Every parliamentary written question tabled by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 841–860 of 1,174 · this parliament
With reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, column 634, if he will initiate a review of maritime security to inform the new national security strategy.
There are no current plans to publish a separate national maritime security strategy. As announced by the Prime Minister, a new national security strategy will be published this summer.
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to mental health support for people who are (a) homeless and (b) in temporary accommodation.
We recognise the importance of reducing barriers to healthcare services for those experiencing homelessness, this includes those in temporary accommodation.All local health systems should have mechanisms in place to ensure their mental health services can support people who are homeless. This should include work to routinely complete a mental health needs assessment for rough sleepers which will identify need and lead directly to action that increases access to mental health services for this population. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, new specialist mental health provision for rough sleepers was established in 37 of the areas that most in needed it between 2019/20 and 2023/24. An evaluation of these services is currently being undertaken.We are also working across Government, the health system, local government, commissioners, and the voluntary sector to review and support implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance on integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness, both nationally and locally.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) the families of British citizens and (b) British citizens impacted by the (i) ongoing security situation surrounding the Mozambique liquefied natural gas project and (ii) insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region.
The UK continues to support British nationals throughout the ongoing IS-Mozambique insurgency in northern Mozambique. This includes engagement with families of those affected by security issues in Cabo Delgado. The UK is supporting efforts to counter the insurgency there, including through programmes aimed at building local resilience to violent extremism.
What recent steps he has taken with global partners to achieve a global clean energy transition.
The UK works closely with international partners towards an accelerated global clean energy transition, building on our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. This includes working through the UNFCCC and other multilateral fora; through alliances including the Global Clean Power Alliance; and bilaterally, as with our recent engagement with China. The UK will host with the International Energy Agency an international Summit on the Future of Energy Security in London on 24-25 April, seeking to build a holistic approach that meets our changing needs as we drive forward the global energy transition.
Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps with (a) local authorities and (b) industry stakeholders to help increase the sustainability of (i) live music venues and (ii) other aspects of the night-time economy.
The government is urging the live music industry to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector. We welcome steps taken by industry to set up a charitable trust to distribute funds from the ticket levy, and commitments made by artists to support grassroots music. DCMS will continue to work closely with the music sector and Arts Council England on the implementation of the industry-led ticket levy. In addition, we are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by providing £2.5 million funding in 2025-26, which provides grants to grassroots music organisations, including those that host or promote electronic music. The government recognises the role of night time economy businesses in supporting resilient high streets, and we are focused on our five-point plan to breathe life back into Britain’s high streets, to ensure they are great places for businesses, and economic growth across the UK. To protect the high street, from 2026-27, the government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RV) less than £500,000. To provide further support, the government has extended RHL relief at 40% for 2025-26.
What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that practitioners within the aesthetic industry comply with (a) licensing and (b) regulations.
The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.
What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of regulatory reform within the aesthetic industry.
The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of patient safety within the aesthetic industry.
The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.
Whether he plans to introduce legal requirements for practitioners of non-surgical aesthetic treatments.
The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to assess applications to the John Bunyan Fund.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's John Bunyan Fund provides funding to overseas posts to support the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all around the world. UK posts are invited to submit applications that support the central objective of the fund: to curtail FoRB violations and abuses. Diplomatic missions have full control over the exact design and scope of project work to best develop an intervention that suits their specific in-country context and priorities and is complementary to any other financing they receive.
What recent steps his Department has taken to improve (a) maternity and (b) perinatal outcomes.
NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services is making good progress in rolling out new services to improve maternity and perinatal outcomes. All local areas have published Equity and Equality action plans setting out local action to tackle ethnic inequalities in maternal and neonatal outcomes; all 150 maternity and neonatal units in England are currently part of the Perinatal Culture and Leadership programme; there are important improvements to safety through version three of Saving Babies Live Care Bundle; and families are being engaged more through additional funding for Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships. NHS England is also rolling out perinatal pelvic health services and maternal mental health services to reduce rates of perineal tears, provide additional mental health support and improve outcomes for women.
What recent discussions he has had with Integrated Care Boards about their policies to reduce delayed discharge from hospital where patients meet the criteria to (a) return home or (b) receive community care.
