First elected: 7th May 2015
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
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).
Reduce Indefinite leave to remain fees from £2389 to £243 for Health workers
Gov Responded - 1 Feb 2022 Debated on - 30 Jan 2023 View Stuart C McDonald's petition debate contributionsThe Home office is charging almost ten times the actual processing cost of indefinite leave to remain application fee from overseas health care workers. The Government should stop making profit from foreign health workers and instead seek to retain those foreign doctors and nurses in our NHS.
Release the Home Office's Grooming Gang Review in full
Gov Responded - 19 May 2020 Debated on - 3 Feb 2021 View Stuart C McDonald's petition debate contributionsThe Government is refusing to release official research on the characteristics of grooming gangs, claiming it is not in the “public interest”.
We, the British public, demand the release of the official research on grooming gangs undertaken by the Government in full.
We the British People Request a Public Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Gov Responded - 5 Nov 2020 Debated on - 3 Feb 2021 View Stuart C McDonald's petition debate contributionsThe Home Secretary said what happened to victims of child sexual exploitation gangs was “one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience.” Last year local authorities identified 18,700 suspected victims of child sexual exploitation. We want an independent public inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
These initiatives were driven by Stuart C McDonald, 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.
A Bill to make provision about leave and pay for employees with responsibility for children receiving neonatal care.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 24th May 2023 and was enacted into law.
Refugees (Family Reunion) (No. 2) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Angus Brendan MacNeil (Ind)
No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course
On average the department spends £348,089.16 on communications staff. We have 7 staff dedicated to communications all of which are full time employees.
On average the department spends £348,089.16 on communications staff. We have 7 staff dedicated to communications all of which are full time employees.
On average the department spends £348,089.16 on communications staff. We have 7 staff dedicated to communications all of which are full time employees.
The Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Home Office Immigration Enforcement in 2016 will be published on the CPS website in January 2021. In the meantime, I will ensure that a copy is placed in the House library.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including the offences charged by way of the Immigration Act 1971.
During the last 10 years, up to the end of March 2020, the number of offences charged by way of section 25 of the Immigration Act 1971 is as follows:
| Immigration Act 1971 { 25(1) } | Immigration Act 1971 { 25(2) } | Immigration Act 1971 { 25(A)(1) } | Immigration Act 1971 { 25(B)(1) } |
2010-2011 | 397 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
2011-2012 | 390 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
2012-2013 | 430 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
2013-2014 | 311 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2014-2015 | 382 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2015-2016 | 321 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
2016-2017 | 440 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
2017-2018 | 330 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
2018-2019 | 295 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
2019-2020 | 273 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System |
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
It is not possible to separately report whether any offences involved the use or control of a vessel at sea other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
The Law Officers have not issued any guidance, advice or instructions to Crown Prosecution Service lawyers on prosecutions under section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 in the last 18 months. However, the CPS has clear and published policy guidance on the prosecution of immigration offences, which reflects the Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the CPS and Home Office Immigration Enforcement in 2016. This establishes the agreed approach and public interest factors which prosecutors must consider when reviewing immigration cases. No further recent guidance has been issued to Crown Prosecutors on section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971.
Neither the Attorney General's Office nor the CPS have received representations from the Home Office on prosecutions under section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 in the last 18 months. The joint approach between the CPS and Immigration Enforcement is to consider prosecution under section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 for anyone who has been involved in organising and planning the offences.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including the offences charged by way of the Immigration Act 1971.
During the last 10 years, up to the end of March 2020, the number of offences charged by way of section 25 of the Immigration Act 1971 is as follows:
| Immigration Act 1971 { 25(1) } | Immigration Act 1971 { 25(2) } | Immigration Act 1971 { 25(A)(1) } | Immigration Act 1971 { 25(B)(1) } |
2010-2011 | 397 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
2011-2012 | 390 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
2012-2013 | 430 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
2013-2014 | 311 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2014-2015 | 382 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2015-2016 | 321 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
2016-2017 | 440 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
2017-2018 | 330 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
2018-2019 | 295 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
2019-2020 | 273 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System |
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
It is not possible to separately report whether any offences involved the use or control of a vessel at sea other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
The Law Officers have not issued any guidance, advice or instructions to Crown Prosecution Service lawyers on prosecutions under section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 in the last 18 months. However, the CPS has clear and published policy guidance on the prosecution of immigration offences, which reflects the Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the CPS and Home Office Immigration Enforcement in 2016. This establishes the agreed approach and public interest factors which prosecutors must consider when reviewing immigration cases. No further recent guidance has been issued to Crown Prosecutors on section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971.
