Written answers

Monday, 31 October 2022

  • Department for Transport

    • Cycling and Walking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make active travel one of his policy priorities.

    • Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the report on the e-scooter rental trials and the related regulations.

      Railways: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on the economy of the (a) North West of England and (b) Yorkshire and Humber region of not...

      Taxis: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will introduce mandatory training for taxi and minicab drivers to ensure that people with sight loss are not discriminated against...

      Great British Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the results of the public vote on the location of the headquarters of Great British Rail.

      High Speed 2 Line: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on levels of funding for the HS2 project.

      High Speed Two: Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects a new Chair of HS2 Ltd to be appointed.

      High Speed Two: Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken in the process of appointing a Chair for HS2 Ltd.

      Railways: Cleaning Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost is to (a) her Department and (b) train operating companies of outsourced cleaning contracts across the rail network.

      Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to advance a programme of single ticketing across the railways.

      TransPennine Express

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of service provided by TransPennine Express.

      Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has she made of the impact of reduced service levels by Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express on local regional economies served...

      Great British Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for how long she plans to retain the shortlist of potential headquarters for Great British Railways announced on 5 July 2022.

      Great British Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to communicate the reasons for the delay in advancing Great British Railways' new headquarters to local authorities.

      Great British Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes are being made to plans for Great British Railways.

      Great British Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the impact of delaying Great British Railways on (a) rail passengers, (b) operators and (c) other rail industry...

      Transport: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to reintroduce funding for small transport projects, similar to the previous Pinch Points Fund that was announced prior to the...

      Railways: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for the publication of an updated iteration of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.

      Railways: Cleaning Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost has been to (a) her Department and (b) train operating companies of cleaning services across the rail network provided by Atalian Servest.

      Avanti West Coast

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department last met with Avanti to discuss scheduling and booking problems on the West Coast mainline.

      Department for Transport: Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the ten highest areas of programmed capital expenditure under the control of his Department will be during the spending review period from...

      Railways: Fleetwood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his Department's policy to reopen the railway to Fleetwood.

      Aircraft: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the revocation of Section 85 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 in 2004, whether the framework governing aircraft safety in the UK (a)...

      Air Routes: Belfast

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the CAA in relation to the Belfast City to London Heathrow direct Aer Lingus route.

      Driving Tests: Whitchurch

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on opening a driving test centre at Whitchurch Civic Centre in the last six months.

      A1079

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits to the economy of the Yorkshire and the Humber region of further improvements to the A1079,...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to instruct OFGEM to declare a moratorium on energy pre-payment meters.

    • Hospitality Industry: Energy

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

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Information Commissioner's Office on (a) the collection of personal smart meter...

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps with Ofgem to require power suppliers to not (a) encourage and (b) force customers to accept a...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the support provided to help with energy costs for multi-function...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether multi-function premises that are used for both residential and business purposes and have business electricity...

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy to lift the moratorium on fracking.

      Oil: Shetland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the recent licence extension for the proposed Cambo oil field is protected under Investor-State Dispute...

      Energy Charter Treaty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what environmental impact assessments his Department has carried out on the proposed changes to the Energy Charter Treaty.

      Climate Change Convention and Energy Charter Treaty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment in 2022 of the compatibility of the UK's membership of the Energy Charter...

      Small Businesses: Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Coventry North East constituency...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with automotive trade groups on the steps his Department is taking to support...

      Minerals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on the implementation of the UK Critical Minerals Strategy, published on 22 July 2022.

      Housing: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the number of homes with lofts that have been insulated since 31 December 2021.

      Skilled Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential merits of implementing...

      Energy Bills Rebate: Flats

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether residential flats that use private wire electricity networks will be included in the support provided by the...

      Biofuels: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish his Department's most recent assessment on impact of the use of biomass fuels on the UK’s...

      Business: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to support businesses that want to implement a 32 hour, four-day working week.

      Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the energy efficiency of homes in Nottingham East constituency.

      Electricity Generation: Fossil Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of delivering a fossil fuel-free electricity system by 2030.

      Events Industry: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support (a) venues in the events industry and (b) small business who...

      Business: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he will take to support businesses that have reported as being in significant financial distress.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to provide a substantive written response to the correspondence of 2 September 2022 from the hon. Member...

      Construction: Mental Health

      To ask Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the research by the Chartered Institute of Building entitled Understanding Mental Health in the Built...

      Fireworks: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to ban the sale of fireworks to the public.

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of work stations available for people employed by his Department on...

      Post Office: Income

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much and what proportion of Post Office Limited revenue was distributed to Post Masters for providing in-branch...

      Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has to help improve working conditions and employment rights in the fashion industry.

      Public Houses: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make estimate of the number of pubs that will close in the next 12 months.

      Fish: Retail Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the energy crisis on the viability of fish and chip shops.

      Fracking: Formby

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the earthquake risk assessment by Lancashire...

      Companies House: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the Companies House incorporation fee.

      Companies: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of companies that have been automatically struck off the Companies House...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Health Services: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Action Plan to address the shortfall of trained long-acting...

    • Memory Clinics: Waiting Lists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking with NHS England to reduce backlogs in Memory Assessment Services.

      HIV Infection: Luton South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Luton South constituency in each of the last five years.

      Dementia: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by which date the Government will announce the membership of the National Dementia Mission taskforce.

      Contraceptives: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will undertake a review of the adequacy of the levels of funding provided to general practices for providing long...

      Dementia: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people living with dementia have received an annual dementia review in the last (a) 12 and (b) 24 months.

      Paxlovid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doses of Paxlovid are due to expire within the next 6 months.

      Coronavirus: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of free lateral flow tests on Covid-19 levels.

      Dementia: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by which date the Government intends to begin allocating funding through the National Dementia Mission.

      Monkeypox: Southwark

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she expects adequate stocks of the monkeypox vaccine to be available in Southwark.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of providing an additional covid-19 booster vaccination in 2023.

      Sleep

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support patients of sighted non 24 through the NHS in England; and what assessment she has made of the...

      Dementia: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Alzheimer's Society report entitled Left to Cope Alone, published in June 2022, if she will make an assessment of...

      General Practitioners: Garston and Halewood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of GP appointments in Garston and Halewood conducted face-to-face in the...

      Cancer: Waiting Lists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many operations for cancer patients have been cancelled as a result of staffing shortages in the NHS in each of the last 12 months.

      Monkeypox: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when funding of £15 per dose of monkeypox vaccine delivered will reach sexual health professionals.

      Memory Clinics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of Memory Assessment Services are able to conduct dementia assessments in languages other than English.

      Cancer: Waiting Lists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many appointments for cancer patients have been cancelled as a result of staffing shortages in the NHS in each of the last 12 months.

      Vaccination: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of routine childhood immunisation statistics published on 29 September 2022.

      Care Workers: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the level of wages in the care sector on the vacancy rate in the (a)...

      Healthy Start Scheme: Migrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications to Healthy Start payment have been made by parents with No Recourse to Public Funds with British children; and (b)...

      Life Expectancy: Worsley and Eccles South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Worsley and Eccles...

      Monkeypox: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to accelerate resumption of the Monkeypox vaccination rollout.

      Life Expectancy: Garston and Halewood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Garston and...

      Malnutrition: Worsley and Eccles South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of malnutrition in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

      Monkeypox: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of eligible sexual health clinics have received funding of £15 per dose of monkeypox vaccine delivered.

      Healthy Start Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many eligible Beneficiaries for the Healthy Start voucher scheme there were in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Wales...

      Care Homes: Bolton South East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Bolton South East constituency...

      Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will bring forward a strategy to ensure rapid roll out of (a) innovative vaccines and (b) technologies in the event of a future...

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the The Khan review: making smoking obsolete, published 9 June 2022, what assessment she has made for the implications...

      Moderna: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on agreeing a contract with Moderna to develop a centre for vaccine research and manufacture in the UK.

      Dementia: Ethnic Groups

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people from ethnic minority communities are receiving timely dementia diagnoses.

      Physical Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage more physical exercise.

      Dementia: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) identification and (b) referral process for dementia diagnosis.

      Coffee

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the (a) Royal College of Nursing and (b) other professional medical bodies on the potential dietary...

      Care Homes: Warrington North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care and Quality Commission in Warrington North constituency as of 1...

      Care Homes: Reading East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Reading East constituency since...

      Healthy Start Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to resume the publication of monthly take-up data for the Healthy Start scheme.

      Carers: Unpaid Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Better Care Fund on the provision of support to unpaid carers; and whether...

      Care Homes: Newham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Newham since 1 January 2020,...

      Social Services: City of Durham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in City of Durham constituency.

      Care Homes: Putney

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Putney constituency since...

      Health: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish the health disparities white paper.

      Life Expectancy: West Ham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy by (a) gender and (b)...

      NHS Blood and Transplant: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of the level of staff vacancies at NHS Blood and Transplant as of 13 October 2022; and whether her...

      Care Homes: Nottingham South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Nottingham South constituency...

