Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jas Athwal this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 61–80 of 152 · this parliament
What steps his Department is taking to increase treatment options for people with Friedreich's Ataxia.
Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Friedreich's Ataxia. One of the framework’s priorities is improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the framework, and published the fourth action plan for England on 28 February 2025.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle fly-tipping.
This Government will crack down on fly-tipping by supporting councils to seize and crush more vehicles of fly-tippers, forcing fly-tippers to clean up their mess and bringing in new prison sentences for those transporting waste illegally. We also taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently and effectively exercise their various enforcement powers. In the meantime, Defra will continue to work with stakeholders through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union, local authorities and police, to promote and disseminate good practice on tackling fly-tipping.
How many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
The Department invites employees to self-declare their diversity using pre-defined criteria including ‘prefer not to say’.Of employees who completed their data as of 31 May 2025, there are currently 39 individuals who have recorded their religion as Sikh.
Innovation and Technology, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology records Sikh or Sikhism, as a religion or belief and not as an ethnicity.Please refer to Table A3 of the Civil Service Statistics 2024 where statistics on religion or belief by department as at 31 March 2024 are published: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024. This includes statistics on those recorded as ‘Sikh’.
How many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
DWP staff are not required to disclose details of any religion, however, the information can be voluntarily provided and based on those responses, DWP as of May 2025 has 1207 employees that have declared as being Sikh (paid staff only). This level of data is recorded as ‘Religious Belief Breakdown’.
How many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Departments should be recording Sikh or Sikhism, as a religion or belief and not as an ethnicity.Departments are advised to refer to Civil Service Statistics 2024 Table A3 where statistics on religion or belief by department as at 31 March 2024 are published: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024. This includes statistics on those recorded as ‘Sikh’.
How many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Statistics on religion or belief for the Attorney General’s Office, as at 31 March 2024, are published on the Civil Service Statistics 2024 (Table A3). The Cabinet Office publish the information annually.
How many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
As at 1 June 2025, there were 177 Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants who had reported a religion or belief of Sikh. Data for religion or belief is based on self-declarations by individuals on the MOD HR personnel systems. Figures include civil servants in MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas and the four Executive Agencies (DE&S. SDA, UKHO and Dstl).Sikh category is recorded solely as a religious group, it is not an option for ethnicity.Further published statistics can be found on the following link, tables 6.1 and 6.2 contain the full list of categories for religion and belief: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-diversity-dashboard-index
How many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
In line with Office for National Statistics’ guidelines for collecting data on ethnic group, religion, and nationality, the Department records Sikhs as a religious group.Employees of the Department are asked to self-declare diversity data, including on their religious group. Of these, 40 have declared as Sikh.
How many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
HM Treasury employs 14 Sikh staff (0.7% of the department), and this is recorded under religion in line with the Government Statistical Service (GSS) guidance.
Communities and Local Government, how many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Sikhism is recorded as a religion or belief. Annual statistics by department, as of 31 March, are available in the 2024 Civil Service Statistics (Table A3): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024.
How many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
As of 31st May 2025, Department for Business and Trade (DBT) employs 63 civil servants who have self-declared as Sikhs. In DBT, Sikhs are recorded as a Religious Group, and not an Ethnic Group.
How many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero currently has 34 employees who have declared their religion as Sikh.In the HR system religions such as Sikh, are recorded under ‘religion belief’ and not ethnicity.
How many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Home Office workforce Diversity data is published annually: Home Office workforce diversity statistics - GOV.UK.Home Office reporting captures Sikh as a religion in line with Cabinet Office guidance.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff can share if they are Sikh via the religion category on our people management system. 0.8 per cent of UK Based Staff have shared that they are Sikh.
How many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
The Ministry of Justice records Sikh or Sikhism, as a religion or belief and not as an ethnicity. Please refer to Civil Service Statistics 2024 Table A3 where statistics on religion or belief by department as at 31 March 2024 are published: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024. This includes statistics on those recorded as ‘Sikh’.
How many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
According to the latest published Civil Service Statistics, as at 31 March 2024, 140 staff in the department, including associated executive agencies, recorded their religion as Sikh. These figures are published in Table A3 of the Civil Service Statistics 2024, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024.Updated data as at 31 March 2025 is due to be published by the Cabinet Office in July 2025.Those who are recorded as ‘Sikh’ are captured in the department’s HR system under ‘Religion’, not as an ethnic group.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
In Core Defra, as of 30 April 2025, there were 37 employees recording a religious belief of Sikh. 36 of these employees declare to be of an ethnic minority.
Media and Sport, how many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
The number of DCMS Civil Servants who are recorded as Sikh is below 5.In line with Civil Service Statistics guidance, DCMS records Sikh under the classification of Religion.
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of new research by Trussell which found that the impact of (a) hunger and (b) hardship drives an additional £6.3 billion in public service expenditure on healthcare each year.
The Government welcomes the Trussell report on the cost of hunger and hardship and recognises that poverty is a wider determinant of health. Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to supporting people to stay healthier for longer, reducing health inequalities, easing the strain on the National Health Service and driving economic growth.The Department is also working closely with the Child Poverty Taskforce to develop and deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life. The Government is supporting those in need through the Healthy Start scheme and through the roll out of breakfast clubs. The Government is also expanding Free School Meals which will benefit over half a million more children and lift 100,000 children out of poverty.