Every parliamentary written question tabled by Katie Lam this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 41–60 of 89 · this parliament
When he plans to publish the 10 Year Plan for the NHS.
Our 10 Year Health Plan will make the NHS fit for the future with three key shifts: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention.It will deliver the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change and will be published shortly.
Representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 47116 on Church of England: Slavery, when the Church Commissioners plan to submit an application to authorise an ex-gratia payment for Project Spire under section 106 of the Charities Act 2011.
The timing and discussion of when to apply to the Charity Commission to make an ex gratia payment application, under section 106 of the Charities Act 2011, are matters for the Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners. The Board has not yet decided on the timing of any application to the Charity Commission.
If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on levels of VAT for (a) repairs and (b) maintenance payments for places of worship.
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180.4 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport administers the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship.
What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in (a) employer National Insurance contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on small and medium businesses in (a) Kent and (b) Weald of Kent constituency.
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy, including the impact on businesses and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. The Impact Assessment for the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates was published alongside the minimum wage legislation and can be found here: The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025 - Impact Assessment. DBT estimated that 460,000-500,000 workers would benefit from the 2025 NLW and NMW increases in the hospitality sector. DBT also estimated that the total costs to businesses would be: £397m for micro-businesses, £499m for small businesses, and £354m for medium businesses.
What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in (a) employer National Insurance contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on hospitality businesses in (a) Kent and (b) Weald of Kent constituency.
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy, including the impact on businesses and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. The Impact Assessment for the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates was published alongside the minimum wage legislation and can be found here: The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025 - Impact Assessment. DBT estimated that 460,000-500,000 workers would benefit from the 2025 NLW and NMW increases in the hospitality sector. DBT also estimated that the total costs to businesses would be: £397m for micro-businesses, £499m for small businesses, and £354m for medium businesses.
With which businesses in Kent his Department held discussions on the Employment Rights Bill prior to its introduction.
Since August 2024, the Department for Business and Trade has held discussions on the Employment Rights Bill with over 180 stakeholders from across Great Britain. This covers a range of businesses that have a presence in Kent, including Greene King, McDonalds, John Lewis, British Telecom, Co-op, DHL, MACE Group, Mars, Sainsburys, Whitbread, Burger King, Deliveroo, Fuller’s, Lucky Saint, Turtle Bay, Centrica, and Wilkinson Construction Consultant. The Government remains committed to working in partnership with businesses, trade unions and other stakeholders to deliver the Plan to Make Work Pay.
What estimate his Department has made of what the median increase in gas bills will be in (a) England and (b) Kent between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years.
Ofgem publishes price cap levels on its website. The information is available here:Energy price cap (default tariff) levels | Ofgem.
How many civil servants in the Solar Taskforce will be responsible for ensuring ethical relationships with Chinese companies.
The Solar Taskforce, which has now concluded its work, brought together government and industry stakeholders to identify the actions needed to accelerate the deployment of solar energy by 2030, which will be outlined in the forthcoming Solar Roadmap. Following this, we will establish a new Solar Council to monitor the delivery of the Roadmap’s recommendations, including on the critical issue of ethical supply chains and procurement. DESNZ officials will continue to provide secretariat and advisory support.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the impact of international court rulings on the UK's sovereignty over (a) Gibraltar, (b) the Falkland Islands, (c) RAF Akrotiri and Dhekelia and (d) other overseas territories.
There have not been any rulings from international courts on the UK's sovereignty over Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia or any other Overseas Territories. The circumstances around the Diego Garcia Military Base Agreement are unique with absolutely no bearing on the wider Overseas Territories. It is a very different issue with a very different history. We remain committed to our Overseas Territories family. Sovereignty of other Overseas Territories is not up for negotiation.
Communities and Local Government, what proportion of her Department’s proposed 1.5 million homes will be built in rural areas.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a new Standard Method for assessing housing needs that is aligned to our Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England by the end of this Parliament.The standard method provides a starting point for local councils to inform the preparation of their local plans. The indicative annual housing need figures for all local authorities under the new standard method can be found on gov.uk here.Whilst the standard method is used to identify the total number of homes needed in an area, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that it is for local authorities to identify the size, type and tenure of homes needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in planning policies.The revised NPPF is clear that in rural areas, planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances. This includes ensuring that housing is located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and support local services.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the Official Development Assistance budget has been reallocated to meet asylum-related costs since July 2024.