      Immunology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress she has made on the establishment of a UK wide Predictive Immunology Network.

      Surgery: Bradford South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Bradford South constituency in the past 12 months.

      Surgery: Weaver Vale

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Weaver Vale constituency in the past 12 months.

      Surgery: Washington and Sunderland West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Washington and Sunderland West constituency in the...

      Surgery: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in the past 12 months.

      Surgery: Chesterfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Chesterfield constituency in the last 12 months.

      Health Services: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she will publish guidance on the future regulation of (a) medicines, (b) health technologies and (c) vaccines in Northern Ireland.

      Social Services: Medical Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of social care providers that use only paper-based records.

      Dental Services: Newcastle upon Tyne

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Newcastle in each...

      Midwives: Lancaster and Fleetwood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

      General Practitioners: Hammersmith

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Hammersmith constituency. today and what the number...

  • Wales Office

    • Cost of Living: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish all correspondence with Mark Drakeford on a joint and cooperative plan of action to tackle the cost of living crisis in Wales.

    • Wales Office: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what payments were made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisoners: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of support for female prisoners.

    • Prisoners: Literacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve literacy rates in prison; what estimate he has made of illiteracy levels among prisoners (a) in 2022 and (b) in 2017;...

      Gender Based Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking through the criminal justice system to help tackle violence against women and girls.

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle youth offending.

      Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle low prosecution rates for cases of rape and sexual assault.

      Legal Aid Scheme: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of fixed recoverable costs on the ability of housing legal aid providers to carry out legal...

  • Treasury

    • High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the High Income Child Benefit charge to reflect trends in the level of inflation.

    • Gluten-free Foods: Prices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of rising prices of gluten-free products on people with coeliac disease.

      Energy: Government Assistance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department's review of the energy support that will be offered after April 2023 will consider multi-function premises which are used for both...

      Bank Cards: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2022 to Question 62133, what assessment he has made of the cost to small businesses of chargebacks by consumers for...

      Video Games: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Irish Government’s recent announcement of a higher rate of video games tax relief at 32...

      Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the fiscal impact of the planned changes to alcohol duty from August 2023.

      Childcare: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether people eligible for the tax-free childcare allowance can access that allowance before 31 days prior to a relevant leave period; and if he will make...

      Credit Unions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Section 63 and Schedule 14 of the Financial Services and Markets Bill on parity of Northern Ireland...

      Debts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the regional spread of household debt in each of the last three years.

      Health and Social Care Levy and National Insurance Contributions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 8 March 2022 to Question 134097 on Health and Social Care Levy and National Insurance Contributions, if he will publish the...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Veterans: Medical Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of veteran’s medical records have been digitised.

    • Veterans: Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on phase two of the roll-out of veterans ID cards.

      Veterans: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure robust mental health assessments for those leaving the military with a physical injury, even where no...

      Defence Business Services: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Defence Business Service workplace programme on workers with protected characteristics.

      Defence Business Services: Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Business Service work place programme, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of relocating staff into...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Pensions: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the present economic situation on private sector pensions schemes; and if she...

    • Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what circumstances a man's pension that is subject to a Section 32 buyout policy will not pay out until the age of 65; and for what reasons...

      Question

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction into work.

      Pensioners: Coventry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to pensioners in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry to mitigate the effects of the...

      Workplace Pensions: Monitoring

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure effective oversight of workplace pension schemes.

      Work and Health Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made on delivering the Work and Health Programme.

      Social Security Benefits: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for mandatory reconsideration of benefit decisions.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Electronic Cigarettes: Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of vaping products.

    • Algae: Marine Environment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2022 to Question 59085 on Algae: Marine Environment, whether her Department plans to...

      Dredging: Shellfish

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral evidence session of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on 25 October 2022, if she...

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish (a) the cost to his department of delivering the EU Exit Statutory Instrument programme in (i) 2018 and...

      Environmental Land Management Schemes: Hedges and Ditches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ensure that hedgerows are central to Environmental Land Management Schemes, including the...

      Pheasants: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pheasant (a) eggs for hatching and (b) live birds were imported from each (i) EU country and (ii) third country in...

      Agriculture: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he will take to support famers on delivering (a) nature recovery and (b) other vital services.

      Environmental Land Management Schemes: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the scope for Environmental Land Management schemes to contribute to reducing the...

      Farms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the total number of farms in England in each of the last five years.

      Hedges and Ditches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will include capital support for planting new or reinstating hedgerows within the new Sustainable Farming Incentive.

