Written answers

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

  • Department for Transport

    • Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the reasons for delays in the return of physical driving licences to applicants by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

    • Department for Transport: Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of his Department's (a) laptops, (b) mobile phones, (c) memory sticks and (d) external hard drives have been lost or stolen in each of the...

      Roads: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on levels of road safety of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) (EU Exit)...

      Gulf of Guinea: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the security situation for shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa.

      Travel: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the use of fake covid-19 passes for international travel.

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with EU officials on sharing vehicle keepers' details for the purpose of enforcing driving fines.

      Birmingham-Shrewsbury Railway Line: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits of the electrification of the Shrewsbury-Black Country-Birmingham line.

      Railways: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the economic impact of the Integrated Rail Plan on connectivity between Sheffield (a) Leeds and (b) Manchester.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many properties owners who received cavity wall insulation submitted complaints on the service they received in (a)...

    • Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many properties in (a) Wales (b) England (c) Scotland (d) Northern Ireland, have received cavity wall insulation in...

      Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the number of properties in (a) Wales (b) England (c) Scotland (d) Northern...

      Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to protect homeowners when the companies who issue guarantees for cavity wall...

      Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward (a) a review of the cavity wall insulation industry and (b) proposals for reforming the system...

      Renewable Energy: Community Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to facilitate community renewable energy generation; what assessment he has made of the...

      Aquind: Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2021 to Question 904619 on financial crimes, what related due diligence his...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to secure annual covid-19 vaccinations beyond 2021.

      Minerals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government is taking steps to simplify the mineral rights system within the UK.

      Lithium: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the potential for domestic production of lithium.

      Energy Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to restore stability to the energy market and ensure households have access to affordable...

      Counterfeit Manufacturing: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs which have been lost as a result of counterfeiting and piracy in the UK...

      Counterfeit Manufacturing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made on the impact of counterfeit and pirated goods on the UK economy.

      Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households were in fuel poverty by (a) principal local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency in England...

      Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to improve the take-up of the Warm Homes Discount; and if he will make a statement.

      Natural Gas: Storage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to increase the UK’s gas storage capacity.

      Natural Gas: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of entering a collective bargaining agreement...

      Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support is available for homeowners seeking to carry out energy-saving renovations.

      Nuclear Power: Hydrogen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the role of nuclear energy in hydrogen production through electrolysis of steam;...

      Hydrogen: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish proposals on lowering the financing cost of hydrogen production.

      Batteries: Lithium

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government’s assessment of lithium demand will be to meet electric car battery production in the UK by 2030.

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Litigation Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what services the Government Legal Department’s Litigation Group has provided to his Department since 1 January 2021.

      Minimum Wage: Enforcement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department’s press release, Over 200 employers called out for falling short of paying staff...

      Unpaid Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the (a) wages (b) number of hours lost to unpaid work trials at the outset of employment...

      Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date the decision was made to sell the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre; and for what reason that...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, where the additional vaccine supply for the extension of the covid-19 booster programme to younger cohorts will come from.

  • Attorney General

    • Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Attorney General, what advice she provided to Government colleagues regarding the compliance of their Departments with measures under the (a) 5 November – 2 December 2020...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Ambulance Services: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of ambulance waiting times in (a) London and (b) Hendon constituency.

    • Macular Degeneration: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of waiting times for patients awaiting treatment for (a) wet and (b) dry age-related macular...

      Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the consultation period is for The Cass Review; and if he will make a statement.

      Mechanical Thrombectomy: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling his Department has undertaken to estimate the capital investment required to (a) bring thrombectomy centres up to...

      Mechanical Thrombectomy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the number of centres which perform thrombectomy treatment.

      Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the launch of community diagnostic centres across England, what further steps he plans to take to undertake health...

      Opiates: County Durham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many opioid prescriptions were handed out in County Durham in the year to August 2021.

      Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure patients giving consent to having bodily implants are fully informed of the health risks caused by...

