James McMurdock MP: written questions
3238 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Recruitment: CostsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of labour costs on employers’ hiring decisions for entry-level roles.
Answer: The Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Act and this is available here: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments. Our analysis, supported by independent modelling and ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the relationship between minimum wage levels and entry-level job availability for young people.
Answer: When setting minimum wage rates, the Government carefully considers the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission (LPC), an internationally respected independent body. The LPC takes into account current labour market conditions, including the youth labour...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen Belt: Biodiversity and Recreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of grey belt policy on a) biodiversity and b) access to green spaces.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to Paragraphs 156 and 193 of the National Planning Policy Framework and to the answer given to Question UIN 103589 on 14 January 2026.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126316More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether current staffing levels are sufficient to maintain effective inspection coverage.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126315More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what technologies are currently used to support container inspections, including non-intrusive scanning and risk-based targeting systems.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126314More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to inspect shipping containers at ports while maintaining accuracy.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126313More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of container inspections on port congestion and processing times.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126312More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of containers inspected were found to be in breach of customs, safety or import regulations in each of the last three years.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126311More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to complete a physical inspection of a shipping container was in each of the three most recent years for which data is available.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126310More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of all shipping containers entering the UK were physically inspected in each of the last three years.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ShippingHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126309More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many shipping containers entering the UK were subject to physical inspection in each of the last three years.
Answer: Border Force operates a risk‑based approach to container security, focusing resources on identifying and intervening against higher‑risk movements of goods rather than physically inspecting all shipping containers entering the UK.The Home Office does not ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen Belt: Rural AreasMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126292More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of grey belt policy on small settlement villages.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to Paragraphs 156 and 193 of the National Planning Policy Framework and to the answer given to Question UIN 103589 on 14 January 2026.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126291More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Interest rate cap introduced to protect Plan 2 borrowers, published on 7 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the impact of the cap on incentives
Answer: The government has taken decisive action to cap the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 (postgraduate) student loans at 6%, instead of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) plus 3%, for the 2026/27 academic year. This short term protective measure removes...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126290More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Interest rate cap introduced to protect Plan 2 borrowers, published on 7 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cap on
Answer: The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 student loans at 6%, instead of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) plus 3%, for the 2026/27 academic year. This short term measure will protect students and graduates from the potential ...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126289More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Interest rate cap introduced to protect Plan 2 borrowers, published on 7 April 2026, what analysis her Department has undertaken of the effect of the ca
Answer: The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 student loans at 6%, instead of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) plus 3%, for the 2026/27 academic year. This short term measure will protect students and graduates from the potential ...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126288More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled NHS patients and British businesses to benefit from historic changes to medicines access following pharmaceutical partnership with USA, pub
Answer: The Government has already enabled parliamentary scrutiny on this subject and will continue to follow standard processes to update Parliament on developments as appropriate.Members of Parliament continue to have the opportunity to table parliamentary ques...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMedical Treatments: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled NHS patients and British businesses to benefit from historic changes to medicines access following pharmaceutical partnership with USA, pub
Answer: The Department will continue to work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England to monitor and assess access to medicines in the United Kingdom and to monitor patient outcomes through the NHS Outcomes Framework Indicators.T...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126286More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled NHS patients and British businesses to benefit from historic changes to medicines access following pharmaceutical partnership with USA, pub
Answer: The Department has already been clear that the estimated costs of the United Kingdom’s medicines pricing commitments are approximately £1 billion in England over the remaining three-years of the Spending Review. The final and longer-term costs of these ch...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUnmanned Air Systems: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126281More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Drones using AI to spot explosive dangers and help keep soldiers safe, published on 2 April 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential implication
Answer: We will not go into specifics on our assessments as this could compromise our ability to successfully take action against these ships, only benefitting our adversaries.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUnmanned Air Systems: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126280More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Drones using AI to spot explosive dangers and help keep soldiers safe, published on 2 April 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential for similar
Answer: We will not go into specifics on our assessments as this could compromise our ability to successfully take action against these ships, only benefitting our adversaries.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUnmanned Air Systems: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126279More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Drones using AI to spot explosive dangers and help keep soldiers safe, published on 2 April 2026, what estimate his Department have made of the time requi
Answer: The Department is taking steps to ensure that the artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in these drones meet robust standards of safety and reliability. The capability being developed under the Ground Area Reconnaissance and Assurance (GARA) project m...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUnmanned Air Systems: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126278More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Drones using AI to spot explosive dangers and help keep soldiers safe, published on 2 April 2026, what steps are being taken to help ensure that the AI systems
Answer: The Department is taking steps to ensure that the artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in these drones meet robust standards of safety and reliability. The capability being developed under the Ground Area Reconnaissance and Assurance (GARA) project m...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSlaveryForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126277More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK Explanation of Vote on the Declaration of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the press release mentioned in his questions.
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSlaveryForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126276More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK Explanation of Vote on the Declaration of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the press release mentioned in his questions.
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Major renewal of ageing English roads delivered with £27 billion investment, published on 26 March 2026, what representations she received from Essex Co
Answer: The third Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) sets the level of performance and investment the Government expects to see in England’s motorway and trunk road network over the period from April 2026 to March 2031. It takes account of evidence gathered over m...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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