Written answers

Friday, 23 September 2022

  • Department for Transport

    • Driving Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency began its recruitment of 300 additional driving examiners.

    • Regional Airports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to help keep (a) Doncaster Sheffield Airport and (b) other regional transport hubs open.

      Electric Scooters: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Guide Dogs report entitled Guide Dogs Scoot Aware, published in May 2022, what assessment she has made of the implications of...

      First Rail Holdings: Company Accounts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with First Rail Holdings Ltd on the overdue submission of their latest accounts to Companies House; and if she...

      Driving Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's plan to recruit 300 additional driving examiners, how many additional driving instructors...

      Bus Services: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the bus fare cap introduced by the Government will have an effect on the Barnett consequentials for Scotland.

      Avanti West Coast: Timetables

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department approved Avanti West Coast’s reduced timetable announced in August and September 2022.

      Avanti West Coast: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of Avanti West Coast's franchise performance obligations for the current reporting period.

      Avanti West Coast: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Schedule 1A (Section 7) of the Emergency Recovery Management Agreement, what steps her Department has taken since 2019 to ensure...

      Avanti West Coast: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help restore the full timetable for rail services on the Avanti West Coast franchise.

      Blue Badge Scheme: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2022 to Question 47650 on Blue Badge Scheme: EU Countries, what recent progress he has made in his...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many full-time equivalents are employed by his Department at each civil service grade; and for each grade what...

    • EDF Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2022 to Question 19632, what discussions he has had with (a) EDF and (b) NNB holding...

      Small Businesses: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help support small and medium sized businesses with the increase in the cost of...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what additional steps his Department will take to assist businesses struggling with the cost of gas and electricity.

      Energy Intensive Industries: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the rise in energy costs on energy-intensive industries; and if he...

      Business: Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle rising electricity prices for business in (a) Battersea and (b) the UK.

      Small Businesses: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make it his policy to introduce emergency energy grants for small and medium-sized enterprises in...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with energy suppliers on supporting businesses effected by rising energy costs.

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support people in Hitchin and Harpenden constituency with the price of (a)...

      Fuel Oil and Liquefied Natural Gas: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support people who live in rural areas and use (a) heating oil and (b) liquified natural gas...

      Energy Intensive Industries: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to (a) bakeries and (b)...

      Energy Bill Relief Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the support scheme for energy bills for (a) schools and (b) other public sector organisations will cap the unit...

      Energy Bill Relief Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution on 8 September 2022, Official Report, column 398, whether (a)...

      Energy Bill Relief Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date he expects the energy bills support scheme announced on 8 September 2022 for schools and other public...

      Energy Bill Relief Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing the energy bills support scheme announced on 8...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish details on the operation of the six month energy price freeze for households in Northern Ireland.

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish details on the operation of the six month energy price freeze for businesses in Northern Ireland.

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the energy price freeze announced by the Prime...

      Business Premises: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding his Department made available to help support businesses with the insulation of their premises in each...

      Business Premises: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to announce the fixed unit price of (a) gas and (b) electricity for business premises from 1 October 2022.

      Hospitality Industry: Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of availability of electricity contracts for new hospitality businesses.

      Bulb Energy: Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to make a decision on the future ownership of Bulb Energy.

      Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the next phase of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding will be announced.

      Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the funding structure of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

      Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken pursuant to the Court ruling in The Queen (on the application of (1) Friends of the...

      Offshore Industry: North Sea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which North Sea installations are in the process of being decommissioned as of September 2022; and at which yards that...

      Offshore Industry: North Sea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on the decommissioning of North Sea oil and gas installations; and whether his...

      Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the impact assessment BEIS039(F) for the Nuclear Energy (Financing) Act 2022, if he will make a...

      Biofuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what energy support costs have been offered to users of biomass.

      Fuels: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the energy support costs provided for unregulated fuels will be (a) discretionary funding or (b) provided in full.

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) prepay force-fitting warrants have been requested by energy companies in each month of 2022 as of 7...

