Miriam Cates Portrait

Miriam Cates

Conservative - Penistone and Stocksbridge

First elected: 12th December 2019


Education Committee
19th Oct 2021 - 22nd Jan 2024
Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill
1st Mar 2023 - 8th Mar 2023
Ballot Secrecy Bill [HL]
1st Mar 2023 - 7th Mar 2023
Compensation (London Capital & Finance plc and Fraud Compensation Fund) Bill
8th Jun 2021 - 15th Jun 2021


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Miriam Cates has voted in 868 divisions, and 14 times against the majority of their Party.

24 Jun 2020 - Demonstrations (Abortion Clinics) - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 43 Conservative No votes vs 56 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 213 Noes - 47
23 Jun 2020 - Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 45 Conservative Aye votes vs 235 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 243 Noes - 238
26 Apr 2021 - Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021 - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 2 Conservative No votes vs 7 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 13 Noes - 3
27 Apr 2021 - Delegated Legislation - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 77 Conservative No votes vs 222 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 431 Noes - 89
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 38 Conservative No votes vs 271 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 441 Noes - 41
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 97 Conservative No votes vs 224 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 369 Noes - 126
14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 60 Conservative No votes vs 258 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 385 Noes - 100
25 Jan 2022 - Judicial Review and Courts Bill - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 304 Conservative No votes vs 1 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 184 Noes - 310
18 Oct 2022 - Public Order Bill - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 103 Conservative No votes vs 113 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 297 Noes - 110
7 Mar 2023 - Public Order Bill - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 107 Conservative Aye votes vs 109 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 116 Noes - 299
28 Jun 2023 - Education - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 20 Conservative No votes vs 237 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 373 Noes - 28
4 Dec 2023 - Business without Debate - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 26 Conservative No votes vs 217 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 381 Noes - 37
13 Dec 2023 - Retained EU Law Reform - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 10 Conservative No votes vs 288 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 464 Noes - 11
17 Jan 2024 - Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill - View Vote Context
Miriam Cates voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 11 Conservative No votes vs 315 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 320 Noes - 276
View All Miriam Cates Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(18 debate interactions)
Rishi Sunak (Conservative)
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
(8 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Education
(42 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(35 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(31 debate contributions)
Department for Business and Trade
(27 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Online Safety Act 2023
(3,845 words contributed)
Media Bill 2023-24
(2,912 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Miriam Cates's debates

Penistone and Stocksbridge Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

The Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"

It has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.

Have non binary be included as an option under the GRP (Gender Recognition Panel)/ GRC (Gender Recognition Certificate), in order to allow those identifying as non binary to be legally seen as their true gender identity. As well as having ‘Non-binary’ be seen as a valid transgender identity.

Reform the GRA to allow transgender people to self-identify without the need for a medical diagnosis, to streamline the administrative process, and to allow non-binary identities to be legally recognised.


Latest EDMs signed by Miriam Cates

21st February 2024
Miriam Cates signed this EDM on Thursday 22nd February 2024

No confidence in the Speaker

Tabled by: William Wragg (Conservative - Hazel Grove)
That this House has no confidence in Mr Speaker.
91 signatures
(Most recent: 20 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 44
Scottish National Party: 41
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 2
Workers Party of Britain: 1
View All Miriam Cates's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Miriam Cates, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Miriam Cates has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Miriam Cates has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

1 Bill introduced by Miriam Cates


A Bill to make provision to require the sharing with parents and guardians of copies of materials used in relationships and sex education lessons in schools in England; to prohibit schools in England from using externally produced teaching resources for relationships and sex education that have not been published; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 26th June 2023

Latest 36 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
4th Mar 2021
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support family life during the covid-19 lockdown.

The Church of England is waiting to hear from the Government when its parent and toddler groups will be able to recommence in person, it is hoped that this will be from the 12th of April.

Many churches have tried new ways to continue their support for young families and children throughout the pandemic. At different stages of the pandemic, families needed different levels of support. The Church has seen some successful examples: using social media and Facebook live to hold parent support groups, using Zoom to hold a community storytime and craft group, and hosting socially distanced family picnics.

