Written answers

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

  • Department for Transport

    • High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of Schedule 17 applications submitted by High Speed 2 Limited have been (a) refused or (b) modified by the relevant...

    • Aviation: Crew

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that licences held by UK pilots are EASA recognised.

      Carbon Emissions: Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the Jet Zero strategy's alignment with the UK's (a) Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement and...

      Travel: Quarantine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Government Ministers have been exempted from quarantine in a hotel after returning from the UK from a covid-19 red list country to which they...

      Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation in its June 2021 Progress...

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage category C or D driving licence holders not currently employed in the HGV industry to take up work in that sector.

      Trailers: Driving Instruction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021, what assessment he has made of the effect of those...

      Railways: Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that will be created as a result of the Midlands Rail Hub in (a) Birmingham Ladywood...

      Railways: Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the vilability of proposals to reintroduce Birmingham Snow Hill Platform 4 as part of the Midlands Rail Hub.

      Travel Requirements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of working with governments around the world to develop a blueprint for travel regulations.

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 September 2021, Legislation - Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021,...

      Trailers: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that drivers holding a category B driving licence who tow trailers have a full understanding of the additional...

      Trailers: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of drivers towing trailers in response to the proposed changes under the Motor Vehicles (Driving...

      Driving Instruction: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending existing Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) licences in the context of the holders of...

      Trailers: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on road safety of there no longer being a mandatory separate driving licence category BE test for...

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2021 to Question 50953 on Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Standards, what progress his Department has made...

      Driving Licences: Italy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with the Italian government on allowing UK residents living in Italy to drive under their...

      Driving Tests: Highlands of Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the availability of practical driving tests in the Scottish Highlands.

      Trailers: Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the new rules for towing a trailer or caravan with a car from autumn 2021, published September 2021, what assessment he made of the...

      Driving Licences: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 23 February 2021 to Question 157213 on Driving Licences: Internet, what progress his Department has made with...

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of HGV drivers who use short-term medical driving licences; and what the average waiting time was...

      Ferries: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to provide a replacement for the EU Motorway of the Seas funding that was available to ports and ship operators...

      Shipping: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from the Scottish Government on financial support for (a) ports and (b) ship operators in connection with...

      Railways: Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail has increased the electricity prices it charges to (a) Freight Operating Companies and (b) Train Operating Companies to operate...

      Schools: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many retired pacer trains are planned to become classrooms in how many schools.

      Train Operating Companies: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Departmental press notice entitled Government takes over running of LSER services in response to over £25 million breach of...

      Southeastern

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there will be investigations into Govia's other franchise agreement following LSER/Southeastern franchise being taken over by the Government's...

      Southeastern: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his Department first identified evidence that historic taxpayer funding had not been returned by Southeastern railway.

      Railways: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a sleeper train service from Scotland to the European continent.

      Travel Restrictions: Nepal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department is using to decide whether to move Nepal from the covid-19 red list to the amber list to enable non-essential travel to...

      Aviation: Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the environmental standards will be for fuels in aviation in the (a) UK and (b) EU; and whether his Department has plans to harmonise those rules.

      Parking: Pedestrian Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of pavement parking on those with a visual impairment.

      Large Goods Vehicles: Concrete

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether an environmental impact assessment has been undertaken on the number of additional journeys that will result from the introduction of a 32...

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the safety standards of HGV driving tests are not lowered as a result of the reversing exercise element being...

      Trailers: Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the new rules for towing a trailer or caravan with a car from autumn 2021 published on 10 September, what assessment he made of the...

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help tackle the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s delays in dealing with applications arising from working from...

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help improve communication between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and its customers.

      Parking: Pedestrian Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle pavement parking.

      Transport: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish his decarbonisation plan.

      Electric Scooters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) preventive measures and (b) sanctions are in place to ensure that e-scooters are used only within the law; what safety criteria must be met...

      Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he is taking to process the backlog of applications at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

  • Department for Education

    • Chidren: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure effective support for refugees arriving from Afghanistan, including the enrolment of school aged children.

    • Universities: Remote Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of universities that are continuing to run classes remotely, rather than returning to...

      Levelling Up Fund: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to include disabled children in the levelling up agenda and help them recover from the covid-19 outbreak.

