Richard Holden MP: written questions
1068 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Strategic Defence Review 2025: Information OfficersCabinet OfficeTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57733More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the No10 (a) press office and (b) grid team were involved in releasing the Strategic Defence Review to the media.
Answer: The Strategic Defence Review was announced in Parliament on June 2 by my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence.
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Special AdvisersCabinet OfficeTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57732More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the lead policy official is in 10 Downing Street.
Answer: The Director of the Policy Unit is the lead policy civil servant in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: RegistrationDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of vehicles that are using roads that have no known registered (a) keeper and (b) owner.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the accuracy of its vehicle register seriously. It is crucial that registered keeper details are accurate for road safety and law enforcement purposes. The latest available data shows that more than 92 ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Registration and Driving LicencesDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57403More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking with the (a) police and (b) Home Office to help tackle (i) unlicensed drivers obtaining vehicles though registration loopholes and (ii) vehicles disappearing from systems but
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the accuracy of its vehicle register seriously. It is crucial that registered keeper details are accurate for road safety and law enforcement purposes. The latest available data shows that more than 92 ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: RegistrationDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57402More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to use digital technologies in Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency services to improve driver identity verification during vehicle (a) registration and (b) ownership transfer.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the accuracy of its vehicle register seriously. It is crucial that registered keeper details are accurate for road safety and law enforcement purposes. The latest available data shows that more than 92 ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRoad Traffic Offences: Driving LicencesDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57401More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of unlicensed drivers acquiring vehicles without mandatory (a) identity, (b) licence and (c) company checks during ownership transfers on risks to
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the accuracy of its vehicle register seriously. It is crucial that registered keeper details are accurate for road safety and law enforcement purposes. The latest available data shows that more than 92 ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Registration and Driving LicencesDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57400More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce mandatory verification of a (a) valid driving licence and (b) company number at the point of vehicle ownership registration.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the accuracy of its vehicle register seriously. It is crucial that registered keeper details are accurate for road safety and law enforcement purposes. The latest available data shows that more than 92 ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordLegislative Drafting: Parliamentary ScrutinyLeader of the HouseTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57399More
Question: To ask the Leader of the House, what guidance she has issued on when there should be pre-legislative scrutiny of Bills that have constitutional implications.
Answer: Chapter 21 of the Guide to Making Legislation sets out the broad principles and process by which a bill is considered for publication in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny. Decisions in relation to whether a bill is published in draft are taken on a case ...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: TrainingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57398More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department provides unconscious bias training; and whether his Department plans to provide unconscious bias training to staff from NHS England when that organisation is abolished.
Answer: The Department aligns itself to the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion approach to learning and to the use of evidence led interventions. The Department does not provide unconscious bias training to its staff, and there are no current plans t...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Racial DiscriminationCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57397More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department provides (a) lectures, (b) reading lists and (c) other training on critical race theory for its staff.
Answer: The Cabinet Office centrally does not provide any lectures, reading lists or other training on Critical Race Theory for staff.
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Government: Proof of IdentityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57396More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the gov.uk One Login system’s certification with the register of digital verification services has been revoked.
Answer: In April 2025, GOV.UK One Login’s Trust Framework certification was suspended due to a supply chain issue where one supplier allowed their certification to lapse. This suspension is not due to any change in One Login’s product, approach, or security. GOV....
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordData (Use and Access) Bill (HL): Legal ProfessionHome OfficeTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57395More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Data (Use and Access) Bill [Lords] on legal professional privilege, in the context of Information Commissioner powers to review documents
Answer: An assessment of the impact of all of the measures contained in the Bill, including legal professional privilege, was published [on the 24th October] Parliament website at: https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/56548/documents/5221 [prior to Second Rea...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFly-tippingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Councils to seize and crush fly-tipping vehicles to clean up Britain, published on 29 April 2025 whether the Cabinet Office pr
Answer: Government departments do not comment on or share internal advice. Any announcements made during the pre-election period are carefully considered and taken in line with the principles set out under the Civil Service guidance.
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Cost EffectivenessDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57393More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis is for her assessment that schools can make efficiency savings within budgets without reducing headcount.
Answer: Overall school funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning the core school budget will total £65.3 billion. This is a 6% rise in cash terms, or a 3.3% increase in real terms, compared to 2024/25. We are providing schools w...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: ReviewsHome OfficeTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse to be published.
Answer: Baroness Louise Casey is currently completing her audit into the nature, scale and characteristics of grooming gangs offending.I updated the House on 2 June that Baroness Casey has requested a short extension to her work from the Home Secretary to allow h...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: Young PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56887More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May to Question 51955 on Electronic Cigarettes: Young People, what estimate he has made of the number of very high puff-count vaping devices which (a) are refillable an
Answer: The ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes came into force on Sunday 1 June. It is therefore too early to make a reliable estimate of the number of high-puff count vaping devices which are refillable, reusable, and which contain a replaceable coil...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: StandardsCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55330More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made towards launching an online public dashboard enabling people to monitor progress on policy targets.
Answer: The Government makes use of a number of internal dashboards that allow them to track progress against policy objectives.
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55032More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51961 on Abellio Greater Anglia and c2c: Standards, if he will list the (a) metrics (b) incentives and (c) penalties applicable to public sector train operators
Answer: Public sector operators will have to meet rigorous, bespoke performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways. They will be held to account for their performance against metrics including punctuality, reliability, customer exper...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Security: CharitiesHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the continued operation of UK-registered charities with links to hostile foreign regimes on national security.
Answer: The Government's first duty is to protect our national security and keep our country safe. In concert with partners, we will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from state threats. We do not routinely c...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: LicensingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54395More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on interpreting the business tests under Part 1 of the Schedule of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving
Answer: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 cover five licensable activities: selling animals as pets; providing or arranging boarding for cats or dogs; hiring out horses; breeding dogs; and keeping or trainin...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: LicensingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with the Charity Commission on improving (a) information sharing and (b) oversight of animal rescue organisations operating at scale but outs
Answer: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 cover five licensable activities: selling animals as pets; providing or arranging boarding for cats or dogs; hiring out horses; breeding dogs; and keeping or trainin...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: LicensingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54393More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations in relation to unlicensed animal rescue centres; and whether he plans to consult on new licensing of registration requirement
Answer: The Department continues to engage regularly with stakeholders across the animal welfare sector, including on issues relating to rescue and rehoming practices. This Government will introduce the most ambitious plan to improve animal welfare in a generatio...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: LicensingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish the findings of stakeholder engagement carried out by his Department on the potential licensing of animal rescue centres in 2023.
Answer: The Department continues to engage regularly with stakeholders across the animal welfare sector, including on issues relating to rescue and rehoming practices. This Government will introduce the most ambitious plan to improve animal welfare in a generatio...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: EqualityMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54391More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45917 on Armed Forces: Equality, if he will publish the training manuals and documentation prepared for each of those courses provided by the Defence Academy.
Answer: No. The course material is subject to Crown copyright. There are many companies that deliver ED&I training who could financially benefit from copying our course material.
Answered 3 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordData, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent ReviewDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54390More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834 on Data, Science and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, whether the Government plans to publish a formal response to e
Answer: As outlined in my previous Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834, relevant departments and policy teams will consider the findings in light of their ongoing policy work.
Answered 3 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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