For older children and parents, the Church launched 'Faith at Home' to focus on inspirational experiences, using age-appropriate resources to grow together in faith. It has been an effective way to use schools, church leaders and chaplains to support young peoples development.

Andrew Selous
Second Church Estates Commissioner
13th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support energy-intensive industries with energy costs.

We are determined to secure the future for our energy intensive industries (EIIs) to protect UK jobs. To strengthen our existing support that has already provided over £2billion since 2013, the Government has announced the British Industry Supercharger to support those most exposed to the costs of electricity. The measures will bring the energy costs of the UK’s energy intensive industries in line with those across the world’s major economies. This is crucial to help these businesses remain internationally competitive and will enhance the UK’s attractiveness as a destination for international investment.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to appoint the Chair of the Pornography Review announced on 3 July 2023.

The Government is committed to undertaking the comprehensive review of pornography regulation, legislation, and enforcement in a timely fashion.

The details of the independent Lead Reviewer’s appointment and the review’s Terms of Reference will be announced in due course.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish terms of reference for the Pornography Review announced on 3 July 2023.

The Government is committed to undertaking the comprehensive review of pornography regulation, legislation, and enforcement in a timely fashion.

The details of the independent Lead Reviewer’s appointment and the review’s Terms of Reference will be announced in due course.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to protect landscapes while delivering Project Gigabit.

The Government is committed to ensuring everyone receives the coverage and connectivity they need and recognises the need to balance this with environmental considerations.

Broadband providers need to comply with the relevant planning requirements and legislation in conservation areas and protected landscapes.

This is supported by best practice guidance with Natural England and a joint accord with National Parks England on delivery of broadband within the 10 National Parks in England.

Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency is also set to benefit from our innovative Fibre in Water project, which will trial the use of water mains to deploy digital infrastructure.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
6th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what representations her Department has received from the pornography industry in the last 12 months; and how many meetings her Department has had with representatives of the industry in that time.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with a wide range of online safety stakeholders on a variety of issues. Details of Ministerial meetings are published on the Gov.uk website every quarter.

28th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2022 to Question 90903, to provide details of (a) the dates on which payments were made and (b) the amount of money paid to Gendered Intelligence by each of the organisations listed.

The Department has provided funding to the charity Gendered Intelligence through exchequer funding as follows:

  • £600.00 on 02 August 2021 for a training course

  • £134,430.00 on 06 March 2019 for Sport England Trans Inclusion Project

  • £117,318.00 on 03 April 2020 for Sport England Trans Inclusion Project

  • £11,214.323 on 01 October 2020 as part of the Big Night In campaign, administered by Children in Need on behalf of DCMS as part of the financial support for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to respond to coronavirus (COVID-19).

The National Lottery Community Fund funding to Gendered Intelligence is through lottery funds rather than from the Department.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
18th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has provided funding to the charity Gendered Intelligence (a) directly and (b) through associated bodies since 2009.

DCMS has records of grant funding provided to the charity Gendered Intelligence from September 2017, either directly by the Department or through Arm’s Length Bodies or other delivery partners.

Gendered Intelligence has received funds directly from DCMS as a supplier of training on one occasion.

The National Lottery Community Fund has funded Gendered Intelligence to support young transgender people and their families through peer support sessions, mental health support and to reduce isolation.

Funding from Sport England enabled Gendered Intelligence to deliver capacity building training to national governing bodies; this was delivered through the Sport England’s Trans Inclusion Project.

Funding as part of the Big Night In campaign was administered by Children in Need on behalf of DCMS as part of the financial support for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to respond to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children below school age spend (a) 30 to 39 hours and (b) 40 hours or more per week in a formal childcare setting broken down by age of child in England for which the latest data is available.

The department does not publish the data required to answer this question. A range of related data is available in the 2022 childcare and early years survey of parents in England. This is a long-standing, nationally representative survey of 6,000 parents of children aged 0-14, with the latest data published on 27 July 2023. The survey can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2022.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of hours children under the age of two are likely to spend in a formal childcare due to the Government's free childcare provisions in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

In the Government’s Spring Budget on 15 March 2023, the Chancellor announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children, the economy and women. By 2027/28, the department will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week (over 38 weeks a year) from the term after their 2nd birthday, benefitting parents of up to 285,000 children. This will be extended to eligible working parents of children aged 9 months and over from September 2024, benefitting up to 640,000 children in total. From September 2025, this will be extended to 30 hours of free childcare per week.

