Shaun Davies

Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, Attorney General’s Office and Crown Prosecution Service employees have taken paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

The average working days taken (AWDT) is shown in the table below.

Management information is held showing the number of cases with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which are awaiting a pre-charge decision.

The overall number of cases which were awaiting a charging decision or administrative triage (completed on files sent by the police to the CPS for a charging decision) as of 25 March 2024 was 13,697. This data is provided in line with the last quarterly data release in March 2024. The next quarterly release is due on 17 October 2024 which will be available on the CPS website at CPS quarterly data summaries | The Crown Prosecution Service.

These figures do not include cases that have been referred to the CPS but that are currently with the police to action, having been sent back to them with a request for further information.

This count is of the number of cases, not suspects. A single case may cover one suspect or several. No data is available in the report showing whether the alleged offences are summary, either-way or indictable only. To obtain this information would require a manual review at disproportionate cost.

Management information is held showing the number of cases with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which are awaiting a pre-charge decision.

The table below shows the overall number of cases which were awaiting a charging decision or administrative triage (completed on files sent by the police to the CPS for a charging decision) as of 25 March 2024. This data is provided in line with the last quarterly data release in March 2024.

These figures do not include cases that have been referred to the CPS but that are currently with the police to action, having been sent back to them with a request for further information.

This count is of the number of cases, not suspects. A single case may cover one suspect or several.

No data is available in the report showing whether the alleged offences are summary, either-way or indictable only. To obtain this information would require a manual review at disproportionate cost.

Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, 258 Cabinet Office employees have taken paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

The average working days taken (AWDT) is shown in the table below. ​​

The table below shows the average length of paternity leave taken by staff. This includes paternity leave after birth.

The Department for Business and Trade is a newly formed Department established in February 2023. The new department absorbed the functions of the former Department for International Trade (DIT) and some of the functions of the former Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The figures prior to 01.08.2023 include all former DIT staff and former BEIS staff who transferred to DBT.

The below figures cover the same period for staff at the Competition and Markets Authority.

The average length of paternity leave in days taken by staff in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was 9.6 during 2023 and 9.8 during 2024.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was established in February 2023. Data before this time is unavailable.

The Government believes the only way to protect billpayers permanently is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy and remove our dependence on volatile international fossil fuel markets.

Whilst we transition to clean power by 2030, we will help families reduce their energy bills through our Warm Homes Plan which will upgrade homes across the country to make them warmer and cheaper to run. The Government will continue to provide additional support to vulnerable households struggling to pay their bills through our Warm Homes Discount.

The Government has no plans to introduce an energy social tariff this winter. However, we are committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households.

The Government is continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to over 3 million eligible low-income households. We are also working with energy suppliers to ensure they are providing additional support to vulnerable customers.

The Government has also extended the Household Support Fund for an additional 6 months until 31 March 2025 with an extra £500 million in funding, and I encourage any individual who is struggling to pay their bills contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.

Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) employee’s have taken 160 days paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

The average working days taken per colleague (AWDT) is shown in the table below.

*The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was established in February 2023. Data before this time is unavailable.

The average length of paternity leave taken by DCMS staff was as follows:

2021: 10.8 days

2022: 9.7 days

2023: 10.3 days

As the first person recorded to swim unaided across the Channel, Captain Matthew Webb’s achievement has no doubt inspired many people to undertake record breaking challenges of endurance. My department is not planning to commemorate the anniversary. Parliamentarians may choose to mark the occasion in other ways, for example by tabling a debate or an Early Day Motion to mark the achievement.

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is a National Portfolio Organisation funded by Arts Council England, and receives £749,709 annually.

In 2022 Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) also received £9.975m from Cultural Assets Fund as part of DCMS Culture Recovery Fund.

In addition, since 1994, National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £12.7 million within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site area and has awarded the IGMT more than £20.9 million.

Historic England, the Government’ statutory advisor on heritage and a DCMS arm's length body, provides support and advice on specific issues related to the management of the wider Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

The average length of paternity leave taken by employees of the Department for Education for each of the last three years is set out in the table below.

The department collects and publishes forecasts made by local authorities of demand for primary and secondary pupil places from the annual School Capacity (SCAP) survey, which are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity. Forecast data is generated by local authorities based on their own data and local knowledge. These forecasts are challenged extensively during data cleaning processes. As with any forecast figures, there will be variation between the forecasts and the subsequent actual pupil numbers, and the level of accuracy is expected to reduce as forecasts are made further into the future.

This information is published at local authority level, with the latest publication covering the period 2022/23 to 2027/28, available for Telford and Wrekin here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d7c2bc7-052b-43f5-e0cc-08dccd7b577b. Previous years can be found in earlier publications, all available on Explore Education Statistics. Data on special educational needs provision was collected for the first time in SCAP in 2023 and published as official statistics in development in 2024 within the aforementioned publication.

