Peter Bedford Portrait

Peter Bedford

Conservative - Mid Leicestershire

2,201 (4.6%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


Employment Rights Bill
13th Nov 2024 - 16th Jan 2025


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Peter Bedford has voted in 183 divisions, and 13 times against the majority of their Party.

12 Nov 2024 - House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 15 Conservative Aye votes vs 18 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 41 Noes - 378
29 Nov 2024 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 23 Conservative Aye votes vs 92 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 330 Noes - 275
16 May 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 15 Conservative No votes vs 78 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 243 Noes - 279
16 May 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 15 Conservative Aye votes vs 76 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 288 Noes - 239
13 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 11 Conservative No votes vs 71 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 259 Noes - 216
13 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 13 Conservative No votes vs 71 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 230 Noes - 256
13 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 12 Conservative No votes vs 71 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 233 Noes - 254
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 20 Conservative Aye votes vs 92 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 314 Noes - 291
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 13 Conservative Aye votes vs 66 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 274 Noes - 224
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 14 Conservative Aye votes vs 67 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 275 Noes - 209
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 15 Conservative No votes vs 60 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 213 Noes - 266
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 15 Conservative No votes vs 63 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 208 Noes - 261
20 Jun 2025 - Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - View Vote Context
Peter Bedford voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 14 Conservative No votes vs 68 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 223 Noes - 269
View All Peter Bedford Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 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
Nicholas Dakin (Labour)
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
(7 debate interactions)
Rachel Reeves (Labour)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
(5 debate interactions)
Alex McIntyre (Labour)
(5 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Business and Trade
(19 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(15 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(12 debate contributions)
Ministry of Justice
(11 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Peter Bedford's debates

Mid Leicestershire 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).

Peter Bedford has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Peter Bedford

17th June 2025
Peter Bedford signed this EDM as a sponsor on Wednesday 18th June 2025

Mandatory data collection of child sexual offenders

Tabled by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
That this House notes with deep concern the continued failures in data collection related to child sexual abuse, particularly in cases involving group-based exploitation; recognises that accurate and consistent demographic data is essential for identifying patterns, developing prevention strategies and restoring public confidence; expresses concern that a significant number of …
8 signatures
(Most recent: 25 Jun 2025)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 3
Independent: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Traditional Unionist Voice: 1
12th June 2025
Peter Bedford signed this EDM as a sponsor on Friday 13th June 2025

Maintaining institutional neutrality of publicly funded buildings and spaces

Tabled by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
That this House recognises the importance of maintaining institutional neutrality in Government and publicly funded spaces; notes that the flying of identity-based or political flags, including those representing particular interests groups or social movements, can be seen as implicitly endorsing specific viewpoints; further notes that while individuals and communities are …
9 signatures
(Most recent: 16 Jun 2025)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Independent: 1
View All Peter Bedford's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Peter Bedford, 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.


Peter Bedford has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Peter Bedford

Thursday 28th November 2024

1 Bill introduced by Peter Bedford


A Bill to make provision about financial education; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 11th March 2025
(Read Debate)
Next Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 11th July 2025
Order Paper number: 36
(Unlikely to be Debated - would require unanimous consent to progress)

Peter Bedford has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


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
13 Other Department Questions
22nd May 2025
Men
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Minister for men.

We are committed to making equality a reality for everyone. The Equality Act 2010 requires the interests of both men and women to be considered when making decisions or developing and implementing policies.

This Government recognises that men can face specific challenges in today’s society and is taking steps to address these through work across Departments. For example, we announced earlier this year that we would develop England’s first ever men’s health strategy; and in the workplace, the landmark Employment Rights Bill will extend day one rights and support flexible working, so that fathers can better support their families and spend more time with their children if they choose.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
25th Mar 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 38862 on Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Equality, whether she has made an estimate of the potential savings to the public purse of abolishing roles with diversity, equality and inclusion elements.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 38862.

