Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
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).
Automatically suspend PR rights of parent guilty of murdering the other parent.
Gov Responded - 16 Jun 2022 Debated on - 7 Nov 2022 View Sarah Atherton's petition debate contributionsProvide a mechanism within existing legislation whereupon a person with parental responsibility (PR) is found guilty of murdering the other parent with PR, has PR automatically suspended throughout the duration of the term of imprisonment of the aforesaid person convicted.
Fund research for childhood cancers with the worst survival rates
Gov Responded - 24 Mar 2020 Debated on - 7 Dec 2020 View Sarah Atherton's petition debate contributions12 kids in the UK are diagnosed with cancer daily. 1 in 5 will die within 5 years, often of the deadliest types like DIPG (brainstem cancer) - fatal on diagnosis & other cancers on relapse. Yet there has been little, or no, funding for research into these cancers and little, or no, progress.
These initiatives were driven by Sarah Atherton, 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.
Sarah Atherton has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to prohibit the sale of miniature mobile phones; and for connected purposes.
Markets and market traders (review of support) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Simon Baynes (Con)
Local Authority Boundaries Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Robbie Moore (Con)
Immigration and Nationality Fees (Exemption for NHS Clinical Staff) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Rob Roberts (Ind)
First-Aid (Mental Health) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Dean Russell (Con)
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Virginia Crosbie (Con)
Last month, the Government announced that HyNet has been sequenced onto ‘Track-1’ under the CCUS Cluster Sequencing process, for deployment in the mid-2020s. Amongst other things, this decision considered the cluster’s potential to deliver benefits to the regional economy, including through the development of the hydrogen economy in both North Wales – including Wrexham – and the North West of England.
The Government estimates that CCUS could support up to 50,000 green jobs by 2030, along with over 9,000 supported by low carbon hydrogen. These jobs are set to be concentrated in the UK’s industrial heartlands, including in North Wales.
The Government is aware of the strong interest and support in North Wales for the development of this site and continues to discuss new projects with viable companies and investors wishing to develop sites including Wylfa Newydd.
The Net Zero Strategy is clear that nuclear is an important part of our plans to achieve net zero. Nuclear power stations provide firm low carbon power, which is required to complement variable renewable generation in order to ensure a low cost, stable, reliable, low carbon system in 2050.
The Government has set out a new £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund towards the development of nuclear projects. More details of the Fund and how it will operate will be released in due course.
New nuclear projects can deliver significant local, regional, and national economic benefits, including high-skilled employment, to the UK. Government would expect to see similar levels of economic impacts to those at Hinkley in the regions where future power stations might be built.
The construction of Hinkley Point C has to-date seen EDF spend £3.5 billion in the south-west and it is estimated that a large-scale nuclear plant would support around 10,000 jobs at peak of construction.
The recently published Net Zero Strategy confirms that Government recognises the key role Nuclear will play in helping the UK to deliver on Net Zero. We are likely to need new nuclear capacity in order to meet our carbon reduction commitments, so we continue to engage with credible developers and investors on their proposals for future projects including Wylfa. The government has set out a new £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund towards the development of nuclear projects. More details of the Fund and how it will operate will be released in due course.
The Wylfa Newydd site remains a candidate for new nuclear power. The Government is aware of the strong interest and support in North Wales for the development of this site continues to discuss proposals for at Wylfa Newydd with a range of viable companies and investors.
The Government has set out a new £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund towards the development of nuclear projects. More details of the Fund and how it will operate will be released in due course.
We recently strengthened the Prompt Payment Code and have consulted on new powers for the Small Business Commissioner. The Commissioner is very active in highlighting these issues and to date has intervened to recover £7.8 million for small businesses experiencing payment issues.
The Government has provided a multi-billion-pound package of Covid-19 support which charities and civil society organisations have been able to access to help them continue their vital work.
Charities are benefiting from the extension of unprecedented cross-economy support including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans and £4.6 billion in lockdown grants for closed premises.
In addition, charities, social enterprises and other voluntary sector organisations have received a £750 million targeted support package and £150 million unlocked from dormant bank and building society accounts.
