Steve Barclay
Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire
7,189 (18.4%) majority - 2024 General ElectionFirst elected: 6th May 2010
Select Committees
Finance Committee (Commons) (since November 2024)Finance Committee (Commons) (since December 2024)
Liaison Committee (Commons) (since December 2024)
House of Commons Commission (since December 2024)
Restoration and Renewal Client Board (since December 2024)
Members Estimate Committee (since December 2024)
Division Voting information
Steve Barclay 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
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
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
(4 debate interactions)
(4 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(19 debate contributions)
(7 debate contributions)
(4 debate contributions)
(3 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
Steve Barclay has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debateNorth East Cambridgeshire 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).
of 39,198 signatures (0.26%)
of 50,405 signatures (0.25%)
of 60,444 signatures (0.23%)
of 216,115 signatures (0.21%)
of 218,603 signatures (0.21%)
of 216,115 signatures (0.21%)
of 218,603 signatures (0.21%)
of 163,998 signatures (0.19%)
of 152,273 signatures (0.19%)
c. 1,290 added daily
157,239
(Estimated)
Don't change inheritance tax relief for working farms
Sign this petition Gov Responded - 5 Dec 2024 Debated on - 10 Feb 2025 View Steve Barclay's petition debate contributionscloses in 2 months, 2 weeks
We think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.
Latest EDMs signed by Steve Barclay
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Steve Barclay, 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.
Steve Barclay has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Steve Barclay has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
3 Bills introduced by Steve Barclay
A Bill to implement, and make other provision in connection with, the agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union which sets out the arrangements for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd January 2020 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to Prohibit the export of certain livestock from Great Britain for slaughter.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 20th May 2024 and was enacted into law.
A has been called and Parliament is no longer sitting. The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before . This means the Bill will make no further progress. To implement, and make other provision in connection with, the agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union which sets out the arrangements for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU.
Steve Barclay has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 49 Written Questions
(View all written questions)Between 4 July 2024 and 11 February 2025, approximately 8,000 vacancies were advertised through the Civil Service Jobs website. To note, an advertised vacancy may contain a number of posts, hence the variance between the number of vacancies and the number of roles in the table below. Listing all of these roles individually could only be done at disproportionate cost.
However, aggregate data is provided. Any recruitment conducted outside the Civil Service Jobs portal will not be included in these figures.
Approach | Number of vacancies | % of total | Number of roles | % of total |
External | 3749 | 47.47% | 15002 | 68.76% |
Internal/across government | 4149 | 52.53% | 6815 | 31.24% |
Total | 7898 |
| 21,817 |
|
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster appoints Non-Executive Board Members to the Cabinet Office Board and most Non-Executive Directors to the Boards of its Arm’s Length Bodies in compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. Non-Executives are not employees, therefore contracts of employment are not issued. Non-Executives receive terms of agreement for their roles instead.
The Cabinet Office has been fully compliant with the terms of agreement between its Non-Executive Board Members since 5 July 2024.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster appoints Non-Executive Board Members to the Cabinet Office Board and most Non-Executive Directors to the Boards of its Arm’s Length Bodies in compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. Non-Executives are not employees and therefore contracts of employment are not issued, Non-Executives receive terms of agreement for their roles instead.
Since 5 July 2024, seven Cabinet Office Non-Executive Board Members have been provided with one month’s written notice for the termination of their appointments before the end of the fixed period as set out in their terms of agreement.
It is normal practice for incoming Ministers to make decisions on their own departmental boards, including the skills and experience that membership brings.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service advertises all SCS vacancies on the principle of External by Default.
External by Default means that vacancies will be open to external candidates outside the Civil Service, as well as existing civil servants, unless an exception applies. Use of exemptions for any post must be approved by the Departmental Minister or Permanent Secretary in Non-Ministerial Departments.
This policy applies to all Ministerial departments, Non-Ministerial departments, Executive Agencies and Crown Non-Departmental Public Bodies.
This policy was applicable on 30 May 2024 and 23 July 2024.
On the 30 May 2024, in accordance with the General Election Guidance 2024, any appointments that required approval by the Prime Minister, and other Civil Service and public appointments likely to prove sensitive (including those where Ministers have delegated decisions to officials or other authorities) were frozen until after the election, except in exceptional circumstances (General Election Guidance, Section H, para 1-4).
Where an appointment was required to be made, because the role was urgent or critical, and including where necessary sensitive SCS positions, the role could be filled on a temporary basis by exception. The principle of external by default for all SCS recruitment was maintained during the pre-election period. Any temporary appointments were subject to approval via the exemption process (Civil Service Recruitment Framework 2022). During the pre-election period, approval for urgent exemptions to external by default could be made by Permanent Secretaries where Ministerial availability was limited.