17th Mar 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether she has made an estimate of the potential savings to the public purse of abolishing diversity, equality and inclusion roles.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) does not employ any people who work solely in diversity, equality, and inclusion roles.

11th Feb 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of asking the National Audit Office to undertake a value for money review.

The Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (SCIPSA) is a statutory Committee established under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009. The Committee's functions are set out in that Act. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) was also created by the 2009 Act, as a statutory independent body.

Each year the Speaker's Committee reviews IPSA's annual estimate of the resources it needs to discharge its functions. SCIPSA is required by statute to ensure that the estimate is consistant with the efficient and cost-effective discharge of IPSA's functions. The Committee carries out public scrutiny of the estimate prior to it being laid before the House of Commons by the Speaker

IPSA's accounts are audited annually by the National Audit Office (NAO) and are presented to Parliament. The NAO audit includes consideration of value for money of both IPSA's spend and MPs' spend which IPSA oversees. IPSA is also subject to a rigorous internal audit programme overseen by its own Audit, Risk, and Assurance Committee.

11th Feb 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) time taken and (b) cost to administer claims made to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority by hon. Members' offices.

IPSA has a statutory responsibility to regulate and administor a transparent scheme of staffing and business costs for MPs. Those spending public money are responsible for a suitable audit trail which is why IPSA asks for, and reviews, evidence of spend. This review helps IPSA to ensure public funds are properly spent and accounted for, and that MPs have the support they need to perfom their parliamentary functions.

IPSA has developed a proportionate, risk-based approach to validating MPs' expenditure. In the last year, IPSA received approximately 137,500 requests for funding and 40% of these were checked by one of the validation officers, with the majority validated by system checks. The number of checks is increased for new MPs or if issues are identified with claims, such as unuasually high volume or lack of appropriate evidence. IPSA's approach has led to a reduction in the time it takes to reimburse MPs from an average of 8 days in 2020-21 to an average of 2.4 days year-to-date.

The Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority annualy scrutinises IPSA's main estimate and business plan, which include details of its performance against key performance indicators such as the timetaken to reimburse claims. IPSA's operating costs are published via their Annual Report and Accounts.

3rd Feb 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what assessment the Committee has made of the effectiveness of the technology platform used to (a) process and (b) administer hon. Members' business costs.

The Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority annually scrutinises IPSA’s main estimate and business plan. This has included regular consideration of the effectiveness of IPSA Online, the system used in the processing and administration of MPs’ business costs, and plans for its improvement.

24th Jan 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the transparency of the governance arrangements for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is accountable to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (SCIPSA). SCIPSA has oversight of IPSA’s governance arrangements and its stewardship of its resources. SCIPSA is a statutory body whose role is defined by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, as amended by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

The 2009 Act specifies the composition and powers of IPSA’s governing body, its board. IPSA’s board sets out the strategic vision for IPSA and approves its corporate plan and annual report and accounts, reviews the performance of the organisation, holds the executive to account and is responsible for determining schemes of MPs’ pay, pensions and business costs. The Board is statutorily responsible for the decisions about the regulation of MPs’ pay, pensions and business costs and therefore has collective responsibility for those decisions.

IPSA's board publishes minutes of all its meetings, consults widely on proposals for remuneration and Scheme rules, and is required to be transparent in its use of public funds by virtue of the 2009 Act.

As part of its statutory functions, the Speaker’s Committee reviews IPSA's annual estimates of the resources IPSA needs and must ensure these are consistent with the efficient and cost-effective discharge of IPSA's functions, before an estimate is laid before the House. The Committee takes into account any advice received from the Treasury as part of this process. If the Committee does not consider an estimate meets this test, then it has the power to seek modification of an estimate, in which case it must report its reasons for doing so to the House.

