Liam Fox Portrait

Liam Fox

Conservative - North Somerset

First elected: 9th April 1992


2 APPG memberships (as of 24 Jan 2024)
Abraham Accords, Down Syndrome
Electricity and Gas Transmission (Compensation) Bill
18th Jan 2023 - 25th Jan 2023
Down Syndrome Bill
19th Jan 2022 - 26th Jan 2022
Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade
13th Jul 2016 - 24th Jul 2019
Secretary of State for Defence
12th May 2010 - 14th Oct 2011
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
7th Dec 2005 - 6th May 2010
Shadow Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs)
10th May 2005 - 7th Dec 2005
Shadow Minister without Portfolio
10th Nov 2003 - 10th May 2005
Co-Chair, Conservative Party
10th Nov 2003 - 10th May 2005
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
15th Jun 1999 - 10th Nov 2003
Opposition Spokesperson (Constitutional Affairs, Scotland and Wales)
2nd Jun 1998 - 15th Jun 1999
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
23rd Jul 1996 - 1st May 1997
Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury) (Whip)
28th Nov 1995 - 23rd Jul 1996
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)
20th Jul 1994 - 28th Nov 1995
Scottish Affairs Committee
27th Apr 1992 - 27th Oct 1994


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Liam Fox has voted in 698 divisions, and 9 times against the majority of their Party.

24 Jun 2020 - Demonstrations (Abortion Clinics) - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 43 Conservative No votes vs 56 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 213 Noes - 47
17 Jun 2020 - Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 23 Conservative Aye votes vs 283 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 31 Noes - 400
10 Mar 2020 - Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 36 Conservative Aye votes vs 301 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 282 Noes - 306
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 97 Conservative No votes vs 224 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 369 Noes - 126
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 60 Conservative No votes vs 258 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 385 Noes - 100
22 Jun 2022 - Health and Personal Social Services - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 61 Conservative No votes vs 106 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 215 Noes - 70
18 Oct 2022 - Public Order Bill - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 103 Conservative No votes vs 113 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 297 Noes - 110
16 Jan 2023 - Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted No - against a party majority - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 299 Conservative No votes vs 18 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 49 Noes - 482
7 Mar 2023 - Public Order Bill - View Vote Context
Liam Fox voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 107 Conservative Aye votes vs 109 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 116 Noes - 299
View All Liam Fox Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(31 debate interactions)
Rishi Sunak (Conservative)
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
(16 debate interactions)
Matt Hancock (Independent)
(12 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department of Health and Social Care
(37 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(32 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(21 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Liam Fox's debates

North Somerset Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Liam Fox has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Liam Fox

20th October 2022
Liam Fox signed this EDM on Tuesday 1st November 2022

Tommy Jessop and Heidi Carter and the Shaw Trust 2022 Disability Power 100 Shortlist

Tabled by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
That this House congratulates Tommy Jessop and Heidi Carter on being voted onto the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list; recognises Mr Jessop’s important contributions to drama, theatre, and the arts, including being the first actor with Down’s syndrome to star in a BBC drama on prime-time, and Ms Carter’s …
13 signatures
(Most recent: 9 Jan 2023)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 6
Conservative: 2
Independent: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Labour: 1
21st September 2022
Liam Fox signed this EDM as a sponsor on Wednesday 21st September 2022

Three Dads Walking campaign and suicide-awareness and mental health first aid in educational settings

Tabled by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
That this House expresses its support for the brave, tireless and selfless campaigning of the Three Dads Walking, Andy Airey, Tim Owen, and Mike Palmer, who with their UK walk are raising awareness of young suicide and boosting charity funds following the tragic losses of their daughters, Sophie, Emily and …
44 signatures
(Most recent: 20 Apr 2023)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 14
Liberal Democrat: 8
Conservative: 6
Scottish National Party: 6
Democratic Unionist Party: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 2
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
View All Liam Fox's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Liam Fox, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Liam Fox has not been granted any Urgent Questions

4 Adjournment Debates led by Liam Fox

Tuesday 14th June 2022
Friday 26th November 2021
Tuesday 3rd November 2020

4 Bills introduced by Liam Fox

Introduced: 8th December 2010

This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd November 2011 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to require proposals to be drawn up for the use of alternative dispute resolution processes to determine the compensation payable to landowners in certain cases where land is acquired for the purposes of electricity transmission.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 24th May 2023 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision about meeting the needs of persons with Down syndrome; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 and was enacted into law.


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. Make provision about the implementation of international trade agreements; to make provision establishing the Trade Remedies Authority and conferring functions on it; and to make provision about the collection and disclosure of information relating to trade.

Commons Completed
Lords Completed
Awaiting Ping-Pong

Last Event - 3rd Reading : House Of Lords
Wednesday 20th March 2019
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1st Sep 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the ONS has made of the impact of strike action on growth in (a) each of the last three quarters and (b) June.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 1 September is attached.

24th Apr 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employees have been dismissed from the civil service in each of the last 10 years.

