Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rupert Lowe this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 2,201–2,220 of 2,388 · this parliament
How many driving licences were issued to people born outside of the UK by nationality in each of the last five years.
The information requested is not available, as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record the nationality of driving licence holders.
How many civil service staff are employed in (a) communications and (b) public relations roles.
Please see the documentation published at the following location which provides details on the number of civil service staff employed in the communication profession: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statisticsFor reference, public relations is classified as a subset of communications.
What proportion of reported retail thefts have resulted in a charge in each of the last five years.
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of shoplifting offences and their investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis.The proportion of shoplifting offences which resulted in a “Charge/Summonsed” outcome can be derived from the Outcomes Open Data tables, which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesRetail theft reached record levels under the previous Government and while the latest figures show a rise in the proportion of retail thefts resulting in a charge or summons there is more to be done.This Government will end the effective imunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods under £200 and will introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect hardworking and dedicated staff who work in stores.
How much was spent on LGBT+ lanyards in each Department in each of the last five years.
The information requested is not centrally held.
Media and Sport, which (a) sporting, (b) cultural and (c) other events were attended by staff in her Department in each of the last five years by financial value.
Gifts and hospitality data for Ministers, Senior Officials and Special Advisors is published quarterly, details of which can be found on the gov.uk website. Here is the most recent publication of Ministers gifts and hospitality, covering the period of Q4 2023/24 (January 2024 - March 2024).Cabinet Office are yet to confirm when the data covering the periods Q1 and Q2 2024/25 will be published. In future, the Cabinet Office intends to publish a monthly Central Register beginning in December 2024. This will cover all ministers’ gifts and hospitality for November 2024 onwards.
How many (a) gender neutral, (b) male and (c) female toilets there were in each Department in each of the last 10 years.
Cost and asset data relating to these questions are not held centrally by the Government Property Agency.
What flags are owned by each Department.
For the properties operated by the Government Property Agency (GPA), where flag flying forms part of its service, all buildings with flagpoles have the union flag. In addition, buildings will have a variety of other flags depending on their function in Government. The GPA also has a procured service whereby non-stocked or ad hoc flags can be provided and hoisted by a specialist company for the required duration.
How many excess deaths there have been in each month of the last ten years.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 8th November is attached.
How many citizenship applications were granted in each of the last 20 years by original nationality.
This data is published online quarterly and for the period in question can be found under the heading ‘Citizenship’ at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#citizenship.The relevant table is called Citizenship detailed data sets, year ending June 2024 and the tab on the spreadsheet is Data-Cit_D02.
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2024 to Question 11711 on Students: Loans, for what reason there was an increase in the amount of debt written off between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The table below shows the amount that has been cancelled or written off in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years, broken down by reason.ReasonAmount cancelled or written off during the financial year (£m) 2022/232023/24Because of death35.573.8Because of age20.124.0Because of disability2.92.8Because of bankruptcy--On completion of Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)--Trivial balances--Losses through fraud (including phishing)0.20.4Other--Total58.6101.1In the 2023/24 financial year, the department approved the Student Loans Company (SLC) to close or write off accounts confirmed as deceased by HMRC. Previously, when notifications were received from HMRC, SLC would be required to obtain the death certificate copy which would result in delays in closing the account formally (the account would sit at 'Deceased Notified'). The SLC are working through a backlog of cases, hence increased numbers of such write-offs in the 2023/24 financial year.Write-offs do not include trivial balance write-offs. Trivial balance write-offs occur if there is a positive or negative balance on an account of £25 or less and no contact can be established with the borrower (customers can request for this to be reversed). In the context of these figures, these borrowers are considered fully repaid and are therefore not included. Cancellations involve the clearance of the remaining debt in line with the terms of the loan, for example, when reaching a specific age or becoming permanently disabled. Write-offs for bankruptcy, Individual Voluntary Arrangement or trust deed are no longer allowed against student loans balances. Any figures arise from retrospective clear up exercises.These figures have been taken from SLC’s student loans in England publication which is updated in June each year. The publication, Student loans in England: 2023 to 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2023-to-2024.The figures were published in ‘Table 1A’ here: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F6672d0e2f92bc4be25da7e13%2Fslcsp012024.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.
Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to integrate AI into civil service functions; and if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of AI on costs to the public purse in the next five financial years.
