Andrew Rosindell

In the period 2020-2025 there have been 11 dispossession cases under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. There are 7,340 stipendiary clergy, meaning dispossession cases represent a very small (less than 1%) proportion of overall clergy numbers.

By diocese these break down as follows:
• Portsmouth – 6 cases
• St Albans – 2 cases (plus one in process)
• Southwark – 1 case
• York – 1 case
• Leeds – 1 case

The Church Commissioners have not received any reports regarding the Additional Curates Society. As a separate charity, the Additional Curates Society does not come under the remit or management of the Church Commissioners or the National Church Institutions.

The details of new agreements described in the Common Understanding are subject to negotiation. The Common Understanding is clear that where the UK Government decides to align with EU rules as part of an agreement this will give due regard to the UK’s constitutional and Parliamentary procedures. The UK will be involved, as a sovereign nation outside of the European Union, at an early stage and contribute to the decision-shaping process of European Union legal acts.

The Common Understanding does not provide for oversight of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) within Great Britain or Northern Ireland. Instead it provides that the CJEU will have a limited role in assisting an independent arbitration tribunal responsible for deciding a dispute between the UK and the EU, and only where there is dynamic alignment of laws under any future SPS agreement, ETS linking agreement or an electricity agreement. The CJEU does not rule on the substantive outcome of the dispute - that is a matter for the independent arbitration panel.

Cabinet Office officials regularly engage with the ICE and other industry leading organisations, many of which are signatories to our ‘Compact with Industry’. The Construction Playbook is regularly refreshed in collaboration with industry and the public sector, ensuring it remains relevant and effective. The Government remains committed to publishing an update to the Construction Playbook. The revised version of the Construction Playbook is expected to be published in Q2 2025.

We are committed to strengthening security across all aspects of the Government digital estate.

The Government Cyber Security Strategy sets a clear target for all government organisations to be resilient to known vulnerabilities and common attack methods by 2030.

The recent report from the National Audit Office into Government Cyber Resilience showed that the response needs to be accelerated given the changing threat picture. Its recommendations include development of a whole of government approach, addressing the long-standing shortage of cyber skills, strengthening accountability for cyber risk, and better managing the risks posed by legacy IT. We welcome this report and are taking immediate steps to address its recommendations.

The Government Security Group gathers data from cyber security teams across government through planned bi-annual commissions, providing updates on vacant roles in our workforce. In 2023, 251 cyber roles were reported vacant.

The 2025 Government Security Workforce Commission, being undertaken currently, will provide updated data on current vacancy levels.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd February is attached.

The UK government is committed to working closely with the devolved governments to support climate adaptation across the UK and build resilience to risks such as those from extreme weather. Adaptation is a devolved matter, and the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme sets out the steps being taken to build resilience to climate risks in Northern Ireland. The policies and actions in the third National Adaptation Programme include those taken by the UK Government for the UK as a whole on reserved matters.

The UK government also has an important role to play in coordinating the response to the impacts of extreme weather on the UK as was most recently seen during and after Storm Éowyn. Where UK Ministers and officials were in close contact throughout the response with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive to facilitate the deployment of support as needed.

Cabinet Office officials regularly engage with the ICE and other industry leading organisations, many of which are signatories to our ‘Compact with Industry’. The Construction Playbook is regularly refreshed in collaboration with industry and the public sector, ensuring it remains relevant and effective. The revised version of the Construction Playbook is expected to be published in Q2 2025.

The Construction Playbook brings together best practice from across the public and private sectors. This includes highlighting the importance of a wide range of programmes and initiatives that the sector is taking forward. As part of any future iteration of the playbook, the Cabinet Office will review and assess the potential merits of highlighting or aligning any other initiatives that can drive value for the taxpayer.

Cabinet Office officials regularly engage with the ICE and other industry leading organisations, many of which are signatories to our ‘Compact with Industry’. The Construction Playbook is regularly refreshed in collaboration with industry and the public sector, ensuring it remains relevant and effective. The revised version of the Construction Playbook is expected to be published in Q2 2025.

The Construction Playbook brings together best practice from across the public and private sectors. This includes highlighting the importance of a wide range of programmes and initiatives that the sector is taking forward. As part of any future iteration of the playbook, the Cabinet Office will review and assess the potential merits of highlighting or aligning any other initiatives that can drive value for the taxpayer.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 18 December is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 18 December is attached.

The government is committed to working closely with Critical National Infrastructure operators to ensure resilience and preparedness.

Extreme weather events pose a serious risk to UK resilience, reflected in their inclusion in the National Risk Register. They are included in the Third National Adaptation Programme, which sets out government action to respond to impacts arising from climate change. These products consider risks over a 2-5 year timeframe and enable relevant bodies to undertake proportionate planning.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th November is attached.