Responsibility for adhering to pre-election guidance in relation to recruitment sat with the hiring department.
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information held by the Cabinet Office relating to the Senior Civil Service shows there have been 43 offers made and 41 candidates posted/taken up duty since 30th May 2024. Recruitment data from some departments is collected on a biannual basis by the Cabinet Office.
Please see the full breakdown of the data held centrally on the below table.
Department | VacancyTitle | Grade | Number of vacancies | Number of jobs | Offer Reached | Candidates Posted |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | DG Food Biosecurity and Trade | SCS 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Department of Health and Social Care | DG NHS Ten Year Plan | SCS 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | DG Digital Centre | SCS 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Maritime and Coastguard Agency | Director of People & Safety | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Transport | Deputy Director Strategy and Programme, Euston Directorate (Maternity contract) | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Business and Trade | Director, Consumer and Competition Policy | SCS Pay Band 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Transport | Deputy Director – Policy Sponsorship (Roads investment Strategy) | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Business and Trade | Director, Grants Delivery | SCS Pay Band 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | SCS2 Director Digital Service Owner (Infected Blood Compensation Authority) - EOI (6-9 months initially) | SCS Pay Band 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
HM Treasury | Deputy Director - Government Financial Reporting (12 Month Fixed Term Appointment) | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department of Health and Social Care | Head of Statistics and Data Science team- Closing date extended to 28th May 23:55 | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero | Deputy Director Energy Security and Resilience Analysis Team (ESRA) | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Business and Trade | Deputy Director - Futures and Green Strategy Unit | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science | Senior Responsible Owner – Cefas Future Delivery at Sea | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | Deputy Director Counter-Terrorism and Serious Organised Crime | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | Deputy Director, Public Services | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | Deputy Director, Defence | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | SCS1 Deputy Director Middle East Strategy Cell, National Security Secretariat - EOI (6 months) | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | SCS2 Director Communications (Infected Blood Compensation Authority) - EOI (6-9 months initially) | SCS Pay Band 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | Deputy Director, i.AI Strategy and Business Engagement | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Internal) | Deputy Director, Legal Counsellor, Joint Head Sanctions and Asia Pacific Team | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero | Deputy Director for Operating Model & Organisational Capability Programmes | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Department for Work and Pensions | Deputy Director Talent and Apprenticeships (Part-Time)? | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science | Director of Strategy and Delivery | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero | Deputy Director, Net Zero Strategy Directorate | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
HM Treasury | Deputy Director, Financial Services Strategy | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Work and Pensions | Deputy Director, Group Strategy and Coordination | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
National Crime Agency | Deputy Director HR Delivery Services | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Business and Trade | Senior Investment Partner, Office for Investment | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | SCS2 Director Operations (Infected Blood Compensation Authority) - EOI (6-9 months initially) | SCS Pay Band 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero | Deputy Director for Shared Services, | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Business and Trade | UK Pavilion Director – Osaka World Expo 2025 | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero | Deputy Director, Smart Metering Implementation Programme, Stewardship Team | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Department for Culture, Media and Sport | Deputy Director, BBC Policy | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | Deputy Director, Head of Office for Quantum Technologies | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
HM Treasury | Deputy Director, Education & Skills | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Office | Deputy Director National Security Communications | SCS Pay Band 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
1 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Steve Barclay's DCMS questions)The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme providing grants towards Vat paid on reports and maintenance is a demand-led programme and operates with a total budget of up to £42m per year, funded jointly by DCMS and HMT reserve. In the financial year 23/24 a total of £29,161,870 was granted to listed places of worship.
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes, such as the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
27 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Steve Barclay's Defra questions)
Relevant reports will be published in due course.
The permit (AWCNF428/10348) requires various information and data to be submitted to the Environment Agency as follows:
- Annual Summary report for Storm Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data – start & stop times. The 2023 report was submitted in 2024 () but Water Companies have until the end of February 2025 to submit 2024 data which we will make publicly available in March 2025.
- Annual Summary report for Storm EDM data – operational/not operational. As above.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Peterborough Stanground Thistle Drive Pumping Station has an EDM (Event Duration Monitor) on site as this is now a legal requirement for sites that discharge storm sewage. Further information on EDM data across the UK can be found at Storm Overflow Spill Frequency and information from the Anglian Water website on EDM data for 2023 can be found here.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government takes invasive species seriously and has legislated to prevent the further introduction and spread of Chinese mitten crab. As a ‘Species of Special Concern’ it is subject to the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, which means that it cannot be brought into Great Britain, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. Defra funds the Fish Heath Inspectorate to carry out work to prevent the illegal sale and spread of this species.
