Every parliamentary written question tabled by Calum Miller this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 208 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to prioritise any bilateral relationships in her first three months in office.
We will maintain our engagement with all key allies and partners over the coming months in pursuit of our shared priorities and interests; and we will continue to ensure that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is fully geared up to support these activities.
What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Alternative to Detention schemes piloted under the Home Office’s Community Engagement Pilot series.
Following analysis of the pilots’ published evaluations, the Department did not see sufficient evidence to progress these. We will keep under review the feasibility of alternatives to detention, taking account of effectiveness and cost efficiency, as part of our plans to transform the asylum and returns system.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government's strategic objectives are for the state visit of President Trump.
State visits are a core part of delivering the Government's Plan for Change, strengthening the UK's global partnerships and people-to-people ties. As part of the US President's State Visit, the UK and US have agreed the Tech Prosperity Deal, focused on developing the fastest growing technologies like AI, quantum and nuclear. This comes as America's top technology and AI firms commit a combined £31 billion to boost the UK's AI infrastructure and cutting-edge tech. This partnership will turbocharge the build-out of new nuclear power stations to secure jobs and growth in the UK and US, this golden age of nuclear is central to the government's mission to build more clear homegrown power to ensure energy security. As the Prime Minister has said, the Tech Prosperity Deal will "shape the futures of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and delivering growth, security and opportunity up and down the country".
What recent discussions she has had with universities on foreign diplomatic pressure to (a) alter and (b) remove references to Taiwan in (i) academic and (ii) institutional communications.
The department engages regularly with representatives from the higher education sector on a range of international issues, working to support universities to maximise the opportunities of international collaboration whilst managing related risks. However, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of any discussions with individual universities on sensitive diplomatic or national security matters.If we are made aware of concerns from universities regarding undue foreign pressure, we can and would take appropriate action to support universities, alongside other partners, to maintain their independence and autonomy. In England, providers have a regulatory requirement to ensure that their decisions are taken, without direction, coercion or covert influence. The Office for Students’ freedom of speech advice, published in June 2025, shows how providers should protect academic freedom from foreign interference, and the department has announced further work to improve international due diligence and awareness of foreign interference risks.
How many UK higher education institutions have approached the her Department for guidance following requests from the Chinese Embassy to alter language referring to Taiwan, in each year since 2020.
The department engages regularly with representatives from the higher education sector on a range of international issues, working to support universities to maximise the opportunities of international collaboration whilst managing related risks. However, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of any discussions with individual universities on sensitive diplomatic or national security matters.If we are made aware of concerns from universities regarding undue foreign pressure, we can and would take appropriate action to support universities, alongside other partners, to maintain their independence and autonomy. In England, providers have a regulatory requirement to ensure that their decisions are taken, without direction, coercion or covert influence. The Office for Students’ freedom of speech advice, published in June 2025, shows how providers should protect academic freedom from foreign interference, and the department has announced further work to improve international due diligence and awareness of foreign interference risks.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) secondary school and (b) university students participating in organised sport are routinely tested for heart health.
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommends screening babies for heart problems in pregnancy and twice in the newborn period. These programmes are run successfully in the National Health Service. The UK NSC does not recommend routine testing for heart health in older children. The committee reviewed the evidence for screening for risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019 and concluded that screening should not be offered. The committee’s review is available at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/ Research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use in young people without symptoms, and that treatments and interventions were not based on good scientific evidence to prevent SCD.To reduce SCD in young people, the current consensus is to focus on the rapid identification and care of people who are likely to be at risk of SCD, due mainly to a family link or because they have had symptoms, and to train people to carry out cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and to use defibrillators.NHS England has published guidance for inherited cardiac conditions, a major cause of SCD in young people, which requires services to investigate patients with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease, suggestive symptoms, or patients who are from families with sudden unexplained deaths. Where a genetic variation is identified, cascade testing should be offered to relatives based on risk.We are aware that the UK NSC has received a submission via its annual call process to consider SCD screening in young people aged between 14 and 35 years old engaging in sport. The UK NSC has included this in their review of screening for SCD which is currently under way.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to allocate adequate resources to support households at risk of flooding in Bicester and Woodstock constituency.
This Government will invest £7.9 billion over the next ten years in the largest ever flood programme. This will boost resilience and benefit 840,000 properties by 2035–36. The programme will launch in April 2026 and I encourage all local areas to work with the Environment Agency to explore options for future flood schemes.
Communities and Local Government, how many meetings she has had with representatives of the Chinese Government about the proposed embassy since July 2024..
In line with published propriety guidance on planning casework decisions, Planning Ministers do not hold meetings with parties where cases are before the Department for determination. More information can be found on gov.uk here.
With reference to the press notice entitled £740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND, published on 25 March 2025, what proportion of the £740 million has been allocated for building new special schools.
The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital funding in 2025/26 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision.Of this funding, Oxfordshire Council has been allocated just under £8 million.This funding is intended to support local authorities to adapt or create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs, and to create high quality special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places including for pupils with SEND, sits with local authorities. It is ultimately up to local authorities to determine how to best prioritise their high needs capital funding to address local priorities.
Communities and Local Government, how many meetings she has held with activist groups who have registered concerns about the proposed Chinese embassy since July 2024.
In line with published propriety guidance on planning casework decisions, Planning Ministers do not hold meetings with parties where cases are before the Department for determination. More information can be found on gov.uk here.
