Written answers

Wednesday, 2 February 2022

  • Department for Transport

    • Travel: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the average spending, per head, on (a) public transport and (b) active travel schemes in York in the last 12 months.

    • Motorways: Motorcycles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current guidance is for a motorcyclist who breaks down on a live lane of a smart motorway.

      Cycling and Walking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking coordinated steps across government to embed cycling and walking policies in relevant...

      Cycling and Walking: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Institution of Civil Engineers' paper, entitled Safe, affordable and reliable transport systems: Civil engineering insights on UK...

      Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the condition of roads in England.

      Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures taken to tackle idling engines; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits...

      Felixstowe Port

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the current operational capacity of the port at Felixstowe.

      Spaceflight

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to support the launch of rockets and satellites from the UK.

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the average passenger fare per journey following the 3.8 per cent increase in rail fares in March 2022.

      Travel Restrictions: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made with his Cabinet colleagues on easing international travel restrictions for UK nationals.

      Electric Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on supporting the roll out of electric vehicles.

      Buses: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to support the purchase of the 4,000 zero emission buses announced in the Bus Back Better Strategy.

      Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of airlines flying empty flights to retain slots; and what assessment he...

      Overseas Visitors: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the use of fake vaccination certificates by visitors to the UK; and what estimate she has made of the...

  • Department for Education

    • Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the cost to local authorities of the rise in the number of children in care.

    • Pupils: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support disadvantaged pupils over this academic year.

      Special Educational Needs: Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) pupil and (b) staff absences in special needs schools.

      Teachers: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing teacher pay in the next financial year by more than the rate of inflation.

      Special Educational Needs: Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of staff absences on pupils who require one-to-one assistance in SEND education settings.

      Pupils: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the education of children with covid-19 symptoms who cannot undergo PCR testing due to...

      Teachers: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of teachers self-isolating as a result of covid-19 in January 2022.

      Ofsted: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of using expert Ofsted inspectors to teach in schools where cover is unavailable.

      Schools: Gender Based Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's assessment is of the extent and effectiveness of existing programmes aiming to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG)...

      Schools: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of schools offered counselling services in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne East constituency, (b) the North East and (c) England in the last...

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were permanently excluded from (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) special schools in (i) Oxford, (ii) Oxfordshire,...

      Children in Care: Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of children and young adults in care that have complex needs.

      Disability and Special Educational Needs: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for special educational needs and disabilities in York.

      Holocaust: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase teaching of the events of the Holocaust in UK schools.

      Children: Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Health and Social Care Bill proposals on joint working between local authorities, the...

      Home Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s response to the Education Committee’s Third Report on Strengthening Home Education, published on 26...

      Pupils: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on increasing covid-19 vaccination uptake among school pupils.

      Early Years Healthy Development Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Early Years Healthy Development Review.

      Students: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support students whose academic performance has been adversely impacted by the covid-19 pandemic.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that SEND children with an education and health care plan receive the necessary support in school...

      National Tutoring Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Tutoring Programme.

      Schools: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that pupils can learn safely in education settings.

      Schools: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to provide schools and pupils with access to covid-19 lateral flow tests.

      Further Education: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to upgrade further education colleges.

      Turing Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools in receipt of funding from the Turing Scheme for the 2021-22 academic year will have flexibility to schedule their projects beyond...

      Further Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he will provide in-year funding for Further Education college courses that help tackle skills gaps in the economy.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • UK Emissions Trading Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much revenue was raised as a result of the sale of allowances under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme in 2021; and...

    • Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what data his Department holds on the number of accredited companies in place to undertake building insulation work in...

      Energy: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress the Government has made on decarbonising the UK’s energy supply; what the current target for...

      Lighting: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of the ban on incandescent light bulbs and the...

      Energy Company Obligation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will protect the Energy Company Obligation which provides energy efficiency schemes for the poorest households.

      Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has any plans to extend the Warm Home Discount scheme.

      Fossil Fuels: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the chairman of (a) the Oil and Gas Authority, (b) Gordon Birrell, executive...

      Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will implement a single accreditation and enforcement scheme, similar to the Gas Safe Register, for...

      Multinational Companies: Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage major multinational companies to become more sustainable.

      Critical Minerals Expert Committee

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what process was used to select members of the Critical Minerals Expert Committee; who is involved in the Critical...

      Fossil Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the evolving security situation between the Ukraine and Russia, what steps he has taken to ensure the...

      Private Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many private rented homes have been upgraded through (a) the Energy Company Obligation, (b) the Home Upgrade Grant,...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department spent on tackling fraud in coronavirus business support schemes in (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many officials in his Department worked on preventing fraud in the coronavirus business support schemes in each...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will publish any strategy it has produced for recovering fraudulent loans made as part of the...

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department produced a strategy for preventing fraud in the coronavirus business support schemes.

      Post Offices: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to establish an appropriate compensation scheme for the 555 subpostmasters involved...

      Bounce Back Loan Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) the value and (b) proportion of loans made through the Bounce Back Loan...

      Bounce Back Loan Scheme: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the value of fraudulent loans made through the Bounce Back Loan scheme.

      Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the value of fraudulent loans made through the Coronavirus Business Interruption...

      Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme: Repayments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) value and (b) proportion of loans made through the Coronavirus Business...

      Northern Ireland Protocol: Aerospace Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the Northern Ireland Protocol on the UK Aerospace industry.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much (a) the Government has spent on covid-19 vaccines as at 25 January 2022 and (b) the supply of that vaccine is...

      Members : Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the letter of 2 January 2021 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire on fuel prices,...

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Legislation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many post legislative reviews (a) their Department or (b) their predecessor Department has undertaken on (i)...

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Legislation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of the (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation sponsored by (i) their Department or (ii)...

      Horizon Europe: Small Businesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to replace the SME Instrument in the EU Horizon programme in the event that the UK and...

      Life Sciences: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 11 of the Life Sciences Vision published on 6 July 2021, what plans his Department has to...

      Energy Intensive Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the potential loss of UK businesses in high energy using sectors as a result of the...

  • Attorney General

    • Criminal Proceedings

      To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to ensure that revised Guidelines on Disclosure will result in improved performance across the criminal justice system.

    • Fraud: Coronavirus

      To ask the Attorney General, how many ongoing investigations are underway at the Serious Fraud Office to recover public money lost to fraud and economic crime from the emergency covid-19 support...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Department of Health and Social Care: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had any (a) financial contract and (b) meetings with (i) Clifford Chance LLP, (ii) FTI Consulting and (iii)...

    • Hospitals: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place to ensure that covid-19 patients are not discharged to a virtual ward earlier than is safe to do so.

      Schools: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the minimum requirements are for mental health support teams in relation to (a) the number of staff and (b) their roles.

      Dermatitis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with eczema in the last three years.

      NHS: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the effectiveness of (a) inspections and (b) training standards of care among NHS staff.

      Dental Services: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the renegotiation of the terms of the dental contract.

      Dentistry: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of dental schools, including at the University of York.

      Education: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2022 to Question 100615 on Education: Mental Health Services, how many school and college children...

      Education: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2022 to Question 100615 on Education: Mental Health Services, how many FTE staff will be employed in...

      Multiple Sclerosis: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to new medicines among people living with progressive forms of MS.

      Cystic Fibrosis: Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with cystic fibrosis in England pay for their prescriptions.

      Neurology: Health Professions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to (a) attract and (b) retain more neurology specialists.

      Dental Services: Retirement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) age profile of the dental workforce and (b) impact of retirements on the provision of services...

      Abortion: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to review the occurrence of abortion in cases of (a) disability and (b) correctible conditions including...

      IVF: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the findings of his Department’s review of IVF equality.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have waited more than 24 hours to receive a covid-19 PCR test result since 1 December 2021.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 test kit distributors are contracted to distribute to (a) pharmacies, (b) home delivery companies and (c) schools.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many UK manufactured covid-19 lateral flow tests have been approved by the UK Health Security Agency since 1 September 2021.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the difficulty of undergoing covid-19 PCR testing for disabled and neurodivergent children.