Defra and the Environment Agency will continue to look for ways to manage this species but are currently not aware of any cost-effective or proven control methods, and there is limited scientific evidence on potential management approaches and its impacts.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statement and analysis issued by my department sets out that any new waste incineration facilities should demonstrate a clearly defined domestic residual waste treatment capacity need, to facilitate the diversion of residual waste away from landfill or enable the replacement of older, less-efficient facilities. These matters are considered through the planning, rather than permitting process. It is worth noting that the analysis published identified that of the seven local authorities that sent more than 40% of collected residual waste to landfill in 2022-23 (the most recent data available), four are located in the East of England and East Midlands.
My department also set out that new facilities will have to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy. To maintain confidence in the UK’s regulatory system, as well as support investment in UK infrastructure to support economic growth, it is important that modifications are not retrospectively imposed to environmental permits that have been granted in line with the established regulatory framework. However, those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) are encouraged to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities in light of the evidence we have published.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2021, the statistical estimates for the proportion of farmers in England who have financial and legal responsibility for an agricultural holding is shown below:
Financial and legal responsibility for a holding | Proportion of holdings |
One person | 46% |
Two or more people who are close family members | 49% |
Two or more people who are not related | 1% |
An organisation (or a legal person) | 4% |
Sourced from the Defra June Survey of Agriculture
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The level of crop production is always subject to factors such as weather conditions and prevailing prices. Beyond such normal factors, the Government does not expect the inheritance tax changes to have a material impact on crop production.
We have robust domestic production, which alongside stable trade routes and diverse supply chains ensures the country continues to benefit from high food security. With the largest ever investment in sustainable food production, through our Environmental Land Management schemes, we are securing long term food security.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Defra June Survey of Agriculture has statistical estimates of the English farmland areas at local authority level, the latest available is for 2021. Please note this survey only covers commercial holdings (defined as farms with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables, 0.1 hectares of protected crops, 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry).
Defra produces statistical estimates of the total income from farming by English county Data are only available on total fixed capital (value of land, plant and buildings) at UK level due to the calculation methodology used.
Defra do not hold financial data for farms at holding level. Some financial information is published at a farm business level (where multiple farm holdings can constitute a single farm business). This information is based on the Farm Business Survey which only covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst the Survey captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes around 43,000 smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output). This means the statistics cannot be used to infer any statistical estimates for the whole population of farms. The published 2022/23 balance sheet statistics, which include the distribution of farms by net worth by region, are available in Table 6 of the Balance Sheets.
Please note that the data being asked for is already publicly available on the Defra Farming Statistics webpages: Food, Farming and Bio-security statistics - GOV.UK
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) does not hold data at hereditament level, or any data on values of farms or farmland.
It does hold data on areas of land for businesses registered with the RPA and associated agricultural land, i.e. land registered as Arable, Pasture and Permanent Crops.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra made no assessment of the effect of changes in the mix of waste sent for incineration on the carbon emissions of each unit of electricity generated by energy recovery facilities when the Rt Hon member for North East Cambridgeshire was Secretary of State. Defra is currently undertaking a composition analysis study of residual waste treated at energy recovery facilities. This will enable us to better understand the overall composition of residual waste treated at energy recovery facilities and, in due course, can form the basis for a better understanding of the fossil carbon portion of waste sent to incineration.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2022, the Waste from Households recycling rate in England was 43.4%. Figures for 2023/24 are provisionally scheduled for publication by January 2025. We have a long-term target to halve residual waste by 2042 and we are committed to achieving a municipal recycling rate of at least 65% by 2035.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As of July 2024, the Environment Agency confirmed 35 abandoned waste sites in England. An abandoned site occurs if the waste management permit holder dies, or the company is wound up.
Information on these sites was not published when he was Secretary of State due to data protection and ongoing investigations. This remains the case.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All eligible farmers that were identified in the original fund from April 2024 have been offered payment. This represents 679 farmers who were paid a total of £2.19 million.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In England the Environment Agency’s regulatory position statement RPS 247 , first published in January 2021, sets out risk-based conditions which restrict the use of unbound incinerator bottom ash aggregate (IBAA) as a replacement for primary aggregate based on tonnage, location, placement, and type of construction project. The Environment Agency is satisfied that in complying with the regulatory position statement, the risks to ground and surface water are understood and proportionately managed.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Regulatory position statement RPS 247, first published in January 2021, sets out risk-based conditions which restrict the use of unbound incinerator bottom ash aggregate (IBAA) as a replacement for primary aggregate based on tonnage, location, placement, and type of construction project. The regulatory position statement is to be withdrawn by 31 January 2025. The Environment Agency will replace this position statement with a candidate waste exemption and a new standard-rules permit. The Agency are preparing to consult on the new permit later this year.