The number of dismissals in the Civil Service for each of the last 10 years are shown in the table below. The number of dismissals for the year ending 31 March 2023 are scheduled for release on 26 July 2023 as part of the National Statistics bulletin Civil Service Statistics 2023. The number of staff leaving, by leaving cause, is published as one of the standard tables and all of the dismissal data presented in the answer is already in the public domain.

Table 1: Number of dismissals in the Civil Service, 2012/13 to 2021/22

Year ending

Number

31 March 2013

2,390

31 March 2014

2,340

31 March 2015

2,460

31 March 2016

2,570

31 March 2017

2,590

31 March 2018

2,220

31 March 2019

2,360

31 March 2020

2,570

31 March 2021

1,880

31 March 2022

1,950

Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, Cabinet Office

Figures rounded to nearest 10

12th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the line manager is of the Scottish Government's Permanent Secretary.

Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, line manages the permanent secretaries of the Devolved Administrations, including Leslie Evans as Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Apr 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's timeframe is for holding discussions with victims and families of the contaminated blood scandal on a framework for compensation.

In January 2020, the then Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Minister for Patient Safety met campaigners representing the people infected and affected, and campaigners raised a number of issues about the support that would assist them outside of the Inquiry process. Ministers have committed to looking at these issues carefully, including to consider a request to look at a framework for compensation before the Inquiry reports, and to report back on where progress can be made. The Paymaster General is the lead Minister for the Inquiry and is taking forward these actions.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
14th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the strength of China’s role in the rare earth mineral supply chain on the supply of electric vehicles in the UK.

The automotive sector relies on rare earths for magnets in electric vehicle motors, and other critical minerals – like lithium, graphite and cobalt – for batteries.

Of the 18 critical minerals defined in the UK criticality assessment, China is the largest producer for 12 of them as refined products. China produced 76% of rare earth elements between 2016 and 2020.[1]

We are working closely with international partners in the G7, International Energy Agency and Mineral Security Partnership to strengthen and diversify our critical mineral supply chains and improve environmental and social governance – including engaging with China to achieve our objectives.

[1] British Geological Survey, World Mineral Statistics Database 2022

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
26th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to include companies with under 500 properties in the 2016 Pubs Code Regulations.

The Government will retain the current scope of the Pubs Code in England and Wales, which excludes pub-owning companies with fewer than 500 tied pubs, provided that these companies continue to engage in the voluntary rent dispute and complaints procedures and the level of complaints remains low. The Government will keep the threshold under review.

15th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data has been used to assess the western boundary of the Bristol Clean Air Zone, specifically the Portway and Brunel Bridge regional through route.

Bristol is introducing a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to bring the roads in the city into compliance with NO2 limits in the shortest possible time.

Bristol has proposed that the zone boundary should include the Portway and Brunel Bridge routes, and has carried out modelling to understand the traffic and air quality data to show the impact of removing these routes from the CAZ. This modelling indicated that removing these roads from within the zone boundary would delay the date by which roads in Bristol are compliant with legal limits for NO2. The Government is currently considering this information as part of our review of Bristol’s Full Business Case.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
1st Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on the capacity of the emergency leak protection bund at the Redcliffe Bay Petroleum Storage Depot.

No such discussions have taken place.

Redcliffe Bay Petroleum Storage Depot is jointly regulated by the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015 as an Upper Tier establishment. The Environment Agency has had discussions at an operational level with the site operator about containment in the event of an emergency. Based on the information obtained at the last inspection, the Environment Agency was satisfied with the containment and associated procedures at the site.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of railway strikes on growth.

The industry is making considerable efforts to keep as much of the railway running for passengers and freight. However, strikes have a hugely negative impact, and come at a significant cost to our economy, affecting a wide range of businesses and sectors.

My Department is taking part in regular roundtables and discussions with those industries most disrupted by industrial action, so we understand the concerns of businesses and passenger groups

Huw Merriman
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
2nd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timeframe is for making a cumulative environmental impact assessment for (a) all UK airports, (b) UK regional airports and (c) total aviation emissions.

Airport planning applications should be judged by the relevant planning authority, taking careful account of all relevant considerations, including environmental impacts and proposed mitigations.

In July 2021, we published the Jet Zero Consultation which outlines our vision for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. The consultation focuses on the rapid development of technologies in a way that maintains the benefits of air travel whilst maximising the opportunities that decarbonisation can bring to the UK. We continue to carefully consider the consultation responses in the development of the final Jet Zero Strategy which is to be published later this year and will set out the framework for reducing aviation emissions from the sector.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on reopening the Portishead railway line.

Reopening the railway line from Bristol to Portishead is being led and funded by the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council as Phase 1B of MetroWest. The Department for Transport has committed to make a capped funding contribution of £31.9m towards the scheme. My Department expects to receive the Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation regarding the scheme’s Development Consent Order shortly and on which the Secretary of State will need to give his decision.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
5th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of administrative tasks which GPs are required to perform.

The Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published by NHS England in May 2023, set out actions on how bureaucracy and workload can be cut by improving the interface between primary and secondary care, cutting unnecessary burdens on general practitioners (GPs) through the Bureaucracy Busting Concordat, published in August 2022, and streamlining the Investment and Impact Fund from 36 to five indicators from 2023/24.

In response to feedback from the profession to make incentive schemes more streamlined and focused, the Department has launched a public consultation on incentive schemes in general practice.

The expanded primary care teams funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme add extra clinical capacity, helping to reduce the burden on GPs.

Andrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the workload of GPs.

The Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published by NHS England in May 2023, set out actions on how bureaucracy and workload can be cut by improving the interface between primary and secondary care, cutting unnecessary burdens on general practitioners (GPs) through the Bureaucracy Busting Concordat, published in August 2022, and streamlining the Investment and Impact Fund from 36 to five indicators from 2023/24.

In response to feedback from the profession to make incentive schemes more streamlined and focused, the Department has launched a public consultation on incentive schemes in general practice.

The expanded primary care teams funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme add extra clinical capacity, helping to reduce the burden on GPs.

Andrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
1st Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS mangers are paid over (a) £80,000, (b) £130,000, (c) £200,000 and (d) £250,000 a year as of 1 September 2023.

The following table shows the headcount number of managers in the National Health Service with total earnings of over the requested amounts in the 12 months to the end of March 2023, the latest period available. These are total earnings, which include non-basic-pay elements such as overtime, geographic allowances, or on-call payments, though these will not make a significant part of managers earnings.

Range

Headcount

£80,000 - £129,999

8678

£130,000 - £199,999

1248

£200,000 - £249,999

149

£250,000 and over

58

Source: NHS England Digital Earnings Statistics

Notes:

  1. Data is sourced from the ESR, which is the Human Resources and Payroll system used throughout secondary care by organisations in the HCHS. It includes staff working for NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts, integrated care boards and central and support organisations in England.
  2. Data covers people in the staff groups of ‘managers’ and ‘senior managers’ as defined by their NHS Occupation Code. All managers/senior managers who need to be a qualified doctor, qualified nurse, qualified therapist, qualified scientist, or trained ambulance personnel should be coded in their professional staff group, for example as a nurse and are not included in these figures.
  3. If an individual worked in more than one managerial role over the course of the year the earnings are summed to give a person level total. Earnings for roles outside of management are not included.

13th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent GPs were active in (a) 2020, (b) 2015, (c) 2005, (d) 2000 and (e) 1995.

The table below shows the number full-time equivalent GPs were active in 2020, 2015, 2005, 2000 and 1995.

Year

All GPs (full time equivalent)

September 1995

29,248

September 2000

26,114

September 2005

31,901

September 2015

34,392

September 2020

35,393

Source: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services

Notes

  1. Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) refers to the proportion of full-time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. For GPs in Training Grades’ contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.
  2. Figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres, and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.
  1. Data from September 2015 onwards was collected using a new methodology and should therefore not be directly compared with data from before September 2015. Figures from September 2015 should be treated with caution as the data submission rates under the new methodology from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture. In September 2015, which was the first extract from the new Workforce Minimum Data Set, only three of four Health Education England regions submitted data.
  2. It is not recommended that comparisons be made between quarterly or monthly figures (e.g. Mar 16 to Sept 16) due to the unknown effect of seasonality on workforce numbers. Any such comparisons should therefore be treated with extreme caution.
  3. Figures from earlier collections (September 2005 to September 2015) should be treated with caution as the data submission rates from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture.
13th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time general practice staff were (a) male and (b) female in (i) 2020, (ii) 2015, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2005, (v) 2000 and (vi) 1995.

The table below shows the number of full-time general practice staff who were male and female in September 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020. Data is not broken down by gender for all practice staff for 2000 and 1995.

Year

Female (all practice staff)

Male (all practice staff)

September 2005

12,192

19,710

September 2010

15,361

19,881

September 2015

91,902

20,414

September 2020

108,682

23,081

Source: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services

Notes

  1. Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) refers to the proportion of full-time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. For GPs in Training Grades’ contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.
  1. Figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.
  2. Data from September 2015 onwards was collected using a new methodology and should therefore not be directly compared with data from before September 2015. Figures from September 2015 should be treated with caution as the data submission rates under the new methodology from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture. In September 2015, which was the first extract from the new Workforce Minimum Data Set, only three of four Health Education England regions submitted data.
  3. It is not recommended that comparisons be made between quarterly or monthly figures (e.g. Mar 16 to Sept 16) due to the unknown effect of seasonality on workforce numbers. Any such comparisons should therefore be treated with extreme caution.
  4. Figures from earlier collections (September 2005 to September 2015) should be treated with caution as the data submission rates from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture.
26th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of regional differences in access to multidisciplinary support on Parkinson's care.