At several points throughout the year SCIPSA meets IPSA to assess its performance, running costs and effectiveness in handling MPs’ staffing and business costs. The Committee last met IPSA in a public session on 22 January. A transcript of that session is available on the Committee’s website:

https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/15257/pdf/

The Committee is expected to hold its next meeting with IPSA on 11 March to consider its draft main estimate for 2025/26. This will be a public meeting and a recording of the session will be made available on Parliament Live. Later in the year the Committee will consider IPSA’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25 at which point it will assess IPSA’s latest results against its performance indicators.

In addition, the Speaker’s Committee has a statutory function to consider the Speaker’s selection, on the basis of fair and open competition, of IPSA’s board members. IPSA’s Chair is supported by four Board members, all of whom are appointed by SCIPSA. They are made up of a former MP, a statutory auditor, a former holder of high judicial office, and one other.

In 2010, lay members were added to the Committee. The role of the lay member is to help promote greater transparency and independence in the Speaker’s Committee’s operations and to help support oversight of IPSA’s governance arrangements.

21st Jan 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what proportion of employee work-time was spent working from (a) home and (b) an IPSA office location in 2023-24.

IPSA does not record data on the proportion of employee work-time spent working from home versus the office. IPSA changed its policy in 2020 to recruit nationwide to ensure its employees have a local understanding of the constituencies MPs serve. It operates a flexible hybrid working policy where staff will work from home, IPSA's office, or the House, attending engagements that need a physical presence.

We measure performance based on outcomes and delivery rather than presence in the office. IPSA's performance has improved significantly since 2020, as recognised by SCIPSA.

21st Jan 2025
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether IPSA plans to implement efficiency savings to reduce operating costs to the levels of 2018-19.

IPSA has a statutory duty to support MPs in their parliamentary duties efficiently and cost effectively. As a proporation of IPSA's overall funding, operating costs have remained within 5% of its total budget.

For 2018-19, IPSA's resourcing was subsequently recognised to be inadequate. The corporate plan for 2021-24 saw the introduction of IPSA's transformation programme which included resourcing IPSA effectively to address the issues MPs and their staff were experiencing.

The feedback from MPs and their staff, and the year-on-year KPI data IPSA provides to SCIPSA, is evidence of increased efficiency and effectiveness. IPSA presents its fully-costed plans, including those relating to its own operating costs, for SCIPSA's review, challenge and approval annually.

12th Dec 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many employee settlement agreements there were in IPSA in each year since 2020; and what the total value of such agreements was.

As with other public bodies, IPSA's Annual Report and Accounts provides information on special payments made each financial year, which can include the costs of employee settlement agreements. In line with IPSA's statutory responsibility to protect personal data, I can inform the Member that there were two such agreements made between 2020 and 2024 totalling £106,870.

12th Dec 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if the Committee will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning an independent review of (a) IPSA's operational effectiveness and (b) the value for money provided by that organisation.

The Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (SCIPSA) is a statutory Committee established under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009. The Committee’s functions are set out in that Act. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) was also created by 2009 Act, as a statutorily independent body.

Each year the Speaker's Committee reviews IPSA’s annual estimate of the resources it needs to discharge its functions. SCIPSA is required by statute to ensure that the estimate is consistent with the efficient and cost-effective discharge of IPSA’s functions. The Committee carries out public scrutiny of the estimate prior to it being laid before the House of Commons by the Speaker.

IPSA’s accounts are audited annually by the National Audit Office (NAO) and are presented to Parliament. The NAO audit includes consideration of value for money of both IPSA’s spend and MPs’ spend which IPSA oversees. IPSA is also subject to a rigorous internal audit programme overseen by its own Audit, Risk, and Assurance Committee.

As part of its work, SCIPSA also reviews IPSA’s performance against its Business Plan and has noted significant improvements in its performance in recent years. SCIPSA is planning to hold a public session with IPSA early in the new year and a further session in March 2025.

12th Dec 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if the Committee will make a comparative assessment of the value for money provided by (a) IPSA and (b) the pre-2010 system for reimbursing MPs' staffing and business costs.

The Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (SCIPSA) is a statutory Committee established under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009. The Committee’s functions are set out in that Act. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) was also created by 2009 Act, as a statutorily independent body.

Each year the Speaker's Committee reviews IPSA’s annual estimate of the resources it needs to discharge its functions. SCIPSA is required by statute to ensure that the estimate is consistent with the efficient and cost-effective discharge of IPSA’s functions. The Committee carries out public scrutiny of the estimate prior to it being laid before the House of Commons by the Speaker.

IPSA’s accounts are audited annually by the National Audit Office (NAO) and are presented to Parliament. The NAO audit includes consideration of value for money of both IPSA’s spend and MPs’ spend which IPSA oversees. IPSA is also subject to a rigorous internal audit programme overseen by its own Audit, Risk, and Assurance Committee.

As part of its work, SCIPSA also reviews IPSA’s performance against its Business Plan and has noted significant improvements in its performance in recent years. SCIPSA is planning to hold a public session with IPSA early in the new year and a further session in March 2025.

9th Jun 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has made representations to the Court of Appeal on the unduly lenient sentencing of those convicted of causing the death of Bhim Kohli.

The Law Officers have 28 days from the date of sentence to consider any requests received under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal. I can confirm my department has received such referral requests in relation to the sentencing of two youths responsible for causing the death of Bhim Kohli. The deadline for any referral to the Court of Appeal is 3 July 2025. The hon. Member will be informed in due course of the Law Officers’ decision.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
9th Jun 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, how many permanent civil servants had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

In the Attorney General’s Office, no permanent civil servants had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
25th Feb 2025
To ask the Solicitor General, whether her Department is using AI software in responding to written parliamentary questions.

No, the Attorney General's Office has not used AI software in responding to written parliamentary questions.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, how many employee settlement agreements there were in her Department in each year since 2020; and what the total value of such agreements is.

The Attorney General’s Office has not entered into any employee settlement agreements since 2020.

Lucy Rigby
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Solicitor General, whether he has made an assessment of the compatibility of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees with the Government's obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998.

Paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code states: ‘the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority’. This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention. Authority to make such disclosures is rarely given.

Sarah Sackman
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
13th Jun 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of applying the Government commercial function terms and conditions of employment to the wider civil service.

No such assessment has been made. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and nature of the role and as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
13th Jun 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2025, what estimate he has made of the number of new Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations which will be created.

Proposals for new bodies are subject to the ongoing ALB review, announced by the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster on 6 April, to ensure their existence can be strongly justified against key principles.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
5th Jun 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the transparency of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission is an independent, advisory non-departmental public body. The Commission publishes an Annual Report on its website, the most recent of which was published on 14 May, along with other information about the Commission’s activity and processes.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
5th Jun 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of abolishing the Home Office.

There are no plans of this kind.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
5th Jun 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the transparency of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments is a statutory office holder and provides independent assurance that public appointments are made in accordance with the government’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The Governance Code is built on the principles of ministerial responsibility, selflessness, integrity, merit, openness, diversity, assurance and fairness.

The Commissioner’s functions are set out in the Public Appointments Order in Council. Under the Order in Council, the Commissioner must publish an annual report on public appointments. All annual reports, as well as the outcome of complaints and investigations, are published on the Commissioner’s website.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
22nd May 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many permanent civil servants had contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.

Departments have delegated responsibility for managing poor performance.

Information on how many civil servants in departments have had their contracts of employment terminated for poor performance is therefore not available centrally.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
22nd May 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 46599, tabled by the hon. Member for Mid Leicestershire on 17 April 2025.

With apologies to the Hon. member, a response has now been issued.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
12th May 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of requiring full-time office working in the civil service on public sector productivity.