The Government announced on 9 March that it had agreed a £1 billion deal with the mobile network operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network. This will see operators collectively increase mobile phone coverage throughout the UK to 95% by end-2025, underpinned by legally binding coverage commitments. The site deployment plans will be managed by the operators themselves to best deliver the agreed coverage outcomes by the licence obligation enforcement date.
Decisions around school funding and the provision of school food including breakfast clubs are a matter for the devolved administrations.
Data is not held on the number of schools operating breakfast clubs. However, schools have the freedom to run before school childcare and breakfast clubs.
The government is committed to continuing support for breakfast clubs in England in schools in disadvantaged areas. A further £24 million has been invested to continue our national programme for the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas in England, including Opportunity Areas. This will mean that thousands of children from low income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn.
The department is investing up to £220 million in the Holiday Activities and Food programme in 2021. Taking place in schools and community venues across England, delivery began at Easter, ran across the summer and will run in the Christmas holidays. The programme supports disadvantaged children, and their families, by providing them with healthy food and enriching activities during the school holidays.
Decisions around school funding and the provision of school food including breakfast clubs are a matter for the devolved administrations.
Data is not held on the number of schools operating breakfast clubs. However, schools have the freedom to run before school childcare and breakfast clubs.
The government is committed to continuing support for breakfast clubs in England in schools in disadvantaged areas. A further £24 million has been invested to continue our national programme for the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas in England, including Opportunity Areas. This will mean that thousands of children from low income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn.
The department is investing up to £220 million in the Holiday Activities and Food programme in 2021. Taking place in schools and community venues across England, delivery began at Easter, ran across the summer and will run in the Christmas holidays. The programme supports disadvantaged children, and their families, by providing them with healthy food and enriching activities during the school holidays.
The UK Government remains committed to working closely with the devolved administrations on EU Exit. Our most recent discussions with the devolved administrations took place last Thursday at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations.
There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State for International Trade and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on this point, as state pensions are not in scope for our trade agreement negotiations with Australia and Canada.
The number of available HGV driving tests across Great Britain has increased by 90% compared to pre-pandemic levels and currently stands at 3,200 tests per week. This includes increases in availability at driving test centres in Wales and Welsh drivers can also book test slots in England or Wales. Test capacity now exceeds demand and the provision of vocational tests is not a barrier to people becoming HGV drivers.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has appointed customer account managers to help trainers access vocational driving tests where and when they need them.
The Department is preparing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan to gather evidence from the trials. This will assess the safety risks presented by e-scooters, the mode shift to e-scooters from other forms of transport, public perceptions around their use?and identify other impacts that should be considered for any?potential?future legalisation of e-scooters.
From the evidence gathered during trials, the responses to the Future of Transport regulatory review call for evidence and other research, the Government will consider whether to legalise both rental and privately-owned e-scooters.
With Universal Credit claimants will have an initial interview with their Work Coach as part of the application process. This discussion will cover their career history and skills and qualifications etc, which identifies veterans.
The Department is also continuing to look at what other opportunities might be available to better identify and record data on veterans on the Universal Credit system and has regular conversations with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). This is part of a much wider piece of work involving a number of Departments, including the MOD and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, to improve the collection and use of data relating to veterans.
DWP is proud to provide vital and significant support to veterans which recognises their particular needs and circumstances, including through Armed Forces Champions in each Jobcentre Plus District. For example, early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme, and using Service Medical Board evidence where we can so a severely disabled person does not have to undergo additional examinations for Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit purposes. We are also able to signpost veterans to other organisations for further support where appropriate.
The department is a supporter of the Armed Forces Covenant which helps ensure members of the armed forces community have access to government support in a number of areas, including:
The policy on the up-rating of UK State Pensions paid to recipients living outside of the UK is clear and is a long-standing policy of successive post-war Governments that has been in place for over 70 years. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide and the annual index-linked increases are paid to UK State Pension recipients where there is a legal requirement to do so. For example, where UK State Pension recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for the uprating of the UK State Pension. The Government has no plans to change this policy.
Public Health England assessed that it would be in the public interest to publish data on COVID-19 deaths within 28 days of a positive test by vaccination status. This data is published in the weekly vaccine surveillance report, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-surveillance-report
The Department publishes information on all the contracts it awards, including those relating to goods and service procured in response to COVID- 19, through Contract Award Notices in the Official Journal of the European Union, Find a Tender awarded opportunity notices for each contract are also published on Contracts Finder.