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the reasons behind the levels of energy pricing in other European countries...

      Iron and Steel: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising energy prices on steel manufacturers.

      Hospitality Industry: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising energy prices on the hospitality sector.

      Energy: Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution on 8 September 2022, Official Report, column 398, if he will...

      District Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to bring forward further details of the fund announced by the Prime Minister on the 8 September to...

      District Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that people using communal heat networks will be covered by the energy...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the statement by the Prime Minister of 8 September 2022 on UK Energy Costs, Official Report, column...

      National Grid: Feltham and Heston

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of capacity issues at the national grid on housebuilding in...

      General Practitioners: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to cap the price of energy for GP surgeries.

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding his Department has made available to freeze the energy bills of businesses after October 2022.

      Business: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to help businesses with (a) reduced demand and (b) increased costs.

      Housing: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage consumers to improve the insulation of their properties; and what recent...

      Diseases: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of researchers in the UK researching (a) dementia, (b) cancer, (c) stroke and...

      Business: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the findings of a recent study conducted by York High Street Forum Research on an anticipated...

      Companies House: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many officials in his Department are working on legislative proposals relating to Companies House reform as of 8...

  • Attorney General

    • Unaoil

      To ask the Attorney General, how much the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) spent on the (a) Employment Tribunal Mr T Martin v Serious Fraud Office and (b) SFO’s subsequent appeal of that tribunal...

    • Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation

      To ask the Attorney General, how much the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has spent on the (a) investigation into ENRC and (b) defending the proceedings brought against the SFO by ENRC.

      Unaoil

      To ask the Attorney General, how much the Serious Fraud Office has spent on (a) the (i) investigation and (ii) prosecution of former Unaoil employees and (b) (I) defending and (II) paying...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Social Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the potential impact of...

    • Social Services: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and (b) local authorities...

      Social Services: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with the local authorities that are trailblazing the new adult social care charging system...

      Back Pain: Steroid Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people who have received steroid injections for back pain.

      Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to transfer people waiting to be discharged from hospital to adult social care settings.

      Social Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increasing the means testing threshold for people accessing adult...

      Electronic Cigarettes: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she will take additional steps to prevent (a) shops and (b) other licensed sellers from selling e-cigarettes to people under the...

      Dementia: Clinical Trials

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) BEIS, (b) NIHR and (c) the MHRA about the UK’s ability to host large...

      Monkeypox: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Minister or Official to lead on the Government's response to the...

      Defibrillators

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve access to Automatic External Defibrillators.

      NHS: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making the NHS Pension Scheme tax unregistered for the purposes...

      Mental Illness: Assistance Animals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her department has made of the potential feasibility of providing assistance dogs to people with a mental health...

      Health Services: Weather

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to protect the NHS from additional pressure over the winter months.

      Social Security Benefits: Uprating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Minimum Income Guarantee rates; and whether she plans to uprate these in line with inflation.

  • Department for Education

    • After School Clubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of children who have participated in after school clubs in each local authority area in each of the last five...

    • Department for Education: Senior Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on which dates in the past five years there has been a change of the Chief Operating Officer at his Department.

      National School Breakfast Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools (a) were eligible for support from the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) in the last academic year and (b) received food...

      After School Clubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the average cost of after school clubs in each (a) region and (b) local authority area in England.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • County Courts: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the recommendations in the Sixth Report of the Justice Select Committee, Session 2021–22, Court capacity, published on 27 April...

    • Prisoners: Gender Recognition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on the placement of trans people in the prison estate; whether the placement of Sally Dixon in HMP Bronzefield is...

      Prisoners: Gender Recognition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring ministerial approval for the transfer of male-bodied trans prisoners to the female...

      Human Rights: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reform human rights law in the UK.

      Enforcement Conduct Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing the Enforcement Conduct Board on a statutory footing.

      Lord Bamford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he last met Lord Bamford.

      Parole

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many parole board hearings have been rescheduled since January 2021; and how many of those have been rescheduled for a date that was six months or...