No assessment has been made.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of levels of adherence to the guidance entitled Excellence in Continence Care.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on the commissioning functions of clinical commissioning groups and some of NHS England’s commissioning functions. While there are no specific requirements to assess local continence needs, ICBs will be responsible for providing a comprehensive health service for the local population based on its needs.

No assessment has yet been made of levels of adherence to the Excellence in Continence Care guidance. However, NHS England is planning an assessment of adherence to Excellence in Continence Care, which is anticipated to start later in 2022.

Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
22nd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether integrated care systems have assessed local continence needs; and whether his Department has a strategy in place to meet such needs from April 2022.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on the commissioning functions of clinical commissioning groups and some of NHS England’s commissioning functions. While there are no specific requirements to assess local continence needs, ICBs will be responsible for providing a comprehensive health service for the local population based on its needs.

No assessment has yet been made of levels of adherence to the Excellence in Continence Care guidance. However, NHS England is planning an assessment of adherence to Excellence in Continence Care, which is anticipated to start later in 2022.

Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
4th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions to ICU with covid-19 were (a) fully vaccinated, (b) partially vaccinated and (c) unvaccinated in each of the last 10 weeks in England.

This information is not held in the format requested. However, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes data on COVID-19 cases presenting to emergency care within 28 days of a positive specimen resulting in an overnight inpatient admission, by vaccination status. This data is published for the most recent four week period in the weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Surveillance report which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-surveillance-reports

The analysis is based on data from a sentinel network of acute National Health Service trusts contributing enhanced data cases data from the UKHSA, linked to vaccination status and presentation to emergency care and inpatient admissions from the NHS.

4th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions to the NHS with covid-19 were (a) fully vaccinated, (b) partially vaccinated and (c) unvaccinated in each of the last 10 weeks in England.

This information is not available in the format requested. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes data on COVID-19 cases presenting to emergency care within 28 days of a positive specimen resulting in an overnight inpatient admission by vaccination status, for the most recent four week period. This is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-surveillance-reports

The analysis is based on data from a sentinel network of acute National Health Service trusts contributing enhanced data cases data from the UKHSA linked to vaccination status and presentation to emergency care and inpatient admissions from the NHS.

4th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Delayed Transfers of Care were recorded in the NHS in England in (a) January 2016, (b) July 2016, (c) January 2017, (d) July 2017, (e) January 2018, (f) July 2018, (g) January 2019, (h) July 2019, (i) January 2020, (j) July 2020, (k) January 2021 and (l) July 2021.

The collection and publication of data on delayed transfers of care (DToC) was paused in March 2020 to release capacity across the National Health Service to support the COVID-19 pandemic response. Therefore data on DTOCs in each of the last six months is not available.

Monthly data on the number of DTOCs in England is not held in the format requested. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s data collection is based on the average number of people delayed per day. This is calculated by dividing the number of delayed days during the month by the number of calendar days in the month. This measure was previously known as DToC beds. The following table shows the average number of delayed discharges in England in the NHS and social care until January 2020.

Date

Average number of delayed discharges

January 2016

5,144

June 2016

5,771

January 2017

6,371

June 2017

5,929

January 2018

4,883

June 2018

4,503

January 2019

4,368

June 2019

4,502

January 2020

5,183

Since 9 December 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement have published weekly data on daily discharge figures across England. This is the first published data on hospital discharges since the DToC collection was paused in March 2020 and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/uec-sitrep/urgent-and-emergency-care-daily-situation-reports-2021-22/

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
4th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Delayed Transfers of Care were recorded in the NHS in England in each of the last six months.

The collection and publication of data on delayed transfers of care (DToC) was paused in March 2020 to release capacity across the National Health Service to support the COVID-19 pandemic response. Therefore data on DTOCs in each of the last six months is not available.

Monthly data on the number of DTOCs in England is not held in the format requested. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s data collection is based on the average number of people delayed per day. This is calculated by dividing the number of delayed days during the month by the number of calendar days in the month. This measure was previously known as DToC beds. The following table shows the average number of delayed discharges in England in the NHS and social care until January 2020.

Date

Average number of delayed discharges

January 2016

5,144

June 2016

5,771

January 2017

6,371

June 2017

5,929

January 2018

4,883

June 2018

4,503

January 2019

4,368

June 2019

4,502

January 2020

5,183

Since 9 December 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement have published weekly data on daily discharge figures across England. This is the first published data on hospital discharges since the DToC collection was paused in March 2020 and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/uec-sitrep/urgent-and-emergency-care-daily-situation-reports-2021-22/

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
6th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rate of new covid-19 infections has been over the last three weeks in England amongst patients who are (a) fully, (b) partially and (c) not immunised; and what the hospital admission rates are for people who are (i) fully, (ii) partially and (iii) not immunised.

This information is not available in the format requested.

The UK Health Security Agency publishes data on new COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions over the past four weeks by vaccination status, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-surveillance-reports

6th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS mangers are paid over (a) £80,000, (b) £130,000, (c) £200,000 and (d) £250,000 a year.