      Coronavirus: Air Conditioning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on protection of people in healthcare settings from infection with...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in hospital with covid-19 have not received a covid-19 vaccine.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place to ensure immunocompromised people’s covid-19 vaccine records are amended where third doses have been...

      Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the review of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016; and when he plans to publish...

      Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) when the Centre for Pandemic Preparedness will be launched, (b) how much funding will be available through the centre and (c) when...

      WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to provide an update on the outcomes of the ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) of the World Health...

      Care Homes: Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Answer of 9 December 2021 to Question 90496, what steps his Department is taking to improve compliance with Government...

      Tobacco

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is aware of the statement by Action on Smoking and Health on 7 September 2004 on the legal framework for smoking...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with a compromised immune system (a) who are eligible for a third dose of the covid-19...

      Further Education and Schools: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release of 21 March 2021 announcing 400 mental health support teams in schools and colleges, how many of...

      Schools: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on average how many schools does a mental health support team provide services to.

      Alcoholic Drinks: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that parents and children are aware of the Chief Medical Officer’s guidance on underage drinking.

      Care Homes: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to reduce the self-isolation period for people who test positive for covid-19 in a care home to five days in...

      Health Services and Social Services: Homelessness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of how many current Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and Joint Health and Wellbeing...

      Hyperactivity: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help NHS England improve waiting times for ADHD diagnosis.

      Social Services: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made, or plans to make, of the impact of the right to practise philosophical beliefs relating to diet...

      Respiratory System: Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on the potential merits of publishing a breathlessness pathway to support people...

      Social Services: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps care regulators are taking to ensure appropriate care for people with diets arising from philosophical or religious beliefs.

      Care Workers: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of social care staff who are unvaccinated against covid-19.

      Disability: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on maintaining access to health and care services for...

      Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to amend the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 prior to the review...

      Autism: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for autism assessments; and if he will make a statement.

      Dental Services: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent consideration he has made of the adequacy of the dental contract; and whether he plans to make reforms to that contract.

      Dental Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the £50 million for NHS dental services announced by the Government on 25 January 2022, how he plans to distribute...

      Department of Health and Social Care: Remote Working

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff in his Department will be permitted to work from home after 1 February 2022; and if he will make a statement.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 8 November 2021, reference ZA58199, in relation to the...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 29 October 2021, reference ZA58120, in relation to...

      Care Homes: Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that all care homes allow family and friends of residents to visit regularly.

      Office for Health Improvement and Disparities: Cystic Fibrosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities supports the needs of...

      Care Workers and Health Services: Parkinson's Disease and Dementia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure health and social care staff receive specific Parkinson’s and dementia training.

  • Church Commissioners

    • Church of England: Public Relations

      To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 101841 on Church of England: Public Relations, how much...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Legal Aid Scheme: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many firms of solicitors held a (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid contract as of 28 January 2022.

    • Television Licences: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for non-payment of the BBC licence fee there have been in each of the last 15 years; and how many of those...

      Victims: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Delivering justice for victims: A consultation on improving victims’ experiences of the justice system, and individually granted...

      Prisoners: Terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are serving convictions for offences under the Terrorism Act or related offences.

      Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been released from prison in each of the last three years for which records are available; how many of those prisoners were...

      Magistrates: Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of expenses available to lay magistrates.

  • Department for International Trade

    • JCB: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises has received an update from JC Bamford in...

    • Overseas Trade: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her department is taking to increase trade between the UK and Israel.

      China: Lithuania

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment the Government has made of the compatibility of steps taken by the government of the People’s Republic of China to...

      Trade Agreements: Antibiotics

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the forthcoming divergence of EU and UK farm antibiotic usage regulations...

      Food: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the recommendation of the Trade and Agriculture Commission, the National Food Strategy and the Climate Change Committee,...

      Trade Agreements: Australia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, in the context of the Trade and Agriculture Commission and the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, what progress her Department has made in...