      Sikhs: Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing education around the Sikh faith in Key Stage 1 of the national curriculum.

      Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2021 to Question 51628 on Children in Care, for what reasons the Department does not account for the outcomes...

      Children: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Scope and the Disabled Children’s Partnership’s report, The gap widens, published in October 2021, which found that by...

      Local Government: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities have the capacity and resources to meet their targets for providing...

      Children: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding of Scope and the Disabled Children’s Partnership’s report, The gap widens, published September 2021, that...

      Teachers: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of teachers hold a degree or degree-level qualification in the subject they teach (a) nationally, (b) regionally in England and (c) by...

      Holiday Activities and Food Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated through the Holiday Activities and Food Programme to each local authority.

      Respite Care: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities have adequate resources to ensure every family with a disabled child can...

      Breakfast Clubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools currently use or provide breakfast clubs in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland.

      Schools: Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools have received capital funding in each financial year since 2015-16, broken down by region.

      Students: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will commit to a date by when students will be able to access Takaful-based loans.

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to (a) support the sustainability of the childcare sector and (b) facilitate access to affordable and high-quality early years...

      Computacenter: Remote Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many devices were purchased by the IT firm Computacenter for the purpose of the Get help with technology scheme; and what brand and model of...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning an independent review of childcare funding and affordability in the UK.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Companies: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the value was of fines levied against Scottish Limited Partnerships for failing to register people with...

    • Energy Supply: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of SSEN Transmission’s recent stakeholder survey...

      Clean Steel Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide a timescale for the allocation of funding under the Clean Steel Fund.

      Iron and Steel: Energy Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his Answer of 22 September 2021 to Question 51016, how much funding from the public purse has been diverted...

      Animal Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Centre for Economics and Business Research report, The economic impact of the UK’s New...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many of the applications received after the Post Office's Historical Shortfall Scheme closed on 27 November 2020...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many former postmasters applied to the Historical Shortfall Scheme after it closed on 27 November 2020.

      Animal Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Centre for Economics and Business Research report, The economic impact of the UK’s New...

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applications have been received for the Post Office Interim Payment Scheme; how many applications have been...

      Consumer Goods: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people who buy goods via online marketplaces are afforded the...

      Help to Grow Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people (a) have completed or (b) are undertaking the (i) Help to Grow: Management Scheme and (ii) Help to...

      Banks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of an exclusion order for regional mutual banks to allow those...

      Self-employed: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing a mandatory minimum cancellation period for the...

      Morrisons: Takeovers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what role the Government had in the CD&R takeover of Morrisons.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Castlereagh Foundation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish the members of the Castlereagh Foundation Advisory Panel.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there is an adequate number of GPs to meet current demand.

    • Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allow children eligible for the covid-19 vaccine to use walk-in and mass vaccination centres.

      Diabetes: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that adequate stocks of diabetic (a) equipment and (b) medicine remain available in...

      Influenza: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the size of the UK's stockpiles of (a) Oseltamivir (tamiflu), (b) Zanamivir (relenza) and (c) other antiviral drugs to treat...

      Heart Diseases: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce reporting requirements for providers and commissioners of heart failure services on (a)...

      Lung Diseases: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made additional resources available for the purposes of reducing the backlog of people accessing the Targeted...

      Lung Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that appointments made in relation to the Targeted Lung Health Check programme are as...

      Midwives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives Birthrate Plus suggests the NHS in England currently needs.

      Motor Neurone Disease: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to establish a motor neurone disease (MND) translational research institute committed to improving...

      Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the three million reported positive covid-19 cases in the three months from 8 July 2021 to 8 October 2021 were (a) aged more...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 vaccinations have been delivered through community pharmacies to date; and if he will publish each of the top 10...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK joining the EU Digital Covid certificate scheme.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what date it will be possible for vaccinated children in England to obtain QR codes to prove their vaccination status when travelling...

      Travel: Quarantine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he is requiring from hotels responsible for managed covid-19 quarantine provision on the handling of any (a) physical...

      Travel: Quarantine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies contracted to provide managed quarantine packages to passengers arriving in...

      WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place a copy of the UK's submission to the Secretariat in the Library in advance of the forthcoming Conference of the Parties...

      Travel: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the equity of international travel rules in relation to covid-19 for UK residents who have (a)...

      Travel: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that UK citizens who have received the Vaxzevria covid-19 vaccine produced in India are able to...

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the devolved Administrations on the development of the Tobacco Control Plan.

      Palliative Care: Nurses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of palliative care nurses.

      NHS: Agency Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what processes are in place to check whether NHS bank staff are not simultaneously reporting off sick from their permanent place of...

      Maternity Services: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will suspend charges for all maternity services to safeguard the health of women and children.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help the hon. member for West Lancashire to secure a response from the Minister for COVID Vaccine Delivery to...

      Health Services: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England has spent on purchasing hospital capacity and health services from private sector providers during the covid-19...

      Hospitals: Pharmacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve the dispensing of prescriptions when patients are waiting to be discharged to avoid delays.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Cemeteries: Vandalism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has raised the matter of desecration and destruction of Jewish burial sites in Europe with European...

    • China: Travel Restrictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on the challenges faced by British Nationals...

      Afghanistan: EU External Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council...

      China: Foreign Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to restore people-to-people links between the UK and China.

      Yemen: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to bring an end to the war in Yemen through (a) its membership of the UN...

      Occupied Territories: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 21 January 2021 to Question 138479, on Occupied Territories: Education, how much...

      Arab States: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2021 to Question 43429 on Arab States: Israel, whether the Government is...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the research study for the Department for International Development entitled Value for Money...

      Palestinians: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the reasons for the delayed publication of the Georg Eckert...

      Palestinians: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 9 April 2019 to Question 240936 on Palestinians: Overseas Aid, whether the...

      Dalal Mughrabi

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 March 2017 to Question 67423, on Dalal Mughrabi, whether the youth camp named...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2021 to Question 43430, on Israel: Palestinians, what steps her Department...

      Israel: Occupied Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the Government's policy on UK direct investment in Israeli enterprises operating in the occupied...

      Palestinians: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of children in the Palestinian Authority who have been taught by...

      Eastern Europe: Undocumented Migrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council...

      UK Delegations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to make any changes to the process of selecting delegates to represent the UK at all Conferences...

      Afghanistan: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what documents her Department recognises as providing proof of nationality status for British nationals stuck in...

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to decide which international partners will be included in the Afghan...

      Developing Countries: HIV Infection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle inequitable access to HIV testing and treatment faced by some demographics...

      Developing Countries: Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to publish its action plan on ending preventable deaths.

      Poland: Travel Restrictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that UK citizens who have received the Vaxzevria vaccine produced in India...

      Norway: Travel Restrictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine batch are required to have their vaccine recognised...

      Balkans: EU External Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council...

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to renew the commitment to improve the nutrition of at least fifty million people for the period...

      Armenia: Azerbaijan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council...

      Developing Countries: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will make it its policy to introduce specific targets for climate finance that support gender...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Crime: Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with external relevant stakeholders on the introduction of a consultation on a victims law.

    • Judicial Review: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of potential effect of changes to judicial review on Scots Law; and what consultation he has had with Scottish (a) political...

      Secure Accommodation: Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on the placement of young offenders into secure children's homes.

      Legal Aid Scheme: Mediation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of legal aid assistance in mediation cases.

      Legal Aid Scheme: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has for the future of legal aid funding for housing cases.

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of legal aid providers in (a) Nottingham East constituency and (b) the UK.

      Judges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the last minute cancellation of court hearings as a result of a lack of availability of judges.

      Aiding and Abetting: Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has plans to keep official statistics on how many convictions rely on the law of joint enterprise.

      Police Custody: Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on the use continued use of Joint Interim Interview Protocol 4 with regard to access to remote legal assistance during police interviews.

      Prisons: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received representations from prison leaders on (a) unsafe staffing levels and (b) regime restrictions as a result of increased levels of...

  • Department for International Trade

    • Cheese: Japan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which UK cheese products are currently (a) designated as having full geographical indication status in Japan, or (b) awaiting the completion...

    • Tradeshow Access Programme: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the analysis by London Economics of the Tradeshow Access Programme to...