The following table shows managers with total earnings of over £80,000 in the 12 months to the end of June 2021, headcount. These figures represent payments made using the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) to National Health Service staff employed and directly paid by NHS organisations in the Hospital and Community Health Sector (HCHS). These are total earnings, which include non-basic-pay elements such as overtime, geographic allowances, or on-call payments.

Range

Headcount

£80,000 - £129,999

7,018

£130,000 - £199,999

1,071

£200,000 - £249,999

114

£250,000 and over

36

Source – NHS Digital Earnings Statistics

Notes:

  1. Data is sourced from the ESR, which is the Human Resources and Payroll system used throughout secondary care by organisations in the HCHS. It includes staff working for NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts, clinical commissioning groups and central and support organisations in England.
  2. Data covers people in the staff groups of ‘managers’ and ‘senior managers’ as defined by their NHS Occupation Code. All managers/senior managers who need to be a qualified doctor, qualified nurse, qualified therapist, qualified scientist, or trained ambulance personnel should be coded in their professional staff group, for example as a nurse and are not included in these figures.
  3. If an individual worked in more than one managerial role over the course of the year the earnings are summed to give a person level total. Earnings for roles outside of management are not included.
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
7th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what most recent data his Department holds on the number of patients in hospital with covid-19 who are (a) under 25 years old, (b) 25 to 50 years old, (c) 51 to 60 years old and (d) over 60 years old; and how many patients in each of those age categories had received (i) no covid-19 vaccine, (ii) one covid-19 vaccine and (iii) two covid-19 vaccines prior to their admission to hospital.

The monthly data publication, last published on 8 July, showing COVID-19 related hospitalisations by age is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/

Public Health England monitors the number of people who have been admitted to hospital who have received one or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination and will publish this data in due course.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of staff directly employed by his Department are located in the UK.

This information is published in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts, the 2021-22 report can be found on gov.uk. I refer the Honourable Member to pages 17(9) and 149(141) of the report https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1095304/FCDO_Annual_Report_2021_2022_Accessible_290722.pdf

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of staff directly employed by his Department are located overseas.

This information is published in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts, the 2021-22 report can be found on gov.uk. I refer the Honourable Member to pages 17(9) and 149(141) of the report https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1095304/FCDO_Annual_Report_2021_2022_Accessible_290722.pdf

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
13th Oct 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much accrued to the Exchequer from VAT on health and social care training in each of the last five years.

Businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level within their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

The information requested is therefore not available.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
17th Apr 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of public sector strikes on UK GDP in each month since August 2022.

As the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have noted, it is not possible to precisely isolate the impact of strike action on GDP from other factors across the wider economy.

The Government remains committed to minimising the disruption caused by strike action and encouraging the resolution of industrial disputes as quickly as reasonably possible.

The Government will listen to all unions who are willing to discuss what is fair and reasonable – recognising the vital role public sector workers play but also the wider economic pressures facing the UK. As a condition for talks, we expect unions to call off any planned strike action.

For example, following intensive talks between the Government and Agenda for Change unions, the Government have put forward a fair and generous pay offer which Agenda for Change unions are now balloting their members on, with most unions recommending that their members vote to accept.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Mar 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the degree to which consumer interests are weighted in the governance of the Financial Conduct Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Section 29 of the Financial Services Act 2021 required the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to consult on whether it should make rules giving regulated financial service providers a duty of care over their customers. The Act also set out that the consultation must include “whether the FCA should make other provision in general rules about the level of care that must be provided to consumers by authorised persons, either instead of or in addition to a duty of care”. The Act further set out that the consultation must be carried out by the end of 2021, and any new rules introduced, if considered appropriate, before 1 August 2022.

The FCA published a final Policy Statement on 27 July 2022 on its new Consumer Duty following two consultations in May and December 2021. The FCA has publicly set out how it considers it has met the requirements under the Financial Services Act 2021, including the requirement to consult on the introduction of a duty of care for financial services firms, and why the Consumer Duty amounts to a duty of care.

As the FCA is an operationally independent regulator, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on the specific rules introduced by the FCA.

The FCA must operate within the framework of statutory duties and powers agreed by Parliament and is fully accountable to Parliament for how it discharges its statutory functions.

The Government has given the FCA a statutory objective to protect consumers. The FCA is required to set out how it has advanced its objectives, including the consumer protection objective, as part of public consultations on draft rules. It is also required to set out how it has advanced its consumer protection objective as part of its annual report which is laid before Parliament.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Mar 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the establishment of the Financial Regulator Assessment Authority in Australia following the Royal Commission on Misconduct in Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing a similar consumer oversight body in the UK on accountability of the Financial Conduct Authority.

The government launched the Future Regulatory Framework (FRF) Review to ensure that the UK maintains a coherent, agile and internationally-respected approach to financial services regulation following the UK’s exit from the European Union. Consultations were published in October 2020 and November 2021, which both received over 100 responses.

