Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government departments and agencies may apply mitigating or risk management measures following an assessment by United Kingdom Security Vetting of (a) clearance approved with risk management, and (b) clearance denied or withdrawn.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what written records, including electronic communications such as emails, text messages and WhatsApp messages, her Department holds referring to an enquiry about a possible appointment for Matthew Doyle.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not routinely publish internal communications on personnel matters. I refer the Hon Member to the answers given on this matter by the Foreign Secretary in the most recent session of departmental oral questions on 21 April.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, without revealing personal information, how many applicants for Developed Vetting in 2025 were assessed as (a) clearance approved, (b) clearance approved with risk management, and (c) clearance denied or withdrawn.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
National Security Vetting (NSV) clearance applications, including Developed Vetting, are rigorously assessed within a robust governance framework. UKSV works closely with departmental vetting risk owners to balance operational demands with assured and effective national security safeguards.
In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the government does not otherwise comment on security matters. To reveal such details could prejudice national security and would provide insights into the scale and nature of the UK’s sensitive workforce and the thresholds of our security safeguards.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Peter Mandelson had access to Top Secret and STRAP classified material between 20 December 2024 and 29 January 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Prime Minister on 21 April, and his answers to the questions raised in response, including his commitment that the Government would continue to comply with the instructions of Parliament in the Humble Address of 4 February.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the estimated cost of her Department's planning for the state visit to the US in April 2026.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This historic State Visit will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and will reaffirm the vital and enduring UK-US relationship that is central to our shared prosperity, security and history.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold a central record of the requested data. Planning for State Visits is undertaken as part of staff's normal duties and is delivered largely through existing departmental resources. The information could therefore only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Natural England has (a) paused and (b) delayed the designation of any Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has a rolling programme to keep under review places that may merit and benefit from designation as SSSIs.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Sites of Special Scientific Interest have been designated in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designation is a two‑stage process. Sites are first notified, at which point they become legally protected. Notifications are then confirmed, usually within nine months, once any objections or representations have been considered.
For the purposes of this answer, “designated” is taken to mean confirmed SSSI notifications. On that basis, the number of SSSIs designated in England, by calendar year, is as follows:
Year | Number of SSSIs designated |
2021 | 6 |
2022 | 1 |
2023 | 1 |
2024 | 0 |
2025 | 0 |
Confirmation often takes place in a year following notification, so notified and confirmed figures do not necessarily relate to the same sites.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of Natural England to identify and designate new Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England (NE) receives an appropriate budget to carry out its duties and responsibilities in line with what is affordable and the priorities set out by the Secretary of State.
Restoring nature is one of our top priorities. Protected sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), are the best existing areas for nature, where species can thrive and spread into the wider countryside, and they form the foundation of the Government’s commitment to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
NE is adapting its protected sites work programme. It will focus on prioritising actions to deliver the Environment Act interim target for SSSIs and aligning its work with the objectives of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the estimated number of staff hours his Department has expended planning for the state visit to the US in April 2026.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This historic State Visit will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and will reaffirm the vital and enduring UK-US relationship that is central to our shared prosperity, security and history.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold a central record of the requested data. Planning for State Visits is undertaken as part of staff's normal duties and is delivered largely through existing departmental resources. The information could therefore only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the estimated number of staff hours her Department has expended planning for the state visit to the US in April 2026.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This historic State Visit will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and will reaffirm the vital and enduring UK-US relationship that is central to our shared prosperity, security and history.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold a central record of the requested data. Planning for State Visits is undertaken as part of staff's normal duties and is delivered largely through existing departmental resources. The information could therefore only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.