      Department for International Trade: Legislation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many post legislative reviews (a) their Department or (b) their predecessor Department has undertaken on (i) primary and (ii) secondary...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Sri Lanka: Tamils

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the International Truth and Justice Project, entitled Sri Lanka: Torture and...

    • Government Departments: Wines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2022 to Question 104398 on 14 January 2022, what the value was of wine from...

      Northern Ireland Protocol: Christmas Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what level of surcharge has been applied under the Northern Ireland Protocol to Christmas cards sent from Great...

      Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and what steps the...

      Russia: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure a planned and adequate humanitarian response, including the provision of food,...

      Baha'i Faith: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote freedom of religion or belief for Baha’is.

      Christianity: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the implications for its policies of Aid to the Church in...

      Iran: Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for the Middle East Peace process of Iran’s potential...

      Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress she has made on (a) securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari- Ratcliffe and (b) resolving...

      Iran: Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that international sanctions are imposed on Iran in the event that that country...

      Russia: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she has taken since 1 January 2022 to help de-escalate the risk of conflict between the...

      International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to join the board of the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.

      Iran: Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will use the snapback provision to reimpose sanctions on Iran in the context of the recent trend of...

      Ukraine: EU External Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts to support Ukraine in the context of recent Russian...

      Jerusalem: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Middle East, North Africa and North America of 25...

      Conflict Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2022 to Question 106711 on Conflict Prevention, how much and what proportion...

      Tigray: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that perpetrators of grave violations of children’s rights by all parties...

      East Africa: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the humanitarian response in conflict and drought-affected areas in (a)...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Minister for Asia's oral contribution of 25 January 2022, what the basis is for his...

      Afghanistan: Politicians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with displaced Afghan MPs; and if she will meet those Afghan MPs to discuss their...

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to answer Question 108507 from the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury.

      Armenia: Churches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the destruction of churches in Armenia on freedom of...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Ministry of Defence: Annual Reports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to table 4.2 on page 231 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21, Published on 20 January 2022, HC692, how training,...

    • Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the administrative cost has been of running the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions scheme in each year from 2005.

      Immigration: Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to publish the results of the Immigration Fees Public Consultation on settlement fees applicable to non-UK veterans wishing to...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department has not yet published its 2019 research on the effectiveness of benefit sanctions; and if she will place a copy...

    • Long Term Unemployed People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people classed as long term unemployed; and how that figure compares to the number before...

      Refugees: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2022 to Question 98278, on Refugees: Employment, for what reason that data is not available.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants are in the intensive work search group.

      Social Security Benefits: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of steps taken by the Scottish Government to complete full data transfer from her Department to...

      Social Security Benefits: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of mandatory reconsiderations for employment and support allowance and personal...

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the introduction of Adult Disability Payments in Scotland on the alignment of case...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average response time was for her Department to respond to an enquiry from an MP once an enquiry had been received by the MP (a)...

      Social Security Benefits: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Government on data sharing between the two governments for the purpose of...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Nature Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that Local Nature Recovery Strategies (a) cover the entire country and (b) successfully evolve...

    • Nature Conservation: Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities to deliver their Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

      Nature Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to implement the national Nature Recovery Network as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan.

      Biodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to implement the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on Biodiversity in the UK: bloom or...

      Countryside: Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce payments to landowners for the purposes of increasing access to the countryside; and what...

      Food: Consumption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of food consumed in the UK was produced in the UK in (a) 2021 and (b) 1987.

      Cetaceans: Faroe Islands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps he will take, following Lord Goldsmith's letter to the Faroese Fisheries Minister in October 2021, to...

      Agriculture: Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support sustainable farming.

      Northern Ireland Protocol: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will list all the food products that are currently blocked from entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain as a...

      Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure healthy food choices remain affordable.

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will list the types of kosher food that currently cannot be sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

      Pet Travel Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK re-joining the EU pet passport scheme.

  • Home Office

    • Arson: Durham

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of a potential inconsistency in the recording of arson statistics in relation to the ​Durham...

    • Home Office: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average response time was for her Department to respond to an enquiry from an MP once an enquiry had been received by the MP (a)...