The Financial Services and Markets Bill delivers the outcomes of the FRF Review, and repeals hundreds of pieces of retained EU law relating to financial services, which will give the regulators significant new rulemaking responsibilities.

The government has been clear that more responsibility for the regulators should be balanced with clear accountability, appropriate democratic input, and transparent oversight.

As a result, the Bill includes a package of measures to increase the accountability of the regulators to Parliament and HM Treasury, and enhance their engagement with stakeholders including consumer groups.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Mar 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department plans to take to introduce the duty of care promised by Section 29 of the Financial Services Act 2021.

Section 29 of the Financial Services Act 2021 required the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to consult on whether it should make rules giving regulated financial service providers a duty of care over their customers. The Act also set out that the consultation must include “whether the FCA should make other provision in general rules about the level of care that must be provided to consumers by authorised persons, either instead of or in addition to a duty of care”. The Act further set out that the consultation must be carried out by the end of 2021, and any new rules introduced, if considered appropriate, before 1 August 2022.

The FCA published a final Policy Statement on 27 July 2022 on its new Consumer Duty following two consultations in May and December 2021. The FCA has publicly set out how it considers it has met the requirements under the Financial Services Act 2021, including the requirement to consult on the introduction of a duty of care for financial services firms, and why the Consumer Duty amounts to a duty of care.

As the FCA is an operationally independent regulator, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on the specific rules introduced by the FCA.

The FCA must operate within the framework of statutory duties and powers agreed by Parliament and is fully accountable to Parliament for how it discharges its statutory functions.

The Government has given the FCA a statutory objective to protect consumers. The FCA is required to set out how it has advanced its objectives, including the consumer protection objective, as part of public consultations on draft rules. It is also required to set out how it has advanced its consumer protection objective as part of its annual report which is laid before Parliament.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Mar 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Financial Conduct Authority's Consumer Duty will constitute a duty of care in common law.

Section 29 of the Financial Services Act 2021 required the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to consult on whether it should make rules giving regulated financial service providers a duty of care over their customers. The Act also set out that the consultation must include “whether the FCA should make other provision in general rules about the level of care that must be provided to consumers by authorised persons, either instead of or in addition to a duty of care”. The Act further set out that the consultation must be carried out by the end of 2021, and any new rules introduced, if considered appropriate, before 1 August 2022.

The FCA published a final Policy Statement on 27 July 2022 on its new Consumer Duty following two consultations in May and December 2021. The FCA has publicly set out how it considers it has met the requirements under the Financial Services Act 2021, including the requirement to consult on the introduction of a duty of care for financial services firms, and why the Consumer Duty amounts to a duty of care.

As the FCA is an operationally independent regulator, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on the specific rules introduced by the FCA.

The FCA must operate within the framework of statutory duties and powers agreed by Parliament and is fully accountable to Parliament for how it discharges its statutory functions.

The Government has given the FCA a statutory objective to protect consumers. The FCA is required to set out how it has advanced its objectives, including the consumer protection objective, as part of public consultations on draft rules. It is also required to set out how it has advanced its consumer protection objective as part of its annual report which is laid before Parliament.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Mar 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what basis the Government has decided whether or not the obligations placed on the Financial Conduct Authority under Section 29 of the Financial Services Act 2021 have been met by the regulator's decision to consult on and introduce its consumer duty, as opposed to a duty of care.

Section 29 of the Financial Services Act 2021 required the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to consult on whether it should make rules giving regulated financial service providers a duty of care over their customers. The Act also set out that the consultation must include “whether the FCA should make other provision in general rules about the level of care that must be provided to consumers by authorised persons, either instead of or in addition to a duty of care”. The Act further set out that the consultation must be carried out by the end of 2021, and any new rules introduced, if considered appropriate, before 1 August 2022.

The FCA published a final Policy Statement on 27 July 2022 on its new Consumer Duty following two consultations in May and December 2021. The FCA has publicly set out how it considers it has met the requirements under the Financial Services Act 2021, including the requirement to consult on the introduction of a duty of care for financial services firms, and why the Consumer Duty amounts to a duty of care.

As the FCA is an operationally independent regulator, it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on the specific rules introduced by the FCA.

The FCA must operate within the framework of statutory duties and powers agreed by Parliament and is fully accountable to Parliament for how it discharges its statutory functions.

The Government has given the FCA a statutory objective to protect consumers. The FCA is required to set out how it has advanced its objectives, including the consumer protection objective, as part of public consultations on draft rules. It is also required to set out how it has advanced its consumer protection objective as part of its annual report which is laid before Parliament.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
21st Jul 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to regulate the use of deeds of assignment in taxation mandates by practitioner agents.