  • Church Commissioners

    • Church of England: Taxation

      To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how much has been paid in (a) tax rebates, including of VAT on repairs and (b) Gift Aid to Church of England...

    • Church of England: Finance

      To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how much has been paid in (a) National Lottery Funds and (b) Government grants to Church of England bodies...

      Church of England: Assets

      To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent estimate he has made of the value of investment and liquid assets of the Church of England (a)...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Armed Forces: Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military personnel employed by the Army are qualified as Class 1 HGV drivers; of those how many are stationed in the UK; of those stationed in...

    • HMS Queen Elizabeth: Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK-operated F-35s are currently onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.

      Afghanistan: Interpreters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2021 to Question 41667 on Afghanistan: Immigration, and with reference to the email of 6 October 2021 from the...

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse is to date of the Afghan relocation programme (ARAP); and whether funding for ARAP is classified as Official...

      Ministry of Defence: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s total expenditure for Research and Development was in each year between 2010-11 and 2020-21.

      Ministry of Defence: Assets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 158 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013 to 2014, what the constructive loss of £860,000,000 for impairment...

      Armoured Fighting Vehicle: Ammunition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department purchased a war stock of 40mm case telescoped ammunition for the (a) Warrior CSP fleet and (b) Ajax fleet.

      Ministry of Defence: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s planned Research and Expenditure spend is for (a) this financial year and (b) each of the next four financial years.

      Military Bases: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the disposal of the Kinnegar Logistics Base in Holywood, County Down, in the last 18 months.

      Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's plans are for a new Medium Lift Helicopter.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Equality: Europe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council of Europe on 28 September...

    • New Enterprise Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) people have been supported and (b) businesses established through the New Enterprise Allowance in I(i) Wales, (ii) Scotland,...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2021 to Question 21211 on Social Security Benefits, if she will provide the dates of incidents of death or...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all assessors at each stage of (a) a personal independence payment assessment and (b) subsequent appeals have access to insight...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to improve her Department's processes in response to the completion of internal process reviews in the last three years.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential effect on public finances of an (a) increase and (b) decrease of 1p per £1 to...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of varying the taper rate of universal credit for workers in the social care sector.

      Employment Schemes: Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to assist autistic people into employment.

      Disability: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to coordinate the work of the Ministerial Disability Champions to help disabled children and their families recover from...

      Carers Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the threshold for weekly earnings to be eligible for Carers Allowance.

      Covid-19 Local Support Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits for vulnerable households of extending the Covid-19 Local Support Grant until December 2021.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding the Government plans to make available for face to face support from third sector organisations currently contracted to assist...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants received their final payment of the £20 a week universal credit uplift on or prior to 8 September 2021.

      Employment and Social Security Benefits: Learning Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is she taking to improve the collection of benefit and employment data about people with a learning disability within her Department.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Timber: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to review the UK Timber Regulations.

    • Meat: Ritual Slaughter

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the Jewish community is able to continue performing Shechita.

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Listed Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2021 to Question 44161, on DEFRA: Listed Buildings, if he will publish a list of the...

      Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) develop and (b) publish a climate-smart fisheries strategy ahead of COP26.

      Hunting Act 2004

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Hunting Act 2004...

      Disposable Wipes: Plastics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the regulation of single use wet wipes containing plastic.

  • Home Office

    • UK Border Force: Patrol Craft

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which other Department along with her Department will be responsible for the tender of four new cutters for Border Police.

    • Detention Centres: Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to end the use of prisons for the purpose of immigration detention.

      Nationality and Borders Bill 2021-22

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the Borders and Nationality Bill with (a) the UN Convention on the Reduction of...

      Asylum: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals from Afghan nationals who have had their asylum claims refused are (a) outstanding and (b) have had their hearings...

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to ensure that people with a connection to the UK because of their work with UK universities on issues...

      Crime: Cross Border Cooperation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made with Interpol on the delivery of the Government’s I-LEAP law enforcement alerts platform.

      Arrest Warrants: Cross Border Cooperation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions since January 2021 individuals have been stopped and released by UK authorities in circumstances where it has...

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2021 to Question 51839, by what process Afghan nationals already in the UK with limited leave under...

