Written answers

Thursday, 23 March 2023

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Local Government: Publicity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to correspondence from the hon. Member for Southport, what assessment he has made of the extent to which a...

    • Infrastructure: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that communities are consulted on proposed local infrastructure projects.

      Private Rented Housing: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of properties sold by small landlords were purchased by (a) private buyers for personal...

      Music Venues: Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory right of comment for grassroots music...

      Neighbourhood Plans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will provide additional funding to local authorities for the development of neighbourhood plans.

      Private Rented Housing: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of disabled people who have been served section 21 eviction notices in the last...

      Valuation Office Agency: Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure that Valuation Office reports are (a) referred to in all planning processes and (b)...

      Prefabricated Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with modular housing companies on providing housing for local authorities.

      Council Tax: Energy Bills Rebate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment with his Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of extending the Council Tax rebate to...

      High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department holds a list of competent professionals qualified to conduct Fire Risk Appraisals of External Wall...

      Innovation and Research: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help support the development of investment zones; and whether funding earmarked for...

      Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is planning to hold a further bidding round for Investment Zones.

      Mayors: Powers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department conducted an equality impact assessment on the new powers and funds for the Metro Mayors of Greater...

      Refugees: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to Ukrainian refugees to move...

      Temporary Accommodation: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of suitable temporary accommodation for disabled...

      Homelessness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department are taking to support local authorities with tackling homelessness.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Trade Agreements: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress her Department has made on negotiating a free trade agreement with India.

    • Working Hours: Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to take steps to review the health and wellbeing impact of night-time shift working; and if she will take steps...

      Department for Business and Trade: Technical Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what was the cost to the public purse of (a) Official and (b) non-Official Development Assistance spending on technical assistance...

      Import Duties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of improving the transparency of the reasons given for rejecting applications...

      British Patient Capital

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to paragraph 4.114 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC1183, published on 15 March 2023, how much (a) new and (b) total funding has...

      Trade Agreements: Mercosur

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) she and (b) her predecessors have had discussions with their Mercosur counterparts on the status of gold in negotiations around a...

      Electronic Cigarettes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Office for Product Safety and Standards plan to take steps to assess the safety of vaping; and what...

      Electronic Cigarettes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Trading Standards and (b) the Office for Product Safety and Standards on e-cigarette...

      Bridges: St Kitts and Nevis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of opportunities for British construction firms to bid for the Bridge project connecting...

      Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to create a trade portal for providing information and guidance to businesses on potential trade...

      Overseas Investment: San Marino

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress she has made on an agreement on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments between the UK and the Republic...

      Trade Promotion: St Kitts and Nevis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to cover the territory of St Kitts & Nevis.

      Manufacturing Industries: Supply Chains

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Answer of 16 March 2023 to Question 162170 on Manufacturing Industries: Supply Chains, whether she had discussions with...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Mortality Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people died in Yorkshire Ambulance Service ambulances waiting outside hospitals in the latest period for which data is available.

    • Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Mortality Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of excess deaths that can be attributed to long waiting times at Yorkshire Ambulance Service in...

      Ambulance Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many serious incidences have been recorded by each of the Ambulance Trusts in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

      Electronic Cigarettes: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce the number of young people recreationally using e-cigarettes and (b) prevent young...

      HIV Infection: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Action 7 of the HIV Action Plan, what barriers his Department has identified to retention in care for people living...

      Public Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the progress made by local authorities on the provision of public health since 2010.

      HIV Infection: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of people with HIV are not retained in care by (a) NHS region, (b) Integrated Care System,...

      Refugees: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing routine screening for newly-arrived asylum seekers for antimicrobial...

      Funerals: Jews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the Jewish community's burial traditions are not interrupted by the changes to the process for the...

      Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of the payment made to successful claimants under the...

      Doctors: Strikes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) operations, (b) clinic appointments, (c) episodes of clinical care, (d) hours of clinician time for supporting professional...

      Life Sciences: Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to help support the life sciences industry.

      Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) the minutes from and (b) a list of attendees at the workshops his Department has been running ahead of...

      Accident and Emergency Departments: Shropshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to begin construction work for the modernisation of A&E services in Shropshire.

      NHS: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to provide mental health support for NHS staff.

      NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 150442 on NHS Trusts: Debts, if his Department will publish a list of each NHS...

