Richard Holden MP: written questions
1068 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Unpaid WorkDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22358More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2025 to Question 21057 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Unpaid Work, if he will list each internship scheme operated by (a) hi
Answer: Defra has participated in the following annual programmes for a minimum of three years: Cabinet Office led internship programmes: Summer Internship Programme (6-8 weeks) : 2024 - 41 internsAutism Exchange Internship Programme (4 weeks) : 2024 - 6 interns ...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordElections: Proof of IdentityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22102More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the increase in the number of veterans able to vote due to the introduction of the Veterans ID card as voter ID.
Answer: All veterans eligible to vote already have the opportunity to do so. If they do not have one of the accepted forms of identification, they are able to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, free of charge, or they can choose to vote by post or by proxy....
Answered 14 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence: Small BusinessesMinistry of DefenceTabled 6 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to (a) Business Property Relief and (b) employer National Insurance contributions on SMEs in the defence sector.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence recognises the vital contribution that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make within the defence industry, and we have a long-standing commitment to improve our engagement with such suppliers in order to broaden and strengthen ou...
Answered 9 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHereditary Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 January 2025 to Question 19417 on Genetics: Diseases, how much funding was provided by NHS England to the Genetic Risk Equity project; and what that funding was used for
Answer: The project began in 2022/23, with total spend being £2.7 million. The following table showing the breakdown by year and to the nearest £100,000:YearSpend (£)2024/251,000,0002023/241,000,0002022/23700,000Source: NHS EnglandNote: The funding was spent on a...
Answered 9 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMarriage: RelativesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21701More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) cost and (b) incidence of cousin marriage.
Answer: The Government has not carried out an assessment of health costs resulting from cousin marriage. The Department also does not hold data on the incidence of cousin marriage.
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: NursesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21700More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2024 to Question 19416 on Maternity Services: Nurses, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of close relative marriage neonatal nurses there ar
Answer: The Department has no plans to make such an estimate.
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordGonorrhoea: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21699More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) average and (b) maximum cost to the NHS was of untreated gonorrhoea in the latest year for which data is available; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this on the NHS.
Answer: The information requested is not held centrally.
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordGonorrhoeaDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21698More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of gonorrhoea have been diagnosed in each of the last 30 years.
Answer: The following table shows the number of gonorrhoea diagnoses in sexual health services in England between 1994 and 2023:YearNumber of gonorrhoea diagnoses19949,63119959,890199611,828199712,332199812,457199915,450200020,297200122,198200224,123200323,346200...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordVoting Rights: Foreign NationalsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21697More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people with citizenship of other countries can vote in UK elections; of which countries such people hold citizenship; which elections they are eligible to vote in; and w
Answer: Electoral statistics are not available broken down by citizenship.The franchise for UK Parliamentary elections, Northern Ireland Assembly elections, local government elections in England and Northern Ireland and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in ...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordTobacco: SmugglingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21696More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the implementation of a generational ban on tobacco sales on trends in the level of (a) counterfeit cigarettes and (b) contraband cigarettes b
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bridlington and The Wolds on 11 December 2024 to Question UIN 17992.
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordTobacco: SalesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21695More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional powers will be made available to law enforcement officers to penalise (a) barber shops, (b) off-licences, (c) bookmakers, (d) pubs and (e) other non-grocery and non-newsagent pre
Answer: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce around 80,000 preventable deaths and reduce the burden on the National Health Service and on the taxpayer.Whilst the published impact assessment on the Bill ...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordTobacco: SalesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21694More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on the illegal sale of tobacco products in (a) non-grocery and (b) non-newsagent premises.
Answer: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce around 80,000 preventable deaths and reduce the burden on the National Health Service and on the taxpayer.Whilst the published impact assessment on the Bill ...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordUnpaid Work: DiscriminationWomen and EqualitiesTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21693More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question HL2771 on Civil Servants: Recruitment and pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2024 to Question 14502 on Gender: Equality, if she will issue guidanc
Answer: The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society. It makes it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes rac...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic ExpenditureTreasuryTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21692More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of efficiency savings she plans to require of Government departments in each year of the Spending Review Phase 2 in order to meet her planned 5% savings over this Parliament; and what assessment she
Answer: In developing their plans for the Spending Review departments will need to find 5% savings and efficiencies against their current budgets, to help drive out waste and ensure all funding is focused on the Government’s priorities. The Government will set ou...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21691More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department have undertaken two consecutive jobs without external competition since 3 July 2024.
Answer: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department.
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: TrainingCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21690More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 2 May 2023 to Question 182119 on Cabinet Office: Training, if he will take steps to encourage other public sector employers to phase out unconscious bias training.
Answer: The government is committed to an evidence based approach to training. In 2021 the previous administration published a report on the efficacy of unconscious bias training with recommendations on alternative approaches to support workforce equality. At the...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEuropean Court of JusticeCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21689More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to discuss the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in negotiations on changes to the EU-UK relationship.
Answer: There has been no change in the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice rulings in relation to the UK. We are also clear that we will not be re-joining the Single Market, the Customs Union or Freedom of Movement.
Answered 14 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: DiscriminationWomen and EqualitiesTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21688More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16341 on Political Parties: Discrimination, if she will issue guidance on the distinction between philosophical and political belief.
Answer: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued guidance and codes of practice covering philosophical belief. What is and is not a political belief as opposed to a philosophical belief is a question that is for individuals to consider and, if necessar...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHome Office: SanitationHome OfficeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to remove the gender-neutral toilets in her Department in Marsham Street.
Answer: The current number and location of gender neutral toilets in the Home Office’s Marsham office was established under the previous government in October 2017, at a cost of £36,963.20, and has remained unchanged since that time.There are no plans to spend fu...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Escort GroupDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19468 on Special Escort Group, on what statutory basis the police are able to (a) stop and direct traffic and (b) exceed speed limits in non-emergency situ
Answer: Powers for police to stop and direct traffic are set out in sections 35, 37 and 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.The exemption for speed is set out in section 87(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The exemption to speed does not require there to ...
Answered 9 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Workplace PensionsCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21685More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has provided to Government departments on publishing details of individual Civil Service pensions for senior officials under (a) Financial Reporting requirements and (b) the Freedom of Informati
Answer: In relation to what guidance the Cabinet Office has provided to government departments on publishing details of individual Civil Service pensions for senior officials: (a) Financial Reporting requirements - The Cabinet Office issues an ‘Employer Pension N...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordBBC: Employers' ContributionsTreasuryTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21406More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to support the BBC with the cost of employers’ National Insurance contributions.
Answer: The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs. This funding will be allocated to departments, with the Barnett formula applying in the usual way. This w...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Senior Civil ServantsCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21405More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16596 on Cabinet Office: Senior Civil Servants, how he plans to publish details of the panel members.
Answer: Details of panel members will be published on Gov.uk.
Answered 9 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Society: IslamMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17300 on Muslim Council of Britain, what her policy is on engagement with (a) Cage, (b) MEND and (c) the Muslim Association
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 20228 on 24 December 2024.
Answered 9 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: PayCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21403More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 16595 on Cabinet Office: Pay, what the mean salary is of a civil servant in the (a) Women's Equality Unit, (b) Race Disparity Unit and (c) Disability Unit.
Answer: Salaries ranges for each civil servant grade are set by the Cabinet Office and are not at the discretion of the individual business units such as the Office for Equality and Opportunity. Details of Cabinet Office structure and salaries are due to be publi...
Answered 9 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
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