      Down's Syndrome: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that relevant health authorities take account of the specific needs of people with Down Syndrome.

      Coronavirus: Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to tackle long-term mental ill-health resulting from covid-19 lockdowns.

      Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of (a) the adequacy of the provision of therapeutic support for children and young people with...

      Coronavirus: Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of covid-19 lockdowns on the diagnoses of (a) behavioural and (c) mental health issues in...

      Down's Syndrome

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that relevant health, education and local authorities take account of the specific needs of people with...

      Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on healthcare of the appointment of a Director of Equality and Inclusion...

      Protective Clothing: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the allocated expenditure is for the rental of shipping containers by the Government or its agents to store unused personal...

      NHS: Overtime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the number of frontline NHS staff opting (a) to not work overtime and (b) to reduce the...

      Health Services: Redbridge

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential effect of pressures caused by the covid-19 outbreak on NHS staff retention in...

      Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2021 to Question 85192 on Hospitals: Waiting Lists, and in the context of the additional funding for...

      Coronavirus: Quarantine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require school-age contacts of Omicron variant cases to self-isolate.

      Viral Diseases: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for a future pandemic caused by non-flu and non-coronavirus family viruses.

      Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that prophylactic use of synthetic monoclonal antibody treatments are available where...

      Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the sale of the Vaccine...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prioritise those under 40 who were vaccinated for covid-19 as part of group 6 previously part of the booster...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to bring forward covid-19 vaccine booster jabs for people who were participants in the AstraZeneca...

      Coronavirus: Probiotics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the conclusions the Therapeutic Taskforce’s expert group on prophylaxis made after assessing the evidence of the benefits and...

      Coronavirus: Ronapreve

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the B.1.1.529 covid-19 variant on the (a) efficacy of Ronapreve and (b) efficacy of...

      General Practitioners: Ilford North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the ratio of GPs to patients has been in Ilford North constituency in each of the last five years.

      Blood: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the closures of all Plasma Donation Facilities in Barnsley Metropolitan Borough...

  • Wales Office

    • Birds: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the health of birds in Wales following the discovery of bird flu in Northern Ireland.

  • Department for Education

    • Scholarships: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department has provided to support the 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghan nationals at UK universities...

    • 16-19 Bursary Fund: Houghton and Sunderland South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of young people in the constituency of Houghton and Sunderland South are in receipt of the 16-19 Bursary, and whether that proportion...

      Secondary Education: Vocational Guidance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of provision of work experience and careers advice in secondary education in (a)...

      Apprentices: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the uptake of apprenticeships in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of...

      Further Education: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the qualifications to have funding removed under the level 3 qualification review; and if he will include in publication the...

      Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the outcome of the Post-16 study at level 2 and below consultation will be published.

      Schools: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have been supported by the School Rebuilding Programme in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield since...

      Pupils: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to schools to ensure pupils are protected and kept safe in online spaces; and if he will make a statement.

      Schools: Ventilation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2021 to Question 86209 on Schools: Ventilation, for what reason only 1000 air cleaning units are being funded for...

      National Tutoring Programme: Randstad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has carried out a review of the procurement process that led to Randstad being awarded the contract to run the National Tutoring Programme;...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Offenders: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support offenders in gaining employment following their release from prison.

    • Administration of Justice: Males

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the outcomes of BAME men in the criminal justice system.

      Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has plans to commence a stand-alone Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission.

      Prisons: Education and Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking expand educational rehabilitation programmes in prisons.

      Ministry of Justice: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the 46 legal exercises analysed in his Department's report Ad-Hoc Analysis of Judicial Diversity Statistics 2021, published on 9...

      Ministry of Justice: Litigation Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what services the Government Legal Department’s Litigation Group has provided to his Department since 1 January 2021.

  • Treasury

    • Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the changes in total rateable values were between the 2010 and 2017 rating lists (a) in total, (b) for retail, (c) for office and (d) for warehouse,...

    • Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of at what percentage of turnover the estimated receipts to the Exchequer for an Online Sales Tax would equal the total...

      Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the percentage changes in the rateable values between 1 April 2015 and 1 April 2021 on average for the same (a) warehouse,...

      Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Green Book recommended discount rate of 1.5 per cent per annum for policies that impact health or life outcomes, if he will have...

      Housing: Insulation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to allocate funding to the Welsh Government to tackle unsafe cladding in residential properties.

      Health and Social Care Levy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (b) the Scottish Government on the financial impact of the...

      Red Diesel: Rebates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on critical mineral production of ending of the red diesel rebate in April 2022.

      Taxation: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to raise taxes for the purposes of meeting costs associated with net zero targets.

      Treasury: Litigation Group

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what services the Government Legal Department’s Litigation Group has provided to his Department since 1 January 2021.

      Fuels: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the financial effect of the freeze on fuel duty since 2010 for the average motorist.

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on promoting the uptake of the Tax-Free Childcare scheme.

      Child Benefit: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the introduction of the High-Income Child Benefit Tax charge on single-parent families.

      Child Benefit: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the income threshold for the High-Income Child Benefit Tax charge.

      Inflation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Bank of England on steps to help tackle rising inflation rates.

      Electronic Commerce: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to protect businesses from charge-back fraud.

      Bank Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people have access to banking services.

      Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential effect of the Loan Charge on the (a) mental health and (b) number of suicides amongst people...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the economic impact of the covid-19 restrictions announced on 8 December 2021.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether all British Council staff that have applied under the ARAP scheme are now in the UK.

    • Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to take steps at the United Nations Human Rights Council to promote human rights in...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the Israeli Government's policy of withholding the bodies of Palestinians,...

      Iran: Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help ensure that that Iran will not become a nuclear power.

      Travel: Quarantine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK diplomatic staff posted in countries on the UK red travel list are exempted from quarantine...

      China: Minerals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make a statement on China’s dominance of the critical mineral sector.

      Ethiopia: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to help tackle the escalating conflict in Ethiopia and the prospect...

      UK Mission to the European Union

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff have been employed by the UK Mission to the EU in each of the last 10 years.

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Litigation Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what services the Government Legal Department’s Litigation Group has provided to her Department since 1...

      Travel: France

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether children aged 12 to 15 can travel to France without access to an internationally accepted way of proving...

      Spain: Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to establish bilateral arrangements with Spain to allow UK nationals to travel...

      Ukraine: Foreign Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of Ukraine’s compliance with Article 282 of the Political, Free Trade and...

      Ukraine: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total value is of payments from UK Aid to Abt Associates in respect of projects in Ukraine.

      Ukraine: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of Ukraine’s compliance with International Labour Organisation protocols.

      Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty Review Conference

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK officials will be attending the 2022 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Social Security Benefits: Suicide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the number of benefit claimants who have died by suicide.

    • Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the (a) reduction of the universal credit taper rate and (b) increase in...

      Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether alternative provision is in place for pension credit applicants who are unable to apply online.

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an assessment has been made of the potential merits of allowing State Pension claimants to choose whether to be paid monthly or...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she will respond to correspondence dated 8 June 2021 from the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston on the PHSO use of the severity...

      Pensioners: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) potential viability of providing additional financial support to pensioners during winter...

      Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to enable disable people to contribute their experiences into the process for compiling the planned...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Timber: Urban Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of banning (a) some or (b) all wood burning in urban areas on (i)...

    • Food: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support sustainable towns and communities initiatives that bring together local stakeholders to...

      Food: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce food waste in the hospitality and catering industries.

      Birds: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the fifth UK Birds of Conservation...

      Agriculture: Sewage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Environment Agency's Sludge Strategy in regulating the...

      Water Companies: Investment Income

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of analysis by David Hall, of the Public Services...