      Wills: Cryptocurrencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to digital assets for next of kin where they are not reference in the will of the deceased.

      Ministry of Justice: Accountability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has processes in place to enable citizens and their representatives, including hon Members, to arrange in-person meetings with...

      Ministry of Justice: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken through its (a) policies, (b) procedures and (c) designated personnel to ensure that it is able to account for...

      Ministry of Justice: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has taken steps to help ensure that citizens are able to meet in-person with his Department’s data protection officer.

      Ministry of Justice: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that citizens and their representatives, including hon. Members, receive responses to correspondence sent...

      Ministry of Justice: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, to whom do the data protection officers in his (a) Department and (b) departmental agencies and other bodies report to in respect of their data...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Xinjiang: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further diplomatic steps she is planning to take with the Chinese Government in relation to the UN Human...

    • Fredid Román

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Mexican counterpart on the killing of journalist Fredid Roman in that...

      Iran: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will discuss with his Iranian counterpart the steps needed to raise the protection of the freedom of...

      Bahrain: Political Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on taking diplomatic steps to help encourage the Government of...

      Gulf Strategy Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the budget allocated to the Gulf Strategy Fund has been registered as Official Development...

      Iran: Baha'i Faith

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran.

      Bahrain: Capital Punishment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the response to the Urgent Question on 9 July 2020, Official Report, columns 1115-26, if she...

      Sanctions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her US counterpart on coordinating sanction designations on officials...

      Brazil: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Brazilian counterpart on reports of political violence in that country.

      Myanmar: International Criminal Court

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the US Government declaring its principal support for a referral of Myanmar to the International...

      Myanmar: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the safety of UK citizens in Myanmar.

      Azerbaijan: Armenia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help achieve peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

      Azerbaijan: Armenia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on the violence on Armenia's border with...

      UK-EU Partnership Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the next meeting of the EU-UK Partnership Council will take place.

      Afghanistan: Universities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help ensure the security of university and college lecturers in...

      Afghanistan: Universities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received any reports that university and college lecturers who worked for the British Council in...

      Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Government of Pakistan on the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in...

      Iraq: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) negotiations to form a new government and (b) political situation in...

      Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to (a) ensure the welfare of Bahraini opposition...

      Ethiopia: Eritrea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on...

      Kenya: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the political situation in Kenya.

      Zimbabwe: Droughts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken through (a) international diplomacy, (b) Official Development Assistance, or (c)...

      Bermuda: Cannabis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential constitutional implications of the UK Government not providing...

      Ecuador: Cocaine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of reports that Ecuadorian police have seized...

      Latin America: Malaria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the development of a Malaria vaccine on health...

      Mexico: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Mexican counterpart on the ongoing conflict in the south of Mexico between...

      Nicaragua: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the state of the right to freedom of religion or belief in Nicaragua.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Warships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when will the review into the UK’s balance between the Royal Navy’s surface and sub-surface fleets be completed.

    • Warships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who will be leading the review into the Royal Navy’s balance between surface and sub-surface fleets.

      Warships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the dates of his last meetings with NATO’s Secretary General on the Royal Navy’s balance between surface and subsurface...

      Warships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the review into balance between the Royal Navy’s surface and sub-surface fleets.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2022 to Question 49069 on Armed Forces: Housing, for what reason his Department does not centrally record...

      Military Bases: Property Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to provide local communities with input on the redevelopment of barracks sites.

      Military Bases: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the total budgetary expenditure on military bases in (a) Hampshire, (b) Wiltshire, (c) Oxfordshire and (d) Scotland in 2012-22.

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applications have been (a) received and (b) processed by his Department in (i) July and (ii) August 2022.

      Air Force: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many flying instructors has the RAF had in each year since 2010.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2022 to Question 49068 on Armed Forces: Housing, how many complaints relating to UK Service Family Accommodation...