      Community Diagnostic Centres: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a community diagnostic centre in Sidcup.

      NHS Trusts: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money from the public purse has been spent on the faster data flows pilots of Palantir Foundry to date; and if he will provide a...

      NHS: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department of the implications for its policies of the policy of weighting 10 per cent of all NHS procurement...

      NHS Trusts: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS trusts have paused or suspended pilots of Palantir Foundry.

      England Infected Blood Support Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any disability has to be proved arising from infection with (a) Hepatitis C and (b) HIV from (i) blood and (ii) blood products to...

      Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason 60 per cent disability has to be established to qualify for any payment under the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979; and...

      Social Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the first bullet point on the executive summary on page 8 of People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform...

      Motor Neurone Disease: Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the level of awareness of motor neurone disease patients of their right to a carer's assessment; and if...

      Cancer: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking steps to accelerate the adoption of innovative oncology treatments, including precision medicines.

      Kidney Diseases: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in (a) Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency and (b) NHS Birmingham and Solihull...

      Motor Neurone Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) males and (b) females have been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in each of the last three years.

      Care Homes: Agency Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2023 to Question 135225 on Social Services: Agency Workers, what the value is of agency staff costs...

      Bone Cancer: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has allocated to bone cancer research in the 2023-24 financial year.

      Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Major Conditions Strategy will include preventative measures to decrease the number of cancer cases.

      Defibrillators: Public Places

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of public access to defibrillators.

      Motor Neurone Disease: Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve support for people who care for individuals with motor neurone disease.

      Hospices: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of rising (a) costs, (b) energy costs and (c) staffing costs on hospices.

      Huntington's Disease: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to health and social care services for people with Huntington's disease.

      Housing: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on launching the taskforce on Older People’s Housing.

      Lung Diseases: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what science funding his Department has allocated to the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of (i) Interstitial lung disease and (ii)...

      Respiratory System: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help improve research on (a) understanding, (b) treating and (c) diagnosing respiratory disease.

      Mental Health Services: Chronic Illnesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the mental health 10 year plan; and whether that plan will include measures to support people living with...

  • Home Office

    • Home Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 162494 tabled by the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North on 10th March 2023.

    • Visits Abroad: Rwanda

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which (a) newspapers and (b) broadcasters were invited to accompany her on her visit to Rwanda in March 2023.

      China: Intelligence Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on reports of secret...

      Cars: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle car crime in Battersea.

      Forensic Science: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of recent trends in the financial sustainability of...

      Police: Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2023 to Question 140163 on Police: Vetting, how many and what proportion of serving and retired police...

      Safer Streets Fund: Battersea

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) how many organisations in Battersea bid for the Safer Streets Fund and (b) how much of the Safer Streets Fund has been allocated to...

      Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published on 20 October 2022, whether (a) police...

      Domestic Abuse: Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of increases in the cost of living on victims of domestic abuse.

      Offences against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse entitled Child protection in religious organisations and...

      Home Office: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vacancies her Department had in (a) September 2022 and (b) March 2023.

      Home Office: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many suppliers their Department excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c) other grounds under the...

      UK Border Force: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department allocated to Border Force Maritime Command in each of the last five years.

      Asylum: Lancaster and Fleetwood

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people receive Section 95 Asylum Support in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

      Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time for a Homes for Ukraine Scheme visa was in the latest period for which data is available.

      Asylum: Albania

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Albanian nationals who have applied for (a) asylum, (b) refugee status and (c) protection under modern...

      Naturalisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of changing the requirement for naturalisation applicants to have been in the UK for...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to his Department were (a) received and (b) answered by service area in each of the last five years; and what the average wait...

    • Earnings Rules

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Spring Budget 2023, HC1183, published on 15 March 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the...

      Universal Credit: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2023 to Question 161211 on Universal Credit: Coronavirus, how much was not collected in deductions from...

      Employment: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference the policy paper, Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023, what recent progress he...

      Social Security Benefits: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March to Question 163821 on Social Security Benefits: Applications, how were participants in the (a) digital...

      State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many UK pensioners living overseas had their pensions stopped incorrectly in 2022 broken down by nation.

      State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, from what location life certificate forms for UK pensioners living overseas are posted from; and which company is responsible for the posting...