      Fraud: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the 52 recommendations set out in the Government's Economic crime plan 2019 to 2022, published on 12 July 2019, how many...

      Convention on Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council of Europe on 30 September...

      Extradition: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the risk of torture for (a) members of the Sikh community and (b) other religious minorities facing...

      Immigration Controls: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average processing time is for EU family permit applications.

      Migrants: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish its proposals on additional information on No Recourse to Public Funds change of conditions...

      Migrant Workers: Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to publish details of the arrangements for issuing 5,000 temporary visas to HGV drivers; and if she will make a statement.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Department's service standards are for responding to correspondence from Honourable Members on (a) asylum applications, (b) visa...

      Migrant Workers: Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to include HGV drivers on the list of shortage occupations list to allow people who reside in the UK with work...

      Chevening Scholarships Programme: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Afghan Chevening scholars who were due to return to Afghanistan following their studies, but now cannot due to the situation in the...

      Psilocybin

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Crime and Policing of 17 June 2021, Official Report, Column 531, on the Misuse...

      Motor Vehicles: Recovery Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of guidance to the statutory charges recovery industry on (a) punitive charges and (b)...

      Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for his policies of the funding recommendation in part 2 of the Government’s...

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme will become operational.

      Honour Based Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate on so-called honour crimes at the Council of Europe on 28...

      Immigration: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU family permit applications have been received since 1 January 2021.

      Immigration: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to suspend the requirement for spouses from Afghanistan to pass the English language test in order to be able to enter...

      Migrant Workers: Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) correspondence and (b) representations she has received from representatives of the social care sector on adding carers to the...

      British Citizens and EU Nationals: Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that EU citizens with status and British citizens living in the UK who have received letters from...

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the volume of suitable accommodation in which people seeking asylum are housed.

      Immigration Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) reduce the average time taken to process passenger arrivals at Heathrow Airport, (b) tackle shortages of...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • High Rise Flats: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of buildings that have commissioned more than one EWS1 survey and received...

    • Derelict Land: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding from the Brownfield Land Release fund has been provided in grants to local authorities to date.

      Housing: Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what weight is given to Ministerial statements on housing growth by the Planning Inspectorate at local plan inquiries; and...

      Permitted Development Rights: Multiple Occupation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many local authorities have applied for an Article 4 direction in relation to Houses of Multiple Occupancy.

      Permitted Development Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Article 4 directions his Department has refused in the last (a) three months, (6) six months, (c) 12 months and...

      Permitted Development Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many article 4 direction requests his Department has received from local authorities over the last year.

      Landlords: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he received Durham County Council’s application seeking approval for a selective licensing scheme; and when he...

      Property Development: Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2021 to Question 49182, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the...

      Help To Buy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Help to Buy Equity Loan for use on...

      Permitted Development Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Written Statement of 1 July 2021, HCWS145, on revitalising high streets and town centres, what...

      Building Safety Fund: Leeds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether Cartier House, Leeds Dock, has been successful in its bid for funding from the Building Safety fund.

      Buildings: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the costs to fully repair all buildings under 18m with building safety defects.

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what powers local authorities have to ensure that housing permissions are built-out by developers and not left to lapse.

  • Scotland Office

    • Scotland Office: House of Lords

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will provide (a) a list of the Ministers in his Department who have been appointed from the House of Lords and (b) the length of their period in...

    • Scotland Office: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to improve his Department's response times to correspondence from members of the public.

      Retail Trade: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what contribution his Office is making to the development of the Scottish Retail Strategy.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 28 July 2021 from the hon. member for West Lancashire,...

    • Cobra

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether COBRA has met since 16 September 2021 to discuss fuel supply shortages.

      Coronavirus: Contracts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ask the relevant authorities to undertake detailed audits of the 73 Government covid-19 contracts...

      Procurement: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans publish details of (a) companies that were awarded contracts via the high-priority...

      Development and Use of Supply Chain Finance (And Associated Schemes) in Government Review

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to publish its response to Nigel Boardman's report into the development and use of...

      UK Commission on Covid Commemoration

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2021 to Question 11654, when he plans to the announce the (a) membership and...

      Succession: Males

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to end male primogeniture.

