Written answers

Thursday, 21 October 2021

  • Department for Transport

    • Travel Restrictions: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Joint Biosecurity Centre's risk assessment in July 2021 found Germany to be a higher risk for international travel than Croatia.

    • Local Government: Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the stockpiles of rock salt held by local authorities in England; and how those figures compare to the stockpiles...

      Roads: Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many tonnes of rock salt were held in the strategic stockpiles maintained by (a) his Department and (b) Highways England, as of 1 October 2021;...

      Train Operating Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to update the data on (a) Operating payments to Train Operating Companies under emergency agreements and (b) Emergency Measure Agreement...

      Railways: Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the stockpiles of rock salt held by (a) Network Rail, (b) Train Operating Companies and (c) other railway station...

      High Speed Two: Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of apprentices currently employed by HS2.

      Electric Scooters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the interim report outlining the initial findings of the e-scooter trials.

      Ports: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions has he had with operators of key freight ports on (a) staffing levels and (b) the subsequent impact on the movement of goods;...

      Travel Restrictions: South Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussion he has had with officials in South Africa on South Africa's covid-19 red travel list designation.

      Travel Restrictions: South Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason South Africa is on the red list for international covid-19 travel restrictions; and if he will publish the (a) data and (b) evidential...

      Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting the use of powered light vehicles to (a) improve congestion, (b) improve air quality...

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on improving the range of services available to...

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Facilities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) access to and (b) quality of service station facilities for haulage drivers in the UK.

      Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many installations have been supported by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles as part of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme in (a) the...

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling people who hold a category DE driving licence to (a) automatically acquire a category...

      Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the consultation on the phase out of non-zero-emission L-Category vehicles will be published.

      Driving: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to offer support towards the cost of obtaining a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence for those people...

      Road Signs and Markings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which road signs a local authority has to seek his approval prior to installation.

      Motorway Service Areas: Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of investing in additional facilities at motorway service stations, to improve working conditions...

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the temporary increase to the maximum daily working hours for HGV drivers on road safety.

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the ongoing shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers.

      Electric Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage investment in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing in the UK.

      Transport: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Treasury to help ensure that transport decarbonisation measures are adequately...

      Transport: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on ensuring that the Net...

      Travel: Enfield North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) decarbonise transport and (b) encourage active travel in Enfield North constituency.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his policy to deliver the eastern leg of HS2.

      Transport: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will publish the datasets used for the mode by mode decarbonisation pathways contained in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

      Driving Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the waiting time for driving tests.

      Roads: Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the stockpiles of rock salt held by the highways authorities in England; and how those figures compare to the...

      Driving Tests: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what date his Department expects the driving theory test backlog to be cleared in the North East of England.

      Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of outstanding (a) driving licence applications, (b) short-term medical driving licence applications and (c)...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Magnesium: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of the rise in the price of magnesium and supply issues on the aluminium...

    • Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what provision has been made in Treasury accounts for the potential exercising of its Coronavirus Business Interruption...

      Parental Leave: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) extending the period of and (b) increasing rates of pay for...

      Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) current and (b) estimated rate of default amongst (a) Coronavirus Business...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses have defaulted on a loan provided through the (a) Bounce Back Loan and (b) Coronavirus Business...

      Director of Labour Market Enforcement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 10 February 2021 to Question 147880 on Director of Labour Market Enforcement, on what...

      Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of default rates amongst (a) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and...

      Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme: Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding has been granted through the (a) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and (b) Bounce Back...

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many electric vehicle charging points are available in each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK.

      Companies: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many fines have been levied against Scottish Limited Partnerships for failing to register people with significant...

      Business: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to publish a response to its consultation on corporate transparency and register reform.

      Insolvency: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to identify potential failures in the insolvency industry; and whether his...

  • Northern Ireland Office

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Ambulance Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the number of ambulance handover delays by trust since 1 April 2021.