The Government launched a consultation “Raising standards in tax advice: protecting customers claiming tax repayments” on 22 June 2022, which proposes measures to prohibit the assignment of tax repayments. This consultation forms part of the Government’s agenda to raise standards in the market for tax advice. It will close on 14 September 2022, after which the Government will set out how it will proceed.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
4th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the planned abolition of the VAT Retail Export Scheme on the number of tourists visiting (a) the UK and (b) EU countries from 1 January 2021.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage arriving from or going overseas (passengers). The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom (UK) will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the UK, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales for non-excise goods will be removed across the UK.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The detailed rationale for these changes is included in the written ministerial statement and summary of responses to the recent consultation. A technical note has also been issued to stakeholders to expand on this document and to respond to issues raised by stakeholders.

HMRC estimate that VAT RES refunds cost about £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for about 1.2 million non-EU visitors. In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to about £1.4 billion per annum.

The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.

4th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the planned abolition of the VAT Retail Export Scheme on employment levels in the (a) retail, (b) leisure and hospitality, (c) travel and tourism and (d) manufacturing sector in the UK.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage arriving from or going overseas (passengers). The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom (UK) will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the UK, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales for non-excise goods will be removed across the UK.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The detailed rationale for these changes is included in the written ministerial statement and summary of responses to the recent consultation. A technical note has also been issued to stakeholders to expand on this document and to respond to issues raised by stakeholders.

HMRC estimate that VAT RES refunds cost about £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for about 1.2 million non-EU visitors. In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to about £1.4 billion per annum.

The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.

4th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the planned abolition of the VAT Retail Export Scheme on the level of spending by tourists in (a) the UK and (b) EU countries from 1 January 2021.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage arriving from or going overseas (passengers). The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom (UK) will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the UK, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales for non-excise goods will be removed across the UK.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The detailed rationale for these changes is included in the written ministerial statement and summary of responses to the recent consultation. A technical note has also been issued to stakeholders to expand on this document and to respond to issues raised by stakeholders.

HMRC estimate that VAT RES refunds cost about £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for about 1.2 million non-EU visitors. In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to about £1.4 billion per annum.

The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.

30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people from Hong Kong in the UK who hold British National (Overseas) status following the alleged assault on Bob Chan at the Chinese consulate in Manchester in October 2022.

The UK has taken firm action following restrictions on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.

We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Home Office officials work closely with other departments including the FCDO and DLUHC in ensuring that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) status and other Hongkongers.

Attempts by foreign Governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas, undermining democracy and the rule of law, are unacceptable.

The Home Office is driving forward work to protect the democratic integrity of the UK, including from threats of foreign interference, through the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the safety of people in the UK who hold British National (Overseas) status.

The UK has taken firm action following restrictions on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. The UK will continue to stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong, as we have demonstrated by introducing the bespoke immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders and their eligible family members. By the end of 2021 there were over 100,000 applications for the route.

We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. As you would expect, Home Office officials work closely with the FCDO and DLUHC, as well as other government departments, to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) status and other Hongkongers.

Attempts by foreign Governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas, undermining democracy and the rule of law, are unacceptable. Anyone who is concerned for their safety should contact the police.

Furthermore, the Security Minister made a statement on the issue of transnational repression to the House on 1 November. I said this Government is committed to tackling this challenge wherever it originates and announced an internal review into transnational repression. This work is underway and the House will be updated on progress in due course.

30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people from Hong Kong living in Scotland who hold British National (Overseas) status.

The UK has taken firm action following restrictions on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. The UK will continue to stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong, as we have demonstrated by introducing the bespoke immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders and their eligible family members. By the end of 2021 there were over 100,000 applications for the route.

We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. As you would expect, Home Office officials work closely with the FCDO and DLUHC, as well as other government departments, to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) status and other Hongkongers.

Attempts by foreign Governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas, undermining democracy and the rule of law, are unacceptable. Anyone who is concerned for their safety should contact the police.

Furthermore, the Security Minister made a statement on the issue of transnational repression to the House on 1 November. I said this Government is committed to tackling this challenge wherever it originates and announced an internal review into transnational repression. This work is underway and the House will be updated on progress in due course.

30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people from Hong Kong in the UK who hold British National (Overseas) status following the reports of alleged secret police stations in the UK.

The UK has taken firm action following restrictions on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.

We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Home Office officials work closely with other departments including the FCDO and DLUHC in ensuring that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) status and other Hongkongers.

Attempts by foreign Governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas, undermining democracy and the rule of law, are unacceptable.

I made a statement on the issue of transnational repression to the House on 1 November. As I said to the House, reports of undeclared ‘police stations’ in the UK are of course very concerning and are taken extremely seriously. Any foreign country operating on UK soil must abide by UK law. This Government is committed to tackling this challenge wherever it originates. An internal review into transnational repression is underway and the House will be updated on progress in due course.

More broadly, I am driving forward work to protect the democratic integrity of the UK, including from threats of foreign interference, through the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time taken was by Capita to process applications to join the regular or reserve forces in the last twelve months.

The British Army conducts recruiting activities in partnership with Capita under the Recruiting Partnership Programme, whereas the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force deliver recruitment in house. The below table therefore represents the average length of time for Army applicants only.

The table below shows the average time in days from application to starting training.

