Every parliamentary written question tabled by Euan Stainbank this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 330 · this parliament
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of creating a public registry detailing entities involved in vehicle certification approvals.
I am satisfied that that the current type approval regime ensures that only reputable and trustworthy entities are involved in the certification process.
What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce spending on the Civil Service.
This Government is relentlessly targeting waste and driving efficiencies to deliver a leaner Civil Service. At the Autumn Budget the Government announced that back-office administration costs will be reduced by 16% by 2029-30, to save money and focus resources on frontline services. Examples of these departmental savings include DSIT’s use of AI and automation to free up staff from administrative tasks, which will deliver £7m of efficiencies by 2028-29. Additionally, the MOD will deliver £905m of technical efficiencies by 2028-29 through digitisation and modernisation, acquisition reform, and sustainability initiatives. Additional, cross-government examples include cutting government credit card spending by £25 million in the first four months since new rules were introduced by the Cabinet Office in March. In addition, the Plan for London, part of the Places for Growth programme, was launched in May this year and will involve the closure of no fewer than 11 buildings by 2030, delivering annual savings of £94 million. Most notably, 102 Petty France, Caxton House and 39 Victoria Street will all be closed during the programme, as it consolidates the central London estate.
What steps the Office for the Impact Economy is taking with social investors to increase funding for communities.
Social investors and philanthropists across the country are already working in partnership with local community organisations to improve people’s daily lives. The Office for the Impact Economy will act as the front door to social investors who want to partner with the government to unlock funding for local communities. The Office will create partnerships, including investment opportunities, to scale up the impact of public investment and develop opportunities for communities across the UK. This includes opportunities to make government spending go further on priority programmes such as Pride in Place and Neighbourhood Health Services.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of prioritising cyber security in public procurement contracts for national infrastructure projects.
This Government recognises that cyber crime is a significant threat to our economy, to our businesses, and to the livelihoods of our workers.As set out in the National Procurement Policy Statement, contracting authorities are required to identify the cyber and other security risks associated with their procurements and take appropriate action to mitigate them.
Whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on the rollout of universal thrombectomy services.
Department ministers regularly have discussions with colleagues across Government on issues of cross-border interest. There have been no specific meetings held recently on thrombectomy services.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of criminalising those who impersonate a (a) serving member of the armed forces or (b) veteran.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made no assessment of introducing new offences for impersonating Armed Forces personnel or Veterans and has no current plans to consider criminalising such impersonation, given that existing measures already apply in certain circumstances. Veterans are expected to adhere to the guidance regarding the wearing of medals. However, it is not a criminal offence for Veterans, or the public, to wear medals to which they are not entitled unless, by doing so, an individual is seeking to make personal gain or defraud others. The Fraud Act 2006 (and common law fraud offences in Scotland) make it an offence for anyone to fraudulently wear uniforms or medals, or by pretending to be or have been in the Armed Forces, if for financial gain or to cause disadvantage to others. Further, under the Uniforms Act 1894, it is an offence for anyone to wear an Armed Forces uniform without permission, or to wear any dress having the appearance, or bearing any regimental or distinctive marks, of any such uniform. This does not, however, prevent individuals wearing a uniform for theatrical or similar purposes. Whenever it is suspected that an individual might be committing an offence, as described above, the matter should be reported to the civilian police.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing offences for impersonating serving armed forces personnel or veterans.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made no assessment of introducing new offences for impersonating Armed Forces personnel or Veterans and has no current plans to consider criminalising such impersonation, given that existing measures already apply in certain circumstances. Veterans are expected to adhere to the guidance regarding the wearing of medals. However, it is not a criminal offence for Veterans, or the public, to wear medals to which they are not entitled unless, by doing so, an individual is seeking to make personal gain or defraud others. The Fraud Act 2006 (and common law fraud offences in Scotland) make it an offence for anyone to fraudulently wear uniforms or medals, or by pretending to be or have been in the Armed Forces, if for financial gain or to cause disadvantage to others. Further, under the Uniforms Act 1894, it is an offence for anyone to wear an Armed Forces uniform without permission, or to wear any dress having the appearance, or bearing any regimental or distinctive marks, of any such uniform. This does not, however, prevent individuals wearing a uniform for theatrical or similar purposes. Whenever it is suspected that an individual might be committing an offence, as described above, the matter should be reported to the civilian police.
Media and Sport, how much funding will be allocated to (a) tennis and (b) padel in each year until 2028.
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this. The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.
What steps his Department is taking to protect workers’ terms and conditions including through the implementation of short-time working arrangements in the construction industry.