    • Ambulance Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the average response times for each ambulance category by month from April to September 2021.

      Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional resources have been made available to local government to (a) administer the Infection Control Fund and (b) ensure that...

      Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency: Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had on potential redundancies with executive officers at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

      NHS: Agency Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost to NHS hospitals has been of using (a) agency staff and (b) bank staff (i) in the financial year 2020-21 and (ii)...

      Mental Health: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase funding for research on mental health.

      Midwives and Obstetrics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) midwives and (b) obstetricians there are working in NHS England.

      Travel: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to add Hong Kong to the list of countries whose Pfizer BioNtech vaccination will be recognised by the Government for...

      Influenza: Mortality Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the influenza infection fatality rate in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to supply covid-19 booster vaccinations to people who have received the Novavax vaccine.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS software will be amended to allow multiple covid-19 vaccinations to be recorded and the appropriate vaccinations required for...

      Lung Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle regional inequalities in respect of lung cancer and (b) improve (i) the timeliness of...

      Health Services: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2021 to Question 33935, what steps his Department has taken to improve cohesion between the...

      Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of aligning the treatment pathway for heart valve disease with the pathways indicated...

      Radioligand Therapy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of specialist centres required to ensure wide and equitable access to radioligand...

      Medical Equipment: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review entitled First Do No Harm, what steps the...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the number of GP appointments in England that are being carried out face-to-face with patients as of 1...

      Cancer: Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 17 March 2020 to Question 27030 on Cancer: Dental Services, what progress NHS England has made on...

      General Practitioners: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government is making on rolling out evening and weekend GP appointments.

      GP Surgeries: Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider a public information campaign to help combat the abuse of staff and GPs in GP surgeries.

      Maternity Services: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the new maternity workforce planning tool that he commissioned from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists...

      Medical Records: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2021 to Question 10377 on Medical Records: Data Protection, what proportion of the registered addresses...

  • Department for Education

    • School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the impact of food shortages and supply chain issues on suppliers of school meals.

    • Education: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure equal accessibility in education for children from all backgrounds.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisons: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Stafford, published on 21 September 2021, whether the free 0800 phone number...

    • Crimes of Violence and Sexual Offences: Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference t to Chapter 12 of the Equal Treatment Bench Book, what assessment he has made of the effect on victims of violent and sexual assault of...

      CAFCASS: Administrative Delays

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the level of the backlog of cases in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service as at 22 September 2021;...

      Low Newton Prison: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the 2021 Independent Monitoring Board Report for HMP/YOI Low Newton, what steps he plans to take to (a) ensure that women with severe...

      Youth Custody: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on the length of time children in secure custody should spend in their cells per day.

      Community Policing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to consult on a statutory duty on public bodies to commission specialist community based (a) domestic abuse and (b) sexual...

      Domestic Abuse: Community Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding the Government has allocated for the provision of community-based domestic abuse services for (a) adult victims, (b) child victims and...

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to extend access to legal aid.

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to improve data collection on court proceedings involving defendants aged under 18 in youth courts, adult magistrates courts and...

      Prison Sentences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to facilitate the eventual termination of all imprisonment for public protection sentences in response to the...

      Prisons: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prison staff who were absent from work as a result of inability to access fuel for travel to work during the...

  • Treasury

    • Taxation: Electronic Commerce

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of online retailers on online sales taxes.

    • Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Appeals

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reconsider the no right to appeal rule for those who are denied Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants from HMRC.

      Energy: VAT

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to reduce VAT on energy bills for families in the UK.

      SME Brexit Support Fund

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been provided in grants by the SME Brexit Support Fund to each region of the UK.

      Waste Disposal: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing tax incentives to encourage the (a) sorting and (b) biological treatment of waste before...

      UK Infrastructure Bank: Staff

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff on a (a) FTE and (b) headcount basis work for the National Infrastructure Bank (i) as at 1 October 2021 and (ii) for each month of its operation.

