James McMurdock MP: written questions
830 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Pension Funds: Fees and ChargesTreasuryTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55842More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help ensure that pension investment rules (a) safeguard pensions and (b) encourage greater occupancy of vacant commercial properties.
Answer: Pension schemes can rent out commercial property at below market value. The only restriction on this is that there is an unauthorised payment charge where the tenant is connected with the pension scheme. This rule prevents value being transferred out of t...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPension Funds: Fees and ChargesTreasuryTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55841More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the unauthorised payments charge applied to pension schemes that rent commercial property below market value.
Answer: Pension schemes can rent out commercial property at below market value. The only restriction on this is that there is an unauthorised payment charge where the tenant is connected with the pension scheme. This rule prevents value being transferred out of t...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMarks & Spencer: CybercrimeHome OfficeTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the recent cyberattacks on Marks and Spencer have been investigated by the relevant authorities.
Answer: The National Cyber Security Centre and National Crime Agency are working to fully understand the nature of these attacks, and to provide support and expert advice to the affected organisations, as well as the wider sector.
Answered 3 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCybersecurity: Business and Public BodiesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54590More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect (a) private businesses and (b) public bodies from cyberattacks.
Answer: The cyber security of the UK is a priority for the Government. This year we will introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to improve UK cyber defences and better secure our essential services and the IT infrastructure they rely upon. The Governmen...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordT-levels: Work ExperienceDepartment for EducationTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54589More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of challenges in finding work placements for T-level courses.
Answer: High quality industry placements are an important part of what makes T Levels a success. Overall completion rates on industry placements remain high, with 97.5% of students finishing their T Level last summer successfully completing their placement. Howev...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: BillingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54579More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the tribunal system in supporting small businesses facing late payments.
Answer: The Government understands the impact late payments has on small businesses and the important role the tribunal system plays in helping to recover late payments, alongside the Office of the Small Business Commissioner which was set up to help small busine...
Answered 3 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Premises: Empty PropertyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that vacant commercial properties owned by institutional landlords do not inhibit small businesses' access to affordable premises.
Answer: This Government is committed to revitalising our high streets and tackling vacancy. To that end, we have introduced High Street Rental Auctions, new powers for local authorities to bring vacant units back into use by auctioning the lease. We anticipate th...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54577More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates on the viability of small businesses operating on the high street.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. Over a third of properties (more than 700,000) already pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Ra...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: InfrastructureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on the meaning of local employment in the context of public infrastructure contracts.
Answer: I refer the hon Member to the National Procurement Policy Statement published by the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2025, which states that in carrying out a procurement covered by the Procurement Act 2023, a contracting authority must have regard to the i...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: InfrastructureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that infrastructure projects commissioned by public bodies prioritise local (a) employment and (b) contractors.
Answer: I refer the hon Member to the National Procurement Policy Statement published by the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2025, which states that in carrying out a procurement covered by the Procurement Act 2023, a contracting authority must have regard to the i...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVocational Education: Employment SchemesDepartment for EducationTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to (a) expand and (b) promote non-academic education routes to support young people into employment.
Answer: As part of the government’s plan to ‘Get Britain Working’, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they are supported to access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.The d...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Dismissal and Statutory Sick PayDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of provisions in the Employment Rights Bill on (a) statutory sick pay and (b) dismissal procedures on small businesses.
Answer: The Government has published a robust set of Impact Assessments on all aspects of the Employment Rights Bill, available here: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK. These include assessments on the impacts to small and micro businesses in li...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Labour Turnover and PayDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased operating costs on the (a) employment retention and (b) pay levels of small businesses.
Answer: The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest employers. The Government has doubled the Employment Allowance, meaning that more than half of businesses with NIC liabilities will either gain or will see no change this year. As well as this, a ...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the quality of mental health services in (a) England and (b) Essex.
Answer: NHS England uses the Oversight Framework to assess the quality and safety of all mental health inpatient services in England, including services in Essex. Risks and issues are escalated nationally using the quality risk and escalation framework.National H...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54190More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of average wait times for people being referred for appointments for mental health support.
Answer: Long waits for mental health services are being driven by increasing demand to a system in desperate need of change. The Government is already responding by delivering new and innovative models of care in the community. As part of this, we have launched s...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54189More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve communication around delays in appointment wait times for people seeking access to mental health support services.
Answer: Long waits for mental health services are being driven by increasing demand to a system in desperate need of change. The Government is already responding by delivering new and innovative models of care in the community. As part of this, we have launched s...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMigraines: ResearchDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54185More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase research into (a) the causes of and (b) treatment options for chronic migraine disease.
Answer: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) into a range of conditions, including chronic migraine. The NIHR promotes participation in research through the Be Part of Research service, which features ch...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMigraines: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to treatment for people with chronic migraine disease.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, an...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMigraines: Health EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54183More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of chronic migraine disease.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, an...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: CrimeHome OfficeTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53813More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the causes of retail crime.
Answer: This Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and retail crime and its causes, as a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. Key to this is our plan to transform neighbourhood policing through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. We will d...
Answered 30 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood PolicingHome OfficeTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of larger police presence in neighbourhoods on rates of (a) retail crime and (b) anti-social behaviour.
Answer: This Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and retail crime and its causes, as a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. Key to this is our plan to transform neighbourhood policing through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. We will d...
Answered 30 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFinancial Services: Advisory ServicesTreasuryTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53811More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to improve access to financial advice for people with little to no savings.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting people of all income levels and all stages of life to save, and recognises the importance of accessible, high-quality financial advice and guidance - particularly for those with little or no savings.To help achiev...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCurriculum and Assessment ReviewDepartment for EducationTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53810More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will assess (a) attainment data which shows girls continue to do better than boys across all headline measures and (b) the potential causes behind this t
Answer: Every child and young person should be able to achieve and thrive in education, regardless of their background. As in previous years, girls continue to do better than boys across all headline measures, and although the gap has narrowed compared to 2018/19...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordLifelong Education and Digital Technology: Older PeopleDepartment for EducationTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53809More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available to promote (a) lifelong learning and (b) digital inclusion for older people.
Answer: The department is investing in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund, which fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skill...
Answered 30 May 2025
Original Parliament recordExercise: Older PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53808More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to (a) support and (b) expand community-based physical activity programmes specifically designed for older people.
Answer: The Government and the National Health Service recognise that prevention will always be better and cheaper than a cure. Reducing physical inactivity in people of all ages, including in older people, is important in helping people live longer, healthier li...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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