James McMurdock MP: written questions 2026
3310 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Hedgehogs: EssexDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3705More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help prevent decline in hedgehog populations in Essex.
Answer: This Government has supported Essex County Council to develop the Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). This has brought local authorities, communities, landowners and conservation groups together to agree priorities to help nature recover and supp...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency DepartmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3704More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 120732, what the planned completion timelines are for the 40 funded schemes.
Answer: Of the 14 Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) projects, comprising of 10 new UTCs and four UTC expansions, one scheme has already been delivered, 12 are scheduled for delivery between May and October 2026, and the final multi-year scheme is expected to be compl...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust: Agency WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3703More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust spent on agency staff in each of the last three financial years.
Answer: The figures for the last three financial years for which figures are available are as follows:£47.9 million in 2022/23;£34.7 million in 2023/24; and£16.9 million in 2024/25. The figures for the last financial year, 2025/2026, have not been finalised there...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHedgehogs: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3702More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of hedgehog populations in a) urban and b) rural areas since 2000.
Answer: The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs (2022) report found populations declined by 30–75% in rural areas since 2000, although urban populations may now be stabilising following long declines.
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectricity and Natural Gas: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3701More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what timetable he has set for full imple
Answer: Government plans to consult later this year on offering legacy low-carbon generators – which provide around 30% of our power today – the option to move onto fixed price contracts for difference. We plan to cover the specific eligibility criteria for this ...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectricity: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3700More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what proportion of UK electricity genera
Answer: Government plans to consult later this year on offering legacy low-carbon generators – which provide around 30% of our power today – the option to move onto fixed price contracts for difference. We plan to cover the specific eligibility criteria for this ...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectricity and Natural Gas: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3699More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what estimate he has made of the average
Answer: By offering eligible generators fixed price contracts, the Government will delink more electricity generation from volatile gas prices. This will help protect families and businesses from higher electricity bills when gas prices increase. The impacts on e...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectricity: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3698More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment he has made of the poten
Answer: By offering eligible generators fixed price contracts, the Government will delink more electricity generation from volatile gas prices. This will help protect families and businesses from higher electricity bills when gas prices increase. The impacts on e...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNatural Gas: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3697More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment he has made of the poten
Answer: By offering eligible generators fixed price contracts, the Government will delink more electricity generation from volatile gas prices. This will help protect families and businesses from higher electricity bills when gas prices increase. The impacts on e...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHospitals: Alcoholic DrinksDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3696More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce levels of alcohol-related hospital admissions.
Answer: The Government has a programme of work at both national and local levels to reduce the health harms from alcohol and to help reduce the number of people being admitted to hospital due to alcohol harms.Local authorities are responsible for assessing local ...
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAlcoholism: DeathCabinet OfficeTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3695More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in levels of alcohol-specific deaths since 2019.
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20th May is attached.
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNational Grid: Operating CostsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3076More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the total system costs of maintaining grid stability over the last five years for which data is available.
Answer: Maintaining the stability and operability of Great Britain’s electricity system is the responsibility of the independent National Energy System Operator (NESO) working with electricity network companies through regulated market arrangements. Under its Ele...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordElectricity GenerationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3075More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 124401, what metrics his Department uses to define high levels of resilience in Britain’s electricity system.
Answer: Great Britain has one of the most reliable energy systems in the world, with the National Grid Electricity System having an overall reliability of supply of 99.9% in 2024-2025. DESNZ works closely with industry to continually improve and maintain the resi...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordRenewable Energy: Electricity GenerationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 124401, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the tools available to system operators to manage periods of low renewable generation co
Answer: The Government works continuously with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to ensure industry continues to have the tools required to manage fluctuations in supply and demand and maintain system stability. NESO is taking steps to maintain...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordTemporary AccommodationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce the use of out-of-area temporary accommodation placements for homeless households.
Answer: To reduce the use of out of area placements, we must tackle the root causes of homelessness and reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation. To do this we must build more homes, including through the new 10-year £39 billion Social and Afforda...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordTemporary Accommodation: ChildrenMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of out-of-area homelessness placements on children’s a) school attendance and b) attainment.
Answer: To reduce the use of out of area placements, we must tackle the root causes of homelessness and reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation. To do this we must build more homes, including through the new 10-year £39 billion Social and Afforda...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordTemporary AccommodationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households were placed in temporary accommodation outside their home local authority area in each of the last five years.
Answer: Accredited official statistics on statutory homelessness, including the number of households who are owed a temporary accommodation duty who are in another local authority are published in the financial year and quarterly homelessness statistics on gov.uk...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMathematics: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3065More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Maths Hubs programme in improving GCSE maths attainment in disadvantaged areas.
Answer: The Maths Hubs programme aims to raise attainment for all students in England while reducing attainment gaps, including the disadvantage gap. Data for schools with high rates of free school meals (FSM) eligibility shows that approximately 60% of both prim...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic CigarettesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3059More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of unregulated vaping products containing (a) undisclosed and (b) prohibited substances on people's health.
Answer: While vaping is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, there has been increasing uptake of youth vaping and long-term harms are unknown.The Department recently ran a call for evidence which included questions on ingr...
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: SmugglingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) illegal and b) non-compliant vaping products have been seized in each of the last 12 months.
Answer: Illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vapes undermine the Government’s work to protect people from harm and risk of addiction. The Government is investing up to £10 million of new funding per year in Trading Standards from 2025/26 to 2028/29, to tackl...
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: SalesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3055More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of illegal vape retailers on legitimate local businesses.
Answer: Retailers who sell illicit vaping products or illegally sell vapes to people underage undermine the Government’s work to protect children and the general public from the risk of harm and addiction. This also creates an unfair playing field for the vast ma...
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: SalesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3052More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent the sale of unregulated vaping products in local high streets.
Answer: The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will strengthen enforcement activity by providing powers for ministers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes and nicotine products. A new licensing schem...
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDeathDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2950More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) timeliness and (b) accuracy of death notifications across Government systems.
Answer: Tell Us Once is a cross government voluntary death notification service, available in all local authorities within England, Scotland & Wales. The service allows recently bereaved citizens, at a very stressful time in their lives, to inform participati...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2949More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of overpayments to deceased welfare claimants have been recovered in each year since 2020.
Answer: A Direct Payment after Death (DPaD) overpayment can occur if notification of a person’s death did not arrive in time to stop a benefit payment going into their account. The process for recording a death requires administrative action by medical examiners,...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2948More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many instances of benefit overpayments to deceased claimants have been recorded in each year since 2020.
Answer: A Direct Payment after Death (DPaD) overpayment can occur if notification of a person’s death did not arrive in time to stop a benefit payment going into their account. The process for recording a death requires administrative action by medical examiners,...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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