As is usual, it is likely that the Environment Agency will extend RPS 247 by a few months to allow the new standard rules permit to be published and available for use.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All eligible farmers that were identified in the original fund from April 2024 have been offered payment. This represents 679 farmers who were paid a total of £2.19 million.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Innovation is important in strengthening food security, enhancing resilience and improving agricultural sustainability.
We are considering how to take forward the regulatory framework outlined in the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act and will share our plans in due course.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To date all eligible farmers identified in the original Farming Recovery Fund announced in April 2024 have been offered the payment in line with the published criteria. In May, Defra announced a further expansion to the fund and further information on that will be available soon.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Confidence among farmers is at an all time low. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British Farmers. The only way to do this effectively is to listen to farmers and others with a stake in our food system, countryside and nature. This Government will introduce a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen Britain's food security. We will: cut energy bills by switching on GB Energy; protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals; and use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is national security. A resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers is a key element of our national food security.
That is why this Government will introduce a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen Britain's food security. We will: cut energy bills by switching on GB Energy; protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals; and use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.
Food security is not a binary issue but consists of complex and dynamic interactions. The Government will publish the triennial UK Food Security Report this year which will measure trends across the five categories of food security.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Farming Recovery Fund is a contribution towards uninsured costs that have likely been incurred in re-establishing productive, farmable land in areas significantly damaged by water, caused by flooding from Storms Babet and Henk or exceptional rainfall during October 2023 to March 2024.
In May Defra introduced a package of temporary adjustments and easements within the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), SFI Pilot, Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship to support farmers and land managers dealing with the impacts of severe wet weather in England.
[Essentially, if bad weather has caused disruptions to farming activities or affected a farmer’s ability to meet the mandatory requirements set out in live agreements, the adjustments allow more time to establish or defer some activity to later in the year.] A full list of these adjustments can be found on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wet-weather-temporary-support-for-farmers-in-2024 .
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has ambition to source half of all food served in public sector settings from local producers or that has been produced by growers certified to higher environmental standards, where possible. We want to use the purchasing power of the public sector food supply chain to lead the way, setting the tone in delivering our wider ambitions on sustainability, animal welfare, economic growth, nutrition and health.
We are exploring innovative ways of achieving this policy aim that will help develop and support local economies and be compatible with our obligations under the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement and domestic procurement rules.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This government will respect the advice of the widest range of expert advisers when considering the end of the badger cull.
There has not been a major bovine TB strategy review in nearly six years. The last was commissioned by the then Secretary of State Michael Gove and was carried out by Professor Sir Charles Godfray. It informs our starting point as we increase the effort to achieve bovine TB free status by 2038.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the reply I gave to PQ 1263.
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This information is not held in the format requested. The consolidated National Health Service provider accounts for 2023/24 were published by NHS England, and recorded £44 million as written-off from overseas visitors.
The information requested regarding written-off debt for maternity care is not held centrally, and there are no current plans to make an estimate. The consolidated NHS provider accounts for 2023/24 are available at the following link:
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This information is not held in the format requested. The consolidated National Health Service provider accounts for 2023/24 were published by NHS England, and recorded £44 million as written-off from overseas visitors.
The information requested regarding written-off debt for maternity care is not held centrally, and there are no current plans to make an estimate. The consolidated NHS provider accounts for 2023/24 are available at the following link:
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect information on the numbers and proportion of patients with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) because it is not possible to specifically classify FASD within the National Health Service dataset. FASD is an umbrella term used to describe a range of cognitive, behavioural, physical and mental health conditions associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. In the NHS dataset, it is possible to identify conditions that could have been caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, but it cannot be drawn from the data that prenatal exposure to alcohol was the direct cause of these conditions.
The cost associated with treatment for people affected by FASD as outlined in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard in England (QS204) is also not collected.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect information on the numbers and proportion of patients with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) because it is not possible to specifically classify FASD within the National Health Service dataset. FASD is an umbrella term used to describe a range of cognitive, behavioural, physical and mental health conditions associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. In the NHS dataset, it is possible to identify conditions that could have been caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, but it cannot be drawn from the data that prenatal exposure to alcohol was the direct cause of these conditions.