Childcare is a vital enabler for parents to work. The new offer for working parents will tackle this barrier by closing the gap between parental leave ending and the government’s current entitlement offers so that more parents, and especially women, are supported to enter work.

The department monitors the average hours of childcare used by children of different ages via the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents.

In January 2023, 88.5% of disadvantaged 2-year-olds registered for the 15-hour entitlement were taking up between 12.51 and 15 hours of funded childcare per week.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of mothers in the workforce who would prefer to work fewer hours or not at all to enable them to provide childcare to their children.

The reporting year 2021 ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’ has findings on parents’ views on ideal working arrangements. The results of this survey are available at: https://www.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents/2021, including table 8.12. In 2021, 39% of working mothers of 0-14 year olds stated they would give up work to look after their children, and 58% would work fewer hours, if they could afford it.

The department recognises the valuable role that informal and family childcare arrangements play in supporting working parents, giving them additional flexibilities. The department is determined to support as many families as possible with access to high-quality, affordable childcare, which is why the Spring Budget 2023 announced the single largest investment in childcare ever. There are no current plans to look at the potential merits of introducing an individual childcare budget to support parents with informal childcare arrangements.

In 2021 children under one spent a median of 17.4 hours per week (note very small sample sizes) and one-year-olds a median of 18 hours per week in formal childcare. This data is not published broken down by household income. Table 1.7, also taken from reporting year 2021 ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’, contains further information. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no figures available for 2020. Data for 2022 is due to be published on 27 July 2023.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing an individual childcare budget to support parents with informal childcare arrangements such as that provided by (a) parents and (b) grandparents.

The reporting year 2021 ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’ has findings on parents’ views on ideal working arrangements. The results of this survey are available at: https://www.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents/2021, including table 8.12. In 2021, 39% of working mothers of 0-14 year olds stated they would give up work to look after their children, and 58% would work fewer hours, if they could afford it.

The department recognises the valuable role that informal and family childcare arrangements play in supporting working parents, giving them additional flexibilities. The department is determined to support as many families as possible with access to high-quality, affordable childcare, which is why the Spring Budget 2023 announced the single largest investment in childcare ever. There are no current plans to look at the potential merits of introducing an individual childcare budget to support parents with informal childcare arrangements.

In 2021 children under one spent a median of 17.4 hours per week (note very small sample sizes) and one-year-olds a median of 18 hours per week in formal childcare. This data is not published broken down by household income. Table 1.7, also taken from reporting year 2021 ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’, contains further information. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no figures available for 2020. Data for 2022 is due to be published on 27 July 2023.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the average number of hours per week that children under the age of two spent in a formal childcare setting in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022 by household income.

The reporting year 2021 ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’ has findings on parents’ views on ideal working arrangements. The results of this survey are available at: https://www.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents/2021, including table 8.12. In 2021, 39% of working mothers of 0-14 year olds stated they would give up work to look after their children, and 58% would work fewer hours, if they could afford it.

The department recognises the valuable role that informal and family childcare arrangements play in supporting working parents, giving them additional flexibilities. The department is determined to support as many families as possible with access to high-quality, affordable childcare, which is why the Spring Budget 2023 announced the single largest investment in childcare ever. There are no current plans to look at the potential merits of introducing an individual childcare budget to support parents with informal childcare arrangements.

In 2021 children under one spent a median of 17.4 hours per week (note very small sample sizes) and one-year-olds a median of 18 hours per week in formal childcare. This data is not published broken down by household income. Table 1.7, also taken from reporting year 2021 ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’, contains further information. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no figures available for 2020. Data for 2022 is due to be published on 27 July 2023.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to schools on (a) the collection of pupil data on preferred pronouns and (b) the use of pronouns in schools that do not correspond to those of the pupil’s legally registered sex.