The Construction Industry Working Rule Agreement, collectively negotiated between employer organisations and trade unions to establish agreed terms and conditions, is a matter for the industry. This agreement provides a consistent framework for fair treatment of workers across the sector, supporting stability and clarity for both employers and employees.Looking ahead, the Employment Rights Bill will modernise our employment rights legislation. It will provide a new baseline of security for workers including through day one protection from unfair dismissal, increasing protection from sexual harassment, strengthening Statutory Sick Pay and ending exploitative zero hours contacts and tackling fire and rehire.
With reference to her Statement on Asylum Policy of 17 of November, Official Report column 509, what the qualifying tests for family reunion for refugees applying through the work and study route will be.
A refugee who is given core protection will have no automatic right to bring family to the UK. Refugees will be able to switch into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route. This will enable them to earn down their length of time before they can settle in the UK from 20 years.The Government will set out the requirements and timelines in due course.
With reference to her Statement on Asylum Policy of 17 of November, Official Report column 509, what the length of time for settlement for refugees who successfully apply through that route will be.
These details are subject to further policy development which will be set out in due course.
With reference to her Statement on Asylum Policy of 17 of November, Official Report column 509, which means other than sponsorship will be opened up to new, capped, safe and legal routes for asylum seekers.
The UK has rightly played its part alongside other countries in response to crises such as Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan.As set out in the policy statement, in addition to the sponsorship pathways, we are developing new capped safe and legal routes at pace for refugees and displaced people to access the UK for work and study purposes.This approach remains flexible to respond to global crises, as demonstrated by recent extensions to the Ukraine scheme and targeted support for individuals affected by conflicts in Gaza.
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of clause 52 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to permit the denial of refugee status to asylum seekers who are serious offenders.
Clause 52 ensures that convictions for Schedule 3 sexual offences will be assumed to be ‘particularly serious’ for the purpose of exclusion from the Refugee Convention. Not only have these individuals failed to respect the laws of the UK by committing heinous acts, but they have also undermined public confidence in the ability of the state to protect the public. All crime causes harm to victims, communities, and society in general. By their very nature, sexual offences (especially those which warrant the imposition of the notification requirement) can have very serious impacts on victims and the overall fabric of society. Parliament has debated these issues and considered these offences to sit in a unique category, not least given the effect they have on victims and communities. These individuals will be liable for removal at the earliest opportunity. Where removal is not possible due to our ECHR obligations, clause 52 will ensure that such individuals are not afforded the generous benefits of protection status in the UK.
Whether the £200m National Wealth Fund allocation to Grangemouth could be used for Ministry of Defence projects.
As set out in the Chancellor’s Statement of Strategic Priorities to the National Wealth Fund, it should consider the role it can play in supporting the delivery of the wider Industrial Strategy, including in defence.
With reference to her Statement on Asylum Policy of 17 of November, Official Report column 509, how many failed asylum seekers are from a home country who is not a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights in each year for which information is available.
The Home Office does not publish data on the number of failed asylum seekers, including those with exhausted appeal rights, from countries that are not signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights.Published asylum data is available in the Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release. The latest outcomes of asylum claims, as at July 2024, are in table Asy_D04 of the asylum detailed datasets. These figures should not be interpreted as the number of failed asylum seekers, as refusal outcomes may still be subject to review or appeal.As appeals information is not included, it is not possible to determine from published data how many individuals have become failed asylum seekers. Data on cases subject to removal is available in table Asy_03 of the transparency data.
With reference to the Statement on Asylum Policy of 17 of November, Official Report column 509, which international partners have raised similar concerns about the inability to apply the public interest to the Article 3 Absolute Right under the European Convention on Human Rights.
A number of Council of Europe members have expressed concern over the interpretation and application of the ECHR in the context of migration. An open letter of nine Council of Europe countries of 22 May 2025 called for "discussion about how international conventions match the challenges of today". We agree on the importance of addressing these challenges together and the Deputy Prime Minister will meet with other Justice Ministers at the Council of Europe on 10 December to set out the UK position and advance work on the ECHR reform agenda.
With reference to her Statement on Asylum Policy of 17 of November, Official Report column 509, what the threshold of (a) income and (b) assets will be before an asylum seeker is required to receive before they are asked to contribute to their support.
These details are subject to further policy development which will be set out in due course.
With reference to his Oral Statement of 11 November 2025 on Pensions, Official Report, col 44, whether the research findings from the 2007 report referred to in that statement have been shared with the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign group.
The report, Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts (research report No 447), is publicly available on the National Archives website, and on 11 November we deposited a copy in the House Libraries.
When he plans to make a final decision decision on the Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions set out in his Oral Statement on 11 November 2025 that he will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.
With reference to his Oral Statement of 11 November 2025 on Pensions, Official Report, col 44, if he will publish the research findings from the 2007 report referred to in that statement.
The report, Evaluation of Automatic State Pension Forecasts (research report No 447), is publicly available on the National Archives website, and on 11 November we deposited a copy in the House Libraries.