The cost associated with treatment for people affected by FASD as outlined in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard in England (QS204) is also not collected.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the General Election in July 2024, the Government inherited a programme to deliver new hospitals that was unfunded beyond March 2025 and was repeatedly delayed. We now have a plan to deliver the New Hospital Programme which is realistic and affordable.
My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned a comprehensive report into the seven reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) schemes being delivered through the New Hospital Programme, as the last report was undertaken in autumn 2022 and covered the five hospitals not at the time within the New Hospital Programme.
Part of the objectives of this report is to form an assessment of RAAC condition and other structural elements, backlog maintenance risks, as well as planned and current mitigations, and the remaining expected life of affected sites. The site-by-site report on RAAC hospitals will help inform individual development plans, which continue to progress at pace. We will expedite the delivery of schemes to replace hospitals built wholly or primarily from RAAC by focussing on the most affected buildings and services first.
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Published data is not held in the format requested. Activity data, specifically the number of tests delivered, rather than patients seen, for community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is held centrally and published at the national level, and is available at the following link:
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department only holds data on the number of officials working in the Department at the end of each calendar month. The following table shows the data for the end of each calendar month from July 2022 to October 2024:
Month | Headcount | Full-time equivalent |
July 2022 | 4,037 | 3,916 |
August 2022 | 3,981 | 3,840 |
September 2022 | 4,015 | 3,874 |
October 2022 | 3,979 | 3,838 |
November 2022 | 3,978 | 3,837 |
December 2022 | 3,913 | 3778 |
January 2023 | 3,843 | 3,708 |
February 2023 | 3,730 | 3,598 |
March 2023 | 3,670 | 3,541 |
April 2023 | 3,533 | 3,407 |
May 2023 | 3,516 | 3,392 |
June 2023 | 3,456 | 3,335 |
July 2023 | 3,374 | 3,254 |
August 23 | 3,327 | 3,208 |
September 2023 | 3,306 | 3,187 |
October 2023 | 3,301 | 3,184 |
November 2023 | 3,287 | 3,165 |
December 2023 | 3,185 | 3,073 |
January 2024 | 3,185 | 3,074 |
February 2024 | 3,213 | 3,103 |
March 2024 | 3,253 | 3,146 |
April 2024 | 3,308 | 3,201 |
May 2024 | 3,336 | 3,232 |
June 2024 | 3,403 | 3,294 |
July 2024 | 3,450 | 3,340 |
August 2024 | 3,475 | 3,367 |
September 2024 | 3,544 | 3,431 |
October 2024 | 3,599 | 3,483 |
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
HMRC receives information in relation to the agricultural value of agricultural land, buildings, and other assets as part of claims for agricultural property relief. This information relates to the agricultural property owned by the individual who may not own all of the relevant farm
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has published information about reforms to agricultural property relief at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief.
Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.
Historic data published by HMRC shows that in 2021-22, 73% of estates making agricultural property relief claims did so on total amounts worth less than £1m.
HMRC is commissioned by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) at each fiscal event to produce Inheritance Tax receipts forecasts. More information behind this process is published on the OBR website: https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/inheritance-tax/.
HMRC analysis suggests that in 2026-27, 500 estates claiming agricultural property relief will receive a lower financial benefit as a result of the Government’s reforms, out of a projected total of 1,800 estates making agricultural property relief claims in that year. This means that around three-quarters of estates making agricultural property relief claims will be unaffected by this measure.
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information would require a manual review of case records and to do so for the purpose of answering this question would incur disproportionate cost.
Minister of State (Home Office)
The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information would require a manual review of case records and to do so for the purpose of answering this question would incur disproportionate cost.
Minister of State (Home Office)
In 2023, the previous government commissioned an audit of spending in this area, which provided a figure of 16.6 FTE Home Office staff working in central Human Resources roles relating to implementation of statutory functions arising from the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
On 22 May 2024, as part of the response to that audit, the previous government required all departments to consolidate any standalone PSED-related roles from individual work areas into their wider Human Resources functions, which increased the number of central PSED roles to 21.35 FTE.
Those numbers have not increased since the current Government came to office, and there are no plans to increase them.
Minister of State (Home Office)
There are a number of officials from across the Ministry of Defence who contribute to the work in this area in partnership with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. This includes policy, legal, financial and military teams.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
2 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Questions
(View all Steve Barclay's MHCLG questions)We can confirm that the department holds this information, but we are withholding it as we cannot provide details where the numbers are five or fewer as the individuals concerned in this group or in other groups could be identifiable.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)