The Department recognises that this is a complex and sensitive subject for schools to navigate, which is why it is developing guidance to support schools in relation to transgender pupils. The guidance will cover a set of relevant topics. It is important that the Department considers a wide range of views to ensure the guidance is right. As such, the Department has committed to holding a full public consultation on the draft guidance, prior to publication.

With respect to data collection, schools are not legally required to collect data on pupils’ preferred pronouns or on the number of pupils who identify as transgender or present with gender dysphoria. Schools are legally required to keep a school register containing information relating to all pupils, which should include their sex. They are required to provide details of pupil gender to Local Authorities, or to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, where requested.

25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of pupils who identify as transgender or present with gender dysphoria in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools.

The Department recognises that this is a complex and sensitive subject for schools to navigate, which is why it is developing guidance to support schools in relation to transgender pupils. The guidance will cover a set of relevant topics. It is important that the Department considers a wide range of views to ensure the guidance is right. As such, the Department has committed to holding a full public consultation on the draft guidance, prior to publication.

With respect to data collection, schools are not legally required to collect data on pupils’ preferred pronouns or on the number of pupils who identify as transgender or present with gender dysphoria. Schools are legally required to keep a school register containing information relating to all pupils, which should include their sex. They are required to provide details of pupil gender to Local Authorities, or to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, where requested.

25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she (a) has issued or (b) plans to issue to schools on policies on children who identify as transgender or present with gender dysphoria.

The Department recognises that this is a complex and sensitive subject for schools to navigate, which is why it is developing guidance to support schools in relation to transgender pupils. The guidance will cover a set of relevant topics. It is important that the Department considers a wide range of views to ensure the guidance is right. As such, the Department has committed to holding a full public consultation on the draft guidance, prior to publication.

With respect to data collection, schools are not legally required to collect data on pupils’ preferred pronouns or on the number of pupils who identify as transgender or present with gender dysphoria. Schools are legally required to keep a school register containing information relating to all pupils, which should include their sex. They are required to provide details of pupil gender to Local Authorities, or to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, where requested.

25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she (a) has issued or (b) plans to issue guidance to schools on the teaching of gender ideology.

The Department recognises that this is a complex and sensitive subject for schools to navigate, which is why it is developing guidance to support schools in relation to transgender pupils. The guidance will cover a set of relevant topics. It is important that the Department considers a wide range of views to ensure the guidance is right. As such, the Department has committed to holding a full public consultation on the draft guidance, prior to publication.

With respect to data collection, schools are not legally required to collect data on pupils’ preferred pronouns or on the number of pupils who identify as transgender or present with gender dysphoria. Schools are legally required to keep a school register containing information relating to all pupils, which should include their sex. They are required to provide details of pupil gender to Local Authorities, or to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, where requested.

25th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an (a) estimate the number of covid-19 lateral flow tests that have been distributed to schools and further education colleges since 1 January 2021 and (b) assessment of the effectiveness of (i) lateral flow testing and (ii) the vaccination of 12 to 15 year olds in minimising covid-19-related pupil absences from full-time education.

The testing programme is well-established in education providers. As of 19 January 2022, over 109.5 million tests (including household bubble and support bubble tests) have been completed in all education providers including higher education (HE). This includes:

  • Over 31.1 million tests completed for primary schools and nurseries

  • Over 72.4 million tests completed for schools and colleges

  • Over 4.1 million tests completed for HE institutions

Lateral flow device (LFD) tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. A recent report has shown that the accuracy of LFD tests was more than 80% effective at detecting any level of COVID-19 infection and likely to be more than 90% effective at detecting the most infectious people at the point of testing.

On 26 November 2021, every single nursery, school, college, and HE institution was invited to order supplies of lateral flow tests. They will have received their allocation of the 31 million tests, in advance of their pupils, students and staff returning, through a dedicated supply channel.

Vaccinating children should help to reduce the need for children to have time off school and should reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 within schools. Modelling by the Department of Health and Social Care published in September 2021 suggested that a single dose of the vaccine could reduce absences due to confirmed cases of COVID-19 by 33% among healthy 12 to 15-year-olds. This is assuming a 60% uptake. All eligible staff and students aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters, where eligible.

