Every parliamentary written question tabled by Peter Bedford this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 421–440 of 549 · this parliament
What progress his Department has made on distributing compensation for people impacted by failures in the Horizon system.
Government has made significant progress in delivering redress to postmasters affected by the Post Office Horizon Scandal. As of 31 January 2025, approximately £663 million has been paid to over 4,300 claimants across 4 schemes, an increase of £427 million since the end of June 2024. There is however more to do.
If he will take steps to improve the education of (a) frontline healthcare staff and (b) the public on the (i) symptoms and (ii) signs of sepsis.
Sepsis has no specific diagnostic test, and the signs and symptoms can vary, making it challenging to identify and diagnose.The Government and its Arm’s Length Bodies are focused on improving the clinical awareness and recognition of sepsis by healthcare professionals, so that unwell and deteriorating patients are identified promptly and started on life-saving treatment. NHS England has launched several training programmes aimed at improving the diagnosis and early management of sepsis. These programmes are regularly reviewed and revised with support from subject matter experts as updated national sepsis guidance is implemented. Individual National Health Service trusts may also choose to implement additional initiatives on sepsis locally.The UK Health Security Agency provides public facing campaigns and resources for professionals’ focus on various aspects of infection. These include resources on infection prevention and control, antibiotic stewardship, managing common infections, diagnostic decision making, and patient information leaflets, including safety advice on sepsis.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to reduce fly-tipping in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Local authorities are often best placed to respond to fly-tipping. They have a range of enforcement powers which we encourage them to make good use of. In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course. In the meantime, Defra will continue to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities, to promote good practice on tackling fly-tipping. Various practical tools, including ‘how to’ guides covering key issues, are also available from their webpage at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.
What steps her Department has taken to reduce the number of pot-holes in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Leicestershire County Council is the local highway authority for the Mid-Leicestershire constituency. The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to helping local highway authorities such as Leicestershire maintain and renew their local highway networks. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, with funding allocations to individual English local highway authorities announced on 20 December 2024. Leicestershire County Council will receive up to £28.7 million for local highway maintenance in 2025/26, an increase of around 36% compared to the current financial year. In addition, the Government publishes data annually on the condition of the local road network in England, including Leicestershire, with the data available on gov.uk. The Department has worked with the British Standards Institute and the wider sector to produce PAS 2161, a new standard for road condition monitoring to help local authorities such as Leicestershire utilise new technologies when monitoring the condition of their road networks.
What information her Department holds on the level of expenditure on young people who were not in education, employment or training in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Mid Leicestershire constituency in the latest period for which data is available.
The information is not collated centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. As part of the Great Britain Working plan, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Youth Guarantee will build upon and enhance existing entitlements and provisions with the aim of tackling the rising number of young people who are not participating in education, employment or training. The East Midlands Combined Authority, which Leicestershire is a part of, is one of the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England set to receive grant funding to deliver the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper from Spring 2025.We will use the learning from the Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England.
What information her Department holds on the number of mobile phones confiscated from people crossing the English Channel illegally since 5 July 2024.
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.From 5 July 2024 to 11 February 2025 Home Office Immigration Enforcement have arrested 58 individuals identified as small boat pilots using offences set out in the Immigration Act 1971, as amended by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. The numbers arrested are set out in the table below:DateNumber of individuals arrested having been identified as small boat pilots1 January 2020 to 31 December 20201061 January 2021 to 31 December 2021541 January 2022 to 31 December 20221171 January 2023 to 31 December 2023941 January 2024 to 31 December 2024101
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a vaccination programme for primary school children against Group A Streptococcal infection.
The Department works closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England, with expert advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, to design, implement, and deliver vaccination programmes offering high levels of long-term protection.There is currently no licensed vaccine for the Group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacterium in the world. In the absence of a vaccine, UKHSA has been actively involved in several projects to increase our understanding of the transmission of GAS infections and identification of key risk factors. These have formed the basis of national public health guidelines to control the spread of infection and protect those most at risk.NHS England also provides public guidance on how parents can protect themselves and their children against GAS, including recognising the symptoms and getting treatment. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/strep-a/
How much funding her Department has allocated to delivering Active Travel Schemes in (a) the UK, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Mid Leicestershire constituency in the last five years.
Through the Active Travel Fund in the last five years, £646,775,713 has been awarded to local authorities across England, outside of London. Of this funding, £2,209,470 has been awarded to Leicestershire County Council. None of this funding was awarded to schemes in the Mid Leicestershire Constituency. The Department also provides funding to Sustrans to upgrade and maintain the National Cycle Network (NCN) and has awarded £67,685,062 of NCN funding to Sustrans in the last five years. £1,902,970 of NCN funding has been awarded to routes in Leicestershire. Funding for active travel in London, Scotland, Wales and North Ireland is devolved, as such the figures provided above are not inclusive of funding for active travel across the United Kingdom.
If he will review subsidies given to Biomass production by Drax.
In August, Ofgem concluded its investigation into Drax’s annual profiling reporting requirements relating to the Renewables Obligation. The investigation identified shortcomings in Drax’s governance and controls related to annual profiling data but found no evidence to suggest that Drax had been issued with subsidies incorrectly.Following a detailed consultation Government recently announced a Heads of Terms agreement with Drax for support during the period 2027 to 2031 after their existing support ends. This provides best value for consumers compared to alternatives, halves the cost of subsidy and strengthens sustainability requirements.Full details of the new deal are available here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-02-10/hcws424
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will review the Government's funding to UNRWA.