      State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many UK pensioners living overseas had their pensions stopped in 2022 because of life certificate forms and postal issues, broken down by...

      State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of a UK pension live in countries without a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK by (a) the country...

      Habitual Residence Test

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department have made of the potential merits of changing the requirements of past presence tests for applicants to the...

      Employment: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference the policy paper, Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023, if he will make an...

      Social Security Benefits: Self-harm and Suicide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of February 21 to Question 149568 on Social Security Benefits: Self-Harm and Suicide, whether the requested information...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Coroners: Legal Representation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on legal representation at inquests in each year since 2018.

    • Legal Profession: Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what financial steps his Department is taking to increase the (a) development and (b) use of technology in the legal sector.

      War Crimes: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take at the meeting of international justice ministers on 20 March to help ensure (a) practical and (b) financial support to...

      Matrimonial Causes Act 1973

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of when the Law Commission will begin its review of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973.

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to provide additional support to civil legal aid firms who will not be eligible for the 15 per cent uplift in fees for criminal legal aid.

      Offences against Children: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had discussions with his international counterparts on steps that could be taken within judicial systems to help support child victims of...

      Prisoners' Transfers: Open Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners were transferred to open conditions in each of the last 10 years.

      Undocumented Workers: Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of the offence of illegal working since that offence was introduced under the 2016 Immigration Act.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Plastics: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to support small businesses to reduce the use of single-use plastics.

    • Deposit Return Schemes: Plastics and Tin

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of plastic and tin deposit return schemes; and what progress her...

      Fast Food: Restaurants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of an (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory scheme to require drive...

      Water Companies: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of financial civil penalties on water companies' compliance levels.

      Dogs: Animal Breeding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that breeders of dogs adhere to breeding licensing conditions.

      Floods: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Flood Re scheme for ensuring that residents in areas of flooding risk...

      Whisky: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make representations to her US counterpart on the potential merits of granting whiskey from Northern Ireland the...

      Water: Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the number of serious water quality pollution incidents that have occurred, broken down by...

      Sewage: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times each water company breached their storm overflow permits in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

      Pollution: River Tees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 13 of the report by the Chief Executive of the South Tees Development Corporation, published on...

  • Department for Education

    • Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to streamline the process of becoming a training provider; and if she will make a statement.

    • Pre-school Education: T-levels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students have been funded by her Department to study those courses which will lose funding approval in August 2024 because their content...

      Childcare: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to support childcare providers with energy costs.

      Secondary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils are taught about the culture, politics and geography of each of the UK nations as...

      Pre-school Education: Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the amount of time it takes for a child in an early years setting to be assessed for SEND support once a nursery has...

      Citizenship: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote British values in schools.

      Childcare: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of levels of pay for childcare workers on recruitment and retention in the sector.

      Families: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to help ensure equal support for kinship families.

      Relationships and Sex Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 8 March 2023, Official Report, column 298, whether it is the Government's policy to...

      Extended Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on who should provide wraparound school-based childcare; and what steps she is taking to ensure that child-to-adult...

      Pupils: Attendance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure attendance levels in school recover to pre-covid-19 pandemic levels.

      Secondary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils cover (a) the creation of the United Kingdom, (b) Acts and Treaties of Union and...

      Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2022 to Question 48310 on BTEC Qualifications and T-levels, how many students aged between 16 and 18 years old...

      Pupils: Attendance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support schools to increase the level of pupil attendance.

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in year three and above who are registered for free school meals are from households earning more than...

  • Treasury

    • Research and Development Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many SMEs claiming R&D tax credits have R&D expenditure between 25 percent and 39 percent of their total expenditure.

    • Business Rates: Reform

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential merits of reforming business rates in the period since...

      Gift Aid

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) charities and (b) community amateur sports clubs based outside the UK claimed Gift Aid on donations received from UK taxpayers in (i) 2018-19,...

      Efficiencies and Value for Money Committee

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s announcement entitled New efficiency drive to cut £5.5 billion of government waste published on 21 March...

      British Patient Capital

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.114 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC 1183, published on 15 March 2023, what estimate he has made of the regional breakdown of...

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to undertake a review of levels of VAT.

      Bakeries: Business Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what requirements there are for bakeries to be eligible for the higher rate of business rates relief.