      Defence: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the representatives from the (a) maritime industry and (b) UK Chamber of Shipping who attended the last meeting of the Shipping Defence...

      Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when recruitment and retention of civilian seafarers in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was last discussed at the Shipping Defence Advisory Council.

      Minesweepers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to MOD Government Major Projects Portfolio Data, 2022, whether he will provide further details on the additional Mission System 6 that...

      Mali: White Phosphorus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether British military personnel in Mali have fired white phosphorus munitions.

      Royal Military Academy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which foreign heads of state have attended passing out parades at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the last 12 months.

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to MOD Government Major Projects Portfolio Data 2022, if he will publish the reason for the £170 million whole-life cost increase...

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to MOD Government Major Projects Portfolio Data, 2022, what is the Control Total of the UK Strategic Command Protector Enhance and how...

      RAF College Cranwell: Public Statues

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the RAF has spent on maintaining the Trenchard Statue at RAF Cranwell.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Pensioners: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of pensioners who will be living in poverty during the winter of 2022-23.

    • Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of eligible households that did not receive Pension Credit in the 2021-22...

      Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2022 to Question 47660 on Pension Credit, if she will publish equivalent data on the number of people...

      Jobcentres: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether work coaches receive any specific training in how to support disabled jobseekers.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that paying parents are paying a fair and balanced amount of Child Maintenance in light of the...

      Jobcentres: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for calls to be connected to each JobCentre Plus office in the UK were in each month in...

      Bereavement Support Payment: Cohabitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Bereavement Support Payments have been denied because the surviving partner was not married or in a civil...

      Bereavement Support Payment: Cohabitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the surviving partner of cohabitating couples with children are informed of upcoming...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) qualifications and (b) training courses are required to be undertaken to become an Assessor for Work Capability Assessments.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on staffing costs for (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) appeals against Work Capability Assessment...

      Maternity Pay: Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Statutory Maternity Pay rates in light of current levels of inflation.

      Employment: Terminal Illnesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the financial (a) impact upon and (b) assistance available to people of working age forced...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Termination of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many members of staff have left her Department since 12 December 2019.

      Department for Work and Pensions: EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many officials in their Department are working on Retained EU Law legislation.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 19 May, 23 June and 14 July 2022 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay regarding...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing amendments to fishing licenses to prohibit all types...

    • Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning all types of destructive fishing from Marine Protected Areas.

      Animals and Plants: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) plant and (b) animal diseases are screened for when importing products into the UK.

      Wines: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to reach a decision on the new timeline for the introduction of import labels for EU wine that was...

      School Milk

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the school milk subsidy scheme includes milk alternatives in the event that children...

      Environment Protection: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department will take to (a) raise environmental standards in the UK and (b) provide the necessary resources...

      Environment Protection: EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department will take to (a) strengthen environmental protections as part of any review into retained EU law...

      Desalination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) necessity and (b) appropriateness of desalination technology for meeting...

      Weed Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to inform the public about the spread of (a) Japanese knotweed and (b) other harmful...

  • Home Office

    • Asylum: Interviews

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applicants were waiting for an asylum interview to be undertaken as of 1 September 2022; hoe many of those cases pending had...

    • Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the time it will take to reduce the number of outstanding asylum claims by 50 per cent from the level as of...

      Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if it will establish an independent complaints mechanism for asylum seekers in contingency accommodation.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the target time is for her Department to respond to queries from hon. Members; and how many queries are awaiting a response as on 2...

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with (a) her counterparts in the EU and (b) airline companies on the validity for travel of UK passports...

      Migrant Workers: General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to encourage GP Practices to become approved sponsors of international medical graduates.

      Immigration: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full time equivalent staff in her Department work on Afghanistan-related immigration cases.

      Asylum: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the number of people in Afghanistan who are eligible to claim asylum in the UK.

      Passports: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the cost of (a) applying for and (b) renewing a passport for people under the age of 18 who are participating in a school...

      Home Office: Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many young people aged eighteen or younger have undertaken work experience in her Department in the last 12 months.