Neither the Attorney General's Office nor the CPS have received representations from the Home Office on prosecutions under section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 in the last 18 months. The joint approach between the CPS and Immigration Enforcement is to consider prosecution under section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 for anyone who has been involved in organising and planning the offences.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 5 December is attached.
On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 would be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022.
Further details will be set out in due course.
As referenced in the Government’s response to questions asked on 23 November, the Government is committed to protecting the rights of resident EU nationals, and their family members, to enable them to live and work here as they do now after the end of the transition period. This includes maintaining the rights and opportunities of those with status under the EU Settlement Scheme to be eligible for employment in non-reserved posts within the Civil Service.
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of resident EU nationals, and their family members, to enable them to live and work here as they do now when free movement is ended. This includes the rights of those currently working in the Civil Service and we will be updating the Civil Service Nationality Rules before the end of the year.
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of resident EU nationals, and their family members, to enable them to live and work here as they do now when free movement is ended. This includes the rights of those currently working in the Civil Service and we will be updating the Civil Service Nationality Rules before the end of the year.
We are committed to introducing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as quickly as possible and work is ongoing across Government to deliver these new entitlements by April 2025 at the earliest, subject to parliamentary scheduling of the necessary SIs.
In the region of 40,000 babies spend over one week in neonatal care each year and it is estimated that approximately 60,000 parents will be eligible for Neonatal Care Leave and Pay with around 34,000 parents taking up this entitlement every year.
The Government has been codesigning the consultation with the community energy sector via the Community Energy Contact Group (CECG). The Government intends to publish the consultation as soon as possible.
The Government is considering new ways to protect consumers in the energy market as stated in the Autumn Statement. These changes will apply from April 2024. As part of the wider retail market reforms the Government will engage with consumer groups and industry stakeholders One option that will be considered will be a social tariff.
The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee will bring a typical household bill down to the equivalent of around £2500 per year from 1 October 2022 to end of March 2023 (with equivalent support in NI). From April 2023, the Energy Price Guarantee will be adjusted to cap typical household bills at £3,000 until the end of March 2024. Additionally, the Energy Bills Support Scheme will provide electricity customers in Great Britain with £400 off their bills from October 2022.
Ofgem Standard Licence Conditions require suppliers to ensure that prepayment meters are only installed where it is ‘safe and reasonably practicable’ - including consideration of whether a consumer’s vulnerability makes a prepayment meter a poor choice, for example where medical equipment is required.
£100 provides comparable support to a typical household using heating oil as that provided to a gas heated household benefiting from the Energy Price Guarantee. The Government is working at speed to deliver robust support for off-grid non-domestic consumers and will publish more details in due course.
The UK has a comprehensive consumer safety and protection regulatory framework that covers button batteries, with obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure their products are safe before they are placed on the market.
The safety of button batteries is regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR) and there are specific requirements on button batteries used in toys under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011.
The Government commissioned the British Standards Institution (BSI) to publish a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) standard on the safe use of button batteries. Developed with technical experts drawn from a wide range of stakeholders including consumers and businesses, it was published on 30 April this year and specifies safety requirements for button and coin batteries to mitigate the risk of ingestion.
We will continue to work with stakeholders and other interested parties to assess how technologies such as bittering agents and any other options available can be used to enhance safety.
The Government is intending to support the development of at least two Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) clusters to support the energy transition at industrial sites across the UK. This process is ongoing with an announcement expected later this year.
Employers are only required to notify my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State if they are proposing making more than 20 people redundant. However, the Office for National Statistics produce detailed statistics on redundancies by industry and individual characteristics.
There are laws in place to ensure that any redundancy process should be fair and reasonable with appropriate equalities considerations. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly selected for redundancy, or that the redundancy was unfair in some other way, can complain to an employment tribunal who will make an assessment. The Government publishes quarterly tribunal statistics, including on unfair dismissal and discrimination claims.
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) has been introduced to help small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. Businesses are not required to bank with their provider in order to be eligible for a loan under the Bounce Back Loans Scheme (BBLS).
It is also not a requirement of the Scheme for businesses to operate via a business account. However, some lenders may request that an applicant opens a business account in line with their standard policies. This is at the sole discretion of the lender. There are now 14 lenders accredited under the scheme, providing more choice for SMEs. Details of accredited lenders can be found on the British Business Bank’s website.
In order to apply for the scheme, businesses need to complete a short, simple online application form. A lender may consider paying funds into a personal current account if no business bank account is held, if it has been satisfactorily evidenced that the personal current account is being used for business purposes. In some cases, borrowers may need to include their 2018-19 HMRC self-assessment tax return alongside the form to verify their status as a business.
