Every parliamentary written question tabled by Lee Dillon this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 221–240 of 610 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to address humanitarian crises caused or exacerbated by climate change.
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions asked by his colleague, the Member for South Cambridgeshire, on 12 January (UINs 105089, 105090, 105095 and 105097)
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK Official Development Assistance reaches the people most in need.
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions asked by his colleague, the Member for South Cambridgeshire, on 12 January (UINs 105089, 105090, 105095 and 105097)
With reference to the Elective Recovery Plan, what progress his Department has made on the 18-week referral-to-treatment targets.
As set out in the Plan for Change and the Elective Reform Plan, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.We have already made significant progress on this. As of November 2025, the waiting list has reduced by over 312,000 since the Government came into office, and performance against the referral to treatment standard has improved by 2.9%, reaching 61.8%.We’ve made this progress through setting ambitious targets, investing in modernisation, reforming and simplifying pathways, increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity, and empowering patients with faster and more convenient access to care.This has been supported by the delivery of 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025 compared to the previous year, more than double the Government’s pledge of two million. This marked a vital First Step towards delivering the constitutional standard.
Whether he is taking steps to improve workplace (a) catering and (b) rest facilities for healthcare workers.
Good physical working environments are important for staff wellbeing and retention. Staff need to be given the time and space to rest and recover from their work, particularly when working on-call or overnight. This is recognised as a priority in the NHS People Promise which sets out the importance of employers prioritising spaces for staff to rest and recuperate, and ensuring access to hot food and drinks.In May 2024, NHS England and NHS Charities Together launched a £10 million Workforce Wellbeing Programme to support National Health Service staff in England. It will provide tailored health and wellbeing support to NHS staff, including grants to improve facilities. A three-year programme of work named Great Food, Good Health, led by NHS England, aims to improve the experience and quality of nutritious food that patients, staff, and visitors receive in hospital. As part of this, the NHS made clear that NHS organisations must be able to demonstrate they have suitable 24/7 food service provision.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the continued delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank.
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions asked by his colleague, the Member for South Cambridgeshire, on 12 January (UINs 105089, 105090, 105095 and 105097)
Whether he plans to assess the impact of changes to the State Pension age on women born in the 1950s living in Newbury constituency.
All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age. Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.
What steps he is taking to reduce elective care waiting times for (a) joint replacement surgery and (b) other surgeries.
Reducing elective waiting times across all specialties is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and this includes waiting times for trauma and orthopaedics. We exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, tests, and operations in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025. This marked a vital First Step to delivering on our commitment to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.As of the end of November 2025, the number of trauma and orthopaedic pathways within 18 weeks stood at 59.2%, an improvement of 3.1% since the start of July 2024.However, we know there is more to do, and have confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment to expand capacity across diagnostics, electives, and urgent care. This includes increasing the number of surgical hubs, which provide protected surgical capacity across elective specialities, including trauma and orthopaedics.By separating elective services from urgent and emergency care, hubs improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital pressures. Almost three quarters of the 124 operational elective surgical hubs in England currently provide trauma and orthopaedics services.
What steps her Department is taking to address levels of school exclusion in West Berkshire.
The department publishes detailed exclusion data at a regional and local authority level and regularly monitors trends in school exclusion rates for pupil groups.The department is delivering a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools, including Attendance and Behaviour Hubs which are targeting schools with the highest need and providing wider national support The Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance states that schools, local authorities, and partners should work together to understand local trends. Local leaders should also use this to plan and implement targeted action suitable to local context. The guidance can be read in full here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion.Furthermore, the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance includes curriculum content on drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping to ensure that pupils can understand the risks and implications of misuse. This guidance can be read in full here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government has taken to reach a decision on the 10% commission charge payable to site owners on the sale of park homes.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.
What steps she is taking to address regional disparities in school exclusion rates.
The department publishes detailed exclusion data at a regional and local authority level and regularly monitors trends in school exclusion rates for pupil groups.The department is delivering a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools, including Attendance and Behaviour Hubs which are targeting schools with the highest need and providing wider national support The Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance states that schools, local authorities, and partners should work together to understand local trends. Local leaders should also use this to plan and implement targeted action suitable to local context. The guidance can be read in full here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion.Furthermore, the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance includes curriculum content on drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping to ensure that pupils can understand the risks and implications of misuse. This guidance can be read in full here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
What plans her Department has to help reduce levels of school exclusion related to (a) drugs and (b) alcohol in West Berkshire.