17th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether owners who register their dogs as an XL Bully type dog will be able to remove them from the register if they are later identified as a different breed.

There will be a process for owners to apply to have their Certificate of Exemption withdrawn if the owner considers that the dog is not within scope of the ban. We will announce details of how the process will work in due course.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2023 to Question 197914, whether she plans to extend eligibility for the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway in the future beyond the species currently included.

We will continue to work in partnership with industry to develop the Pathway offer, including looking at the potential to extend the Pathway’s reach to other species.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
5th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to include deer farmers in the rollout of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway rollout will initially focus on the most commonly farmed species: dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
29th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress her Department has made on reforming the social care workforce.

  • We are carrying out ambitious reforms for the care workforce to increase the supply and quality of social care.

  • We will shortly be publishing the Care Workforce Pathway setting out a career path for care workers, together with launching a new care qualification and funding thousands of training places.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the last new paediatric patient attended their first appointment at the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust gender and identity development service.

This information is not held centrally. However, no new first assessment appointments have been offered by the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust since the end of March 2023.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
22nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 August 2022 to Question 40021 on Coronavirus: Vaccination for children, if she will take steps to remove Pfizer covid-19 vaccination is removed from the NHS.UK schedule.

The NHS.UK vaccination schedule sets out which vaccinations individuals are eligible to receive through the National Health Service, including COVID-19. However, the schedule does not specify which specific COVID-19 vaccine will be used. The Government continues to be guided by the expert independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

19th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2022 to Question 17162 on Coronavirus: Vaccination for children, for what reason the covid-19 vaccination for five- to 11-year-olds was included in the NHS.UK vaccination schedule information for the purposes of raising awareness with the public; who made that policy decision; what the set criteria are for including vaccines on the NHS routine children's immunisations schedule; and whether the threshold for long-term benefit in otherwise healthy children has been met for the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine.

While the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s one-off advice for a non-urgent offer of the Pfizer vaccine in this age group was publicised on NHS.UK to raise awareness, it does not reflect a change in policy.

COVID-19 vaccination is not included in the UK Health Security Agency’s routine childhood immunisation schedule, which provides immunisation information for health professionals and immunisation practitioners.

13th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis is (a) for the inclusion of covid-19 vaccinations for children in the recommended list of NHS vaccinations, (b) that demonstrates the roll out of covid-19 vaccination for children provides long-term protection against disease, (c) that demonstrates covid-19 infection presents a substantial risk to children and (d) that risks to children associated with covid-19 vaccination are outweighed by benefits of vaccination.

On 16 February 2022, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised a non-urgent offer of the Pfizer vaccine should be made to children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a clinical risk group. The JCVI considers this advice as a one-off response to pandemic rather than part of the routine vaccination schedule. NHS.UK includes the offer of COVID-19 vaccination for this age group on its vaccination schedule information to raise awareness with the public.

Vaccine-induced protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and death is expected to be maintained for a longer period than protection against mild disease in children, as evidenced in the United Kingdom data for adults. Most children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a COVID-19 clinical risk group are at extremely low risk of developing severe disease with the majority experiencing asymptomatic or mild disease following infection.

The JCVI’s statement concludes that the potential health benefits of vaccination are greater than the potential health risks. Vaccination of children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a clinical risk group is expected to reduce the small number of hospitalisations and paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 cases. The extent of these benefits is dependent on the timing and severity of any future wave of infection.

14th Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what collaborative scientific research partnerships are ongoing between the UK and Israel to combat covid-19.

Funded by the Department, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR has led urgent public health research on COVID-19, targeted at both domestic and global research and development solutions. Outside the United Kingdom, we are funding global health research to tackle COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries, in partnership with UK Research and Innovation, using Official Development Assistance (ODA) to fund high quality applied health research and training. Countries eligible to receive ODA are as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee list of ODA recipients. Israel is not eligible to receive ODA and as such has not been involved in the NIHR’s global health research in this area.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
21st Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of Supreme Leader Khamenei’s recent statement about NATO.