The department also publishes pupil population projections at national level and by school type annually, which are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/national-pupil-projections. The latest publication includes historic pupil populations, plus projected population to 2028. These projections are not available at local authority level.

This Government is investing £2.4 billion over this year and next year to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government funding will be consented over the coming months in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.

The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

The Environment Agency is working with partners in the River Severn Partnership (RSP) including local authorities, water companies, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Natural England and environmental organisations on a long-term, whole-catchment scale view of planning for the future in response to climate change: Severn 2100+.

Under Severn2100+ work, the partnership is developing a Climate Resilience Strategy including an options appraisal of the flood risk adaptation actions needed in the River Severn catchment.

The work includes an ‘Adaptation Pathways Plan’ to help the Environment Agency understand how to sequence those actions, who can help and when.

As a pathfinder, the Environment Agency is working with partners on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme to examine how a suite of flood risk interventions in the upper catchment of the River Severn can reduce flood risk.

These long-term plans will help the RSP play a key role in bringing forward initiatives to reduce flood risk and improve the water environment whilst supporting economic growth in the area.

A demonstrator programme is underway delivering a series of 8 projects to test concepts and ideas that will support the future roll-out of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.

The partnership will be engaging with honourable members in the partnership area to update them soon.

The Defra sponsored capital programme endorsed by the English Severn and Wye RFCC continues to reduce flood risk to properties throughout the Severn Catchment in England.

The Environment Agency is working with partners in the River Severn Partnership (RSP) including local authorities, water companies, Natural Resources Wales, Natural England and environmental organisations on a long-term, whole-catchment scale view of planning for the future in response to climate change: Severn 2100+.

Under Severn2100+ work, the RSP is developing a Climate Resilience Strategy including an options appraisal of the flood risk adaptation actions needed in the River Severn catchment.

The work includes an ‘Adaptation Pathways Plan’ to help the Environment Agency understand how to sequence those actions, who can help and when.

The Environment Agency is working with partners on the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme to examine how a suite of flood risk interventions in the upper catchment of the River Severn can reduce flood risk. A demonstrator programme is underway delivering a series of 8 projects to test concepts and ideas that will support the future roll-out of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.

Local authorities can issue fixed penalty notices of up to £1,000 to fly-tippers. The income from these fixed penalty notices must be spent on enforcement and clean-up specifically. The department has not yet made an assessment of this policy, which was introduced under the previous Government, or how it might be changed.

Below is the average length of paternity leave, in working days, for each of the last 3 calendar years.

National Highways, who are responsible for operating, maintaining, and improving the Strategic Road Network, which includes motorways and trunk ‘A’ roads, is actively exploring renewable energy generation as part of its Net Zero Highways plan.

Multiple trials and studies have been conducted, including solar panels on signs and structures on the Strategic Road Network. National Highways have also considered larger ground-mounted solar farms on non-operational estates, small scale Renewable Energy Generation on the Strategic Road Network, Renewable Energy Generation at depots and solar car ports at depots and motorway service areas.

Feasibility studies to retrofit solar panels on existing motorway structures has shown that it does not represent value for money. The most economically viable option identified is rooftop solar generation at depots where most of the generation is consumed on-site and acts to offset the use of electricity from the grid.

On the issue of consent, rooftop solar generation in depots does not require planning permission, however, it is expected that any installations on the Strategic Road Network would be subject to consent using powers within the Highways Act 1980. Any installations on National Highways’ non-operational estates would be subject to consent by the relevant Local Planning Authority.

The Department provides investment to National Highways for such activities under the Road Investment Strategy funding. Any revenue from energy generation initiatives will help reduce National Highways’ operational expenditure.

The station usage data is compiled by ORR and historic results going back to 1997 are publicly available through the following link: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal, specifically under Table 1410 - Passenger entries and exits and interchanges by station (ods).

A review of the Department’s capital spend portfolio has been commissioned, this will inform the Department’s new long-term strategy for transport, developing a modern and integrated network with people at its heart and ensuring that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time. Assurances cannot be provided on individual projects, including the M54 to M6 Link Road, until the review is concluded.

Midlands Connect, the sub-national transport body which researches, develops and progresses transport projects in the Midlands, are refreshing the Business Case for line speed improvements to this route. My officials are in regular contact with Midlands Connect to support them in this work, and I expect to receive a Business Case later this year.

This data has been taken from a live system. Staff have 52 weeks to take paternity leave following the birth of the child, so figures for 2024 may rise.

The average working days taken (AWDT) is shown in the table below:

Quarterly statistics on pensioners who receive a) pension credit and b) housing benefit from quarter ending February 2010 to quarter ending February 2024 are published on Stat-Xplore.

Housing benefit can be broken down by age group prior to April 2018 and from April 2018 onwards, it can be broken down by working age or pension age.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Our plan to get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support. This will sit alongside; a new national jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, work health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open new opportunities for young people. Further detail will be shared in the up-coming White Paper.

