Richard Holden MP: written questions 2024
322 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Private Education: Business Rates and VATTreasuryTabled 25 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1809More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans she has to consult on ending the VAT exemption and business rates relief for private schools.
Answer: As the Chancellor announced on 29 July, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training supplied by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. Boarding services closely related to such ...
Answered 30 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordDoctors and NursesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors were employed by the NHS in (i) May 2010 and (ii) the most recent month for which data is available.
Answer: The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent nurses, including health visitors, and doctors employed by National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England, as of May 2010 and May 2024: May 2010May 2024Nurses280,950356,5...
Answered 29 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the NHS allocated to mental health services in (a) cash terms and (b) adjusted for inflation in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24 financial year.
Answer: The information requested is not available for 2009/10, as National Health Service expenditure on mental health services was not separately identified prior to 2015/16. The total planned spend on mental health for 2023/24, including learning disabilities ...
Answered 31 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordNHS: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the NHS budget was in (a) cash terms and (b) adjusted for inflation in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24 financial year.
Answer: NHS England, which is usually taken as the basis of the National Health Service budget, was established in 2013/14, and so equivalent figures for earlier years are not available. For comparisons before 2013/14, the Government usually uses the Department’s...
Answered 29 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordHome EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 24 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children are home schooled in each local education authority area.
Answer: The department publishes information on children in elective home education (EHE), which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.The number of children in EHE, at any point in the 2...
Answered 1 Aug 2024
Original Parliament recordEducationDepartment for EducationTabled 24 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children at (a) key stage one and two, (b) key stage three and four and (c) post-16 education are in (i) state-funded and (ii) privately-funded independent education in each loca
Answer: The department publishes figures on schools and pupils, including information on state-funded and independent schools. More information can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characte...
Answered 29 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 24 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 458 on Private Education: Fees and Charges, whether the Department has made an assessment to date of the impact of the introduction of VAT on schools in the in
Answer: The impact of any tax changes affecting independent schools on the state sector will be carefully considered. The government will complete its analysis once details of the policy changes have been confirmed. The department is supporting HM Treasury which ...
Answered 30 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordTechnical Excellence Colleges: Trade UnionsDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for the role of trade unions in working with specialist technical excellence colleges.
Answer: The department will be bringing forward further details on the role of all local partners working with Technical Excellence Colleges in due course. These colleges will work with businesses, trade unions and local government to provide young people and adu...
Answered 31 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordApprenticesDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1439More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students (a) began and (b) completed level (i) 3, (ii) 4, (iii) 5, (iv) 6 and (v) 7 apprenticeships in each year between 1997 and 2024.
Answer: Apprenticeship starts and achievements are published by level from academic year 2002/03 and can be found in the following links: 2017/18 to 2023/24 (reported to date):https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c63cef58-95e2...
Answered 31 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordNurseriesDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1438More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for the creation of an additional 3,000 nurseries.
Answer: The department knows that high-quality early education and childcare is a crucial opportunity to transform life chances, yet too often it is unavailable or unaffordable.To tackle this, the department will open an additional 3,000 nurseries through upgradi...
Answered 30 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSleeping RoughMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people are sleeping rough.
Answer: According to the official Rough Sleeping Snapshot statistics, 3,898 people were estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in England in autumn 2023. This was 27% higher than the previous year and represented an annual increase for the second year i...
Answered 31 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPovertyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) people, (b) children and (c) pensioners were in absolute poverty in (i) May 2010 and (ii) the last month for which figures are available.
Answer: Statistics on the total number of people living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.g...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordUnemploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1432More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2024 to Question 706 on Unemployment, what the headline level of economic inactivity was in (a) March-May 2010 and (b) the latest period for which data is available.
Answer: The headline UK economic inactivity level was 9.433 million in March-May 2010 (based on people aged between 16 and 64). In March-May 2024 (the latest month for which figures are available) the UK economic inactivity level was 9.383 million. The headline U...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1388More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 459 on Bus Services: Concessions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of ending the Get around for £2 bus fare scheme this year o
Answer: The Department for Transport published an interim report on the £2 fare cap in September 2023 setting out emerging trends in key outcomes from the first two months of the scheme. It is available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eval...
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: Disclosure of InformationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information was provided to him on the public finances prior to taking office; whether he has received any additional information since taking office; and what his policy is on the provision of in
Answer: The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential.It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken pla...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic FinanceTreasuryTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1382More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information was provided to her on the public finances prior to taking office; whether she has received any additional information since taking office; and what her policy is on the provision of information to
Answer: The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken pl...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic FinanceTreasuryTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1381More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information was provided to the Prime Minister on the public finances prior to taking office; whether he has received any additional information since taking office; and what his policy is on the provision of i
Answer: The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken pl...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Disclosure of InformationCabinet OfficeTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1380More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information was provided to him on the public finances prior to taking office; whether he has received any additional information since taking office; and what his policy is on the provision of information
Answer: The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential.It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken pla...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic TransportDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1041More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 459 on Bus Services: Concessions, what her Department's planned timetable is for concluding its urgent consideration on the future of public transport services
Answer: The government is urgently considering the most effective ways to ensure public transport services are reliable and affordable. We will conclude this as quickly as possible.
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FaresDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 459 on Bus Services: Concessions, whether she plans to extend the Get around for £2 bus fare scheme.
Answer: The government is urgently considering the most effective ways to ensure public transport services are reliable and affordable. We will conclude this as quickly as possible.
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013TreasuryTabled 22 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1039More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to repeal the Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013.
Answer: The 2013 regulations were introduced to ensure the Director of Public Prosecutions’ pension scheme is uprated in line with other public service pension schemes. There are no plans to repeal the regulations.
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic ExpenditureTreasuryTabled 18 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 707More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual deficit was (a) in percentage of GDP, (b) in 2010 real terms and (c) as a proportion of government spending in the financial year (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24.
Answer: The annual deficit in 2009-2010 was 10.3% of GDP and 4.5% of GDP in 2023-24. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) does not publish the annual deficit in real terms. In order to remove the effects of inflation and provide an indication of a country’s ab...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordUnemploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 706More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of working age people were unemployed in (a) May 2010 and (b) the last month for which figures are available.
Answer: The UK has experienced a recent rise in unemployment. It has also seen a rise in economic inactivity since the pandemic of 833,000 with long-term sickness rising to 2.8m. The UK remains the only nation in the G7 with an employment rate lower than before t...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordRoads: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 705More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of when each project funded through the most recent round of Safer Roads Funding will be completed.
Answer: The latest rounds of the Safer Roads Fund are rounds 3A and 3B. Round 3A was funded in April 2023 to the total of £47.5 million and was granted to 25 Local Authorities to improve 27 roads. Round 3B was funded in March 2024 to the total of £38.3 million an...
Answered 23 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordMedomsley Detention CentreMinistry of JusticeTabled 18 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 704More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions she has had with the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman on its planned timetable for the inquiry into abuse at the former Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham.
Answer: The abuse that took place at Medomsley Detention Centre was appalling. The previous government, after years of campaigning by victims and survivors, commissioned the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) in October 2023 to undertake a thorough review of t...
Answered 24 Jul 2024
Original Parliament record
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