      UK Infrastructure Bank

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many financing arrangements have been made by the National Infrastructure Bank (a) since it was set up and (b) in each month of its operation; and what...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Palestinians: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has plans to review the allocation of funding to the Palestinian education system following...

    • Afghanistan: Chevening Scholarships Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 September 2021 to Question 50090, on Chevening Scholarships Programme: Afghanistan,...

      Western Sahara: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on the mitigation of violence in the Western Sahara.

      Western Sahara: Trade Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 5 February 2021 to Question 139167 on Western Sahara: Trade Agreements, whether...

      Western Sahara: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of (a) the human rights situation and (b) the actions of the...

      Western Sahara: Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the US Administration on the recognition of that country of...

      Afghanistan: Repatriation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to evacuate remaining British nationals in Afghanistan and their families who...

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the clarity of advice issued to hon. Members and their...

      Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the £286 million allocated in aid to Afghanistan in 2021 has been dispersed as of 18 October...

      Russia: Non-governmental Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of the treatment of NGOs in Russia...

      Belarus: Diplomatic Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the decision by the Belarusian government to...

      Land Mines: Bomb Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the humanitarian mine action budget will be for the next three years.

      Palestinians: Textbooks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the cost of educational materials with hateful content in the...

      China: Uighurs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent reports of the alleged torture of...

      Palestinians: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will (a) raise with her Israeli counterpart (i) the fatal shooting of Mohammad Mo’ayyad Bahjat Abu...

      Developing Countries: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral evidence of the then Secretary of State and acting Permanent Secretary of the...

      British Nationals Abroad: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish an estimate of the number of British residents who (a) are being detained in countries outside...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to provide Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applicants with a reference number where that number has not been generated...

    • Armed Forces: Health Professions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding was allocated to medical and dental services for the armed forces in each year since 2015.

      Air Force: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the (a) Typhoon, (b) F-35B, (c) AH-64E Apache, (d) E-7 Wedgetail, (e) Land Ceptor/Sky Sabre SAM system will achieve formal linkage into the...

      Lebanon: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much defence equipment has been (a) sold and (b) gifted to Lebanon in the last five years.

      Artillery: Ammunition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what his Department last procured (a) ammunition rounds for the 155mm AS90 self-propelled artillery system and (b) propellant charges.

      Ammunition: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date his Department last procured (a) CHARM 3 rounds of any nature and (b) CHARM 3 charge bags.

      Islamic State: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilians have been killed by British airstrikes against ISIS-K as part of the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria, including the number of (a)...

      Military Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to certify rotary aircraft to transport F135 engines to Carrier Strike Group.

      Warships: Logistics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2021 to Question 51904, on Warships: Repairs and Maintenance, if he will outline the logistics supply chain...

      Royal Engineers: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, at what stage plans are at to relocate a regiment of the Royal Engineers from Kinloss to England; and what consultation has taken place with...

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many successful applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme have been relocated to the UK since the conclusion of Operation...

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel were assigned to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy team as of 18 October 2021.

      Army Air Corps: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will reconsider the Army Air Corps’ minimum height requirement for pilots of 5 feet 4 and a half inches in line with the US Air Force's...

      Armed Forces: Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of service personnel undertake the Annual Mental Fitness Brief each year.

      Armed Forces: Health Professions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many medical and dental professionals were employed by the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF in each year since 2015.

      Defence Equipment: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to help prevent potential halts in production of defence components in the defence supply chain sector owing to the impact of...

      Advanced short-range air-to-air missile: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has incurred any extra costs as a result of the delay to the in-service date of the ASRAAM Sustainment Programme.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Local Housing Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are in receipt of local housing allowance (LHA) in payment; how many of those households have rents which exceed the...

    • Kickstart Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of job placements made via the Kickstart scheme (a) to date, (b) in each of the last six...

      New Enterprise Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department has decided to end the New Enterprise Allowance scheme.