Mean time (Days)

Regular Officer

524

Reserve Officer

338

Regular Other Ranks

203

Reserve Other Ranks

169

Notes / Caveats

- Averages have been calculated using data from the recruiting year (RY) 2021/22 application cohort data.

- Data for RY 2022/23 is not yet available as it takes time for cohorts to mature to the point of intake.

- There are several variables that may impact the time it takes to progress through the recruitment pipeline, including but not limited to, timely individual participation in the recruitment process, medical/fitness issues, aptitude testing success and availability of training places.

- The recruitment process for Officers can take significantly longer given that candidates can go to university between application and arriving at RMAS.

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was for Capita to process application forms for the regular and reserve forces in each of the last three years.

The British Army conducts recruiting activities in partnership with Capita under the Recruiting Partnership Programme, whereas the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force deliver recruitment in house. The below table therefore represents the cost to the Army only.

The cost of processing application forms is not captured as a separate activity under the Army Recruiting Contract with Capita, but within the overall cost of recruiting. Recruiting costs are covered by a combination of the Service Management Charge and the Recruitment charge. The latter charge alters depending upon the volume of recruiting demand in a particular year, whereas the former is a fixed charge not dependant on demand volumes. Additionally, there are costs relating to medical assessment activities included.

The table below shows the costs over the last three financial years:

Financial Year

Cost

Comments

2020-21

£43.57 million

Figures include the Service Management Charge, Recruitment Charge and medical assessment costs

2021-22

£40.29 million

2022-23

£42.65 million

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to join the armed forces have been made in the past 12 months.

The requested information is currently undergoing a checking and verification process and publication is anticipated in the summer as an Official Statistic. The release of this data ahead of planned publication would be a breach of the Code of Practice for Statistics. When ready, the information will be published at the website of the collection of Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-index

Andrew Murrison
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time was between the submission of an application to join the regular or reserve forces and an interview in the last twelve months.

The following information has been provided by the single Services.

Naval Service

The table below shows the average time taken (in days) between receipt of application and interview date between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Regular Other Ranks

67

Reserve Other Ranks

73

Notes:

  1. Figures are a single service estimate and have not been validated by Analysis (Navy). Figures may not be reflective of Official Statistics. These figures cannot be compared to previously published application figures.
  2. The recruitment system changed in April last year so it has not been possible to align with information on the Joint Personnel Administration system. That also means the three services may not be aligned in what has been provided. Therefore, Royal Navy application data cannot be compared to Army or Royal Air Force.
  3. The selection process for Officers has been revised significantly over the last year, therefore it is not possible to derive any meaningful data for this population. Figures for Officers have not been supplied and therefore are not included in the Total.
  4. Average time taken is calculated as Mean days between application receipt and a date set for interview, where interview dates were set between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

British Army

The table below shows the total applications and Time of Flight Average from Application to Army Brief and Individual Candidate Discussion, by stream.

Stream

Average for last 12 months in Days

Regular Officers

119

Regular Other Ranks

21

Reserve Officers

78

Reserve Other Ranks

39

Notes:

  1. Averages have been calculated using data from 1 April 2022 to 1 March 2023 and have been calculated using the mean.
  2. Each service has a different set of intake pathways and representative calculations have necessarily been made using the following parameters for Army: time taken from application to the Army Brief and Individual Candidate Discussion.
  3. There are several variables that may impact the time it takes to progress through the recruitment pipeline, including but are not limited to, timely individual participation in the recruitment process, medical/fitness issues, aptitude testing success, and availability of training places.
  4. The recruitment process for Officers can take significantly longer given that candidates can go to university between application and arriving at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Royal Air Force (RAF)

The table below shows the average time (in days) between application and first interview for the RAF Regular and Reserve Forces in recruiting year 2022-23.

Stream

Average for last 12 months in Days

Regular Aviator

106

Regular Officer

120

Reserve Aviator

101

Reserve Officer

144

Notes:

  1. Figures are a single service estimate and have not been validated by Analysis (RAF). Figures may not be reflective of Official Statistics. These figures cannot be compared to previously published application figures.
  2. Averages have been calculated using data from 1 April 2022 to 1 March 2023 and have been calculated using the mean.

Andrew Murrison
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
29th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans can be identified via the verification processes of the Royal British Legion and other service charities.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has access to the records of all service personnel who have served in the UK armed forces. From 1972 onwards the information is held electronically by the MOD, either in the DPRR (data preservation repository reporting) or in the Joint Personnel Administration System. This equates to approximately 2.1 million records.

Prior to 1972 the MOD holds an index of all service personnel IDs (name and service number) to facilitate the recall of service records from the National Archive (all records from WW2 onwards), approximately 4.9m records.

Currently, Service charities approach the single Services or Defence Business Services for verification of an individual veteran’s service. However, more than £1 million in new money is being invested into a new digital verification service for veterans, which will enable them to verify their veteran status online quickly and easily.

Andrew Murrison
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)