In October 2024, Heads of Departments across government announced that guidance on office attendance will remain in place, with most civil servants expected to spend at least 60% of their time at a Government building or on official business, such as visiting stakeholders. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time. This is the same expectation on office attendance as was introduced under the previous administration.

The approach will allow teams and departments to maximise the benefits of hybrid working and getting the best from being together.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changing the civil service pension scheme to a defined contribution model on costs to the public purse.

Any assessment of moving the Civil Service Pension Scheme, or any other Public Service Pension Scheme, to a defined contribution model is the responsibility of HM Treasury. The Cabinet Office has responsibility for the Civil Service Pension Scheme only in respect of changing scheme rules to align with or ensure legal compliance with HM Treasury policy.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Hundreds of quangos to be examined for potential closure as Government takes back control, published on 7 April 2025, what estimate he has made of the potential reduction in Government spending arising from this review.

The review of all arms length bodies is ongoing. Further information, including on savings, will be announced in due course.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
17th Mar 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether they have made an estimate of the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in their Department on annual staffing costs.

The Civil Service Equality Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance was issued on the 14th May 2024. The Cabinet Office complies with the guidance.

The Cabinet Office has not undertaken an estimate of the impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in the department on annual staff costs.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the (a) total number of employees and (b) full-time equivalent headcount will be in the civil service by the end of this Parliament; and what the total employment costs for civil servants will be in the same period.

The Prime Minister has set out his ambition to deliver long-term, impactful changes to reshape the British state and the Government is taking forward a number of measures to deliver greater efficiency and transformation in the Civil Service. Each department will take a decision on its individual size and shape as per the financial settlement it agrees with HMT in the Spending Review, due for conclusion in June 2025.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
13th Feb 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of civil servants who work from home every day in each Department.

Central data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. The latest data for the period October to December 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of small businesses in Mid Leicestershire constituency in (a) July 2024 and (b) February 2025.

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th February is attached.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
11th Feb 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his department has made of the level of population growth in the Mid Leicestershire constituency over the next five years.

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

A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 11th February is attached.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
6th Feb 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of migrants who arrived in the UK in the last five years who are not in education, employment or training in (a) the UK, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Mid Leicestershire constituency.

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 6th February is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
6th Feb 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people not in education, employment or training there are in (a) the UK, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Mid Leicestershire constituency.

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 6th February is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
22nd Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employee settlement agreements there were within the civil service in each year since 2020; and what the total value of such agreements was.

Full information on the use of settlement agreements is held by individual departments.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
13th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has for civil service (a) headcount levels and (b) budgets for the next five years.

This government is committed to ensuring departments consider overall value for money in resourcing decisions.

To this end it has introduced a 2% target for reduction to administration budgets in financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26 and a stop to all non-essential spending on consultancy, with an aim to halve spending in future years.

As set out in the Budget, the government has committed to developing a long-term strategic plan for a more efficient and effective Civil Service, including bold options to improve skills, harness digital technology and drive better outcomes for public services.

Decisions relating to the size and cost of the Civil Service workforce will be considered as part of the Spending Review process. HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office will work closely with departments to develop plans that achieve the government’s reform objectives for the Civil Service.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the full-time equivalent headcount of the civil service in each year between 2010 and 2024.

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

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4 October 2024 is attached.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the total salary cost of the civil service in each year between 2010 and 2024.

The Cabinet Office does not hold actual outturn salary cost information for all Civil Service departments and organisations since 2010.

However, estimated nominal Civil Service salary costs have previously been calculated for the years 2010 to 2024. These are provided in Table 1 below.


Table 1

Year

Estimated nominal salary cost (£ billions)

2010

12.7

2011

12.4

2012

11.6

2013

11.4

2014

11.6

2015

11.7

2016

11.6

2017

11.8

2018

12.4

2019

13.2

2020

14.0

2021

15.4

2022

16.6

2023

17.8

2024

19.7

Source: Civil Service Statistics

Figures are based on Civil Service salaries as at 31st March in each year, and have been adjusted for missing values. They have not been adjusted for inflation (i.e. they are nominal values).