The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is in the personal gift of The Sovereign. The UK Government is not considering the restoration of The Order of St Patrick.

Nominations for existing honours are open to all citizens within the four nations of the United Kingdom.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 14th October is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 14th October is attached.

The Government has set out an ambitious programme of House of Lords reform. As an immediate first step, the Government has introduced the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which will remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The Government believes that it is right to take the time to consider how best to implement the other manifesto commitments over the course of this Parliament.

In line with established precedent, the Government does not formally commemorate the anniversaries of the births of former Prime Ministers.

Decisions on the future size of the Civil Service will form a key part of the comprehensive Spending Review.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 04/09/2024 is attached.

As a first step in reform of the House of Lords, the Government has introduced the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which will remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

The Government is committed to other reforms to the House of Lords, including the introduction of a mandatory retirement age, a new participation requirement, and changes to the appointments process, as well as strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed. There is also a long-term commitment to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. Given the nature and potential scale of these reforms, the Government will conduct engagement and consult on proposals for an alternative second chamber, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them.

Hospitality businesses are at the heart of our communities, providing accessible jobs and supporting economic growth across the UK.

The Government is creating a fairer business rate system and reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper later this year.

We are working with the Hospitality Sector Council to address challenges facing the sector. We are also working with Pub Is The Hub to help rural pubs adapt to the changing needs of their communities.

Details of any meetings and engagements with the UK crypto and digital asset industry can be found in the Department’s quarterly transparency returns on Gov.uk.

The Department for Business and Trade recognises the importance of mutual recognition of professional qualifications (RPQ) to support services trade and domestic labour market outcomes.

International agreements provide mechanisms for officials to regularly engage with their Commonwealth counterparts on RPQ. Officials engage frequently with counterparts in Australia, New Zealand and the CARIFORUM states through Professional Services Working Groups, joint and specialised committee structures.

Independent UK regulators set standards, assess professional qualifications and are responsible for agreeing Mutual Recognition Agreements on RPQ. DBT is committed to promoting RPQ opportunities and supporting regulators in their discussions with Commonwealth counterparts.

UK exports in services to Commonwealth countries rose in current prices from £36.4 billion in 2019 to £58.1 billion in the 12 months to September 2024 and represents 61.5% of UK exports to Commonwealth countries in the latest period.

The UK increases services exports and removes barriers to services trade through many of our trade agreements covering 35 Commonwealth countries. For example, the UK’s accession to CPTPP provided UK and Malaysian firms and professionals with certainty when looking to deliver services in their respective territories.

In December, I wrote to Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat, to ask what steps they have in place to ensure that all drivers and riders are legally entitled to work in the UK, including substitutes, and what sanctions they have in place should this not be the case.

In March, the government announced its intention to amend the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, to extend the scope of employers required to carry out Right to Work checks to those who engage limb (b) workers or individual sub-contractors, including those carrying out food deliveries in the gig economy and their substitutes.

The Border Security Asylum and Immigration Bill represents a significant corner stone of the Government’s Plan for Change. One of the objectives being to rebuild confidence in the immigration system.

The UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) stands out as one of the most comprehensive digital trade agreements globally and locks-in market liberalisations in key areas for businesses such as cross-border data flows. The seven Memoranda of Understanding signed alongside the DEA facilitate engagement on several key areas, including Fintech and Lawtech services. Trade digitalisation pilots conducted under the agreement framework demonstrated significant business benefits to trade in goods, including 40% reduction in trade processing time, 89% reduction in paperwork, and 67% improvement in staff productivity. We keep the effectiveness of the agreement under review as part of its ongoing implementation.

Legislation is clear that toys must be safe before being placed on the market. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, within my department, works to ensure retailers, online marketplaces and third-party remove unsafe toys from sale.

The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will enable regulations to be updated to reflect modern online supply chains. Government intends to use the Bill powers to create a proportionate regulatory framework where online marketplaces take steps to:

• ensure third-party sellers on their platforms comply with product safety obligations;
• prevent non-compliant products on their sites;
• provide appropriate consumer information; and,
• cooperate with regulators.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting UK businesses, including those in the manufacturing industry, to grow and export. Under the umbrella of the recently announced Business Growth Service, UK businesses can access DBT's wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.

As part of our work on a new trade strategy and a small business strategy, we are looking at further proposals to help UK businesses to export more.

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) is implementing a new digital export licensing system, LITE, to provide a modern digital service that streamlines the export licence application process.

ECJU has an ongoing programme of Continuous Improvement and we routinely identify and implement opportunities to make targeted improvements to the way we operate and manage the export licensing service to help us adapt to the changing demands on the system.