The UK has committed £41 million for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) this financial year to support the humanitarian response in Gaza and deliver essential services to Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the region. The E3 statement of 31 January sets out the UK's position, alongside France and Germany. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to work with international partners, including the UN, to ensure continuity of operations in the OPTs. No other entity currently has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA's mandate and experience. £1 million of our funding to UNRWA this year is supporting the implementation of the Colonna Report's recommendations to ensure UNRWA commits to its neutrality obligations.
Media and Sport, if she will review the inclusion of trans athletes in women's sports.
Sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our UK sports councils have produced guidance to help domestic sports bodies determine the right position for their sport. The guidance covers transgender participation in sport, and makes clear that fairness and safety cannot be balanced with inclusion in gender-affected sport.
Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Leicestershire County Council on (a) local government reorganisation and (b) devolution.
Following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper on 16 December, Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with Local Authorities across England, including Leicestershire County Council, on what these ambitious agendas means for local areas. I met with the Leaders of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland on 9 January to further understand local positions on devolution and local government reorganisation.
How many pensioners were in poverty in Mid Leicestershire in each of the last five years.
Statistics on the number of pensioners living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level. Statistics on the number of pensioners living in relative and absolute poverty are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK. These statistics include regional breakdowns.
How many small boat pilots have been arrested in each of the last five years.
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.From 5 July 2024 to 11 February 2025 Home Office Immigration Enforcement have arrested 58 individuals identified as small boat pilots using offences set out in the Immigration Act 1971, as amended by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. The numbers arrested are set out in the table below:DateNumber of individuals arrested having been identified as small boat pilots1 January 2020 to 31 December 20201061 January 2021 to 31 December 2021541 January 2022 to 31 December 20221171 January 2023 to 31 December 2023941 January 2024 to 31 December 2024101
What information her Department holds on the number of small boat pilots arrested since 5 July 2024.
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.From 5 July 2024 to 11 February 2025 Home Office Immigration Enforcement have arrested 58 individuals identified as small boat pilots using offences set out in the Immigration Act 1971, as amended by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. The numbers arrested are set out in the table below:DateNumber of individuals arrested having been identified as small boat pilots1 January 2020 to 31 December 20201061 January 2021 to 31 December 2021541 January 2022 to 31 December 20221171 January 2023 to 31 December 2023941 January 2024 to 31 December 2024101
How many pensioners are considered to be in poverty in Mid Leicestershire constituency.
Statistics on the number of pensioners living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level. Statistics on the number of pensioners living in relative and absolute poverty are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK. These statistics include regional breakdowns.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of blocked drains on flooding.
The role of any Government is to protect its citizens which is why, under our Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26. Blocked and damaged drainage infrastructure can exacerbate flooding risks. Drain and sewer blockages occur for a number of reasons, including by misuse of the sewer system. Small but significant steps in households, such as not pouring fats and oils down the plughole and not flushing wet wipes or other plastic products down the toilet can help prevent sewer flooding, and in turn mitigate surface water flooding, as well as protect rivers’ water quality. The Environment Agency has strategic overview for all flood risk in England, however, it is for Lead Local Flood Authorities to develop local interventions to reduce surface water flood risk. Local flood risks should be identified and managed as part of a local flood risk management strategy, in cooperation with local highway authorities, which are responsible for highway and gully maintenance, as well as water and sewerage companies, which have a duty to maintain their sewers, under Section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, to ensure their areas are effectually drained.
What assessment has she made of the adequacy of the level of financial education for students in post-16 educational settings.
Financial education is integrated into the curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 through citizenship education and elements of the mathematics curriculum but is not compulsory at key stage 5. However, post-16 education providers are free to teach it if they wish to do so.There are a range of financial education qualifications available for 16 to 19 year-old students to study. This includes qualifications and courses at levels 1 and 2 for lower attaining GCSE students to support their financial literacy, as well as new qualifications at level 3, such as the T Level in Finance for those wishing to pursue a career in the industry. Level 3 Core Maths qualifications also cover financial literacy.The mathematics and English condition of funding supports students who do not attain level 2 English and mathematics qualifications at 16, by requiring them to continue to study these subjects as part of their 16-19 study programme or T Level. Students with a GCSE grade 2 or below can study towards either level 2 Functional Skills or GCSE grade 9 to 4. This allows institutions and students with prior attainment of GCSE grade 2 and below to choose which level 2 qualification is most appropriate. The Functional Skills qualification mathematics subject content covers elements of personal finance explicitly and delivers the wider mathematics skills needed for personal finance.
How many legal migrants have come to the UK since 5 July 2024; and from which countries.
The Home Office publishes statistics on people coming to the UK on different routes, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The ‘How many people come to the UK each year?’ chapter gives an overview.The Office for National Statistics publish information on International migration, including the number of long-term migrants coming to the UK.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on tackling financial crime in relation to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.
The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill will help government better identify, prevent and deter public sector fraud and error and enable the better recovery of debt owed to the taxpayer. DWP has close links with other government departments and law enforcement agencies, including strong collaborative relationships with HMRC, Home Office and National Crime Agency, and will continue to build upon these to ensure the Bill measures are designed effectively.