Public Health England has not undertaken an assessment. The current nutrient profile score for breakfast cereals developed by the Food Standards Agency in 2004 is calculated on 100 grams of the product as sold, on a dry weight basis.
The possible implications of applying the nutrient profiling model from per 100 gram basis to per portion basis was considered as part of the 2007 review of the effectiveness of the nutrient profiling model to reduce the exposure of children to unhealthy advertising during children’s television programming. It was recommended to retain the 100 gram base to avoid unnecessary complexity as there are few United Kingdom dietary recommendations on portion sizes and inconsistent portion sizes used on food or drink packs.
No data is held on the consumption of breakfast cereal with milk. Consumption of breakfast cereals without milk is reported in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). The most recent NDNS report was published in December 2020 and presents findings for 2016/17 to 2018/19. The report is available at the following link:
The nutrient profiling model is used to identify products that are high in fat, salt or sugar in line with advertising restrictions rather than how the foods are eaten or consumption behaviour.
The United Kingdom nutrient profiling model (UK NPM) is a tool used by regulators, industry and stakeholders and is not consumer facing, therefore no assessment has been made of consumer understanding or awareness of categories scored as consumed compared with on a dry weight basis.
The UK NPM was developed to identify products that are high in fat, salt or sugar in line with advertising restrictions. The model is not intended to reflect how the foods are eaten or consumption behaviour.
There are disparities in financial and non-financial support for those infected and affected by the contaminated blood tragedy across the United Kingdom. The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Cabinet Office, the Treasury and Departments of Health across the UK’s devolved administrations to address these disparities.
The UK condemns Iranian support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has made this clear to Iran including when the Iranian Chargé D'affaires was summoned on 3 October. Iran's supply of drones to Russia violates UN Security Council Resolution 2231. On 20 October, new UK sanctions targeted Iranian individuals and businesses responsible for supplying Russia with drones. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is already sanctioned. We are monitoring reports that Russia is providing Iran with British and U.S. military equipment seized in Ukraine. We will continue to work with international partners to ensure Russia and Iran are held to account.
A zero rate of VAT has applied to women’s sanitary products since 1 January 2021. This applies to those products which were previously subject to the reduced rate of 5 per cent, for example, tampons and pads, and to reusable menstrual products, such as keepers.
The relief specifically excludes articles of clothing, such as “period pants”. Such exclusions are designed to ensure that the relief is properly targeted, since difficulties in policing the scope of the relief create the potential for litigation, erosion of the tax base and a reduction in revenue. Under existing rules “period pants” may already qualify for the zero rate, if they have been specifically designed to be worn by a child, meet the sizing criteria, and are held out for sale specifically for use by girls under the age of 14 years old.
Details are provided in VAT Notice 714: zero-rating young children's clothing and footwear: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-714-zero-rating-young-childrens-clothing-and-footwear/vat-notice-714-zero-rating-young-childrens-clothing-and-footwear#items-suitable-only-for-young-children.
The Treasury, along with other relevant departments, carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics, including at Budgets and other fiscal events, in line with both its legal obligations and with its commitment to promoting fairness.
Employers can pay their PAYE/NIC liability by Direct Debit. However, it is currently only possible to make single Direct Debit payments.
This is because the amount owed can include elements which do not have to be reported to HMRC until too close to the payment deadline to allow HMRC to automatically collect tax due by Direct Debit. Even the most straightforward employer schemes may have variances in the amount due to HMRC throughout the year meaning a continuing Direct Debit for a set amount would not be appropriate.
HMRC do recognise the benefits of enabling employers to pay this way and are looking at how they can overcome these issues in order to allow employers to set up a recurring Direct Debit.
The Government conducted a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to understand the extent of the issue and how we can work with retailers and police to improve the response to these crimes. The Government’s formal response was published 7 July 2020 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-and-abuse-toward-shop-staff-call-for-evidence
In February, the Government published a total police funding settlement of up to £15.8 billion in 2021/22.
This is an increase of up to £600 million compared to 2020/21 and cements our commitment to give the police the resources they need to keep the public safe.
The roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines is being delivered in line with the guidance of the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). This prioritises those who are most likely to suffer the most serious health outcomes as a result of catching the virus, where age is assessed to be the most significant factor. Police officers will continue to be vaccinated in line with the JCVI-guided prioritisation, and many will have received at least a first dose ahead of the G7 Summit in June.
We recognise the importance of Personal Protective Equipment for all of those on the frontline and continue to work with the police to ensure officers receive the essential equipment they need in order to carry out their jobs safely.
The health and safety of all staff and attendees at the Summit, and local residents in Cornwall, is paramount. Government will take all necessary measures to ensure that the G7 Summit is fully COVID-secure.
The proactive monitoring, control and management of external providers is undertaken throughout the lifecycle of Defence contracts primarily by the Department’s Commercial and Project Management officials.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Defence’s Strategic Partnering Programme has built long-term relationships and has increased collaboration with many of our largest suppliers to work together to address any major performance issues.
This Ministry of Defence takes the treatment of women and allegations of sexual assault in the Armed Forces very seriously. In answer to both questions:
(a)150 common law compensation claims which included an allegation of sexual assault/ sexual abuse have been received in the last five years. Of these, 94 have settled out of court with damages paid. 15 have been closed with no damages awarded and 41 cases are continuing.
(b)The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
This information is not held in the specific detail requested.
The status of reserves by medical standard and reserve type as documented on JPA as at 24 November 2023 is detailed in the below table:
Assignment Type | MFD | MLD | MND | No records | Total |
Called out Reservist | 733 | 88 | 20 | - | 841 |
Full Time Reservist | 3,781 | 1,470 | 469 | - | 5,720 |
High Readiness Reserve | 54 | 6 | - | - | 60 |
Sponsored Reserve | 6 | 1 | - | - | 7 |
Volunteer Reserve | 27,038 | 3,051 | 2,348 | - | 32,437 |
Grand Total of Reservists with Medical Standards | 31,612 | 4,616 | 2,837 | - | 39,065 |
Reservist Without Medical Standards (new joiners etc) | - | - | - | - | 3,548 |
Grand total of Reservists | 31,612 | 4,616 | 2,837 | 3,548 | 42,613 |
MFD – Medically Fully Deployable
MLD – Medically Limited Deployability
MND – Medically Non-Deployable.
Further to the answer I gave on 16 November 2023 to Question 1407 to the hon. Member for Wrexham (Ms Atherton), the number of regular service personnel in England who have received intervention under the Fast Track Surgery Contract, which is currently provided by SPIRE Healthcare, is set out by financial year in the table below:
Financial Year(FY) | Orthopedic and Spinal Patients | Imaging Referrals |
FY2020-21 | 203 | 2,670 |
FY2021-22 | 299 | 3,341 |
FY2022-23 | 472 | 3,376 |
FY2023-24 (prediction) | 540 | 3,230 |
The figures provided include the predicted requirement for the current financial year, should referral criteria and surgical intervention types remain unchanged.
The Department does not hold data on the proportion of service personnel who have received treatment under the Fast Track Surgery Contract.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not responsible for reserves healthcare, except when mobilised and does not hold data on how many reserve service personnel are awaiting orthopaedic surgery.
For regular service personnel, the number on a waiting list for the combined trauma and orthopaedic service is 1,447 in England. This figure is provided by NHS England and is the most recent data held by MOD. This figure does not include the number of regular Service personnel who have been referred through the fast-track contract with a private healthcare provider.
The number of regular Service personnel currently on a waiting list for orthopaedic surgery is 18 in Scotland. This includes five on NHS waiting lists and 13 who have been referred through the fast-track contract with a private healthcare provider. In Northern Ireland the number of regular service personnel currently on a waiting list for orthopaedic surgery is six. Wales has a total of seven regular service personnel awaiting orthopaedic surgery or an orthopaedic appointment.
The requested information is published in the UK Armed Forces Biannual Diversity Statistics, available at the following link:
Information required to answer the question is not held in the format requested and will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the information is available.
This information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Ministry of Defence will continue to fund the Defence Serious Crime Command’s Victim Witness Care Unit (VWCU) from April 2024.