The Government is working to reduce delayed discharges, ensuring that people are not stuck in hospital beds when they are well enough to go home. We will tackle delayed discharges by improving local partnership working between the National Health Service and the social care system, making sure people get the right support to return home as soon as possible. To drive improvements, we will work with those systems experiencing the worst discharge delays, using senior experts from across local government and the NHS.On 30 January 2025, the Government published a revised Better Care Fund policy framework for 2025/26. As part of this, the NHS and local authorities will be expected to make measurable improvements on delayed discharges.My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and I continue to engage with key partners and meet regularly with NHS England to discuss discharge and urgent & emergency care performance.
What recent steps his Department has taken to reduce gynaecology waiting lists.
At the end of December 2024, the referral to treatment (RTT) gynaecology waiting list stood at 586,013 across England, with 55.4% of patient pathways waiting within 18 weeks.As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for gynaecological care, wait no longer than 18 weeks from RTT by March 2029. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments as a First Step to achieving this, seven months ahead of schedule.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the reform we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait. This includes commitments to offer patients care closer to home, in the community, including piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy. We have also committed to increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists and reviewing support options from the independent sector.
What recent steps he has taken to help improve the quality of maternity care in (a) Slough, (b) Berkshire and (c) England.
NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services has made good progress across England by rolling out of new maternal mental health services, Saving Babies Live Care Bundles and families are being engaged more through additional funding for Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships.Improvement to Slough and East Berkshire maternity services include alignment with the three-year delivery plan which include but are not limited to: the recruitment of more midwives to significantly reduce vacancies and have minimal shortages by 2025; increased access to services through a new maternity hub in Crowthorne; piloting a perinatal pelvic health service that provides women with information about pelvic health risks, signs of pelvic floor dysfunction, and prevention strategies; the implementation of the MAMAs phone line, a triage service staffed by midwives with interpretation services; a Rapid Communication Aid being developed to assist in identifying patient needs in 30 languages; free midwife-led antenatal education classes in Urdu being launched, focusing on birth preparation for over 24 weeks gestation; a culturally competent genetics service being established to support informed decision-making for Close Relative Couples; and equity training for staff on mandatory update day.The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has focused on addressing inequalities by improving access to perinatal mental health services and antenatal and preconception information and promoting an increase in folic acid uptake.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Indian counterpart on Jagtar Singh Johal's recent acquittal.
The Foreign Secretary raised Mr Johal's case with the Indian External Affairs Minister on 5 March, during his visit to the UK. The UK Government will continue to make clear to the Government of India that faster progress is needed toward a full resolution of Mr Johal's cases, including a full and independent investigation into his allegations of torture.
What recent steps his Department has taken to improve cardiovascular disease outcomes.
The Government is committed to tackling the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the Health Mission sets an ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. The Department held a symposium on heart disease and stroke on 13 March 2025 where charities, patient advocacy groups, clinicians, think-tanks and other experts discussed how to deliver on the ambition.We are tackling the root cause of preventable heart disease and stroke by introducing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, implementing the advertising regulations for less healthy food and drink on television and online, and empowering councils to block the development of new fast-food shops outside schools.To improve access to the NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s CVD prevention programme, we are developing a new NHS Heath Check Online tool so that people can have a check at a time and place convenient to them to understand and act on their CVD risk.Furthermore, we are trialling a new workplace CVD check which will deliver more than 130,000 lifesaving heart health checks in the workplace.
What recent progress the Royal Navy has made on the (a) development and (b) deployment of autonomous maritime mine hunting technologies.
The Royal Navy has made significant progress in developing autonomous maritime mine hunting technologies, since the delivery of the WILTON mine hunting system in 2020. WILTON has been assimilated into the wider Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme which is delivering a rolling programme of unmanned surface vessels and unmanned underwater vehicles for use by Royal Navy minewarfare specialists.The mine hunting and sweeping systems being delivered through the MHC Programme, employ high technology sonars and sensors to improve the Royal Navy's ability to detect and dispose of modern mines quickly and autonomously. Autonomous mine hunting systems are in regular use, both in the UK and globally.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of transparency of pre-pack administration procedures.
Transparency is embedded within the regulatory requirements for pre-pack administration procedures. The administrator must give creditors a detailed explanation of why the pre-pack sale was the best outcome. This report is filed at Companies House and is also sent to the administrator’s regulatory body for monitoring and compliance. The Government’s review of administrator pre-pack reports in 2023 concluded there is a high level of compliance with the transparency requirements.The Government keeps these requirements under regular review.
How many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) China and (b) Chinese-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.
The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.
How many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) Iran and (b) Iranian-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.
The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.