Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK and Palestinian strategic cooperation: memorandum of understanding, published on 28 April 2025, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to peaceful coexistence with neighbouring countries.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my response of 17 September to Question 74028.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of UK stamp duty on the level of share trading volumes in Metlen.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax are forecast to raise up to £5.1bn per year combined to help fund vital public services. The framework of the taxes contains many reliefs and exemptions which are designed to provide a boost to growth, liquidity, and trading volumes in UK listed companies.
The government keeps this area of tax under review.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to establish a multi-year recruitment and retention strategy for the magistracy.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In light of the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts and the Sentencing Review, Ministers are considering the implications for the magistracy, including how best to ensure sufficient capacity in magistrates’ courts to meet both current and future demand and how we can best give deserved recognition to the long term service that many of our existing magistrates provide.
We will set out further details of our approach following the publication of the Government response to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Jubilee Flood Alleviation Channel.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Jubilee Flood Alleviation Channel is part of the Maidenhead, Windsor, and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme, protecting over 3000 properties in those areas. Since opening in 2002 it has successfully protected local communities from flooding on multiple occasions. The scheme also provides valuable local amenity and recreation benefit.
The Environment Agency is currently undertaking mechanical & electrical refurbishment work to the structures which control the flow of water into the relief channel. This will ensure that the asset continues to provide protection to communities this winter and into the future.
Additionally, they are carrying out repairs to a section of riverbank which was damaged during high flows in 2024 and supporting Buckinghamshire County Council with their removal of a timber footbridge which collapsed into the channel earlier this summer.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to promote the UK’s Swap to Stop scheme at the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The health advice is clear, that whilst vapes can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and non-smokers should never vape. The Swap to Stop scheme is a national smoking cessation programme through which the Department provides adult smokers access to free vape start kits alongside behavioural support to help them quit.
The Government has regularly set out our position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will do so at the next conference in Geneva in November 2025.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representatives his Department plans to send to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties by (a) job title and (b) name.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The World Health Organization Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will take place in Geneva from Monday 17 to Saturday 22 November.
The United Kingdom’s delegation will consist of officials from the Department of Health and Social Care, as is usual practice for this conference.
A decision on who will attend is yet to be made. However, it is departmental policy not to name officials below Senior Civil Service grades who attend these events.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 50803 on Heathrow Airport: Money, how much cash was seized by the Border Force (a) at Heathrow Airport and (b) nationally in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the interests of maintaining border security, Border Force does not routinely disclose information of a port-specific nature, and the requested national information is not available from published statistics.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are employed by Border Force at Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the interests of maintaining border security, Border Force does not routinely disclose information of a port-specific nature, and the requested national information is not available from published statistics.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether policies on smart thermostats will be included in the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We recognise the key role that smart technologies play in decarbonsing homes. A digitised energy system will help consumers manage their usage and reduce their bills. We will set out further details in the Warm Homes Plan later this year.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposals outlined in the consultation entitled The Tax Treatment of Remote Gambling, last updated on 6 May 2025, on black market gambling.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one.
If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.