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan arrivals to the UK were placed in bridging hotels in each month between 1 January and 31 August 2022.

      UK Border Force: Private Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of education fees for dependents of Border Force staff in school years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2014-15 and...

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the emergency services attended incidents in accommodation funded by her Department in the latest period for which data is...

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help secure the safety of those eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who remain in...

      Home Office: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how decisions on fee waiver applications are communicated to applicants.

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of people allowed to resettle in the UK through the Afghan...

      Migrants: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to publish her assessment of the impact of No Recourse to Public Funds on those identified as having a disability, as set...

      Nationality

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising (a) English, (b) Irish, (c) Scottish and (d) Welsh as distinct...

      Asylum: Rwanda

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish a cost-benefit analysis of her Department's Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda.

      Visas: Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on the suspension of tourist visas for Russian citizens wishing to visit the UK.

      Home Office: Members' Constituency Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the communication received by the hon. Member from Newton Abbot from her Department on 6 December 2022 stating that the...

      Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022: Impact Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2022 to Question 33778 on Public Sector: Crimes of Violence, when she plans to publish an economic impact...

      Crimes of Violence and Harassment: CCTV

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what obligations police forces have to collate CCTV evidence when a person reports allegations of (a) harassment or (b) assault to the police.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Director-General of HM Passport Office plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare of (a) 30...

      UK Visas and Immigration: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when UK Visas and Immigration will reply to the correspondence of 25 July and 23 August 2022 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Stockport, reference NM15770.

      Home Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 33899 tabled by the hon. Member for Walton on 11 July 2022.

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Afghan citizens who relocated to the UK under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b)...

      Visas: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has she made of the potential impact on the employment status of applicants on delays in processing in-time renewals for two...

      Immigration: Afghanistan and Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of closing the Home Office staff surgery in the Atrium of in Portcullis House.

      Immigration: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of how much time it takes on average for applicants of UK (a) visas, (b) nationality, (c) right to remain and...

      Night-time Economy: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional support her Department recommends local police forces provide to ensure that women can access high quality support during...

      Batteries: Lithium

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many lithium-ion battery fire incidents were recorded in the UK in 2021.

      Offensive Weapons: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she made of the number of crimes involving a machete in (a) North Yorkshire and (b) England in each of the last five years.

      British Nationality and Visas: Domestic Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support victims of domestic violence who are applying for (a) visas and (b) citizenship from within the UK.

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what conditions a suspect of serious sexual offences released under investigation can be (a) given post charge bail conditions or (b)...

      Sexual Offences: Trials

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Department of Justice Answer of 13 September 2022 to Question 47553 on Sexual Offences: Trials, and with reference to The...

      Spiking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of spiking of (a) drinks and (b) by injection have been reported to the police in England in each of the last 12 months.

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Business Improvement Districts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of Business Improvement Districts to local regeneration.

    • Freeports: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether there will be a relaxation of planning protections in designated landscapes where parts of those areas fall within...

      Sleeping Rough: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to support people with experience of rough sleeping to gain (a) training or (b) employment; and whether...

      First Time Buyers: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support first time buyers in London.

      Shared Ownership: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the potential change in rent costs for people with shared ownership rents from April 2023.

      Council Tax: Homes for Ukraine Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people who receive the single person's...

      Shared Ownership: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing financial assistance to people on shared ownership rents...

      Wind Power: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2022 and to Written Statement HCWS294 of 8 September 2022, if he will urgently review...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Stalking

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of cases of women who have been stalked in (a) York and (b) England in each the last five years.

    • Cabinet Office: Corporate Travel Management

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the reporting requirements set out in his Department’s contract with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd., reference...

      Prime Ministers

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the cost to the public purse of the removal of (a) furniture and (b) personal items during the change of Prime Minister.

      Cabinet Office: Corporate Travel Management

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the reporting requirements set out in his Department’s contract with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd., reference...

      Cabinet Office: Corporate Travel Management

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the reporting requirements set out in his Department’s contract with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd., reference...