      Cereals: International Cooperation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support he is providing to international efforts to improve transparency on the reporting of national grain reserves.

      Animal Welfare: Cost of Living

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the rising cost of living on the (a) veterinary, (b) pet...

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will publish the details of all the legislation that falls under his Department’s remit that will be subject...

      Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the not passing of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals Bill) on (a)...

      Plastics: Packaging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban single use plastic in food packaging.

      Sewage: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of raw sewage discharges on local economies.

      Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department took to mark International E-Waste Day.

      Roads: Noise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the level of road noise (a) in the London Borough of Havering and (b) around the Romford...

      Fracking: Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the extraction of shale gas on the environment; and if he...

      Nature Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department will take to meet the habitat restoration targets set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan; and if...

      Environment Protection: Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to maintain environmental protections in proposed investment zones.

      Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ban nonessential per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances to help tackle chemicals of national concern...

      Nature Conservation: Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure the maintenance of (a) species protection, (b)...

      Nature Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the UK protects nature in accordance with its commitments at the...

      Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of prohibiting all non-essential use of perfluoroalkyl and...

      Nature Conservation: EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to retain the nature protections contained within the EU Habitats Directive in UK law beyond...

      Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department’s press release on 22 September, entitled UK government to set its own laws for its...

  • Home Office

    • Domestic Abuse: Cost of Living

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2022 to Question 55112 on Domestic Abuse: Cost of Living, what proportion of the £230 million will...

    • Prostitution

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted under section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in 2021; and what penalty...

      Gender Based Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls.

      Sexual Harassment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his department plans to publish its response to the public sexual harassment consultation that closed on 1 September 2022.

      Home Office: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to improve his Department's response times to enquiries from Rt hon. and hon. Members.

      Migrants: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been detained at the Manston immigration facility in each month since January 2022; and in each month, how many were...

      Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Higher Education Policy Institute's 2022 soft-power index, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK's soft...

      Visas: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people who have limited leave to remain in the UK and are awaiting a decision on a visa extension application are on the...

      Offences against Children: Rochdale

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on the deportations of members of the Rochdale Grooming Gang; and if she will make a statement.

      Visas: Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on expediting the visa applications of Iranian residents sponsored by UK citizens or residents.

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 2012 expansion to the ten year route to settlement on (a) levels of immigration...

      Immigration: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a fee waiver for applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain, in the context of increases in the number of people...

      Migrants: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the performance of the Employer Checking Service.

      Drugs: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reports that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime registered a 43 percent increase in...

      Police National Computer

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure the safety, security and reliability of technology (a) during and (b) following the upgrade of...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Walton of 26 September 2022 on Waleed Hassan Mubarak Ali Bin Salem.

      Biometric Residence Permits: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 4 student visa holders were waiting for their biometric residence permit to be processed as of 21 October 2022; and what the...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Tooting dated 7 September 2021 and 22 October 2021,...

      National Crime Agency: Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Memorandum of Understanding with...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Tooting dated 14 February 2022, reference RA42868.

      Sadhvi Rithambara

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with the Indian government on the cancelled visit to the UK by Indian political activist Sadhvi...

      Visas: Politicians

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that visa applications to the UK for political speaking tours take account of any security...

      Visas: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the speed of processing limited leave to remain visa extension applications.

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Social Rented Housing: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation on a proposed social housing rent cap in the 2023-24 financial year, when he will...

    • Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund and EnAble Fund for Elected Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Access to Elected Office and EnAble funds scheme, when that scheme will begin operating; and how...

      Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it is his Department's policy to develop investment zones.

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many housing units were built in each (a) local authority area and (b) region of England in each year since 2009; and...

      Planning Inspectorate: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the answer of 24 October to Question 64116 Planning Inspectorate: Staff, how many planning inspectors were...

      Buildings: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to encourage developers that have not yet signed the building safety repairs pledge to...

      Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Freeports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will review the decision not to award Freeport status to Gateway East in Doncaster in order to support the continued...

      UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Universities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help tackle the potential loss of university business support and enterprise activity...

      Wildlife

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of introducing investment zones on wildlife.

      Housing: Key Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to UNISON’s report entitled a decent place to live: Homes Fit for Key Workers, published in July...

      Local Government: Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effect of Investment Zones on those local authorities neighbouring Investment Zones;...

      Leasehold: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Communities, Housing and Local Government Committee's report on leasehold reform, published in March...

      Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he will announce his future policy on housing; and if he will make a statement.

      Geothermal Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of (a) removing the prohibition on...