      State Retirement Pensions: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled, ​Women’s State Pension age: our findings...

      Pensioners: Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the steps her Department could take to help pensioners avoid fuel poverty ahead of energy bill increases.

      Winter Fuel Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take ahead of expected energy bill increases to help ensure that the Winter Fuel Payment is fit for purpose.

      State Retirement Pensions: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been received by her Department on the communication of changes to women's State Pension retirement age as at 18...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the equalisation of the State Pension on the (a) incomes, (b) well-being and (c)...

      State Retirement Pensions: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to reform the triple lock on the State Pension.

      State Retirement Pensions: Administrative Delays

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new state pension claimants have experienced delays in processing their claim in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c)...

      State Retirement Pensions: Administrative Delays

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people approaching State Pension age will face delays in receiving their State Pension.

      State Retirement Pensions: Administrative Delays

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all those affected by the delays in new State Pension claims have had their claim resolved.

      Pensions and Unemployment: Portsmouth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the closure of Cosham Pension Centre on (a) her Department's ability to process pension...

      Debt: Money and Pensions Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Money Advice and Pension Service debt advice tender process on local provision of debt advice.

      State Retirement Pensions: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that when rectifying the underpayment of the State Pension, the women affected are...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the eligibility criteria are for a claimant to receive their payments through her Department's Payment Exception Service when Post Office...

      State Retirement Pensions: Forecasts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the extent of delays in responding to requests for State Pension forecasts for people who have deferred their...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new claims for State Pension from (a) men and (bi) women were paid more than four weeks after the claimant’s sixty-sixth...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are facing delays in receiving their State Pension after sending in their application; how long people facing such delays are...

      Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to (a) raise awareness of Pension Credit and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the time period...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Ivory

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating an ivory surrender scheme.

    • Dangerous Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the research on responsible dog ownership commissioned by his Department from Middlesex University.

      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's supply of kosher meat is uninterrupted.

      Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the efficiency of export and import supply chains for UK-based food and drink...

  • Home Office

    • Visas: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will authorise entry clearance without biometrics for visa applications from Afghan nationals in (a) Afghanistan and (b) countries...

    • Chevening Scholarships Programme: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to include former Chevening scholars in the Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme.

      UK Border Force: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of hours the cutters used by Border Force run on their main engines per annum.

      Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has for consultation in advance of its forthcoming long term drug strategy.

      Police: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of police vehicles in (a) the territorial police force of Greater Manchester and (b) police...

      UK Border Force: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual fuel consumption costs are of Border Force's cutters.

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to lift No Recourse to Public Funds conditions on unaccompanied children seeking asylum.

      Veterans: Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish its response to the Immigration Fees Public Consultation.

      Home Office: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to provide a substantive response to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Manchester Gorton of 24 September 2021...

      Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support organisations that assist victims of sexual violence.

      Asylum: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to enable people in Afghanistan to be reunited with family members in the UK.

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Urban Areas: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the impact of (a) The Towns Fund, (b) the Levelling Up Fund and (c) the...

    • Towns Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of the total funding has been allocated from the Towns Fund to date.

      Public Lavatories: Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much each local authority has saved as a direct result of the abolition of non-domestic rates on public lavatories.

      Local Government: Local Press

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to enable local authorities to place statutory notices with digital-only local news outlets.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to Question 50971 and the correspondence dated 23 July 2021 from the hon Member for Bolton South...

      Social Rented Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of social house building rates.

      Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to deliver a new deal for renters.

      Land: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the national average value is of land designated for agricultural use per hectare.

      Recreation Spaces: Ministerial Responsibility

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which Minister has responsibility for parks and green spaces.

      Local Government: Meetings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Local Authority Remote Meetings call for evidence.

      Elections: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Government's voter ID plans, whether student IDs covered by the PASS scheme will be accepted as...