The Central Digital & Data Office has worked with HM Treasury to develop assessment criteria for the spending review. The criteria focus on generating value for the taxpayer and ensuring investment in AI technology provides a significant return on investment. There is ongoing work to analyse the potential cost and value of AI for civil service functions, the outcomes of which are yet to be determined. Public sector adoption is a key part of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which will detail how we can reimagine our public services by ensuring the public sector takes advantage of the best emerging use-cases and tools.
How much has been spent in total on (a) design, (b) installation and (c) signage of gender neutral toilets by each Department.
Cost and asset data relating to these questions are not held centrally by the Government Property Agency.
How many individuals per (a) nationality and (b) ethnicity were convicted of grooming offences since 2004.
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of offenders convicted, which can be filtered to specific offences and broken down by defendant ethnicity. This can be obtained in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2023.However, data held centrally does not include an offender’s nationality. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.
How many irregular migrants are in hotel accommodation.
Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, by local authority and accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).
What proportion of NHS staff have been non-patient facing in each of the last ten years.
The following table shows the number and percentage of the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) workforce employed by National Health Service trusts and other core NHS organisations in England that are in NHS infrastructure support roles, this being a proxy for non-patient facing roles, as of each August from 2014 to 2024:YearTotal staffNHS infrastructure support staffPercentage of total staff who are infrastructure support2014986,595153,36315.5%20151,006,026156,82415.6%20161,031,091161,35315.6%20171,046,979164,33915.7%20181,067,951170,44316.0%20191,100,273178,37116.2%20201,159,365184,27015.9%20211,198,746194,54616.2%20221,230,089202,98016.5%20231,297,455214,50116.5%20241,348,584218,91416.2%Source: NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics, NHS England, available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsNotes:the NHS infrastructure support staffing group includes staff defined as managers, senior managers, non-patient facing clerical or administrative staff, and maintenance or works staff;FTE refers to the proportion of full-time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work, as one would indicate they work a full set of hours, and 0.5 that they worked half time; andthis data relates to the Hospital and Community Health Service workforce directly employed in NHS trusts and other core organisations, like integrated care boards for the latest data point, who are paid.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of improving access to wifi on trains for (a) the economy and (b) productivity.
I have asked my officials to explore the feasibility of a range of technology options to improve passenger connectivity on the rail network. The Department is also measuring the strength of mobile signals along the rail network to fully understand where interventions are needed, and the potential impacts.
How many non-disclosure agreements were signed by each Government Department in financial year 2023-24.
Departments are required to report to the Cabinet Office on an annual basis the number of confidentiality clauses used in connection with special severance payments, however full information on the use of non-disclosure agreements is held by individual departments.
How much has been spent in Number 10 on alcohol since 3 July 2024.
Official receptions in 10 Downing Street are hosted by Ministers across Government, with details published each quarter as part of the Government's transparency returns. The cost of hospitality in 10 Downing Street is published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) UK's initial demand for total allowable catch and (b) agreed outcome was for quotas for each species in its negotiations with the EU on fish quotas in each year since 2021.
Due to the nature of the negotiations, it is not appropriate to publicly disclose negotiating documents detailing the UK’s opening positions. The Written Records detailing the outcome of the UK’s annual fisheries negotiations with the EU are published on GOV.UK. Furthermore, Defra has published reports on the ‘economic outcome of negotiations for UK fishing opportunities’ on GOV.UK since 2021. These include annexes with the UK quota for each stock.
How much funding her Department has provided for the repair of potholes (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) nationally in each of the last ten years.
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Norfolk County Council is the local highway authority for the Great Yarmouth constituency, and they are therefore responsible for the condition and maintenance of their local network. This Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course. The funding the Department has provided for local highway maintenance, including but not limited to the repair of potholes, in Norfolk and nationally in each of the last ten years is in the table below: YearHighways Maintenance funding - Norfolk County Council (£m)Total Highways Maintenance funding - England (£m)2015/1628.6371,1562016/1729.4741,0262017/1833.8121,2222018/1942.3381,3462019/2029.5921,0512020/2150.0731,6262021/22*35.7571,125*2022/23*35.7571,125*2023/24*46.6231,475*2024/25*40.2671,275**Includes equivalent funding within areas in England receiving City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.