Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many migrants that possess a criminal record (a) in the UK and (b) abroad were previously thought by her Department to not hold a criminal record since July 2024.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not readily available, requiring manual scrutiny of systems and matching of individual records, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce NHS waiting lists in Leicestershire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029.
We are transforming elective services to ensure that patients get timely access to the care they need. This includes investing £6 billion of additional capital over five years for diagnostic, elective, urgent, and emergency capacity in the NHS.
Elective capacity has been increased in Leicestershire through both a surgical hub and community diagnostic centres (CDC). The Leicester General Hospital Elective Hub opened in 2023, and with additional funding expanded further in 2024. Dedicated and protected surgical hubs focus on providing high volume low complexity surgery, separating elective services from urgent and emergency care, improving patient outcomes and reducing hospital pressures.
Within the NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board we are improving community access to scans and tests, helping patients get the care they need through the Hinckley Community Diagnostic Centre and the Leicester Community Diagnostic Centre, both open 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
In the NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board, which covers Leicestershire, the waiting list size has fallen by 1,000 since the Government took office in July 2024. The proportion of waits under 18 weeks in November 2025 is 54.8%.
In order to return to the constitutional standard, NHS England is offering a range of support to providers to reduce waiting times. This includes tailored regional and national support, as well as sharing best practice, with additional support via the Getting It Right First Time programme.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her department holds an estimate of the number of criminals in the UK that arrived in the country by irregular means.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information you have requested regarding the number of foreign criminals in the UK who arrived by irregular means is not available from published statistics.
However, foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will pursue their deportation.
The latest published information shows that in the year-ending October 2025, 5,430 foreign national offenders (FNOs) were returned, which is an increase of 12% compared to the number of FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she had with representatives of the hospitality sector ahead of the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Ahead of the Budget Government Ministers and Senior Officials met with businesses and business representation organisations from a range of sectors, including those from the hospitality sector. These meetings provided an opportunity for the Government to hear the views of the business community to aid in the formation of policy, including fiscal policy. Such engagements are ongoing and will continue to be so.
I, and the rest of HM Treasury, am deeply committed to engaging with the business community across the country. We believe that maintaining a regular and open dialogue with the business community is essential for understanding levels of business confidence and for shaping government policy to support growth and investment.
These engagements are central to the Government’s ambition to foster a pro-growth, pro-investment environment throughout the UK. By listening directly to businesses, the Government is better able to respond to emerging challenges, seize new opportunities, and deliver policies that help businesses to thrive.
Further information on meetings held by HM Treasury Ministers can be found on the gov.uk website via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to betting and gaming levies on illegal gambling operations in the UK.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Estimates suggest the illegal market is relatively small in the UK, between 2 – 9% of legal online market stakes. The Gambling Commission is already tackling this risk and protecting consumers, but we recognise that modern technology makes it easier for illegal websites to target consumers. To further secure the legitimate market and protect consumers from illegal sites, at Budget 2025, the government announced an additional £26 million of funding over the next three years for the Gambling Commission to strengthen enforcement and tackle illegal gambling.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of small and medium sized businesses in the Department's supply chain.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence is an engine for growth. The Department is taking significant steps to promote the use of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within its supply chain. The new Office for Small Business Growth is being established to provide a single access point for SMEs and improve navigation across the Defence landscape.
The existing Doing Business with Defence industry engagement team regularly attend events and shows across the country including working closely with our major suppliers and trade associations to engage smaller and non-traditional suppliers. Recent examples include DSEI in September and the DPRTE Defence Summit held in Manchester in October.
Additionally, to expand regional reach, Regional Defence and Security Clusters (RDSCs) are being established throughout the UK, and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK, is being developed to leverage cross-sector expertise and world-class research facilities.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what public consultation his Department has undertaken on planned changes to jury trials.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In developing his recommendations, Sir Brian Leveson and his expert advisers, including Professor David Ormerod, consulted with many external bodies involved in the Criminal Justice System including criminal legal organisations, charities, academics, and members of the judiciary.
The Review conducted a call for evidence on GOV.UK, to ensure it heard as many perspectives as possible. A full list of those who engaged with the Review is at Annex C of Sir Brian’s report.
In addition, when considering Sir Brian’s recommendations and developing our proposals, I have engaged regularly with stakeholders and relevant sectors over the last 12 months including meeting regularly representatives from the legal sector (Law Society, Bar Council, Criminal Bar Association), victims and victims representatives (the Victims Commissioner, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Rape Crisis), judiciary (Circuit leaders, Judicial leadership), magistracy (Magistrates’ Association, Magistrates’ Leadership Executive), non-governmental organisations (Appeal, JUSTICE, Transform Justice), court staff in criminal courts around the country (Wood Green, Snaresbrook) and similar international jurisdictions. For example, I met judges and visited courts in Canada, which uses types of judge-only trial.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of foreign-born families who will claim universal credit or tax credits for more than 2 children and (b) the total cost of this.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No such estimate has been made.
Universal Credit is primarily reserved for people settled in the UK, and overall, the proportion of claimants in this country who are foreign nationals has fallen since October 2024.
But we want to go further which is why we have announced plans to double the standard time most migrants have to wait before they can access benefits to 10 years, reducing the burden on the taxpayer and making sure settlement rights are earned.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds information on the number of road traffic accidents caused by people driving legally under non-GB issued driving licences.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The information requested is not held by the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds information on the number of UK road traffic accidents caused by people driving in the UK without a valid full or provisional UK-issued driving licence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This information is not held by the Department for Transport.