  • Scotland Office

    • Lord Advocate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what representations his Department has received from the Scottish Government on the role of the Lord Advocate.

    • Scotland Office: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what payments were made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Trade Agreements: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when her Department plans to conclude Free Trade Agreement negotiations with India.

    • Trade Agreements: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations her Department made to Indian negotiators on India’s human rights record during free trade agreement negotiations.

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Mortgages: Private Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture and Media, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of landlords converting a private home purchased under a buy-to-let mortgage to a...

    • Holiday Accommodation: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the outcome of the consultation on developing a tourist accommodation registration scheme in England.

      UK City of Culture: Bradford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department has provided to the Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 programme as of 24 October 2022; and what...

      Sport: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled The fight for a level playing field...

      Religious Buildings: VAT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to ensure spending on repairs and renovations to listed places of worship are permanently...

      Arts Council England: Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason the announcement of the Arts Council England investment programme for 2023 to 2026 was delayed.

      Arts Council England: Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Arts Council England on the potential impact of delaying the announcement of its 2023-26...

      Arts: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the depiction of women in artworks exhibited in art galleries in receipt of funding from her...

      Charities: Lotteries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has plans to review the cap on how much charity lotteries can donate to causes per year.

      Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what payments were made to civil servants in her Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Fares

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place with independent rail retailers such as (1) SilverRail, (2) Trainline, and (3) Worldline, about future rail fare simplification.

    • Great British Railways

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 21 October (HL2517), what costs have so far been incurred by the Great British Railways Transition Team.

      A303: Stonehenge

      To ask His Majesty's Government, if the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme does go ahead, to whom would any compensatory payment be made for compulsory acquisition of land in Bow Tie Field at...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Renewable Energy

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the CSIRO report Dispatchability and energy storage costs for complementary wave, wind, and solar PV systems, published on 27...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Aukus

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Prime Minister has held with the President of the United States of America and the Prime Minister of Australia regarding the AUKUS agreement.

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

    • Hereditary Peers: By-elections

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what has been the (1) individual, and (2) total, cost of the five most recent hereditary peer by-elections in the House of Lords.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Alaa Abd El-Fattah

      To ask His Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Egypt over the continuing imprisonment of the British Citizen, Alaa Abd El-Fattah; which government...

    • Alaa Abd El-Fattah

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the consequences the (1) imprisonment of, and (2) lack of consular access to, Alaa Abd El-Fattah could have on the COP 27...

      Alaa Abd El-Fattah

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many successful consular visits they have paid to Alaa Abd El-Fattah in prison in Cairo this year; on what occasions; and how many visits they have (1) paid,...

      Alaa Abd El-Fattah

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any impact assessment of the effect of the (1) imprisonment, and (2) treatment, of Alaa Abd El-Fattah on the UK's (a) political, and (b)...

      Iran: Christianity

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent treatment of Christian minorities in Iran.

      India: Freedom of Religion

      To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they will make to (1) the government of India, and (2) its High Commission in London, concerning the approval of the Karnataka Right to...

      China: Detainees

      To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding recent reports that at least 10 leaders from unregistered Protestant churches were...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Defence: Expenditure

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that their commitment to increase defence spending to three per cent of GDP by 2030 will have on the number UK service...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Food Supply

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to encourage local authorities to support (1) local food networks, and (2) farmers’ markets.

    • Arable Farming

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce financial incentives for farmers to use (1) leguminous, and (2) deep-rooting, plants in crop rotations.

      Agriculture: Energy and Food Supply

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support British farmers (1) with the increasing cost of energy, and (2) to ensure food security.

      Cats: Imports

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many cats have been imported this year under the Balai Directive; and from which countries those cats originated.

      Pet Travel Scheme: Cats

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many cats have been imported under the Pet Travel Scheme for each month of this year for which figures are available.

      Avian Influenza: Disease Control

      To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the (1) treatment, and (2) prevention, of bird flu since the establishment of a research consortium on the issue announced on 20 June.

  • Home Office

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Fuel Poverty: Isle of Man

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the Community Warm Spaces Fund in the Isle of Man; and what plans they have to implement a similar scheme in England and...

    • Private Rented Housing: Evictions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with their plans to end section 21 eviction notices.

      Rented Housing

      To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce the Renters Reform Bill; and, given the increase in mortgage costs may lead to tenants spending longer in rented accommodation, what...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Proscribed Organisations: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, and (2) the relationship between the IRA Army Council and Sinn Féin.

    • Abortion: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many abortions were carried out in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months; how many were (1) surgical, and (2) through the prescription of pills; and what are...

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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