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans her Department has to prioritise Canada in future bilateral trade negotiations; and whether this will be reflected in the scope of the UK–Canada trade taskforce.

Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement worth around £28 billion in 2024.

As agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further. This includes seeking to address existing market access barriers affecting bilateral UK-Canada trade and expanding existing arrangements.

The working group will report back to both Prime Ministers within six months.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
24th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the expiry of Country of Origin quotas under the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement will be considered by the UK-Canada trade taskforce; and what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Canada on the expiration of Country of Origin quotas.

As agreed between our Prime Ministers, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further, including by building on existing arrangements and addressing bilateral market access barriers.

That will include looking at Rules of Origin arrangements under the Trade Continuity Agreement, and what can be done there to grow trade and make it easier for UK exporters to access the Canadian market.

The Business and Trade Secretary had a warm introductory conversation with his Canadian counterpart at the G7, where they agreed to work together on deepening and growing the bilateral trading relationship further.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
24th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to Canada.

We remain committed to strengthening our long, positive and wide-ranging trading relationship with Canada, with our trade in bilateral goods and services worth £28bn in 2024. There are no plans at present to appoint a Trade Envoy as the UK already has sophisticated diplomatic, trade and investment networks to support our engagement in Canada, as well as our recent visits by Ministers, including the Prime Minister on 15th June.

Markets where there are no Trade Envoys will continue to receive support alongside our other initiatives for exporters and investors, both of which are driving economic growth and creating opportunities at home and abroad.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
9th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

As the start date of this request (6th April 2022) pre-dates the formation of DBT (7th February 2023), information in scope of this request would include data captured by DBT's predecessor, Department for International Trade (DIT).

The number of permanent civil servants who had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance can be found in the table.

Financial Year

Total Number

2022-2023

<5

2023-2024

<5

2024-2025

<5

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
4th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department taken to (a) monitor and (b) ensure the adherence by regulators to the The Growth Duty Performance Framework, last published on 16 May 2024; and how many complaints his Department has received about regulators that have not adhered to this Framework in each year since 2021.

The Growth Duty Performance Framework was introduced by the last government on 16 May 2024, and was launched as a voluntary process for regulators to self-report in relation to how they are delivering economic growth. Being voluntary, there was not a requirement for adherence.

The current government set out an extensive Action Plan in March this year, including: a list of key regulator pledges delivering tangible impacts on growth; a strengthened model of accountability and formalised performance reviews; and regulators publishing clear targets for processing authorisations.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to review the mis-selling of timeshare schemes.

Consumers are already protected from mis-selling by consumer law.

Additionally, The Timeshare, Holiday Products, Resale and Exchange Contracts Regulations 2010 specifically prevent mis-selling and pressure-selling of timeshares and give consumers protections against unfair contracts.

Recognising that tough enforcement is crucial to protecting consumers, the Government has introduced the Digital Market, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Part 3 of the Act introduces penalties of up to 10% of turnover for breaches of the law and gives the Competition and Markets Authority new powers to take swifter enforcement action without having to go through the courts.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of US tariffs on the hospitality sector in the UK.

The UK and US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have £1.2 trillion invested in each other’s economies and over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.

Hospitality businesses play a key role in the UK economy and we’re prioritising engagement with the US to stand up for industry and find a resolution.

We will continue to engage closely and productively with the US to press the case for UK business interests. We will keep all options on the table and won’t hesitate to respond in the national interest.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
17th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether they have made an estimate of the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in their Department on annual staffing costs.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not have any roles which focus solely on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
25th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is using AI software in responding to written parliamentary questions.

A small proportion of staff in the Department for Business and Trade have access to AI software tools at the moment. These tools may be used to support the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions. All responses are reviewed by policy officials to ensure accuracy and consistency with government policy, and are signed off personally by Ministers.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)