The department publishes detailed exclusion data at a regional and local authority level and regularly monitors trends in school exclusion rates for pupil groups.The department is delivering a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools, including Attendance and Behaviour Hubs which are targeting schools with the highest need and providing wider national support The Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance states that schools, local authorities, and partners should work together to understand local trends. Local leaders should also use this to plan and implement targeted action suitable to local context. The guidance can be read in full here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion.Furthermore, the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance includes curriculum content on drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping to ensure that pupils can understand the risks and implications of misuse. This guidance can be read in full here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote the rights and wellbeing of children in conflict zones.
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions asked by his colleague, the Member for South Cambridgeshire, on 12 January (UINs 105089, 105090, 105095 and 105097)
What correspondence his Department has received from the WASPI campaign since 1 September 2025.
The Department for Work and Pensions receives a large volume of correspondence on a range of issues and we attach great importance to providing prompt and accurate replies.
Whether his Department has plans to extend business rates reimbursement to community pharmacies on the same basis as GP practices and NHS dental surgeries.
In the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and to continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.
What steps have been taken to help ensure that employers are aware of National Insurance relief available when hiring apprentices under the age of 25.
HMRC maintains comprehensive GOV.UK guidance to help employers understand the Class 1 NICs relief for apprentices under the age of 25, which has been in place since 2016. It can be found here: Paying employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25 - GOV.UK. Beyond the NICs relief, the government is committed to supporting the employers of young Apprentices and at Budget 2025 announced a change to fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible people under 25.
Whether she has plans to amend the temporary repatriation facility to encourage greater take-up by non-domiciled individuals.
On 6 April 2025 the outdated concept of domicile was removed from the tax system and replaced with a new residence-based regime, including a four-year foreign income and gains regime. The new regime includes the temporary repatriation facility (TRF) for individuals who have previously used the remittance basis to designate and pay tax at a reduced rate on foreign income and gains that arose prior April 2025. The reforms to the tax treatment of non-domiciled individuals have been specifically designed to make the UK competitive, with a modern, simple tax regime that is also fair. At Budget 2025, the government announced that it is introducing a cap on Inheritance Tax charges on trusts settled by former non-doms prior to Autumn Budget 2024. This reflects the significant amount of tax impacted individuals are expected to pay by remaining in the UK, as well as their wider economic contribution. This cap will apply to trust charges arising from April 2025. At Budget 2025, the government also published the Finance Bill, which includes technical amendments to the legislation for the TRF. These include amendments to remove specific barriers to using the facility.
What steps she is taking to provide increased incentives for non-domiciled individuals to remain in the UK.
On 6 April 2025 the outdated concept of domicile was removed from the tax system and replaced with a new residence-based regime, including a four-year foreign income and gains regime. The new regime includes the temporary repatriation facility (TRF) for individuals who have previously used the remittance basis to designate and pay tax at a reduced rate on foreign income and gains that arose prior April 2025. The reforms to the tax treatment of non-domiciled individuals have been specifically designed to make the UK competitive, with a modern, simple tax regime that is also fair. At Budget 2025, the government announced that it is introducing a cap on Inheritance Tax charges on trusts settled by former non-doms prior to Autumn Budget 2024. This reflects the significant amount of tax impacted individuals are expected to pay by remaining in the UK, as well as their wider economic contribution. This cap will apply to trust charges arising from April 2025. At Budget 2025, the government also published the Finance Bill, which includes technical amendments to the legislation for the TRF. These include amendments to remove specific barriers to using the facility.
When he plans to publish further details of apprenticeship units funded under the Growth and Skills Levy.
The department will publish this information shortly.
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of employer investment in skills training since 2017.
According to the Employer Skills Survey, a biennial site level survey of tens of thousands of employers across the UK, total employer expenditure on training fell by 17% in the UK between 2017 and 2024. The apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017 to support employers to invest in high-quality apprenticeships training and to ensure sustainable funding for all employers of all sizes. We continue to engage with industry to support the upskilling and training of employees. The reforms set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper support adult skills training for industries across our economy through the Growth and Skills Levy (which received an additional £725m of investment at Budget 2025), the Adult Skills Fund, and the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), which will be available from academic year 2026/27. We will work with business and employers over the coming months to ensure that the Growth and Skills Levy offer is developed to help meet their needs and incentivise employer investment in training.
What evaluation has been carried out of the potential impact of fully funding apprenticeship training for under-22s in small and medium-sized enterprises on apprenticeship starts, prior to the announcement of an expansion to under-25s.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 101450.