      British Nationality

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who entered the UK on a Tier 1 (Investor) visa have (a) applied for and (b) been granted UK citizenship.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Cardiff Central of 22 October 2021, 24 November 2021 and 8...

      Offences against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with his counterparts in the Devolved administrations to tackle child sexual exploitation.

      Children: Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking alongside children's charities to safeguard victims of child abuse following the murder of Arthur...

      Slavery

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to section 2.4.55 of the 2021 UK annual report on modern slavery, what progress she has made on embedding the...

      Domestic Abuse: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to roll out the Ask for ANI scheme to more independent pharmacies in Scotland.

      British Nationality

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she publish the (a) timeline and (b) consultation process for drafting the statutory guidance for the Nationality and Borders Bill; and...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Local Government: Subsidiary Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it is the Government's policy that a local authority in England should be able to set up a company in which it...

    • Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department's policy on the flexible use of capital receipts by local authorities in England includes using the...

      UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund will be first distributed to Northern Ireland.

      Windrush Generation: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding was allocated to the West Midlands region as part of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme in 2021.

      High Rise Flats: House Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the increase in buildings insurance premiums for leaseholders in residential...

      United Kingdom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen the Union.

      Levelling Up Fund: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much Northern Ireland has received as at 25 January 2022 from the Levelling up Fund.

      Levelling Up Fund: Eastwood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the Eastwood Levelling Up Fund bid will need to be submitted.

      Regional Planning and Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Levelling Up white paper will include (a) improving life expectancy and (b) healthy life expectancy among its...

      Regional Planning and Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department will lay a copy of the Levelling Up White Paper in the House of Commons.

      Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding was allocated to the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership as part of the Getting...

      Countryside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Levelling Up White Paper will include plans to take specific and targeted steps to realise the social and...

      Regional Planning and Development: Romford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to progress made on the construction of the Elizabeth Line, whether his Department has made an assessment...

      Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 64598, for what reason it is the Government's policy to object to...

      Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that new homes in England are energy efficient.

      Rough Sleeping: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what Government funding is available to support local authorities in providing joined up services to support rough sleepers.

  • Scotland Office

    • Fishing Catches: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the 2022 fishing catch limits agreed with the EU and Norway.

    • Renewable Energy: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the export potential of Scotland's renewable sector.

      United Kingdom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to promote the Union and level up regional interconnectivity.

      Coronavirus: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on ongoing support provided by the armed forces in Scotland in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

      Energy: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to provide support to the Scottish energy sector to secure investment in the Government’s Net Zero industrial cluster funding...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2022 to Question 105512 on Government Departments: Procurement, whether...

    • Office for Veterans' Affairs: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what budget will be allocated to the Office for Veterans Affairs for the financial year 2022-23.

      Veterans: Suicide

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the written ministerial statement, entitled, Recording and Reporting Suicides, HCWS299, 22...

      Employment: Young People

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Minister for Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of 18 to 24 year olds (a) in part time employment, (b) in...

      Coronavirus: Public Inquiries

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date he expects the inquiry into the covid-19 pandemic to commence.

  • Treasury

    • Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC plans to spend for the purposes of recovering public money lost to fraud and economic crime through covid-19 support schemes.

    • Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much public money intended to support businesses affected by covid-19 restrictions has been lost to fraud.

      Taxpayer Protection Taskforce

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff the taxpayer protection taskforce has.

      Incontinence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing VAT from the cost of incontinence pads.

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total VAT receipts contained in the (a) March and (b) November 2021 budget for each financial year for the remaining...

      Business

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on businesses of the concurrent ending of the reduced rate of VAT, business rates support and rent...

      Heating: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to increase (a) support for installing heat pumps and (b) other funding for decarbonising heating systems in homes.

      Fraud Advisory Panel

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken in response to the letter he received on 16 June 2020 from the Fraud Advisory Panel.

      Business: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many officials in his Department worked on preventing fraud in the coronavirus business support schemes in each month since April 2020.

      Social Services: Children

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he made of the adequacy of funding provided to local authorities for children services in the context of the increasing number of...