      Visual Impairment: Voting Methods

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2021 to Question 51854 on Visual Impairment: Voting Methods, what recourse would a...

      Local Government: National Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to Local Authorities of the increase in employer National Insurance.

      Local Government: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the financial cost relating to the increase in energy prices will be for local...

  • Scotland Office

    • Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government to encourage a UK-wide covid-19 vaccine certification mobile app.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Procurement: Overseas Trade

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Supply Chain Advisory Group plan to report their recommendations to the Cabinet on resolving...

    • Cabinet Office: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve his Department's response times to correspondence from members of the public.

      Business Appointments Advisory Committee: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on the adequacy of its...

      Parents: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the number of additional children beyond the annual average who have lost a...

      Census: Latin America

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will add Latin American to the list of ethnic identities to be included in the next census.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Trade Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to include supply chain security agreements for (a) medicines, (b) food, (c) gas and (d) other essential goods in...

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Internet: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to set standards for age-assurance technologies to protect children from harmful or age-inappropriate...

    • National Lottery: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential harms to people and communities of the National Lottery’s shift...

      Internet: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward proposals to strengthen online protections for children by requiring technology firms to tackle...

      Internet: Pornography

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward proposals to (a) bring pornography sites which do not host user-uploaded content within the scope of...

      Voluntary Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage volunteering during the recovery from the covid-19 outbreak.

      Planning Permission: Newspaper Press

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she plans to expand the requirement for (a) planning and (b) other statutory notices to be placed with news outlets to...

      Broadband: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that broadband providers deliver their advertised (a) service and (b) download...

      Channel 4: Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Channel 4 on the restoration of their subtitle service for people who are deaf or hard of...

  • Department for Transport

    • London Underground

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Mayor of London about restarting the Night Tube in London to help business recovery in the winter period.

    • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Remote Working

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports that 50 per cent of civil servants at the DVLA are refusing to come back into the workplace, what steps they will take to outsource DVLA work...

      Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency: Remote Working

      To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) staff are working from home; and how many are able to give full service to...

      Driving Tests

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many driving licence test centres have closed in the last two years; and where any such closures have taken place.

      Railways: Season Tickets

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 29 June (HL1509), whether they are now in a position to publish the research commissioned into...

      Shipbuilding: Isles of Scilly

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what, if any, funding (1) they, or (2) the EU, have (a) provided to, or (b) earmarked for, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group in connection with its work on...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Children and Young People: Health Services and Social Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to tackle the backlog in health and social care assessments for disabled children and young people.

    • Coronavirus: Drugs

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the (1) existing stock levels, (2) planned order quantities, and (3) delivery dates, for the COVID-19 antibody drug Ronapreve; and what is...

      Social Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the provision of social care for (1) the elderly, and (2) physically and mentally impaired people, at a (a)...

  • Department for Education

    • Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools have met the threshold specified in the Department for Education document Contingency framework: education and childcare settings for further...

    • Languages: GCSE

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the responses to the consultation on proposed reforms to modern language GCSEs.

      Teaching Methods

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tutoring opportunities for children in England are currently available at (1) primary schools, (2) secondary schools, and (3) schools catering for special...

      Languages: Classroom Assistants

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value to language learning in secondary schools of foreign language classroom assistants.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • State Retirement Pensions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government for each of the past ten years, how many (1) women, and (2) men, have had their state pension reduced owing to the death of a partner.

    • Universal Credit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit on (1) homelessness, (2) poverty, and (3) food bank usage; and...

  • Cop26

    • Climate Change: Developing Countries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the 2015 Paris climate talks commitment to provide $100 billion to developing countries; and whether they intend to make any such...

  • Treasury

    • Hospitality Industry: VAT

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the 12.5 per cent rate of VAT on hospitality until 2024 to help rebuild the nightlife sector.

    • Civil Servants: Remote Working

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 22 September regarding Treasury civil servants working remotely (HL2572), what plans they have to...

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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