      Landfill: Sunderland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of the Halliwell Banks Landfill site on the surrounding area.

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Litigation Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what services the Government Legal Department’s Litigation Group has provided to his Department since 1 January 2021.

      Birds: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) mitigate the spread of trichomonosis amongst bird populations and (b) prevent the further...

      Flood Control: Blackpool South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's timeframe is for (a) consulting on and (b) confirming plans to spend recent allocations of flood...

      Dogs: Artificial Insemination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2021 to Question 57091 on Dogs: Artificial Insemination, what his planned timetable is...

      Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish further clarifications of the assistance that farmers will receive from the Rural Payments Agency before...

      Storms: Disaster Relief

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether additional funding will be made available to areas affected by (a) Storm Barra and (b) Storm Arwen.

      Sewage: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential ability of water utilities to make unpermitted sewage discharges during the...

      Birds: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to halt and reverse population declines in (a) puffins and (b) other seabirds.

  • Home Office

    • Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the delay in opening the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme is due to difficulties in moving people from bridging hotels into...

    • Visas: Married People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current processing time is for the determination of a decision on a spousal visa application.

      Visas: Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Turkish Businessperson visa applications received be her Department in the last five years were successful.

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on moving asylum seekers out of hotels under Operation Oak; and what steps she is taking to improve the condition...

      Seasonal Workers: Horticulture

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) including ornamental horticulture in the seasonal workers visa scheme...

      Undocumented Migrants: Hotels

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the total budget allocated to housing illegal migrants in hotels is commercial in confidence when that total would not...

      Seasonal Workers: Horticulture

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including ornamental horticulture in the seasonal workers visa scheme.

      Asylum: Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support is available through her Department to asylum seekers who (a) have never been issued an Asylum Registration Card and (b) have...

      Asylum: Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time was for an Asylum Registration Card application to be processed by UKVI in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

      Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent poverty among those with No Recourse to Public Funds.

      Immigration: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost of providing physical cards as proof of settled status.

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Care Homes: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he is having with City of York Council on the use of disused care homes for resettlement accommodation...

    • Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many (a) retail, (b) hospitality and (c) leisure properties, in the absence of short-term covid relief, would not have...

      Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the total business rates payable were in (a) warehouse, industrial and factory, (b) office, (c) retail, (d)...

      Public Lavatories: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will provide additional funding to local authorities for the construction of new public toilets.

      Community Renewal Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish the details of all non-successful bids made to the Community Renewal Fund by lead authorities.

      Levelling Up Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the location is of each Levelling Up Fund application by parliamentary constituency.

      Leasehold: Service Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of redress available to leaseholders who wish to challenge a service charge...

      Social Rented Housing: Waiting Lists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce social housing waiting lists.

      Gazumping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to protect buyers from the practice of gazumping in residential house purchases and sales.

      Buildings: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2021 to Question 59830 on EWS1 forms, if the Government will take further steps to...

      Park Homes: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to link park home pitch fee increases to CPI.

      Buildings: Fire Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2021 to Question 67182 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, what assessment the Government...

      High Rise Flats: Bristol

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government will take to ensure the delay in the Planning Inspectorate report on the Silverthorne Lane...

      Flats: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional guidance to prevent leaseholders from being...

      High Rise Flats: Bristol

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the reasons are for the delay in the publication of the Planning Inspectorate report on the Silverthorne Lane...

  • Scotland Office

    • Scotland Office: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Departments total overall spending was in 2020-21.

    • Scotland Office: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff were employed by his department in 2020-21.

      Lord Advocate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has received recent communications from the Scottish Government on the role of the Lord Advocate.

  • Cabinet Office

    • UK Trade with EU: Import Controls

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the Government is of new border infrastructure, including IT systems, put in place to...

    • UK Domestic Advisory Group and UK-EU Civil Society Forum

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the extension to the Expression of Interest to determine membership of the Domestic Advisory Group and...