The VWCU provides a single point of contact to victims and witnesses of serious crimes committed by persons subject to Service law in the UK and overseas. The VWCU is independent of the Chain of Command and provides holistic care and support to victims and witnesses, ensuring that each victim is afforded their rights in accordance with the code of practice for victims of crime.
The requested information is not held in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Defence has made it absolutely clear there is zero tolerance for any form of sexual violence. Should such an incident occur against a Service person support pathways include unit welfare officers, the chain of command, and pastoral support via the chaplaincy. Further assistance is also available via external pathways such as Togetherall, an independent digital mental health support tool operated by the NHS in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, through which Service personnel, veterans, and their family members can anonymously access tailored self-help courses.
The latest published statistics show for the latest 20-year period the UK Regular Armed Forces remain at a significantly lower risk of suicide than the UK general population. Statistics on suicides in the Armed Forces, covering the period from 1 January 1984 to 31 December 2021, are available at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-suicides-2021
The Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Strategy (AFSPS) and Action Plan will be published shortly. The APSPS will enhance our efforts to reduce suicide and better support those affected by it. It has been developed by a small group of subject-matter experts across Defence, based on national guidance and using an Armed Forces evidence-base. The Action Plan will enable delivery of the AFSPS, informed by consultation with relevant stakeholders across Defence.
The Service Prosecuting Authority and the civilian prosecuting authorities intend to publish the draft revised Protocols later this month, with the final revised Protocol for each prosecutorial jurisdiction of the UK to be published later this year.
I am pleased to confirm that His Majesty The King appointed Margaret Obi as the first Service Police Complaints Commissioner.
The role of the Commissioner is to provide independent oversight of the Service Police complaints system; Ms Obi will bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this role.
The Commissioner will have functions similar to those conferred on the Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The latest published statistics show for the latest 20-year period the UK Regular Armed Forces remain at a significantly lower risk of suicide than the UK general population. Statistics on suicides in the Armed Forces, covering the period from 1 January 1984 to 31 December 2021, are available at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-suicides-2021
The Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Strategy (AFSPS) and Action Plan will be published shortly. The APSPS will enhance our efforts to reduce suicide and better support those affected by it. It has been developed by a small group of subject-matter experts across Defence, based on national guidance and using an Armed Forces evidence-base. The Action Plan will enable delivery of the AFSPS, informed by consultation with relevant stakeholders across Defence.
This information is not held. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not routinely record a Veteran's discharge reason to this level of detail.
The Victim Witness Care Unit (VWCU), part of the Defence Serious Crime Command (DSCC), will support the needs of victims and witnesses. Funding has been secured for the establishment of the VWCU and it is expected to be operational in March 2023. The VWCU will ensure access to independent welfare support based on individual needs. It will provide victims and witnesses with direct guidance and support on how the Service Justice System works and services available, ensuring they are well informed throughout the process.
The cost to establish the Victim Witness Care Unit (VWCU) is £0.9 million. The annual cost of the VWCU is £0.5 million. The VWCU will report to the Chief of Staff of the DSCC and will include 12 full-time members of staff. Much of the day-to-day operating costs will be captured under the DSCC budget and will take some time to understand fully.
The Victim Witness Care Unit (VWCU), part of the Defence Serious Crime Command, will focus on supporting the needs of victims and witnesses. Funding has been secured for the establishment of the VWCU and it is expected to be operational in March 2023. The VWCU will ensure access to independent welfare support based on individual needs. It will provide victims and witnesses with direct guidance and support on how the Service Justice System works and services available, ensuring they are well informed throughout the process.
The 'Zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviour: A victim / survivor focussed approach' policy sets out a presumption of discharge from the Service for those who are found, after investigation and to the civil standard of proof (balance of probability), to have engaged in unacceptable sexual behaviour. It applies to all Armed Forces personnel, including Phase 1 trainees.
The Victim Witness Care Unit (VWCU), part of the Defence Serious Crime Command, will focus on supporting the needs of victims and witnesses. Funding has been secured for the establishment of the VWCU and it is expected to be operational in March 2023. The VWCU will ensure access to independent welfare support based on individual needs. It will provide victims and witnesses with direct guidance and support on how the Service Justice System works and services available, ensuring they are well informed throughout the process.