We are aware of these comments. NATO is a defensive alliance and adheres to international law and to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. NATO's enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its Allies. Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has gravely undermined our security environment. The Alliance shares our unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We fully support Ukraine's inherent right to self-defence and to choose its own security arrangements.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
21st Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to progress Israel-Saudi Arabia normalisation talks.

The UK is committed to working with Arab and Israeli partners to help deliver shared prosperity and regional security. The Foreign Secretary made clear her commitment to the Abraham Accords at both the UK-Israel Strategic Dialogue on 29 November 2021, and subsequently at the Gulf Cooperation Council-United Kingdom Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 20 December 2021. The UK is working with regional partners to ensure the Abraham Accords are an enduring success, and continue to encourage other countries who have not yet normalised to do so. I discussed this point with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll during my visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in June 2022.

Amanda Milling
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
21st Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of the joint US-Israel declaration on preventing Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

We note the US and Israel adopted the Jerusalem Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration in July 2022. The UK's long-standing objective is that Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Iran has been in non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) since 2019 and its nuclear programme has never been more advanced than it is today. Iran's escalation of its nuclear activities is threatening regional and international peace and security and undermining the global non-proliferation system.

There has been a viable deal on the table since March which would return Iran to compliance with its JCPoA commitments, and return the US to the deal. The deal would reverse Iran's nuclear escalation, return Iran's nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. If Iran fails to conclude the deal its nuclear escalation will cause the collapse of the JCPoA. In this scenario we would carefully consider all options in partnership with our allies.

Amanda Milling
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the number of (a) mothers and (b) fathers who are likely to return to the workplace following the Spring Budget 2023.

HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK labour market, including assessments of the impact of the Budget, which are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The OBR judged that the overall impact of the policy package announced at Spring Budget 2023 is to increase the level of employment by around 0.3 per cent in 2027-28, this is equivalent to 110,000 individuals. This is the largest upward revision made to potential output as a result of government fiscal policy decisions in any of the OBR’s forecasts since 2010.

Further details can be found in the OBR’s latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March 2023: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2023/

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
15th Mar 2023
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the full or partial value of the free childcare hours entitlement to be paid to informal childcare providers such as grandparents.

The government is committed to supporting the early years sector and, at Spring Budget, announced an extra £4.4 billion of investment by 27-28 for the free hours offers in England. Through this package, the government will be more than doubling its spend on free childcare hours.

Local authorities are required by legislation to deliver free early education entitlements places through providers registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register. This can include nurseries, childminders (including those registered with a childminder agency) and schools which take children aged two and over and which are therefore exempt from registration with Ofsted as early years providers.

The government recognises that relatives do an incredibly important job in a child’s upbringing and can also help families meet their childcare needs. However, to ensure quality early education, free childcare entitlements cannot be used to pay family members to look after children.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
6th Oct 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost of extending the VAT Retail Export Scheme to countries in the EU from 1 January 2021.

The Government has announced that the VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) will not be extended to EU visitors, and will be withdrawn for all non-EU visitors, following the end of the transition period. However, retailers will continue to be able to offer VAT-free shopping to non-EU visitors who purchase items in store and have them sent direct to their overseas addresses and this will be available to EU visitors following the end of the transition period.

In 2019 HMRC estimate that VAT RES refunds cost around £0.5billion in VAT for around 1.2million non-EU visitors. HMRC also estimate that fewer than one in ten non-EU visitors use the VAT RES.

In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to around £1.4billion per annum.

The final costing will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
12th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which local authorities have been invited to to take part in the simplification pathfinder pilot.

The government has published a plan for simplifying the funding landscape for local authorities. This publication follows the commitment within the landmark Levelling Up White Paper, to deliver a more transparent, simple, and accountable approach to funding


The funding simplification pathfinder pilot will test the streamlined delivery of some DLUHC capital funding. All ten local authorities currently in receipt of funding from all three of the following DLUHC-administered capital programmes are eligible to participate in the pilot:

  • Future High Streets Fund
  • Town Deal funding
  • Regeneration funding from round one of the Levelling Up Fund

We will shortly be publishing further information about the Simplification Pathfinder Pilot, including the authorities that have confirmed their participation in the pilot.