      Buildings: Energy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.152 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC1183, published on 15 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the impact of the budget's...

      Treasury: Procurement

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many suppliers her Department excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c) other grounds under the Public Contract...

      Employment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Spring Budget 2023 on employment rates.

      Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.100 of the Spring Budget Report 2023, HC1183, published in March 2023, what the evidential basis is for the adequacy of...

      Civil Society and Small Businesses: Bank Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with banks on taking steps to support small businesses, social enterprises and charities to open bank accounts.

      Exports: Australia

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which five UK sectors exported the largest value of goods to Australia in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of goods...

      Childcare: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the full or partial value of the free childcare hours entitlement to be paid to informal...

      Paye

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of HMRC’s enforcement of agency regulations collecting PAYE tax from agencies who have had...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Cabinet Office: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many suppliers their Department excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c) other grounds under the Public...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Energy: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial support to businesses who have entered into fixed 12 month contracts for...

    • Energy Bill Relief Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Spring Budget Report 2023, HC1183, published in March 2023, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of...

      Coal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of support for energy bills for households that use coal as their main source of...

      Energy Bills Rebate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his oral answers of 28 February to Topical Questions, Official Report, column 640, what the evidential basis is...

      Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people will no longer be eligible for the Warm Home Discount Scheme once the eligibility criteria has been changed to...

      Energy: Pre-school Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support his Department is providing to help the private, voluntary and independent early years sector to reduce energy use...

      Sizewell C Power Station: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make assessment of the potential merits of classifying nuclear energy as sustainable to help support private financing...

      Nuclear Power: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to introduce a fast-track approvals process for applications for new nuclear developments that do not...

      Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support new nuclear developers that do not require any public funding.

      Great British Nuclear

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to provide further information on the role of Great British Nuclear.

      Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason it is his policy that nuclear power will be classed as environmentally sustainable subject to consultation.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Gender: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what percentage of Official Development Assistance is spent on programmes with a (a) significant...

    • Persecution of Christians across the Globe Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further steps his Department has taken to progress the outstanding elements of recommendation 4 of the Truro...

      Gender: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it his Department's policy that 80 per cent of Official Development Assistance expenditure will include...

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many overseas flights were made by ministers in his Department using non-scheduled air transport in each year...

      International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date he last discussed UK involvement in the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace with his...

      Bahrain: Protest

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023 to Question 161427 on Bahrain: Demonstrations, what representations he...

      International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 14 March 2023 on Israel and Palestine, Official Report, column 672,...

      Bahrain: Political Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution by the Leader of the House of 22 July 2022, Official Report, column 1133,...

      Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023 to Question 161427 on Bahrain: Demonstrations, what assessment he has made...

      Abdulhadi al-Khawaja

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to his Bahraini counterpart on Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja's right to receive...

      Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the consequences for his policies of (a) reports that Bahraini authorities arrested...

      EU Law: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide funding for Northern Ireland institutions to hold discussions with the EU on developments in EU...

      Afghanistan: Hazara

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of potentials threats posed to Hazara Muslims in Afghanistan.

      Afghanistan: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the extent of freedom of religious belief in Afghanistan.

      Balochistan: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the adherence to human rights in...

      Turkey: Elections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with members of civil society in Turkey on the upcoming parliamentary...

      Mubarak Bala

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Nigeria on Mubarak Bala.

      Nigeria: Abduction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Nigeria on the kidnapping of Christians in Kaduna State.

      Myanmar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the people of Myanmar.

      UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement Domestic Advisory Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether an assessment was made of the potential merits of appointing the (a) Law Society of Scotland and (b)...

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many suppliers their Department excluded from procurement on the grounds of (a) fraud, (b) corruption and (c)...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Ethnic Groups: Employment

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to action 69 of the report entitled Inclusive Britain: government response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, published...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Leisure and Swimming Pools: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether swimming pools and leisure centres run by (a) community groups and (b) charities will be eligible for the support fund...

    • Leisure and Swimming Pools: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Spring Budget 2023, HC1183, published on 15 March 2023, whether the £63 million funding for swimming pools...

      Leisure and Swimming Pools: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 2.28 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC1183, published in March 2023, if she will make it her policy to extend...

      Charities: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 2.28 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC1183, published in March 2023, whether restraints will be placed on the...

