Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the application of data protection law to the collection and retention of personal data in connection with infant baptisms and other religious rites; and whether she plans to review the compatibility of such practices with principles of (a) consent and (b) children’s data rights.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Under the UK’s data protection legislation, religious organisations have obligations to process personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently. Personal data should also be kept secure, its accuracy should be maintained where appropriate, and it should not be processed for longer than is necessary.
The legislation is monitored and enforced independently of government by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which has published guidance for organisations on complying with the legislation in respect of children's data, including the circumstances where it would be appropriate to seek parental consent to the intended processing: Children and the UK GDPR | ICO.
The government has no plans to carry out an assessment of whether and how religious organisations collect and retain personal data relating to infant baptisms and other rites, but anyone who has concerns about the handling of their personal data can raise the matter with the ICO via https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has held discussions with Eurostar on the carriage of musical instruments on cross border services.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There have been no recent ministerial‑level discussions with Eurostar on the carriage of musical instruments on cross‑border services.
However, the Government, including UK Border Force officials, regularly reviews the feasibility of potential UK CITES Points of Entry and Exit, including Eurostar terminals.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to Border Force officers on the handling of CITES documentation for musical instruments.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All Border Force officers receive relevant mandatory training on dealing with international trade documentation, which includes CITES permits, to aid the detection of illicit goods linked to the illegal wildlife trade, including musical instruments.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the music sector on delays at UK ports linked to the inspection of CITES regulated instruments.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There have been no recent ministerial‑level discussions with representatives of the music sector on delays at UK ports arising from the inspection of CITES‑regulated instruments.
Defra and its agencies regularly discuss the implementation of CITES requirements with representatives of the music sector, and no concerns about delays have been raised in these discussions.
Defra works closely with UK Border Force to deliver CITES controls and enforcement at the border. We remain committed to ensuring essential checks are conducted to prevent wildlife crime while minimising delays.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the urgent question on the resignation of the chair of the OBR at column 991, 3 December 2025, whether special advisers have been required to provide access to the leak inquiry to communications on personal and government issued mobile devices and computers.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
On 9 February, the Government published its Review of Budget information security. This includes the outcomes and recommendations of the Cabinet Office’s leak inquiry. All individuals and organisations in government who had access to the relevant information were in scope, including special advisers.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 3 December 2025 on OBR: Resignation of Chair, Official Report, column 991, if she will provide an update on the progress of the leak inquiry.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
On 9 February, the Government published its Review of Budget information security. This includes the outcomes and recommendations of the Cabinet Office’s leak inquiry. The recommendations will be implemented in full.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral answer of 25 November 2025, Official Report Column 201, on NHS Dental Services in Norfolk, when he will issue a direction to the Office for Students.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We intend to set out next steps on the dental workforce soon.
The independent Office for Students (OfS) has statutory responsibility for allocating funding for dental school places. Allocation outcomes are based on guidance issued by the Government, alongside an OfS assessment of provider capability.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full time equivalent police officers there were in Norfolk Constabulary on (a) 1 September 2024 and (b) 1 September 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
The latest information on the number of police officers, as at 30 September 2025, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2025.
Table 1 of the data tables accompanying the release includes information on full-time equivalent police officers in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area, as at 30 September 2024 and 2025.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made on the potential impact of the Police Funding Settlement (England and Wales) 2026-27 on the response times to rural crime incidents in North West Norfolk constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
As a result of the 2026-27 police funding settlement, Norfolk Police will receive up to £248.7 million in 2026-27, which is an increase of £9.5 million on the previous year. This equates to a 4.0% cash increase in funding.
Forces are operationally independent, and the deployment of officers and staff remains an operational decision for Chief Constables.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on the Police Funding Settlement (England and Wales) 2026-27 on the provisions for tackling fly tipping in rural areas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
As a result of the 2026-27 police funding settlement, Norfolk Police will receive up to £248.7 million in 2026-27, which is an increase of £9.5 million on the previous year. This equates to a 4.0% cash increase in funding.
Forces are operationally independent, and the deployment of officers and staff remains an operational decision for Chief Constables.