Written questions by Bedford.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made on reforming the ECHR.

Last month, the Steering Committee for Human Rights of the Council of Europe adopted elements for a Council of Europe Political Declaration on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and irregular migration. Negotiations on the Political Declaration continue based on these elements. We are active in negotiations and will continue to work with international partners to ensure that the ECHR remains effective whilst addressing challenges like illegal migration and cross-border crime.

Whether she plans to levy VAT on cosmetic surgical procedures.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is charged at the standard rate on all cosmetic procedures unless they are carried out by a health professional to protect, maintain or restore an individual’s health. Cosmetic procedures to enhance a person’s appearance are subject to the standard rate of VAT. The VAT charged by the supplier can be reclaimed by the individual concerned if the services are for a business need, subject to the normal rules. Therefore, most cosmetic procedures already attract standard rate VAT and no additional levy is needed.

If she will consider the potential merits of collating and publishing the 2025 asylum claim acceptance rate for cases decided by immigration caseworkers that are foreign nationals.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Whether her Department holds an internal estimate of the number of illegal migrant absconders in the UK.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.Whilst local management information is held on absconder numbers and updated in line with operational need, this is used only for local management purposes. This data has not been verified or checked for accuracy to a standard that would make it suitable for publication, or to be provided to Members of Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.Allegations of misconduct can be multi-faceted and have complex circumstances. Whistleblowing procedures include allegations of public interest and record whether an issue is deemed to be a Civil Service Code breach. To protect the personal data of employees, we do not report on small numbers of cases. The Department does not record the number of cases specifically relating to the Civil Service Code breaches outside of Whistleblowing procedures, but any allegations of such breaches are dealt with seriously as part of internal procedures.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many civils servants were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold Civil Service‑wide data on findings of breaches of the Civil Service Code. Oversight of the Civil Service Code, including centrally held information on its application across government departments, sits with the Cabinet Office.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. As breaches of the Civil Service Code are not recorded separately these may be considered disciplinary matters. Therefore, please see table below for the number of formal cases taken against Home Office staff in 2024 and 2025. Staff with Formal Discipline CasesHC20242552025341

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

No civil servant in the AGO was found to have broken the Civil Service Code in 2024 or 2025.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.The department does not hold centrally collated data on the number of breaches of the Civil Service Code.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. No civil servants in my Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in 2024 or 2025.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

No civil servants in the Scotland Office were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 or (b) 2025. Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

The Cabinet Office is committed to the highest standards of integrity. Allegations of breaches of the Civil Service Code are investigated thoroughly in line with our departmental disciplinary procedures. The Department’s systems are not configured to aggregate this data in the specific format requested. Extracting this information would require an extensive manual auditing exercise of personnel records, which cannot be completed within the required timeframe.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

The Ministry of Defence does not centrally record the number of civil servants who have been found to have broken the Civil Service Code and this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. To determine the number who had, this would require a manual check of every misconduct case with the outcome of a sanction and every case that was upheld or partially upheld to check if the Civil Service Code had been broken.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. In 2024 and 2025, a total of nine civil servants were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

The department’s disciplinary report only shows current live, on-going disciplinary cases and those closed within the past 12 months. There is also no detail on the disciplinary report that specifically states breaches of Civil Service Code as the reason for disciplinary. This information would only be available at disproportionate cost. Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effectiveness of the welfare system in Scotland.

I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss matters of government policy. This Government is committed to fixing our broken welfare system, ensuring that it is pro-work and provides strong support for disabled claimants to start or stay in work. We are working in partnership with the Scottish Government, through forums such as the Joint Ministerial Working Group for Welfare, to help more people into work, to grow our economy, and raise living standards for all.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. HM Treasury holds a central record of disciplinary sanctions issued including dismissals, but this record is not broken down by whether there was a breach of the Civil Service code. It is therefore not possible to provide this data.

Innovation and Technology, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Five or fewer* civil servants were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in 2024Six civil servants were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in 2025.*Volumes which are five or fewer have been redacted to avoid potential identification of individuals.The figures above represent concluded conduct and discipline cases in which DSIT line managers formally engaged HR Casework Services (provided by MoJ). The figures do not include any cases that were concluded informally by DSIT line managers, without engaging the HR Casework Service.Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

How many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

There were no civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office who were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in 2024 or 2025. Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.