Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local planning authorities are required to (a) retain and (b) disclose DSEAR assessments for major infrastructure projects.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities (LPAs) are not under a general statutory duty to either (a) retain or (b) disclose DSEAR assessments for major infrastructure projects.
The legal duties under DSEAR sit primarily with the employer/operator (the duty holder). The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) require employers to assess the risks to safety from fire, explosions and substances corrosive to metals and put control measures in place to either remove the risks or, where this is not possible, control them. Employers should also prepare plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies involving dangerous substances and ensure that employees are properly informed and trained to control or deal with the risks from the dangerous substances.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timeline is for the delivery of new free schools approved in principle, including the (a) key stages from approval to opening, (b) typical duration of each stage and (c) factors impacting delivery times; and what the status is of the proposed Lime Academy school in March, Cambridgeshire, including (i) progress on site identification, (ii) anticipated pupil capacity, (iii) estimated capital cost and (iv) expected opening date.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
New free school projects that are centrally delivered by the department typically progress through six key stages: pre‑feasibility (including finding a suitable site), feasibility, procurement, design and planning, construction and handover, and post‑completion use. Utilising delivery data from the past 5 years, average durations are up to a year for feasibility, 18 months for procurement, and 18-24 months for construction. Delivery timelines can be impacted by a number of factors such as securing a suitable site and constraints, planning or environmental issues, and market conditions affecting costs and materials.
For Lime Academy March, a site off Kingswood Road has been identified and lease terms are under negotiation. The school is planned to provide 210 places for pupils aged 2–19. Capital costs are not yet confirmed at this stage. Current assumptions indicate an opening date no earlier than September 2029.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether statutory consultees are required to assess risks from (a) lithium-ion batteries and (b) gas canisters when reviewing fire prevention plans for energy-from-waste facilities.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency is responsible for reviewing fire prevention plans (FPP) for energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities in England under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) 2016. Under the EPR, there are no statutory consultees. However, the Environment Agency consults the local fire and rescue service on every permit application which it receives for a new EfW facility, which will include the proposed FPP.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have been removed from the waiting lists for treatment for any other reason than the treatment had been completed, by month since July 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is shown in the following table:
Number of cases per month, from July 2024 to September 2025, where patients were removed from the Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting list for reasons other than treatment:
Year | Month | Number of cases |
2024 | July | 667,893 |
2024 | August | 599,191 |
2024 | September | 652,924 |
2024 | October | 716,524 |
2024 | November | 667,645 |
2024 | December | 574,449 |
2025 | January | 688,325 |
2025 | February | 637,315 |
2025 | March | 666,908 |
2025 | April | 627,692 |
2025 | May | 635,713 |
2025 | June | 683,863 |
2025 | July | 704,625 |
2025 | August | 593,455 |
2025 | September | 693,033 |
The information for the table above was extracted from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS) on 18 November 2025.
A breakdown of reasons for coming off the waiting list is not available in the aggregate monthly official statistics. However, the information is collected in the weekly management information from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS). The WLMDS is subject to less validation than the monthly official statistics and totals do not match between the two sources.
Reasons for patients being removed from the waiting list can include them starting a period of active monitoring, a clinical decision not to treat, a patient declining treatment or a patient dying before treatment starts.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer question 82312, tabled on 15 October 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2026 to Question 82312.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of applicants to the UK's Active Reserve forces successfully joined in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK’s Reserve Forces are a vital component of Defence, providing critical capability, specialist skills and a strong connection to wider society, while offering a flexible and cost‑effective means of meeting operational demand. Reserves underpin the Armed Forces’ ability to respond to threats at home and overseas, and the Strategic Defence Review has reinforced their importance, including our ambition to grow the Active Reserve by at least 20 per cent.
In Financial Year 2024-25, the proportion of people who applied to join the Armed Forces Reserves and who subsequently became untrained entrants was as follows: Royal Navy 7%, British Army 4%, Royal Air Force 5%, in line with a long-standing trend.
Between the point of application and becoming an untrained entrant, a variety of checks and tests are conducted to ensure that any applicant entering training is suitable for military service and that it is credible that the applicant will complete training. This ensures that the standards of the Armed Forces are maintained and that public funds and resources are not wasted. There are a number of reasons for an applicant not being successful, including medical scrutiny. Reserve applications, when compared to Regulars, also reflects an older profile of applicants together with a need to balance service with civilian work and family life. In addition, historically these tests and checks in the recruiting process have involved multiple stages and appointments, which can lengthen timelines and increase drop‑out before entry.
The Department has taken urgent and targeted action since November 2024 to improve throughput which has been low historically. The Services have already streamlined recruiting processes by reducing the number of appointments, increasing automation and using digital tools to speed up decision‑making, which has improved conversion in some areas. Reserves‑specific national and local marketing campaigns are being used to better target likely candidates and set clearer expectations from the outset. From next year, Reserve recruiting will also transition to the new Armed Forces Recruiting System, which will use modern technology and industry expertise to deliver a faster, more effective and more consistent recruiting experience across Defence.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2026 to question 124579, if he will publish the (a) KPIs that apply to UKSV and (b) most recent performance data relating to those KPIs.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before ProrogationAsked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS England staff have accepted voluntary redundancy since 13 March 2025; and what the total financial cost of those voluntary redundancies was to the public purse.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS jobs in which Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is the primary function have been advertised in the most recent 12-month period for which data are available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This data is not centrally held.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the longest time that (a) an SME and (b) a person has waited for security vetting in the last two years; and whether either application is still ongoing.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
UKSV continues to meet its agreed KPIs across each product type. The time taken to complete a vetting assessment varies according to the level of clearance required and the complexity of an individual’s background.
In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not disclose granular performance data or specific case details, as to do so could prejudice national security and provide insights into the operational thresholds of our security safeguards. UKSV remains focused on ensuring the vetting process is both rigorous and timely.