      Service Industries: Coronavirus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors recover from the covid-19 outbreak.

      COP26: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the budget is for the COP26 President in Financial Year 2022.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Broadband: VAT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing or removing VAT on social tariffs to support...

  • House of Commons Commission

  • Department for Transport

    • Driving Tests: Waiting Lists

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current average waiting time for a driving test in Great Britain; how many driving examiners are currently employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards...

    • Shipping: Plastics

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the proposal by the government of Sri Lanka to the International Maritime Organisation to regulate the transport of plastic nurdles.

      Speed Limits: Cameras

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of speed cameras since 2019 with regard to (1) operability, (2) placement, and (3) any other relevant factors;...

      Driverless Vehicles: Regulation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce regulations for the use of self-driving cars on roads in England; and what is the timetable for this work.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Publications: Retail Trade

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to help small booksellers compete with online retailers beyond the reliefs implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • Energy: Capital

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the recommended capital adequacy level for energy companies regulated by Ofgem.

  • Department for Education

    • Schools: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the percentage reduction of school improvement funding to schools in the financial year 2022–23, compared to the financial year 2021–22.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Courts: Standards

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current backlog of cases in (1) Magistrates Courts in England and (2) the Crown Court; and, in each case, (a) what is the average reduction in the...

    • Prisoners

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in prison serving an extended determinate sentence have a custodial tariff of (1) six months or less, (2) six months to 12 months, (3) 12 months to...

      Prisoners: Females

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many miles on average female prisoners have been held from their home address in each year since 2010.

      Prisoners: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners in each prison tested positive for COVID-19 in each month of 2021.

      Probation: Death

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have died while under probation supervision where COVID-19 was considered a factor in their death; and how many of these individuals were recorded...

  • Treasury

    • Public Expenditure

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to help ensure value for money in public spending.

    • Standard of Living

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

      Limited Liability: National Insurance Contributions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential increase in revenue should members of limited liability partnerships become subject to an increase in national...

      Standard of Living

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact of their taxation policy on living standards.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Uyghur Tribunal

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the Uyghur Tribunal, and in particular its determination that the Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims are subject to...

    • Armenia: Azerbaijan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 17 January (HL5229), what further representations they will make to the government of...

      Armenia: Azerbaijan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of religiously-motivated torture of Christian Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani military personnel.

      Belarus: Russia

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Russian troops entered Belarus on 17 January; and whether they have sought any explanation from the government of...

      Libya: Elections

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the enforcement of the proposed June 2022 deadline for presidential elections in Libya; and what discussions they have had...

      Palestinians: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of a health crisis in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, given the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19...

      Antarctica: Non-native Species

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences of the United States of America Ship traffic connects Antarctica’s fragile coasts...

      Cameroon: Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so how, they will support Resolution 511 of the African Union’s African Commission for Human and People’s Rights, which calls on the...

      Nigeria: Violence

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of escalating Islamist violence in southeast Nigeria, including of targeted attacks against the Igbo community.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who have claimed Statutory Sick Pay following one or more COVID-19 infections.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Fruit and Vegetables

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that in summer 2022 fruit and vegetables in the UK will not be left unharvested.

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Hate Crime: Travellers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Runnymede Trust report England Civil Society Submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial...

  • Northern Ireland Office

  • Department for International Trade

    • Small Businesses: Exports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a Business and Trade Growth Office at the Department for International Trade to encourage smaller businesses to increase exports.

    • Intellectual Property: Trade Agreements

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage World Trade Organization members to support the introduction of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights waiver.

      Exports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that protections for exports to third countries negotiated while the UK was a member of the EU are maintained following the...

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

    • Select Committees: Business Interests

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether witnesses to House of Lords select committee inquiries will be required to declare whether (1) they, or (2) institutions and companies in which they...

    • Parliamentary Estate: CCTV

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether there are sufficient CCTV cameras on the Parliamentary Estate to record all interactions involving Members of the House of Lords which might be...

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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