enforcement action against those who breach immigration laws.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Workers: FinesHome OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100234More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil penalties have been issued for illegal working in each of the last three years.
Answer: Information on illegal working civil penalty statistics has been published since 2016 as part of the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Transparency Data. This can be found at immigration-enforcement-data-jul-sep-2025 on tab CP02.This publication covers ...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Workers: FinesHome OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100233More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 8th December 2025 to Question 95555, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing fines in deterring illegal working.
Answer: The Home Office continues to assess direct impacts of civil penalties for illegal working across all sectors of the labour market, through assessment of any changes in the composition and characteristics of those businesses receiving civil penalties, and ...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRoyal MailDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100195More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Royal Mail meets its statutory service standards and provides accurate reporting on delivery performance.
Answer: Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.Ofcom has a primary duty to secure the provision of a universal postal service, having regard to its financial sustainability and...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPostal Services: Universal Service ObligationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100194More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal Mail on the continued viability of the Universal Service Obligation.
Answer: Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.Ofcom has a primary duty to secure the provision of a universal postal service, having regard to its financial sustainability and...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPostal Services: Universal Service ObligationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether Royal Mail has provided his Department with evidence to substantiate any projected cost savings in relation to the Optimised Delivery Model.
Answer: Royal Mail produced its own modelling to estimate the net savings of key elements of its Optimised Delivery Model proposal to support its response to Ofcom’s Call for Input. Royal Mail’s submission is available on Ofcom’s website. Ofcom, as the independen...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPostal Services: Universal Service ObligationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100192More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) adequacy of the (i) performance and (ii) outcomes of Royal Mail’s Optimised Delivery Model trials and (b) whether these trials demonstrate that the
Answer: Operational implementation of the reforms to the Universal Service Obligation are a matter for Royal Mail’s management working with its workers and unions. The government does not have a role in the operational decisions of the business. Ofcom is responsi...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: CostsTreasuryTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100190More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2025 on business costs to the average pub.
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordIdentity Cards: Digital TechnologyCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100189More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department plans to take to support people with (a) limited or no smartphone access and (b) no prior valid form of ID through the implementation of the digital ID scheme.
Answer: The digital ID scheme will be underpinned with the principle that no one should be left behind. Making this system work for everyone will be a top priority, including those who don't have smartphones, are elderly, or are less digitally confident, so every...
Answered 7 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordIdentity Cards: Digital TechnologyCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100188More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the implementation of Digital ID in Northern Ireland.
Answer: The Government intends to work closely with each of the Devolved Governments. My colleague, the Minister for Digital Government and Data, Rt Hon Ian Murray MP, was in Northern Ireland on 7 October 2025. He had meetings with representatives across parties ...
Answered 9 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordIdentity Cards: Digital TechnologyCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100187More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people his Department expects to be enrolled on the digital ID scheme (a) immediately and (b) after one year after it is launched.
Answer: The scope of the digital ID scheme is still in development and we are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop an inclusive, secure, and useful system.
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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