  • Department for Transport

    • Aviation: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of using public service obligation air routes to introduce zero emissions regional...

    • Driving Tests: Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test appointment slots are available each week in (a) the Dunfermline and (b) the Kirkcaldy Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency test...

      Transport: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government will publish its response to the Future of Transport Regulatory Review consultation.

      Bicycles: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish the results of the Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme evaluation.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of installing electric vehicle charging signage on (a) motorways and (b) major A roads.

      Travel: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people can benefit from advances in technology that improve their ability to travel.

      Driving Tests: Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test examiner posts are vacant in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Kirkcaldy; how many applications the DVSA received for advertised driving...

      Roads: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to assess the adequacy of the funding available to local...

      Bus Services: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support rural bus routes.

      Aviation: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the introduction of zero-emission aircraft.

      A595

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the benefit cost ratio is in the Cumbria County Council submission for the Bothel road scheme.

      Cycling and Walking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help more people to (a) walk, (b) wheel and (c) cycle in (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2024-25.

      Cycling and Walking: Finance

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

      Travel: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 March 2023 on Transport Update, HCWS625, whether the policies set out in the Answers to Questions (a)...

      Cycling and Walking: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2023 to Question 165429 on Active Travel: Finance, when he plans to publish the next report on the delivery of the...

      Cycling and Walking: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department will provide for active travel in this Parliament.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Government has made on beginning the application process for the rapid charging fund.

      Great British Railways: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether plans to establish a regional hub of Great British Railways in York.

      Great British Railways: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) he or (b) Ministers from his Department visited York as part of its decision on the future headquarters of Great British Rail.

      Great British Railways: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason York was not chosen as the location for the Great British Railways National Headquarters; and what weighting was given to the level of...

      Great British Railways: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Great British Railways National HQ competition, in what way the public vote was taken into account in deciding the winning...

      Railways: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish his Department's expenditure on Network Rail operations in England in each of the last five years.

      Railways: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the contribution of York's rail cluster in digital and advance rail to the rail industry in the UK.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Research: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what parts of the science spending announced in his Financial Statement and Budget Report will be disbursed by (a) UK...

    • Science and Technology: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 10 of the UK Science and Technology Framework, what steps she plans to take to support funders to...

      Horizon Europe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the prospect of the UK re-joining the Horizon Programme.

      Horizon Europe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with the EU on the UK re-joining the Horizon Programme.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Defence Infrastructure Organisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2023 to Question 162118 on Defence Infrastructure Organisation, what these figures are by (a) military, (b) agency...

    • Military Bases: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 153692 on Military Bases: Sales, how much income was received from defence estate disposals in each...

      Veterans: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps to increase the number of veteran ID cards issued to veterans in Canterbury.

      Shipbuilding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he holds the position of Shipbuilding Tsar as of 14 March 2023.

      Ministry of Defence: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on research and development in each financial year since 1997.

      Artillery: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled British Army announces new artillery deal with Sweden, published on 16 March, what proportion...

      HMS Gannet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at HMS Gannet; and how many personnel are based at that site.

      Veterans: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the validity of veterans' ID cards as a form of identification in the May local elections.

      Ministry of Defence: Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many overseas flights were made by ministers in his Department using non-scheduled air transport in each year from 2016 to 2022 inclusive; and on...

      Gurkhas: Military Alliances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of replacing the tripartite agreement governing Gurkha terms of service with a bilateral...

      Armed Forces: Childcare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support service families with childcare provision.

      Ajax Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 20 March 2023 on Ajax Payments Update, HCWS652, how many Ajax vehicles will comprise a deployable squadron.

      Veterans: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current method and rate of calculation is for (a) Guaranteed Income Payment and (b) Loss of Promotions factors for veterans entitled to...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Livestock: Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the movement of livestock between...

    • Cost of Living: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to support women in Northern Ireland with the cost of living crisis.

      Motor Sports: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will take steps to support a bid for a round of the World Rally Championship series to be hosted in Northern Ireland in 2024.

      Renewable Energy: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for renewable energy in Northern Ireland.

      Windsor Framework

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Windsor Framework on Northern Ireland's place in the Union.