      Cabinet Office: Corporate Travel Management

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the reporting requirements set out in his Department’s contract with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd., reference...

      Cabinet Office: Corporate Travel Management

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the reporting requirements set out in his Department’s contract with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd., reference...

      Civil Servants: Workplace Pensions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria does the Civil Service Pension Scheme apply in implementing 59(5) Social Security Pensions Act (SSPA) 1975, resulting in a reduction in...

  • Treasury

    • Guaranteed Minimum Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many pensioners affected by the Guaranteed Minimum Pension reconciliation exercise had their pensions (a) reduced and (b) increased; and what was the...

    • Funerals: VAT

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making costs associated with the organisation of remembrance services exempt from VAT.

      NHS: Workplace Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of annual pension allowance limits on levels of recruitment and retention of NHS staff.

      Bank Services: Carmarthenshire

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the banking hub company on setting up a site in the Upper Tywi Valley in Carmarthenshire.

      Debts: Cost of Living

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with (a) banks and (b) other financial institutions on ensuring that people struggling with the cost of living and rising...

      Public Sector: Guaranteed Minimum Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department provided written instructions to public service pension schemes on continued payment of Pension Increase (PI) for Guaranteed Minimum...

      Small Businesses: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that small and medium businesses in Northern Ireland are able to access immediate financial support to help meet rising...

      Cost of Living: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has considered to help expediate support to people in Northern Ireland with meeting rising (a) energy costs, (b) food costs and...

      Office for Budget Responsibility

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ask the Office for Budget Responsibility to prepare an updated fiscal forecast to reflect the Government's (a) energy price cap and (b) taxation...

      Royal Mint: Non-fungible Tokens

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's announcement entitled Government sets out plan to make UK a global cryptoasset technology hub, published on 4 April...

      Financial Services: Standards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing on financial services firms a general duty of care towards their consumers.

      Financial Conduct Authority: Liability

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the Financial Conduct Authority's exemption from civil liability.

      Financial Services: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential challenges for blind and partially sighted people of (a) accessing and (b) managing their...

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

  • Cop26

    • Forests

      To ask the President of COP26, with reference to point 6 of the Glasgow Leader's Declaration on Forests and Land Use which committed signatories to facilitate the alignment of financial flows...

  • Women and Equalities

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Gambling Act 2005 Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to their review of the Gambling Act 2005, which ran from 8 December 2020 to 31 March 2021.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Coroners: Isle of Wight

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bellamy on 2 August (HL2019 and HL2022), what assessment they have made of reports that some inquests on the Isle of Wight...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Business: Energy

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase regulation of the energy market for businesses.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Economic Systems: Research

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support or initiate research and study into the moral principles that should guide and limit free-market globalisation.

    • Ethiopia: Violence

      To ask His Majesty's Government what was the result of the Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) assessment for Ethiopia; and within that assessment, what was the risk of (1)...

      Sudan: Development Aid

      To ask His Majesty's Government how much UK overseas aid they provided to Sudan in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, and (5) 2021.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • High Speed 2 Line: Water Abstraction

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish regular water quality data from the public water abstraction points being affected by HS2.

    • Sewage: Waste Disposal

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether anglers could be entitled to compensation from water companies as a result of pollution into fishing waters from sewerage outflows.

      Water Supply

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they intend to take to ensure that water infrastructure has the capacity to withstand periods of drought without requiring hosepipe bans.

      Sewage: Waste Disposal

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, to ensure that no further raw sewage is discharged into the UK’s rivers and coastal waters.

      Droughts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what national preparations, if any, they have made for an increase in frequency and intensity of drought conditions.

      Bats: Churches and Historic Buildings

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the value of damage caused by bats to the contents and fabric of (1) church buildings, and (2) other...

      Sewage: Waste Disposal

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what obligations, if any, water companies have to inform anglers of real time sewerage outflows into the sea which may affect the quality of the catch.

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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