Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rachael Maskell this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 321–340 of 466 · this parliament
What assessment he has made of the value for money of the Defence Fire and Risk Project.
A comprehensive review of the contract was undertaken in autumn 2023 in accordance with Cabinet Office requirements, which found that as a whole, the Defence Fire and Risk Project contract represented satisfactory Value for Money. No further assessment has yet been made by this government.
How many and what proportion of people in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment enhanced daily living component were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities in (a) York Central constituency, (b) City of York Local Authority area and (c) York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority area in the most recent period for which data is available.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab), including an Evidence Pack which contains the maximum points scored on any Daily Living activity by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, broken down by Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority. For York Central constituency, 42% of people scored fewer than 4 points at last assessment. As the information is not published in the way you have requested, information on the volume and proportion of PIP claimants who received a standard Daily Living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities, by different geographical breakdowns can be found in Table 1 below. This should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. No one will lose access to PIP immediately. The changes, subject to parliamentary approval, would be brought in from November 2026. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time. After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change. If the OBR’s behavioural assumptions for England and Wales were applicable to York and North Yorkshire, around one-fifth of current claimants shown in table 1 would no longer receive their daily living component following review. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result. We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress. Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30. Table 1: volume and percentage of PIP claimants who are in receipt of the daily living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities by different geographical breakdownsGeographical breakdownsStandard Daily LivingEnhanced Daily LivingVolume of claimants who scored <4 pointsPercentage of claimants who scored <4 pointsVolume of claimants who scored <4 pointsPercentage of claimants who scored <4 pointsYork Central Parliamentary Constituency1,40083%30012%City of York Local Authority2,20083%40011%York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority10,70085%1,80011%England and Wales1,121,10087%203,00013% Notes:Data is for January 2025 caseload.Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage.Data includes working aged claimants only.Data includes normal rules claimants only, and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.Claimants with missing point scores have been excluded from the data.
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43941 on Taxis: Licensing, when she plans to complete her consideration of options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
The Department for Transport will consult shortly on whether to make all Local Transport Authorities responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. We believe administering the regime at this higher level would increase the consistency of standards and enable more effective use of enforcement powers. Greater economies of scale could also enable authorities to improve the efficiency of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. Addressing these issues should reduce the factors that induce people to license out of their usual working area.
How many (a) firearm and (a) shotgun certificates have been issued to people who had previously faced allegations of domestic abuse.
The Firearms Act 1968 gives responsibility for the issuing of firearms certificates to Chief Officers of Police.The Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing, issued by the Secretary of State, makes it clear that any allegations of domestic abuse concerning a firearms certificate applicant must be taken extremely seriously. Any evidence of domestic abuse will mean that the application is usually refused, or the existing certificate revoked.
How much her Department has spent on its contract with Mott Macdonald to administer the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each year since 2018.
The table below shows the requested information on spending each year on Mott MacDonald for their administration of the adoption and special guardianship support fund.Financial YearContract Spend (ex. VAT)2018/19£2,066,435.402019/20£1,816,902.002020/21£1,876,102.002021/22£2,090,952.002022/23£2,382,116.252023/24£2,540,745.29
How many applications were made under match funding arrangements to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for (a) specialist assessments and (b) therapeutic support in each financial year since 2015; and what the (i) total and (ii) average value was of those applications.
The attached table provides the information requested.Please note that the fair access limit (FAL) and match funding arrangements were introduced in October 2016. The separate FAL for specialist assessments was introduced in April 2017. However, match funding records were not captured by the department’s systems until July 2018. Because of this, prior data on match funding has been excluded.Applications may cover funding for more than one child. Hence, average values may not align with the FAL for individual children. In addition, some applications which include match funding also fund continuation of therapy where a previous application has been submitted at below the FAL level, but then a small amount is required to top-up the therapy provided. These small top-up applications are match funded, but small in value, and therefore fall below the £5,000 average. This will also affect the average costs.
What steps she is taking help reduce waiting times for support services for survivors of sexual abuse.
This Government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.We recognise the invaluable role support services play in the delivery of this mission. This is why the Ministry of Justice provides funding that ensures victims of sexual abuse can access the support they need.This includes funding for the Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including sexual abuse, based on their assessment of local need, as well as grants for specialist support organisations through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund. Furthermore, the MOJ-commissioned 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales, provides victims and survivors 24/7 access to vital help and information, including whilst waiting for longer term support.
Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with directly elected Mayors on the devolution of powers for tourist levies.