The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The Government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog and reform the asylum accommodation system to end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review period to ensure more of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget is spent on our development priorities overseas.The aid spent in the UK on refugee and asylum costs fell by a third last year and the Home Office is working to bring it down further. The provisional Statistics on International Development show that in 2024, £2.8 billion was spent on support to refugees or asylum seekers in the UK, a £1.4 billion or one third reduction on the previous year. This reduces the share of ODA spent on asylum costs in the UK to 20 per cent, down from 28 per cent.We report on ODA spend annually as part of the Statistics on International Development publication. Provisional figures for 2025 will be available in spring 2026.
Whether her Department has provided guidance to police forces on tackling antisemitic (a) chants and (b) slogans at universities.
i refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 15 May 2025 to Question UIN 51023.
Communities and Local Government, how much agricultural land has been converted for solar panel use in (a) England, (b) Kent and (c) Weald of Kent constituency in the last 10 years.
The government places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should recognise the benefits of the Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land (land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) system). Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. As of the end of September 2024, ground-mounted solar PV panels covered an estimated 21,200 hectares. This amounts to around 0.1% of the land area of the UK. The government does not hold information on the number of ground-mounted solar projects that have been permitted and built on different agricultural grades, or the number of acres of grade 1 and 2 land which has been built on since 2020.
What proportion of food procured by schools for (a) the free breakfast club trial and (b) free school meals is imported.
The department spends over £1.5 billion supporting schools to deliver healthy and nutritious breakfasts and lunches in schools. Schools are best placed to make decisions about how provision is made. They have the autonomy to source food locally and sustainably, and to cater to religious dietary requirements based on the needs of their local communities. The department does not hold the requested information, owing to the freedoms that schools have. However, details about the UK’s overall sources of food are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024-theme-2-uk-food-supply-sources#overall-sources-of-uk-food.
What proportion of food under the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is procured from British farms.
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme sources the fruit and vegetables used by the scheme from a number of different countries. 18.9% of the produce used by the scheme is sourced from the United Kingdom, and this is the highest proportion of any country supplying produce to the scheme.
What proportion of food procured by schools for (a) the free breakfast club trial and (b) free school meals is from the South East.
The department spends over £1.5 billion supporting schools to deliver healthy and nutritious breakfasts and lunches in schools. Schools are best placed to make decisions about how provision is made. They have the autonomy to source food locally and sustainably, and to cater to religious dietary requirements based on the needs of their local communities. The department does not hold the requested information, owing to the freedoms that schools have. However, details about the UK’s overall sources of food are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024-theme-2-uk-food-supply-sources#overall-sources-of-uk-food.
Whether he has a line in his Departmental budget for costs arising from the planned transfer of sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.
Costs relating to the Chagos agreement will be incurred from financial year 2026-27. These are being considered as part of the wider Government engagement on the second phase of the Spending Review, which concludes on 11 June 2025. The deal secures the unrestricted control of the Diego Garcia military base for the coming century and beyond. The deal is backed by our US, Canadian, Indian, Australian, New Zealand and NATO allies.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has a line in his Departmental budget for costs arising from the planned transfer of sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.
The Agreement will be underpinned by a financial package which will consist of: an annual payment; a Development Framework underpinned by UK grant funding; and a Trust Fund to benefit Chagossians. Costs and other aspects of the Treaty can be found at the following link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukmauritius-agreement-concerning-the-chagos-archipelago-including-diego-garcia-cs-mauritius-no12025
What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing (a) employer National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on tourism businesses in (i) Kent and (ii) the Weald of Kent.
The Government protected small businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, and 865,000 employers will pay no NICs in 2025-26. My Department published an Impact Assessment for the 2025 National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates, which includes a breakdown of the expected impacts by sector and region.We recognise the importance of manufacturing and the tourism sector to local economies such as Kent and the Weald of Kent, where many businesses (particularly SMEs) are sensitive to changes in employment costs. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to work closely with industry stakeholders and across departments to monitor the health of the visitor economy and to ensure that tourism voices are reflected in wider policy discussions.
What proportion of meat procured by schools is (a) Halal and (b) slaughtered at sites which predominantly employ non-stun slaughter.
The department spends over £1.5 billion supporting schools to deliver healthy and nutritious breakfasts and lunches in schools. Schools are best placed to make decisions about how provision is made. They have the autonomy to source food locally and sustainably, and to cater to religious dietary requirements based on the needs of their local communities. The department does not hold the requested information, owing to the freedoms that schools have. However, details about the UK’s overall sources of food are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024-theme-2-uk-food-supply-sources#overall-sources-of-uk-food.