Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of claims for (a) discrimination, (b) harassment and (c) unfair dismissal were brought by men in the last year for which records are available.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Our latest published statistics for Employment Tribunals can be found using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.
This data details the number of receipts by jurisdiction and the number of claims disposed. The Department does not collect the proportion of those claims brought by gender or the number of claims relating to paternity leave.
This data is currently published up to March 2025 and only includes the cases received on digital systems and does not include those transitioned from paper-based systems.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many claims relating to paternity leave were brought in the last year for which records are available.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Our latest published statistics for Employment Tribunals can be found using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.
This data details the number of receipts by jurisdiction and the number of claims disposed. The Department does not collect the proportion of those claims brought by gender or the number of claims relating to paternity leave.
This data is currently published up to March 2025 and only includes the cases received on digital systems and does not include those transitioned from paper-based systems.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has commissioned the use of (a) hotel accommodation and (b) private rented accommodation in South West Devon constituency for the purpose of housing asylum seekers since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Statistics are published on a quarterly basis detailing the number of asylum seekers in supported accommodation in each local authority area. The most recent publication can be found here: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the levels of cervical screening uptake in Devon.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has created a South West Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy committee, along with its associated pillars, covering cervical screening, human papillomavirus vaccination, and cervical cancer treatment, which is delivering numerous projects to improve uptake. For cervical screening, this includes: additional funding for primary care, for provision of out hours clinics and innovative ways to invite patients and increase uptake, across 47 Devon practices; extension of provision of cervical screening in sexual health service; and provision of drop-in clinics in acute trusts.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the defence investment plan.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan will be published this Autumn. For the very first time the Ministry of Defence’s Plan will cover the full scope of the defence programme, from people and operations to equipment and infrastructure, to ensure we can deliver the vision set out in the Strategic Defence Review.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she will publish the civil society covenant.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working closely with civil society representatives to develop a Civil Society Covenant that will act as a foundation for resetting the relationship between government and civil society. We aim to publish the final Covenant in the summer.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to answer Question 59537, tabled by the hon. Member for South West Devon on 12 June 2025.
Answered by Jim McMahon
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 59537 on 20 June 2025.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, whether new unitary councils will have the option of adopting council mayors as their executive governance.
Answered by Jim McMahon
In the English Devolution White Paper, the Government made a commitment to consider the governance models available to local authorities across the sector.
As part of wider reforms to the local government landscape, the department continues to review available governance models to ensure decision making is best supported at all levels of local government.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to allow local councils to (a) adopt and (b) retain a mayoral executive model.
Answered by Jim McMahon
In the English Devolution White Paper, the Government made a commitment to consider the governance models available to local authorities across the sector.
As part of wider reforms to the local government landscape, the department continues to review available governance models to ensure decision making is best supported at all levels of local government.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference chapter 2, section 9D of the Local Government Act 2000 of her Department’s English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what powers a directly elected (a) mayor and (b) leader would have.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Functions and Responsibilities Regulations 2000, made under the Local Government Act 2000, set out which functions are not to be the responsibility of a council’s executive (mayor and cabinet, or leader and cabinet).
As we set out in the English Devolution White Paper, we will discontinue the individual local authority devolution model in its mayoral form. We will continue to expand the number of areas with a Mayoral Strategic Authority covering more than one local authority. We are giving those mayors strong new powers over housing, planning, transport, skills, employment support and more, backed up with integrated and consolidated funding.