DCMS recognises the interest from local areas in exploring ways to support and sustain their visitor economies, including through the use of voluntary tourist levies.Tourist levies organised by Accommodation Business Improvement Districts, such as those piloted in Manchester and being explored in other parts of the country, are locally driven initiatives that enable participating businesses to pool resources to fund tourism-related services and improvements. While these schemes are still relatively new, DCMS is monitoring their development and engaging with stakeholders to understand their impact.DCMS has had a range of discussions with local leaders, including directly elected Mayors, about the tools available to support tourism. While the introduction of statutory tourist levies would be a matter for wider cross-government consideration, DCMS is continuing to engage with local authorities and Combined Authorities to understand their ambitions and ensure the sector remains sustainable and competitive.
Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of voluntary tourist levies organised by Accommodation Business Improvement Districts.
DCMS recognises the interest from local areas in exploring ways to support and sustain their visitor economies, including through the use of voluntary tourist levies.Tourist levies organised by Accommodation Business Improvement Districts, such as those piloted in Manchester and being explored in other parts of the country, are locally driven initiatives that enable participating businesses to pool resources to fund tourism-related services and improvements. While these schemes are still relatively new, DCMS is monitoring their development and engaging with stakeholders to understand their impact.DCMS has had a range of discussions with local leaders, including directly elected Mayors, about the tools available to support tourism. While the introduction of statutory tourist levies would be a matter for wider cross-government consideration, DCMS is continuing to engage with local authorities and Combined Authorities to understand their ambitions and ensure the sector remains sustainable and competitive.
How many (a) firearms and (b) shotgun certificate certificates were revoked in (i) York and (ii) North Yorkshire in the latest 12 month period for which data is available.
The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on the number of firearms and shotgun certificates that have been granted, refused or revoked by police forces in the Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates publication. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2024 and can be accessed at the following link:Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates: April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV. UK (www.gov.uk).The number of firearms and shotgun certificate applications and renewal applications that were completed (either granted or refused), and the number of firearm and shotgun certificates that were revoked in the Yorkshire and the Humber region in the 12 months to March 2024 can be found in data tables 2 and 4.Within the Yorkshire and Humber region, data are available for Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.Data for the year ending 31 March 2025 will be released between June and July 2025: Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates, England and Wales: April 2024 to March 2025 - Accredited official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.
How many people (a) made an application for Pension Credit and (b) were new claimants of Pension Credit in each of the last 24 months.
On 27 February 2025 we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 23 February 2025 Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK The next update of the Pension Credit applications and awards data is due to be published on 29 May 2025.All applications received are treated as new claims. Therefore, we do not hold information on details of previous claims applicants may have submitted.Please note, the figures presented are from DWP’s Pension Credit system which has previously been collected for internal departmental operations use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.
How many and what proportion of people in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment standard daily living component were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities in the most recent period for which data is available.
The proportion of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment with the Standard Daily Living component who were awarded fewer than four points in all daily living activities is readily available as part of the Pathways to Work Evidence Pack in Chapter 2, table 2.20.(https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper).Table 2.20 shows that, in January 2025, 87% of working aged claimants in England and Wales who were in receipt of the standard daily living component scored less than four points in all daily living activities and 13% of those claiming the enhanced rate.After taking account of behavioural changes, OBR predicts that 370,000 people who will be receiving PIP at the point of implementation of the four point requirement in November 2026, will have lost their PIP Daily Living entitlement by 2029/30. Of all PIP recipients at the point of implementation, 9 in 10 will not lose PIP during the subsequent 3 years from this change. Notes:There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.We also intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.
How many (a) firearms and (b) shotgun certificate (i) applications and (ii) renewals were completed in (A) York and (B) North Yorkshire in the latest 12 month period for which data is available.
The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on the number of firearms and shotgun certificates that have been granted, refused or revoked by police forces in the Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates publication. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2024 and can be accessed at the following link:Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates: April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV. UK (www.gov.uk).The number of firearms and shotgun certificate applications and renewal applications that were completed (either granted or refused), and the number of firearm and shotgun certificates that were revoked in the Yorkshire and the Humber region in the 12 months to March 2024 can be found in data tables 2 and 4.Within the Yorkshire and Humber region, data are available for Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.Data for the year ending 31 March 2025 will be released between June and July 2025: Statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates, England and Wales: April 2024 to March 2025 - Accredited official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.
How many applications were made under the fair access limit to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each financial year since 2015; and what the (a) total and (b) average value was of those applications.
The attached table provides the information requested.Please note that the fair access limit (FAL) and match funding arrangements were introduced in October 2016. The separate FAL for specialist assessments was introduced in April 2017. However, match funding records were not captured by the department’s systems until July 2018. Because of this, prior data on match funding has been excluded.Applications may cover funding for more than one child. Hence, average values may not align with the FAL for individual children. In addition, some applications which include match funding also fund continuation of therapy where a previous application has been submitted at below the FAL level, but then a small amount is required to top-up the therapy provided. These small top-up applications are match funded, but small in value, and therefore fall below the £5,000 average. This will also affect the average costs.