      Public Sector: Procurement

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's timetable is for publishing its response to its consultation on planned reforms to...

      Civil Servants: Location

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress the Government has made on the Places for Growth programme.

  • Treasury

    • Shipping: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions officials in his Department have held with relevant stakeholders on changing the classification of long-term assets in the maritime...

    • Whisky: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the contribution of the Scotch Whisky industry to (a) the Scottish and (b) UK economies in the last three years.

      Overseas Aid: Sudan

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether debt relief for Sudan will be counted as Official Development Assistance (ODA) in (a) 2021-22 and (b) future financial years; and how much ODA it...

      ICT: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to support proposals to establish a global centre for secure intelligent regulatory technologies in Northern Ireland.

      Loans: Small Businesses

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to extend the Term Funding Scheme to non-bank lenders to improve alternative financing options.

      Bank Services: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that banks are accountable for overseeing the accounts of disabled and vulnerable people for irregularities and...

      Bank Cards: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he is making available for small businesses paying high bank card processing fees to prevent them reverting to cash-only transactions.

      Small Businesses: Regional Assistance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the British Business Bank's regional angels programme will be extended with funding from his Department.

      Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the total amount which is due to HM Revenue and Customs as a result of tax credit overpayments.

      Business and Food

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent impact assessment his Department has made of the potential cost of upcoming Government regulations on (a) businesses and (b) food prices.

      Hospitality Industry: VAT

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on employment in the hospitality sector when VAT is returned to 20 per cent for this sector.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on tackling the discrepancy between the 5 per cent VAT incurred for home charging for...

      Minimum Wage: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the personal allowance in proportion to rises in the National Minimum Wage to ensure as...

      Equipment: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HMRC policy paper entitled, Temporary increase in annual investment allowance for plant and machinery, published 3 March 2021,...

      Research: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the system of research and development tax reliefs provides support for research that uses and develops new approach...

      Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Aviation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the aviation industry beyond September 2021.

      Universal Credit: Tameside

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the estimated £20 million that the economy of Tameside will lose as a result of the suspension of the...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead dated 27 May 2021 on Fix Care for All, reference MP69886.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Public Lending Right

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the total cost to the public purse was of the Public Lending Right in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.

    • Sports: Gender Recognition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report from the Sports Councils Equality Group and...

      Alcoholic Drinks: Marketing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the devolved Administrations on best practice on protecting (a) children, (b) people in...

      Platinum Jubilee 2022

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to encourage community participation in celebrations marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee; and...

      Social Media: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle scams on online dating sites; and what support is available to victims of...

      Royal Parks: Industrial Disputes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a response to Early Day Motion 476 on Royal Parks cleaners and playground attendants dispute.

      Destination Management Organisations: Reviews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to the independent review of Destination Management Organisations in England.

      Just Ask Estate Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the management of The Royal Parks estate on the level of job reductions included within the...

      Swimming Pools: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department for funding (a) the building of new and (b) refurbishing of existing swimming pools in the upcoming...

  • Prime Minister

    • Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Prime Minister, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 18 June 2021 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding social distancing measures at the G7 summit, reference ZA56790.

  • Cop26

  • Attorney General

    • Prosecutions: Standards

      To ask the Attorney General, how many open cases the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has closed due to the CPS sending queries to those that had submitted the case, but receiving no response in...

    • Serious Fraud Office: Prosecutions

      To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) company self-referrals, (b) whistleblower, (c) victim, (d) professional advisory, (e) competitor and (f) other referrals have been made to the Serious...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Shipbuilding: Cornwall

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing for the development of the maritime sector in respect of ship building or repair in Cornwall to service offshore or transport...

    • Shipbuilding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy will be published.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Ministers: Pay

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria they use in deciding which Government ministers receive a ministerial salary paid for by public funds.

  • Treasury

    • Uber: VAT

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when HMRC will start to collect VAT from Uber; and what assessment they have made of the amount of VAT to be collected.

What is this?

The parliamentary question is a great way for MPs and Peers to discover information which the government may not wish to reveal. Ministers reply via written answers, a list of which gets published daily.

We let you vote on whether or not the answer given is adequate.

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