      Government Departments: Remote Working

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the degree of compliance by UK Government departmental offices located...

      Government Departments: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) the Department for Health and Social Care and (b) other...

      Coronavirus: Public Inquiries

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the remit of the public inquiry into the Government's handling of the covid-19 pandemic will include...

      Prime Minister: Merseyside Police

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the Prime Minister wore a police uniform during televised media interviews on 6 December...

      10 Downing Street: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish full details of hospitality expenses incurred by No. 10 Downing Street for each day of...

      10 Downing Street

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister attended an indoor gathering at Downing Street on 13 November 2020.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Legal Profession: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assistance her Department provides to the legal sector to support the extension of the provision of services in (a) India and (b) CPTPP...

    • Department for International Trade: Litigation Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what services the Government Legal Department’s Litigation Group has provided to her Department since 1 January 2021.

      Department for International Trade: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she intends to answer Questions 80249, 80250, 80251, 80252 and 80253.

      Minerals: Supply Chains

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to work bilaterally to develop closer, alternative critical mineral supply chains.

      Hydrogen: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to prioritise the export of hydrogen technology in the delivery of her Department's new export strategy.

      Arms Trade: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the value has been of defence exports to Chile in the last 20 years, by export.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Gambling: Suicide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, (a) how many customer suicides have been reported by gambling operators for the past three years, (b) which operators have...

    • Youth Work: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate she has made of the number of qualified youth workers.

      Sanitary Protection: VAT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether organisations that have received funding from the Tampon Tax Fund will continue to receive Government funding after...

      UK Athletics: Resignations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with UK Athletics on the resignation of both the Chief Executive and Performance Director of that...

      Football

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) threats against referees are not carried out and (b) they are adequately...

      Internet: Pornography

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children accessing online commercial pornography sites.

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: North of England

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of (1) electrification, and (2) other improvements, for projects included in the Integrated Rail Plan relating to the (a) Midland Main...

    • Railways: North of England

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the (1) ownership, and (2) sponsoring, structure for the improvements outlined in the Integrated Rail Plan; and what is the involvement of (a) Network...

      Railways: North of England

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a comparison of journey times for travel between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and Hull, using the options...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which parts of HS2 Phase 2B have been cancelled.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) the operational costs of HS2, and (2) ticket prices, as a result of the recent increase in energy prices.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest (1) capital cost, (2) revenue forecasts, and (3) Benefit-Cost Ratio, assumed in the continuing use of HS2 Phase 1 and 2A, (a) with, and (b)...

      Railways: Passengers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the forecast of passenger demand growth used in the preparation of the Integrated Rail Plan for (1) local, and (2) long, distance services; and what...

      Electric Scooters: Hire Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many e-scooters are available to the public through rental trials.

      Electric Scooters

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of private e-scooters sold in each of the past three years.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Business: Climate Change

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote good practice in combating climate change to (1) listed, and (2) unlisted, companies.

    • Business Premises: Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they (1) audit, and (2) monitor, the commercial UK real estate holdings of companies directly associated with regimes with poor human rights records.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Terrorism: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Caine on 23 November (HL3800), how many internment-related civil claims for compensation for unlawful detention have been...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Custodial Treatment: Costs

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) direct, and (2) indirect, costs of imprisonment; what alternatives, if any, they are considering; and what steps are they...

    • Islam: Marriage

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether British Muslim women have the rights set out in paragraph nine of Resolution 2253 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the...

      Human Rights Act Independent Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the report of their review of the Human Rights Act 2001 will be published.

      Windrush Compensation Scheme

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable those pursuing claims through the Windrush Compensation Scheme to receive legal aid.

      Prisoners' Release: Government Assistance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) financial, and (2) travel, support they provide to prisoners on release.

      Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the weekly cost of keeping an individual in prison.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Myanmar: Arms Trade

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Joint Statement on increasing violence in Myanmar, published on 26 November, what steps they have taken to hold the statement’s signatories...

