Priti Patel MP: written questions
635 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Nationally Significant Infrastructure ProjectsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47654More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 23 April 2025 entitled Further reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime, HCWS594, which project
Answer: Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) applications once accepted by the Planning Inspectorate are being processed on average 50 days quicker in this Parliament than in the last. This was calculated using the average time taken by projects ...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRussia: UkraineForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47653More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of China's involvement in support of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Answer: Any support for Putin's brutal and illegal war against Ukraine is deplorable. We are extremely concerned by these reports. There is a growing body of evidence that Chinese companies are enabling Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.The Foreign Secretary h...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChina: Foreign Influence Registration SchemeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47652More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Home Secretary on the potential merits of placing China in the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.
Answer: No decision has been made in relation to specifying China on the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. As the Security Minister confirmed in Parliament on 1 April, countries are considered separately, and decisions are made based on ...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Question v of the letter of 25 March 2025 from the Minister for the Indo-Pacific to the Chair of the International Agreements Committee on Treaty scrutiny,
Answer: As we have repeatedly said, once an agreement is reached and the Treaty is signed, the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny under the CRaG process in the usual way.
Answered 2 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47650More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the 21 day scrutiny period for his proposed Treaty with Mauritius over the future sovereignty of the Britis
Answer: This issue was the subject of correspondence between the Secretary of State and the Chair of the International Agreements Committee, which was published on the Committee's website: committees.parliament.uk/publications/46222/documents/231382/default/
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47649More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution by the then Minister for Development on 26 February 2025, Official Report, column 873, who the 28 international judges and arbitrators
Answer: As well as the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion in 2019, an Arbitral Tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 2015 and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in 2021 have considered the sovereignty of the Chagos ...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: AbductionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45608More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Polish counterpart on improving cooperation in (a) cross-border family law cases and (b) cases involving parental child abduction; and wh
Answer: This Government takes International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) extremely seriously. As a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention, the UK remains committed to the effective enforcement of court orders requiring a child's return to their place of habitu...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45607More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which representatives of the Mauritian government his Department has had discussions with on the proposed treaty since July 2024.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the response given to her previous Parliamentary Question 36637, which remains the same.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Indian Ocean Territory: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45606More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has received from his Mauritian counterpart on the proposed treaty since 31 January 2025.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the response given to her previous Parliamentary Question 36637, which remains the same.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45605More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which legislation will require changes due to the proposed treaty with Mauritius; whether the Office of Parliamentary Counsel has drafted the necessary legislation; and when
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the response given to her previous Parliamentary Questions 39402, 39403 and 41824 on the details of the treaty.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Indian Ocean Territory: Marine Protected AreasForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45604More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether research studies on the establishment of the British Indian Ocean Territory marine protected area for the period 2010 to 2024 will be published this year.
Answer: The British Indian Ocean Territory Administration currently has responsibility for the management and monitoring of its marine protected area, including the release of research studies sponsored by them.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: RedundancyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45603More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much (a) funding is available for voluntary exit schemes in (i) his Department and (ii) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department and (b) his Department
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office agreed a voluntary exit scheme settlement for Financial Year 2025/2026 with His Majesty's Treasury of £35 million. The current scheme does not include any non-departmental bodies. Exits must be completed by...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: StaffForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45602More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of (a) the size of his Department's workforce and (b) the cost of his Department's workforce in the (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27, (iii) 2027-28, (iv)
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has a workforce budget of £1.02 billion for Financial Year 2025-26, which currently supports a workforce of 17,300, inclusive of 5900 UK based staff in the UK, 2,200 UK based staff overseas and 9,200...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Cost EffectivenessForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45601More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 20 December 2024 and 13 March 2025 to Questions 18362 and 32977 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Cost Effectiveness, what plans his
Answer: As agreed with HM Treasury in Phase 1 of Spending Review 2025, The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will make savings of 2 per cent of total Resource budgets in Financial Year 2025-26 (£26 million). The FCDO plans to achieve this throug...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: EssexMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45600More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the amount of land outside of currently designated settlement boundaries in Essex in respective local plans which will be required to meet her housi
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework expects local planning authorities to plan to meet their identified needs and have a clear understanding of the land available in their area. This includes identifying suitable locations for sustainable development.I...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: AbductionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45599More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has received representations on delays or challenges in securing the return of British children from Poland under the Hague Convention on the Civil Asp
Answer: This Government takes International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) extremely seriously. Affected parents have reported issues to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regarding the enforcement of Polish court orders requiring the return of abd...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: RepaymentsTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45598More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Time To Pay Agreements with (a) individuals and (b) businesses there were in each year since 2020; how many of those agreements have been (i) terminated and (ii) renegotiated since July 2024; and how many c
Answer: HMRC publishes data on the number of customers in Time to Pay (TTP) arrangements as part of its quarterly performance updates, which can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates Over 90% of TTP arrangements are c...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCaribbean: Compensation and Development AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45597More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister discussed the (a) UK's future ODA plans and (b) reparatory justice for (i) Barbados and (ii) the Caribbean when he met the Prime Minister of Barbad
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the readout of the meeting on gov.uk.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChina: Foreign Influence Registration SchemeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38981 on China: Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, whether his Department has received representations from China on (
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her previous Question 36631, which remains the same.
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChina: TaiwanForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on that country's military (a) operations and (b) drills near Taiwan since July 2024.
Answer: The UK has been clear on the continued need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, including in our recent statement alongside G7 partners following China's military drills last week. The Foreign Secretary has raised this with Wang Yi several times...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChina: TaiwanForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of military (a) operations and (b) drills conducted by China near Taiwan.
Answer: The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by people on both sides of the Strait without threat or use of force or coercion. The UK opposes any activity that risks des...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDiego Garcia: Military BasesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43857More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any marine areas will be covered within the lease of the base on Diego Garcia.
Answer: Under the agreement the UK will continue to have full control over, and unrestricted access to, Diego Garcia, including the waters and airspace. This will ensure the long term secure and effective operation of the base well into the next century.
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what formal response he has received from the US on the proposed treaty with Mauritius.
Answer: We have received confirmation from the White House that the United States supports the UK proceeding with the deal. This follows a rigorous U.S. interagency process. We welcome the U.S. endorsement of the deal, as well as the President's recognition of th...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDiego Garcia: Military BasesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a formal request to the US to support the costs of the proposed lease for the military base at Diego Garcia.
Answer: The treaty will be between the UK and Mauritius. The base is an essential part of the UK-US defence relationship, and the US contributes a great deal to the operating cost of the base. Once the treaty is signed it will be put before both Houses for scrut...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41830More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he will lay before Parliament the proposed treaty on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answer: Both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos Archipelago which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia. We continue to engage with Mauritius and are not going to provide a running...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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