Such ambitious plans require input and expertise from a wide range of stakeholders - from community groups and employers through to local authorities and providers of employment support and careers advice. We have convened a small advisory group with the Mayoral Combined Authorities, Local councils and the Central London Forward to gather expertise and support the development of the White Paper, and we are working closely with the Devolved Governments to share insights on what is currently working across Britain.

We look forward to working closely with stakeholders post-publication on the design and implementation of the measures in the White Paper.

DWP share personal data with local authorities. That includes three shares of Universal Credit data, with improvements to two of these due in the next 6 months, and an additional Universal Credit data share currently being explored. Similarly, DWP share information about citizens on unemployment benefits, and young people out of work in multiple different data shares. On benefit fraud, we work closely with local authorities on HB fraud, and are not aware of any specific requests for any data in relation to this topic. But we are always open to considering local authority requests, so long as there is a legal gateway and business justification to do so.

DWP continually review One Public Estate opportunities, and at any time, a number of these are individually being evaluated. The department’s estate is leased rather than owned, so there are no opportunities to sell buildings. However, there can be divestment running cost savings, although these need to be balanced by the material investment costs of re-location to new premises, which are typically substantial.

In each case, a value for money assessment is undertaken, alongside customer and operational considerations.

The Government is committed to putting patients back at the heart of care. This includes supporting a patient’s right to choose, if they wish, where they go for their first appointment, including private providers holding contracts for National Health Services.

Information on the number of individual patients who have been treated out of area in the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System (ICS) is not held centrally. However, information on the number of outpatient appointments taking place outside of the ICS is available, although it should be noted that a patient may have had more than one outpatient appointment. The following table shows the combined outpatient activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, and the number and percentage of appointments made outside of the ICS, for each of the last three years:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet, including for those suffering from cancer and respiratory conditions.

We have committed to getting back to the NHS Constitutional standard, that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment. As a first step to achieving this, we will deliver an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, or the equivalent to 40,000 per week. We will also increase the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits. As of August 2024, 62.5% of respiratory medicine patients are seen within this standard, compared to 60.7% in August 2023. This is compared to 58% of the total waiting list for planned procedures.

Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. The Government will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment within our first term, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. Outpatients make up most of the waiting list, so transforming outpatient services is a key part of the Government’s approach to cutting waiting times.

The overall mean average waiting time for children waiting for an outpatient appointment in the NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB) is 23.3 weeks, with the median being 21.4 weeks, and the overall mean waiting time for adults waiting for an outpatient appointment is 21.2 weeks, while the median is 18.4 weeks.

The number of cases where children are waiting in the NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB for a first outpatient appointment is 4,471, and for a follow up outpatient appointment is 715. The number of cases where adults are waiting in the NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB for a first outpatient appointment is 45,272, and for a follow up outpatient appointment is 12,500.

In 2024/2025, NHS England provided £25 million in funding for children and young people’s hospices. This funding was distributed, for the first time, via integrated care boards, in line with National Health Service devolution.

I recently met NHS England, Together for Short Lives, and one of the chairs of the Children Who Need Palliative Care All Party Parliamentary Group to discuss children’s palliative and end of life care, and this funding stream was discussed at length at that meeting. NHS England is currently considering the future of this important funding stream beyond 2024/25.

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm men, as some of them would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life. This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects; for example, incontinence of faeces and urine and impotence.

The UK NSC is undertaking an evidence review for prostate cancer screening and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan.

The evidence review includes modelling the clinical cost effectiveness of several approaches to prostate cancer screening; this includes different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.

Due to the migration of IT systems, the FCDO is unable to provide indicate timescales for Parental leave at this time.

The FCDO's Paternity Leave offer enables staff to take one or two weeks' statutory paternity leave. This enables staff to take the necessary time off whilst balancing work and home commitments.

The UK does not disclose voting positions on multilateral elections.

HMT Response

HM Treasury offers two-weeks’ paternity leave with pay for staff who meet the qualifying conditions. Staff can choose to take the two weeks together or in separate blocks of one week each.

The information below covers the average length of paternity leave in calendar days for the past three financial years in HM Treasury:

HMRC Response

Financial year April-23 to March-24: The average number of calendar days taken for paternity leave per person is 27.79 days.

Non-UK residents purchasing residential property in England or Northern Ireland currently pay a 2 percentage point Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge on top of the standard residential SDLT rates.

The Government keeps all tax policy under review and would have to consider the merits of any new taxes in the round as part of a fiscal event. The Chancellor will set out her Budget on the 30th October.

The PWLB lending facility exists to provide cost effective loans to local authorities to support investment and service delivery. HM Treasury keeps the interest rates of PWLB loans under review to ensure that PWLB lending remains supportive of prudent investment by local authorities, while meeting the requirement in the National Loans Act 1968 that HM Treasury does not lend at a loss. This includes keeping under review the discounted rate for investment in social housing through Housing Revenue Accounts that is currently available until June 2025.