  • Church Commissioners

    • Religious Freedom

      To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church has made of freedom of religion and belief (a) globally and (b) in China and Hong Kong.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government which Government agency will have responsibility for staffing and operating the green and red lanes for goods entering Northern Ireland; and to whom that agency...

    • UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether there will be any change in the text of (1) the Withdrawal Agreement, or (2) the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, on the description of Great...

      Moldova: Russia

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current situation in Moldova and the reported activities of the Russian Federation in that country; and what assistance they...

      EU Law: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK producers and manufacturers will be able to disregard EU laws and rules in the production and manufacture of goods and products for (1) the...

      Imports: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government which products from Great Britain, if any, will not be able to be imported to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

      European Court of Justice: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government what changes to the role of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland will be made as a result of the Windsor Framework; and how any such change be...

      UK Trade with EU: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether Northern Ireland will remain part of the EU Single Market and subject to the rules thereof in the event that the Windsor Framework is implemented.

      Import Controls: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government where they propose to erect border inspection posts in Northern Ireland; when will they be implemented; and what will be the cost of implementation.

      Syria: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that relief supplies, particularly for women and children, reach the whole of northern Syria, including the region known...

      Syria: International Assistance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what relief and development aid they are providing in Syria through the (1) indigenous, and (2) external, faith authorities.

      Syria: Refugees

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they intend to have with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees regarding (1) the need for food and medical supplies for, and (2)...

      BBC World Service: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they provided for the BBC World Service in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) 2022.

      Kashmir: Reserve Forces

      To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India concerning the rearming of the Village Defence Group in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in light of...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Social Services: Labour Turnover

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to increase staff retention in the social care sector.

    • Social Services and Voluntary Organisations: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what further financial support they will provide to (1) voluntary care organisations, and (2) social care workers; and what plans they have to align the...

      Coronavirus

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hospice and End of Life Care The Lasting Impact of COVID-19 on Death, Dying and Bereavement,...

      Coronavirus: Databases

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the data schema for each of the datasets listed in the NHS COVID-19 Data Reference Library.

      Life Sciences: Drugs

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 7 February (HL5233), what assessment they have made of the reports by the Association of the British...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

  • Department for Business and Trade

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Climate Change

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Callanan (HL5765 and HL3971), whether the World Climate Declaration has been taken into account in Government policy,...

    • Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of who was behind the attack on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline; and what evidence they have for that assessment.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Government Departments: CCTV

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the security cameras installed in the combined government offices at Quay House in Peterborough, which includes the offices of the Passport Office, Natural...

  • Treasury

    • Tax Evasion: Prosecutions

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions were brought by HMRC against the enablers of tax evasion in each year for the last 10 years; for each year, how many penalties were secured...

    • UK Infrastructure Bank

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the mandate in the UK Infrastructure Bank’s Annual Report for it to “bolster the government’s lending to local government for large...

      UK Infrastructure Bank

      To ask His Majesty's Government what projects have been (1) considered, and (2) financed, by the UK Infrastructure Bank in the past 12 months in each region of the UK.

      UK Infrastructure Bank

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement in the UK Infrastructure Bank’s Framework Document that it is “yet to be administratively classified”, what...

      UK Infrastructure Bank

      To ask His Majesty's Government what projects the UK Infrastructure Bank is currently considering in each region of the UK.

      Apprentices: Taxation

      To ask His Majesty's Government how much money was raised by the apprenticeship levy in each of the financial years (1) 2016–17, (2) 2017–18, (3) 2018–19, (4) 2019–20, (5)...

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • BGI Group: Hacking

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (HC Deb col 121WH) where he stated that Genomics England...

  • Home Office

    • Illegal Migration Bill

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 8 March (HL Deb col 847) concerning the legality of the new Illegal Migration Bill, what plans they have to...

    • Visas and Work Permits: Social Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many visas and work permits have been granted under the Health and Social Care scheme since February 2022.

  • Department for Education

    • Schools: Sports

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to give girls equal access to sport in schools, particularly football.

    • Free School Meals: Universal Credit

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many children are in receipt of Universal Credit but are not eligible for free school meals.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Offenders: Rehabilitation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased deployment of halfway houses both pre-trial and post-custodial sentence on (1) the amount of people in...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Universal Credit

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust report An Essentials Guarantee: Reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the...

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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