    • Myanmar: Politics and Government

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Joint Statement on increasing violence in Myanmar, published on 26 November, what assessment they have made of whether the government of Australia...

      Israel: West Bank

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Israel regarding house demolitions and confiscations by Israeli forces in the West Bank on 23 November.

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Haaretz article What the Israeli Army Does to Soldiers Who Shoot Palestinians, published on 18 November, which states that 18...

      Yazidis: Crimes against the Person

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to recognise crimes committed against the Yazidis as genocide.

      Gaza: Israel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Israel regarding Israeli forces firing on fishermen in Gaza while they fish in their designated area.

      Palestinians: Riot Control Weapons

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of Israel concerning the use of (1) rubber bullets, and (2) tear gas, against Palestinian protestors.

      Transcaucasus: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports of military attacks by Azerbaijan on or near the M2/E117 highway in Armenia; and (2) the humanitarian impact of...

      Armenia: Azerbaijan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of military attacks by Azerbaijan in Sisian province.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Armed Forces: Deployment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed in the UK; and of these, to which local authorities they are deployed.

    • Armed Forces: Supply Chains

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed in the UK to deal with the supply chain issues.

      Diversity and Inclusion Directorate: Complaints

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to remarks made by Baroness Goldie on 23 November (HL Deb, col 798), how many complaints of (1) bullying, (2) sexism, (3) sexual assault,...

      Diversity and Inclusion Directorate: Telephone Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to remarks made by Baroness Goldie on 23 November (HL Deb, col 798), how many calls have been made to the Diversity and Inclusion Directorate's...

      Armed Forces: Compensation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Ministry of Defence has paid in mental health compensation to (1) armed forces personnel, and (2) veterans, in each year from 2015 to 2021.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Farms: Tenants

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that tenant farmers on short-term, restrictive Farm Business Tenancies will not be constrained from entering...

  • Home Office

    • Citizenship: Ministerial Responsibility

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which minister has cross-government responsibility for co-ordinating all matters relating to (1) citizenship, and (2) civic engagement.

    • British Nationality: Assessments

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to update the Life in the UK test; and when the test was last updated.

      Asylum: Females

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that there is single sex housing for uncoupled women at all points during the asylum process.

      Visas: British National (Overseas)

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to expand the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa scheme to people from Hong Kong who (1) are aged between 18 and 25, and (2) have a parent...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Floods: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held at Cabinet level about the adequacy of emergency funding available to support communities affected by flooding.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Government Departments: Ethnic Groups

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which government departments do not invite (1) job applicants, and (2) promotion candidates, to provide any information about their ethnicity.

  • Treasury

    • Taxation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide additional specialised support to (1) contractors, and (2) self-employed taxpayers, who are facing large tax liabilities.

    • Cryptocurrencies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor fiat currency to cryptocurrency (1) deposits, and (2) withdrawals, to prevent cryptocurrencies from being used to (a) launder...

      Economic Situation: Equality

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to help reduce economic inequality.

      Standard of Living

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the effects of inflation on living standards.

      Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the European Union regarding the extension of planned alcohol duty reforms in Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and what were...

      Financial Services: Crime

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, in response to the publication of the Pandora Papers to tackle (1) tax avoidance, (2) money laundering, and (3) other financial...

      Public Expenditure: Cost Effectiveness

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure value for money in public spending.

      Crown Estate Commissioners: Ilham Aliyev

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the Crown Estate regarding its purchase of a property from a company linked to President Aliyev of Azerbaijan.

      Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations they have (1) held, or (2) planned, with (a) Northern Ireland business representatives, (b) Northern Ireland consumer groups, and (c) Northern...

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

    • Members: Pay and Allowances

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what would be the level of financial support for Members if it had been adjusted for inflation since 1 October 2010.

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.

December 2021
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031