The Government regularly engages with manufacturers and manufacturing trade associations on opportunities to support the growth and competitiveness of manufacturing sectors in the UK. Ultimately, the proposed closure of Cummins’ Cumbernauld factory is a commercial decision for the company.
The correspondence referred to is currently receiving attention. A reply will be issued shortly.
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission called on the industry to work together to develop a single customer view which could support interventions across multiple operators to prevent harmful gambling. The Commission has since worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office and the industry to progress the work. The project is currently entering a pilot stage with GAMSTOP, which operates the national online self-exclusion scheme, as technical provider.
The Government and the Commission will monitor the progress of the trials closely, and further information will be published in due course. The Gambling Commission’s most recent update surrounding progress and next steps can be found here.
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission called on the industry to work together to develop a single customer view which could support interventions across multiple operators to prevent harmful gambling. The Commission has since worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office and the industry to progress the work. The project is currently entering a pilot stage with GAMSTOP, which operates the national online self-exclusion scheme, as technical provider.
The Government and the Commission will monitor the progress of the trials closely, and further information will be published in due course. The Gambling Commission’s most recent update surrounding progress and next steps can be found here.
Public Health England (PHE)’s evidence review of gambling-related harms estimated that the annual direct cost to the government associated with people who are problem gamblers was approximately £647 million per year, although it was unable to make a direct assessment of the cost of gambling harm specifically. Our Review of the Gambling Act aims to ensure that the protections in place to prevent harm are appropriate and effective for the digital age. It is looking at issues around research as part of its broad scope.
The future of the over 75 concession, including cost, is now a matter for the BBC following the passage of the Digital Economy Act 2017.
The government remains deeply disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over 75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC.
The BBC also remains responsible for enforcing and administering the TV licence. The BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over 75s concession and we expect it to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
Children who have recently arrived from Afghanistan are entitled to full time education and one of the department’s priorities is to ensure they receive it. The duty to provide sufficient education for all school-age children rests with local authorities and the government is working closely with local authorities where Afghan families reside to ensure they can access education as soon as possible.
The department is urgently making available additional funds to local authorities to provide educational support and help Afghan children and young people settle into their local schools and communities.
The department cannot set an end date as Afghan families continue to come into the UK. We are working with departments across government and local authorities to ensure the availability of school places are taken into account as new families arrive and are settled into the country.
Children who have recently arrived from Afghanistan are entitled to full time education and one of the department’s priorities is to ensure they receive it. The duty to provide sufficient education for all school-age children rests with local authorities and the government is working closely with local authorities where Afghan families reside to ensure they can access education as soon as possible.
The department is urgently making available additional funds to local authorities to provide educational support and help Afghan children and young people settle into their local schools and communities.
The department cannot set an end date as Afghan families continue to come into the UK. We are working with departments across government and local authorities to ensure the availability of school places are taken into account as new families arrive and are settled into the country.
The chair and expert panel were directly appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs based on a set of criteria, including for their knowledge and expertise covering farming, fisheries, processing and manufacturing aspects of the supply chain. Since it was an independent review, Defra is not responsible for commenting on the specific evidence used to shape the final report, but notes that the Review does contain a Methodology section with more information that may be of interest. However, Defra does undertake an annual survey of workers involved in the Seasonal Worker visa route and this information was made available to the review team.
The chair and expert panel were directly appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs based on a set of criteria, including their expertise in the food and farming sector. This method of appointment is common practice for independent reviews commissioned by HM Government.
Now that the final report has been published, we will look closely at the findings and set out our response in the Autumn.
We cannot publish any numbers with regards to the Seasonal Workers visa route which are outside of official approved Home Office published statistics. Details of the numbers of visas granted for seasonal workers, through the Seasonal Worker visa route, have been published in the usual way via the Home Office’s quarterly immigration statistics.
We cannot publish any numbers with regards to the Seasonal Workers visa route which are outside of official approved Home Office published statistics. Details of the numbers of visas granted for seasonal workers, through the Seasonal Worker visa route, have been published in the usual way via the Home Office’s quarterly immigration statistics.
We cannot publish any numbers with regards to the Seasonal Workers visa route which are outside of official approved Home Office published statistics. Details of the numbers of visas granted for seasonal workers, through the Seasonal Worker visa route, have been published in the usual way via the Home Office's quarterly immigration statistics.
The Government committed in its manifesto to introduce a ban on the import of hunting trophies from endangered species. The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the publication of the Government response to the recent consultation and call for evidence on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies. We will set out our plans for action on this important area as soon as it is practical to do so.
