Peter Bedford MP: written questions
584 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Bus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the annual cost of free bus passes for people over the State Pension age.
Answer: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually.
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: SurveysDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on in-person surveys conducted by external polling companies in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 to date.
Answer: The department’s expenditure is recorded by financial year. It has spent the following on public polling through external polling companies between 2023 and 31 May 2025:2022/23: £66,750.2023/24: £45,750.2024/25: £24,250.2025/26 (to date): £0.
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordYemen: HouthisForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Houthi rebels in Yemen on the interests of (a) the UK and (b) UK allies.
Answer: Over the last 19 months, the Houthis have conducted attacks against international commercial shipping, as well as British and American warships. This has violated the principle of freedom of navigation, further destabilised the region, and caused the peac...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59965More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the cost pressures faced by local authorities in providing statutory services.
Answer: The government recognises the significant pressures that councils are facing. This Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordResearch: Tax AllowancesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59964More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of tax reliefs for research and development on economic growth.
Answer: The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues. Research and development (R&D) tax reliefs play a vital role in the Government’s mission to boost economic growth and drive innovation in the UK....
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVAT: RegistrationTreasuryTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59963More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made representations to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the monetary value of VAT registration thresholds.
Answer: At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether.The Chancellor has regular discussions with other Government Ministers...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59960More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2025, what estimate he has made of the number of new Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations which will be created.
Answer: Proposals for new bodies are subject to the ongoing ALB review, announced by the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster on 6 April, to ensure their existence can be strongly justified against key principles.
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: Conditions of EmploymentCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59957More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of applying the Government commercial function terms and conditions of employment to the wider civil service.
Answer: No such assessment has been made. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and nature of the role and as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordIndia: FraudHome OfficeTabled 12 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59536More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to prevent criminals in India from scamming UK citizens.
Answer: With over 70% of fraud estimated to have an overseas element, international collaboration is a vital part of the Government’s work to protect UK citizens from that threat.The UK is driving global action on tackling fraud, working with individual countries...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans establish a governance framework for (a) monitoring and (b) ensuring accountability in the delivery of the National Cancer Plan.
Answer: Governance mechanisms for monitoring and ensuring accountability for delivery will be established as part of the development of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year.
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: Community CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58897More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce inequalities in cancer care and (b) improve outcomes for underserved communities through the National Cancer Plan.
Answer: Reducing inequalities in cancer diagnosis, care, and outcomes is a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival, and will develop inter...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: Community CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role the voluntary and community sector will have in delivering the Neighbourhood Cancer Care model in the National Cancer Plan.
Answer: The National Cancer Plan will seek to foster improved collaboration with the voluntary and community sector. We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Science, Innovation and Technology: Termination of EmploymentDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58824More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many permanent civil servants had contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.
Answer: Human Resources data for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been available from September 2023. Since then, the Department dismissed 1 permanent employee in 2023-24 and 2 permanent employees in 2024-25.
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordNorthern Ireland Office: Termination of EmploymentNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58823More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many permanent civil servants had contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.
Answer: No permanent civil servants have had their contracts of employment terminated for poor performance in the time frame given.
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBhim KohliAttorney GeneralTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58483More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has made representations to the Court of Appeal on the unduly lenient sentencing of those convicted of causing the death of Bhim Kohli.
Answer: The Law Officers have 28 days from the date of sentence to consider any requests received under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme for referral of a sentence to the Court of Appeal. I can confirm my department has received such referral requests in relati...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWales Office: Termination of EmploymentWales OfficeTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: No permanent Civil Servants in my Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the 2022-23, 2023-24, or 2024-25 financial years.
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordScotland Office: Termination of EmploymentScotland OfficeTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: No permanent civil servants working in the Scotland Office had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Justice: Termination of EmploymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58466More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many permanent civil servants in her Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: The Department’s HR system shows the total number of permanent Civil Servants leaving the Ministry of Justice recorded as ‘Dismissal – Unsatisfactory Work Performance’, as 18 in the financial year 2022-2023, 27 in year 2023-2024, and 31 in year 2024-2025.
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Termination of EmploymentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58465More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many permanent civil servants in her Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 fi
Answer: The department has 5 or less performance-based dismissals or terminations for each financial year stated.
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Termination of EmploymentMinistry of DefenceTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58464More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: The information requested is outlined in the table below: Financial Year Total2022-23252023-24452024-2551Grand Total 121 Please note that the data in this table is from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025 and that ‘dismissal performance’ was marked as the rea...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHome Office: Termination of EmploymentHome OfficeTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58463More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many permanent civil servants in her Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: In 2024-25, 24 Home Office employees were dismissed for poor performance.Prior to April 2024 dismissals for poor performance were included for data collection purposes in a broader category of efficiency dismissals, so figures for poor performance dismiss...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTreasury: Termination of EmploymentTreasuryTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58462More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many permanent civil servants in her Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: When numbers are so small that individuals could be identified, identifying details are masked to protect their privacy. Data on dismissals for poor performance is held in anonymised form without details of whether employees are permanent or temporary. Di...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Termination of EmploymentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-2
Answer: In financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24 fewer than five permanent Civil Servants were dismissed due to poor performance, and in 2024/25 there were five dismissals.
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment of Health and Social Care: Termination of EmploymentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: During the period from the start of the 2022/23 financial year until the end of the 2024/25 financial year, the Department has dismissed five individuals for poor performance. We are unable to provide further information about specific years due to the lo...
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Termination of EmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answer: We have provided the information requested in the table below Financial YearCount of Permanent Civil Servants dismissed for Unsatisfactory Performance /Unsatisfactory Work Performance2022-23172023-24222024-2537
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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