Media and Sport, if she will consider setting up a national community-led tourism network to work with local visitor economy partnerships.
DCMS recognises the importance of local communities and their representatives in shaping a thriving, sustainable visitor economy and the need for their voices to be reflected in local and national decision-making.The government expects local authorities and tourist boards to engage a broad range of stakeholders (including residents, businesses, and cultural institutions) when developing tourism strategies. This principle of broad representation is embedded in the accreditation criteria for Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs), which are designed to support more coordinated, inclusive and resilient tourism leadership across England.DCMS recently established the Visitor Economy Advisory Council to bring together industry leaders, regional voices and expert advisers to inform policy and ensure that the sector's growth is inclusive and sustainable. DCMS’ upcoming Growth Strategy for the visitor economy will consider how best to support the sector’s development, including the role of LVEPs - ensuring a coordinated approach to driving growth across destinations and sectors.
Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of local community representation on tourist economy advisory boards.
DCMS recognises the importance of local communities and their representatives in shaping a thriving, sustainable visitor economy and the need for their voices to be reflected in local and national decision-making.The government expects local authorities and tourist boards to engage a broad range of stakeholders (including residents, businesses, and cultural institutions) when developing tourism strategies. This principle of broad representation is embedded in the accreditation criteria for Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs), which are designed to support more coordinated, inclusive and resilient tourism leadership across England.DCMS recently established the Visitor Economy Advisory Council to bring together industry leaders, regional voices and expert advisers to inform policy and ensure that the sector's growth is inclusive and sustainable. DCMS’ upcoming Growth Strategy for the visitor economy will consider how best to support the sector’s development, including the role of LVEPs - ensuring a coordinated approach to driving growth across destinations and sectors.
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 42565 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the time taken to confirm funding for the 2025-26 financial year on the number of applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund that were not carried forward by adoption agencies.
The number of applications returned for re-work after the announcement was 727. This allowed changes to be made to align with the grant criteria where necessary and also allowed confirmation that the local authority or regional adoption agency still wished to submit the application.Applications are now being assessed and approved within the usual timeframes.
How many (a) applications and (b) approvals there were under the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each financial year since 2015; and what the realised spend was in each financial year.
The data requested can be found in the attached spreadsheet.The similarity in the figures between applications and approvals is down to the work Mott MacDonald, the department’s delivery partner, does with the applicants. If an application is questionable, rather than being rejected, it is returned for amendments and dialogue with the relevant local authority or regional adoption agency (RAA) takes place to bring the application into criteria. On some occasions, applications are withdrawn by the local authority or RAA.
How many and what proportion of people in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment standard daily living component were awarded less than four points in all daily living activities in (a) York Central constituency, (b) City of York Local Authority area and (c) York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority area, in the most recent period for which data is available.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab), including an Evidence Pack which contains the maximum points scored on any Daily Living activity by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, broken down by Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority. For York Central constituency, 42% of people scored fewer than 4 points at last assessment. As the information is not published in the way you have requested, information on the volume and proportion of PIP claimants who received a standard Daily Living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities, by different geographical breakdowns can be found in Table 1 below. This should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. We are clear that we will always protect the most vulnerable. No one will lose access to PIP immediately. The changes, subject to parliamentary approval, would be brought in from November 2026. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time. After taking account of behavioural changes, the OBR predicts 9 in 10 people who claim PIP in November 2026 will still receive it by the end of Parliament. If the OBR’s behavioural assumptions for England and Wales were applicable to York and North Yorkshire, around one-fifth of current claimants shown in table 1 would no longer receive their daily living component following review. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment, to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I will lead. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to to this. We will provide further details as plans progess. Even with these reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this parliament and spending will rise from £23bn in 24/25 to £31bn in 29/30. Table 1: volume and percentage of PIP claimants who are in receipt of the standard daily living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities by different geographical breakdownsGeographical breakdownsStandard Daily LivingEnhanced Daily LivingVolume of claimants who scored <4 pointsPercentage of claimants who scored <4 pointsVolume of claimants who scored <4 pointsPercentage of claimants who scored <4 pointsYork Central Parliamentary Constituency1,40083%30012%City of York Local Authority2,20083%40011%York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority10,70085%1,80011%England and Wales1,121,10087%203,00013% Notes:Data is for January 2025 caseload.Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage.Data includes working aged claimants only.Data includes normal rules claimants only, and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.Claimants with missing point scores have been excluded from the data.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department’s negotiating priorities are for the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Our priorities for the 2025 Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) include to promote and strengthen the NPT for the future, demonstrate the UK's enduring commitment to taking its responsibilities as a nuclear weapons state seriously and to engage productively and work collaboratively to forge the broadest possible consensus.