Peter Bedford MP: written questions 2025
357 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Property Development: Impact AssessmentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will take steps with (a) academies and (b) schools to introduce impact statements for large housing developments within their catchment area.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework recognises the importance of ensuring a sufficient choice of early years, school and post-16 places are available to meet the needs of existing and new communities and outlines that local planning authorities should ...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65411More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the outcome of the consultation entitled Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, which closed on 26 February
Answer: The government response to the ‘Strengthening the Standards and Conduct Framework for Local Authorities in England’ consultation will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the det...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Agreements: CanadaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 25 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62780More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans her Department has to prioritise Canada in future bilateral trade negotiations; and whether this will be reflected in the scope of the UK–Canada trade taskforce.
Answer: Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement worth around £28 billion in 2024.As agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group t...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Promotion: CanadaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to Canada.
Answer: We remain committed to strengthening our long, positive and wide-ranging trading relationship with Canada, with our trade in bilateral goods and services worth £28bn in 2024. There are no plans at present to appoint a Trade Envoy as the UK already has sop...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRules of Origin: CanadaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the expiry of Country of Origin quotas under the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement will be considered by the UK-Canada trade taskforce; and what discussions he has had with his counterpart i
Answer: As agreed between our Prime Ministers, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further, including by building on existing arrangements and addressing bilateral market access barriers.Tha...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Workplace PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62435More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on issuing Armed Forces Pension Scheme Remediable Service Statements to all members who require one by 30 September 2025.
Answer: There are 34,917 Immediate Choice members in scope to receive a Remediable Service Statement (RSS), of which 13,066 have been issued as of 31 May 2025. Of the 60,813 Active Member RSSs, 43,977 have been issued. The remaining 16,836 (27 per cent) are compl...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPets: TravelDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62432More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow pets to travel in and out of the UK in the main cabin of aircraft.
Answer: All pets travelling into Great Britain are checked for compliance with the necessary health and documentary requirements prior to entry to safeguard our biosecurity. When travelling to Great Britain by air, pets travel as manifest cargo to facilitate thes...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordGambling: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62407More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason betting companies operating primarily (a) over the phone and (b) by direct debit are included in the proposed single Remote Betting and Gaming Duty.
Answer: The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote gambling into one. The definition of ‘remote gambling’ in the Gambling Act 2005 means gambling in which persons part...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHome Office: Civil ServantsHome OfficeTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information she holds on the (a) ethnic background and (b) religious belief of civil servants in her Department in (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25.
Answer: Information on ethnic background and religious belief of Civil Servants in the Home Office is published in both the Departments annual workforce diversity statistics and Civil Service statistics based on the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ASCES)....
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHomicide: Young OffendersMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62028More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to review the Sentencing Council's remit on young offenders convicted of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter.
Answer: The Government has no current plans to ask the Council to consider reviewing the guidelines in relation to this cohort.The law is clear that those who commit murder as children must receive a life sentence. There is no mandatory sentence for a child convi...
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironment Protection: TaxationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of green levies on business competitiveness.
Answer: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect businesses permanently. Policy costs on energy bills are essential for funding key environmental poli...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61978More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to conduct a review of the Carr-Hill formula in Primary Care Networks.
Answer: On 25 June 2025, we announced that the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan would address the inequalities in general practice (GP) services across England. We know that the Carr-Hill formula is considered outdated and recognise the importance of ensuring fun...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBuses: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61977More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a delay repay compensation scheme for coach travel.
Answer: The Department for Transport has not undertaken an assessment of introducing a delay repay compensation scheme specifically for coach travel. Unlike the rail industry, where delay repay schemes are a standard requirement within franchise agreements, the w...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: LeicestershireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61083More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of integrated care boards in delivering new (a) GP and (b) medical centres in Leicestershire.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are best placed to understand the needs of their local population and to make decisions on new general practice (GP) surgeries based on those needs. ICBs’ annual commissioning plans must consider requirements for new practice...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGambling: Excise DutiesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61082More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in gambling levies on pools operators.
Answer: As set out in the government’s consultation response, the statutory gambling levy will be charged at a set rate for all holders of a Gambling Commission licence, ranging from 1.1% to 0.1% of Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Remote and non-remote pool betting o...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDogs: ChinaDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61081More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds data on dogs being transported to China for use as meat for human consumption.
Answer: APHA, Defra’s executive agency, has data on the number of commercial and non-commercial dogs exported to China. The system does not record the purpose of movement for commercial dogs and therefore does not hold data on dogs being exported to China for use...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordModernisation CommitteeLeader of the HouseTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61080More
Question: To ask the Leader of the House, what her planned timeline is for implementing recommendations arising from the Modernisation Committees Review.
Answer: The Modernisation Committee has not held a Review. The Modernisation Committee held a “call for views” between October and December 2024, seeking views on what it should prioritise for reform. In February 2025, it published the results of this exercise in...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: LeicestershireMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential financial impact of the creation of a single unitary authority in Leicestershire.
Answer: We have made no such assessment for Leicestershire, nor any other area undergoing reorganisation. Ultimately it is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. In our invitation we provided g...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSentencing Council for England and WalesMinistry of JusticeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60794More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she plans to review the governance of the Sentencing Council.
Answer: The Lord Chancellor is currently undertaking a review of the Sentencing Council’s role and powers and has indicated that she will introduce reforms in future legislation, if considered necessary
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrescriptions: Fees and ChargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse is for free prescriptions for people over the age of 60.
Answer: There were 781 million items with a combined total net ingredient cost (NIC) of £5.9 billion dispensed to patients aged 60 years old and over in 2024/2025.National Health Service patients pay a fixed charge for each prescription item dispensed in primary ...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the annual cost of free bus passes for people over the State Pension age.
Answer: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually.
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: SurveysDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on in-person surveys conducted by external polling companies in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 to date.
Answer: The department’s expenditure is recorded by financial year. It has spent the following on public polling through external polling companies between 2023 and 31 May 2025:2022/23: £66,750.2023/24: £45,750.2024/25: £24,250.2025/26 (to date): £0.
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordYemen: HouthisForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Houthi rebels in Yemen on the interests of (a) the UK and (b) UK allies.
Answer: Over the last 19 months, the Houthis have conducted attacks against international commercial shipping, as well as British and American warships. This has violated the principle of freedom of navigation, further destabilised the region, and caused the peac...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59965More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the cost pressures faced by local authorities in providing statutory services.
Answer: The government recognises the significant pressures that councils are facing. This Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordResearch: Tax AllowancesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59964More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of tax reliefs for research and development on economic growth.
Answer: The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues. Research and development (R&D) tax reliefs play a vital role in the Government’s mission to boost economic growth and drive innovation in the UK....
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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