Whether her Department has had discussions with the Oxford-Cambridge Partnership on ensuring that business needs are met through the delivery of (a) apprenticeships and (b) technical skills by further education institutions.
The department, through Skills England, is actively engaged in the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor. This engagement is supported by local skills improvement plans (LSIPs), which cover all the areas within the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. LSIPs are overseen by Skills England, helping to ensure all parties play their part.Skills England works closely with employer representative bodies who develop LSIPs to ensure that local technical skills priorities support employers, empower learners and enable regions to respond to future workforce needs.Employers have consistently engaged with and contributed to the development of LSIPs to articulate skills needs, outline issues faced and establish solutions to tackle these.
With reference to the press notice entitled £740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND, published on 25 March 2025, what steps her Department has taken to establish the criteria for prioritising spending for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities capital investment.
The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital funding in 2025/26 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision.Of this funding, Oxfordshire Council has been allocated just under £8 million.This funding is intended to support local authorities to adapt or create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs, and to create high quality special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places including for pupils with SEND, sits with local authorities. It is ultimately up to local authorities to determine how to best prioritise their high needs capital funding to address local priorities.
Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with her US counterpart on the security of the proposed embassy.
The government regularly engages with representatives of foreign governments, including the United States government, to discuss a broad range of issues. The details of these discussions are not made public.In dealing with any planning application, Ministers act in accordance with published propriety guidance on planning casework decisions. More information can be found on gov.uk here.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings have Ministers held with Roman Abramovich's representatives and the foundation set up to manage the funds received from the sale of Chelsea FC since July 2024.
The Government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion. There have been regular contacts with stakeholders to achieve this and we are deeply frustrated that it has not yet been possible to reach agreement with Mr Abramovich. It would not be appropriate to provide a running commentary on discussions, but we remain open to reaching a negotiated agreement and, as the Chancellor and Foreign Secretary have stated previously, we are considering all options, including pursuing this matter through the courts if necessary.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to appoint a Special Envoy with responsibility for (a) advocating for and (b) securing the release from detention of British nationals arbitrarily held abroad.
This Government condemns the practice of detaining British Nationals for political leverage. We take all allegations of human rights violations, and opinions of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, seriously. The Government is committed to strengthening consular services, including introducing a right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations, and through the appointment of an Envoy for complex detention cases. Further details will be announced in due course.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will consider laying an annual report before Parliament on the status of British nationals arbitrarily detained abroad.
This Government condemns the practice of detaining British Nationals for political leverage. We take all allegations of human rights violations, and opinions of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, seriously. The Government is committed to strengthening consular services, including introducing a right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations, and through the appointment of an Envoy for complex detention cases. Further details will be announced in due course.
How many (a) serious and (b) fatal incidents have occurred at level crossings in each of the last five years.
The number of fatalities and serious injuries at level crossings in Great Britain in each of the last five years is set out in the table below. This covers each reporting year and available data from April 2020 to March 2025. Person type2020/212021/222022/232023/242024/2025Fatalities (excluding suicide)Pedestrian77405Road Vehicle Occupant00110Train Occupant00000Total77515Serious injuriesPedestrian41934Road Vehicle Occupant10010Train Occupant00000 Total51944
If she will publish the criteria used to assess applications for transport Development Consent Order projects.
The Secretary of State sets out her considerations in her decision letters for each Development Consent Order. This will take into account relevant legislation, national policy statements and other relevant policy as well as national carbon budget commitments. She also follows public law considerations relating to good decision making and procedural fairness to ensure that interested parties have the opportunity to be heard. The Secretary of State takes account of the evidence before her, only considering relevant matters, and provides appropriate reasoning to support her decision making. Information about the Development Consent Order process and its requirements are available on gov.uk: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/decision-making-process-guide.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his US counterpart on the rules of engagement for security contractors working for the Gaza Humanitarian Fund.
Reports of mass casualty incidents at and near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites are horrifying. Over 600 people have been killed since the GHF began operations.We regularly engage with Israeli counterparts to urge them to improve the situation on the ground. On 22 June the Foreign Secretary spoke to Minister of Foreign Affairs Sa'ar to express his horror at the mass casualty incidents at GHF sites. He stressed the need to deliver aid at pace and scale.Humanitarian aid should never be used as a political tool. The UN and trusted partners must be able to operate in line with humanitarian principles and deliver lifesaving aid.Working closely with the US and our allies, we will continue to support calls for a lasting ceasefire that can end the war, ensure the release of all hostages and a surge of aid into Gaza.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on reports of deaths of civilians queuing for food at Gaza Humanitarian Fund distribution centres.
Reports of mass casualty incidents at and near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites are horrifying. Over 600 people have been killed since the GHF began operations.We regularly engage with Israeli counterparts to urge them to improve the situation on the ground. On 22 June the Foreign Secretary spoke to Minister of Foreign Affairs Sa'ar to express his horror at the mass casualty incidents at GHF sites. He stressed the need to deliver aid at pace and scale.Humanitarian aid should never be used as a political tool. The UN and trusted partners must be able to operate in line with humanitarian principles and deliver lifesaving aid.Working closely with the US and our allies, we will continue to support calls for a lasting ceasefire that can end the war, ensure the release of all hostages and a surge of aid into Gaza.