Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the extent to which the functions of (a) national parks, (b) Natural England, (c) the Environment Agency and (d) Forestry England are (i) clearly delineated, (ii) complementary and (iii) overlapping; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the number of these bodies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is conducting a full review of all Arm’s Length Bodies. This review is ongoing, and the outcomes will be published in due course.
However, as National Parks are not classified as Arm’s Length Bodies, they are not included in the review.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to require property management companies to need a licence to operate which can be withdrawn in the event of (a) abusive, (b) negligent and (c) financially exploitative behaviour.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken by public inquiries investigating specific adverse events in the last five years on (a) analysing past errors, (b) making preventative recommendations for the future, and (c) attributing blame.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to righting past wrongs and working to ensure victims get answers. Inquiries shed light on injustices of the past, provide a means for victims and survivors to finally have their voices heard, and can help to rebuild trust in national institutions.
The Government recognises that there is growing criticism of Inquiry cost, duration and effectiveness.
The government is actively considering whether there are changes that could enable inquiries to deliver outcomes and enable lessons to be learnt more swiftly and at lower cost.
This is a substantial piece of work, led by the Cabinet Office, that will aim to improve how we identify wrongs, and get to the truth more quickly. We will continue to keep Parliament updated on this important subject.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has recently received representations from the (a) Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, (b) Royal College of Psychiatrists and (c) Department of Health on the potential clinical use of psilocybin under controlled conditions to treat serious psychiatric illness.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
No recent representations on the potential clinical use of psilocybin to treatpsychiatric illness have been made to the Home Office by the AdvisoryCouncil on the Misuse of Drugs, Royal College of Psychiatrists or theDepartment of Health and Social Care.
The Government recognises that studies into the potential use of psilocybinas part of the treatment for mental health conditions have been or are being conducted in the UK under Home Office licence.
On 16 July, the Government responded to recommendations from theAdvisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on how best to reducebarriers to clinical research with Schedule 1 drugs, such as psilocybin.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department applies in classifying a country as (a) posing a threat to and (b) constituting an enemy of the United Kingdom; and whether those criteria include (i) hostility to democratic polities, (ii) possession of nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles, (iii) totalitarian domestic repressiveness and (iv) adherence to Marxist-Leninist communist ideology.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
National security is the first duty of any government. The National Security Council ensures that Ministers consider national security in the round and in a strategic way. Robust intelligence analysis of any activity that might undermine our security underpins any judgment about national security threats. Formal assessments draw on multiple sources, taking into consideration a country's capability, intent, behaviours, and impact across a range of national interests. The Government is committed to countering state threat activity to protect our country and secure the national interest.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received evidence on the potential clinical use of psilocybin under controlled conditions to treat serious psychiatric illness; whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of its use; and what procedures his Department has to (a) initiate and (b) undertake such an assessment.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicine, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.
Clinical trials are underway in the UK to investigate psilocybin's use for various mental health conditions, with the open trials being in phases 1, 2, and 3, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. The MHRA is aware and is supporting the trials in this area to determine benefit versus risk. The MHRA is ready to review any data submitted to ensure an assessment of the quality, safety, and efficacy is completed rapidly upon submission.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what structures are in place for annual performance reviews for senior civil servants; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those arrangements on (a) adequate scrutiny and (b) enhanced productivity.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are subject to an annual performance review process, governed by the central SCS performance management framework published on Performance management framework for the Senior Civil Service (2025 to 2026 performance year) - GOV.UK
The central framework is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is fit for purpose. Changes were introduced in April of this year, to ensure a greater focus on the productivity of the Senior Civil Service. This included the introduction of minimum standards, expected distribution and a cross-Government consistency check meeting.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many quangos his Department has dealings with; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the number of these bodies.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
‘Quangos’ is an obsolete term. They are now called Arm’s Length Bodies.
The list of all Government Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) can be found here [https://co-public-bodies.github.io/ALB_Landscape_Analysis_2023_24/08%20profilePagesIndex.html] along with the details of the 11 ALBs that Cabinet Office directly sponsors.
In April the Government announced a review of all ALBs across government with a view to streamline governance and reduce bureaucracy. This review is ongoing.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking enable veterans who were dismissed from the Armed Forces on the basis of their sexuality to have their service records amended to reflect their treatment.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Service personnel who were dismissed from the Armed Forces on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, can apply to have their discharge qualified. This qualification of administrative discharge will set right the records of Veterans who were administratively discharged under the ban in place between 1967 and 2000, as well as those discharged prior to 1967 due to historic law.
The qualification of administrative discharge addresses recommendation 26 of Lord Etherton’s Independent Review and serves to remove any dishonour from their Service files and recognises that their discharge was wrong. Personnel who were administratively discharged following conviction/s for same-sex sexual offences will first need to apply for a disregard of their conviction/s through the Home Office’s Disregard and Pardon scheme. More information about the qualification of administrative discharge can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October to Question 81237 on Army: Public Records, for what reason his security service personal file (PF 44288) has not been made available by her Department for release to the National Archive.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Government records are normally opened at the National Archives when they are 20-years old but, where they exist, some records are retained or closed, in line with the requirements of the Public Records Act 1958, in order to protect national security, international relations and sensitive personal data.