On 22 December 2020, the Government extended the Seasonal Workers Pilot for one year and expanded the number of visas from 10,000 to 30,000.
The extension and expansion of the Pilot for 2021 will allow for further evaluation of the pilot, including how growers will reduce their reliance on migrant labour now we have left the EU, whilst also easing some of the pressure felt on farms when they are at their busiest. The first-year evaluation information will be published later this year.
Defra is working closely with industry and the Home Office to better understand the effectiveness of interventions and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.
On 22 December 2020, the Government extended the Seasonal Workers Pilot for one year and expanded the number of visas from 10,000 to 30,000.
The extension and expansion of the Pilot for 2021 will allow for further evaluation of the pilot, including how growers will reduce their reliance on migrant labour now we have left the EU, whilst also easing some of the pressure felt on farms when they are at their busiest. The first-year evaluation information will be published later this year.
Defra is working closely with industry and the Home Office – who engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations, when designing and implementing immigration policy – to better understand the effectiveness of interventions and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.
This Government is committed to upholding our high environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards as we leave the EU. The EU Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing food safety provisions, including existing import requirements, onto the UK statute book after the Transition Period. These requirements include a ban on using artificial growth hormones in domestic and imported products, and set out that no products, other than potable water, are approved to decontaminate poultry carcasses.
Our manifesto is clear that in all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards.
We are already engaging with the agricultural sector as part of our trade discussions and we will continue to work closely with the National Farmers’ Union and other relevant stakeholders across the food chain to understand the concerns about the impact of new trade deals, as well as the opportunities. The Government has in place a range of stakeholder groups to feed into our policy development on trade. These include the Strategic Trade Advisory Group, the Agri-Food Expert Trade Advisory Group and various supply chain groups.
It is the responsibility of the UK Government to negotiate international agreements, and it is vital that we retain appropriate flexibility to proceed with negotiations at pace.
We are nevertheless clear that the devolved administrations should be closely involved in the process. We have already engaged extensively with them in negotiation preparations, and will continue to do so. There is no need to set out in statute a course of action we are already pursuing.
Last Thursday, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Lord Callanan, Minister of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union, met with Mike Russell at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations.
The power in clause 11(3) will be used to ensure that the Special Immigration Appeals Commission is able to hear a review of an exclusion direction made on national security grounds in relation to an individual within the scope of the EU Settlement Scheme.
There is no intention to use the power in clause 11 to limit the scope or availability of judicial review.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to reducing the backlog of driving tests as quickly as possible. It has measures in place to increase the number of driving tests available, once it is safe for tests to resume. These include offering overtime and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to carry out tests (warrant card holders) to do so, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays). A recruitment campaign is also underway to increase the overall number of driving examiners available for testing.
The Road Traffic Act 1988 only allows a full driving licence to be issued if the person has passed the test of competence to drive. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) 1999 regulations requires driving test examiners to meet certain criteria and pass an initial qualification and examination before being authorised by the Secretary of State to conduct practical driving tests. The regulations also specifically prohibit an examiner from simultaneously being an active approved driving instructor (ADI).
Although ADIs are well qualified and proficient in driving and instruction, they are not experienced assessors and this is evidenced by the current practical test pass rate of 47%. Driving examiners undertake rigorous and continuing training throughout their career. They also test many types of learners and are regularly evaluated to ensure they conduct tests in a fair and consistent manner.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Public Health Information for Passengers Travelling to England) Regulations 2020 were laid on 8 June 2020. These regulations require carriers to ensure that passengers who arrive at a port on a relevant service are provided with information about coronavirus, and related duties and public health guidance.
Guidance for these regulations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-requirements-to-provide-public-health-information-to-passengers-travelling-to-england
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Pre-Departure Testing and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 require transport operators to ensure that all passengers aged 11 and over travelling from outside the Common Travel Area to England have proof of a negative test result before permitting them to board. They will need to check the test result notification of each passenger ahead of boarding.
Guidance for operators has been circulated which sets out the requirements in detail.
The Government is actively working on the practicalities of using testing to release people from self-isolation earlier than 14 days. The Global Travel Taskforce is working at pace to consider how testing, technology and innovation can drive a recovery for international travel and tourism, without adding to infection risk or infringing on our overall NHS test capacity.
The two-year validity period of the approved driving instructor (ADI) qualification process is set in legislation and the Government has decided not to lay further legislation to extend it. This is to ensure a potential driving instructor’s road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date to help them prepare for their remaining qualifying tests and deliver effective instruction once they have joined the ADI register.