Written answers

Thursday, 27 April 2023

  • Cabinet Office

    • Government Departments: Social Media

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his Department's guidance on the vetting of the social media histories of people invited to speak at Government events.

    • Emergencies: Mobile Phones

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which companies have contracts with his Department for delivering the emergency alerts system; and what the value of each of those contracts is.

      Alcoholism: Stockport

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from alcoholism in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in each year since 2015.

      Cabinet Office: Aviation

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March to Question 169228, on how many occasions the (a) Minister and (b) his predecessors have travelled overseas on...

      Prime Minister: Aviation

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March to Question 169228 on Cabinet Office: Aviation, on how many occasions (a) the Prime Minister and (b) his...

  • Home Office

    • Visas: Skilled Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what service will facilitate the digital technology global talent category of the Global Talent visa after 31 March 2023.

    • Migrant Workers: Skilled Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how regularly her Department plans to update the Shortage Occupation List.

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for indefinite leave to remain after completing the 10-year route to settlement based on their family or private...

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for indefinite leave to remain after completing the 10-year route to settlement based on their family or private...

      Asylum: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum caseworkers were employed by her Department in March 2023.

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme from applicants with credible...

      Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on processing applications to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

      Windrush Compensation Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason funding for the Windrush community engagement fund was withdrawn.

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken recent steps to increase processing times for applications to extend limited leave to remain; and if she...

      Asylum: Accommodation Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made recent health and safety assessments at the (a) Wethersfield (b) Scampton and (c) Bexhill asylum...

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken recent steps to increase processing times for applications to extend limited leave to remain; and if she...

      Immigration: Applications

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

      Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries and Latin America

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme to (a) further European countries...

      Immigration: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to decrease processing times for limited leave to remain applications.

      Asylum: Questionnaires

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who submitted an asylum claim questionnaire were invited to an interview in the latest period for...

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to extend the 20-working day deadline for asylum seekers to complete the streamlined asylum processing; and what criteria...

      Asylum: Albania

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister on Illegal Migration of 13 December 2022, Official Report, column 887, when her...

      Asylum: Questionnaires

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were invited to an interview following the receipt of an asylum claim questionnaire in each (a) local authority and (b)...

      Asylum: Questionnaires

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were invited to a further interview following the receipt of an asylum claim questionnaire since 22 February 2023.

      Asylum: Questionnaires

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reminder notifications her Department has sent in circumstances where an asylum claim questionnaire is not returned by the deadline...

      Immigration: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide more detailed guidance on when individuals can expect a decision on (a) immigration or (b) asylum...

      Windrush Compensation Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for a grant from the 2022-23 Windrush community engagement fund were approved before the scheme was withdrawn.

      Asylum: Bermondsey and Old Southwark

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of (as) refugees and (b) asylum seekers in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency; and if...

      Asylum: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of asylum caseworkers in her Department have been in post for less than (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) a year.

      UK Border Force: Tirana

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the statement by the Prime Minister on Illegal Migration of 13 December 2022, Official Report, column 887, how many Border...

      Asylum: English Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the ability of asylum seekers housed on (a) military bases, (b) accommodation barges, (c)...

  • Treasury

    • Unpaid Taxes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National...

    • Unpaid Taxes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National...

      Unpaid Taxes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National...

      Treasury: Staff

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April to Question 177724 on Treasury: Staff, when staff in his Department's 1 Horseguards Road building last completed a...

      Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to improve the call answer rates for HMRC helplines.

      Disguised Remuneration Loan Charge Review

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been refunded by HMRC due to changes made by the Morse Review; and what the total amount of money refunded is.

  • Department for Education

    • Teachers: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her correspondence with teachers of 29 March 2023, if she will make an assessment of the affordability of the proposed pay award for...

    • Students: Cost of Living

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 180273 on Students: Cost of Living, if she will take steps to implement the recommendations within...

      Apprentices: Taxation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend the period of time within which employers can use their apprenticeship levy funds from 24 to 36 months.

      Physical Education: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to address (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers with expertise in Physical Education.

      Confucius Institutes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of Confucius Institutes in the UK.

      Construction: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to remove the double levy charge on modular manufacturers by exempting them from the scope of the Construction Industry...

      Transport: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to require all state and independent schools to develop a school travel plan.

      Social Workers: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the reasons for which the number of full-time equivalent children and family social workers leaving between October...

      Social Workers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on establishing an Early Career Framework for social workers as recommended by the Independent Review of...

      Children: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she will take to ensure the equal availability and delivery of support for disabled children in all post codes.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she will take to ensure that changes to the SEND system do not make it more challenging for parents to receive support for their children.

      Special Educational Needs: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of STEM teachers; and whether she has made an assessment...

      Apprentices: Degrees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has a set a target on increasing the range of employers and industries offering Degree Apprenticeships in the (a) UK and (b)...

      Apprentices: Degrees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Degree Apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii)...

      Apprentices: Degrees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Degree Apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in the North East in each of the last five years.

      Teachers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government's commitment to ensure the ITT Core Content and Early Career Frameworks are up to date and fit for purpose includes an...

      Schools: Health Professions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have a (i) school nurse, (ii) healthy lifestyles coach and (iii) equivalent...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • A400M Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many A400M aircraft are (a) held within the Forward Available Fleet and (b) what is the Mean Time Between Unscheduled Removals as of 24 April 2023.

    • Military Aircraft: Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans for the New Medium Helicopter programme to reach Initial Operating Capability.

      LE TacCIS programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on delivering the objectives of Project Morpheus.

      Artillery: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 172978 on Artillery: Contracts, what the total value is of each of those contracts.

      Defence: Seas and Oceans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Navy is taking to work with Joint Expeditionary Force partners and NATO to protect critical underwater cables and pipelines.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department last conducted a health and safety risk assessment of the Army’s armoured vehicle fleet for issues related to noise and vibration.

      Ministry of Defence: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 165250 on Ministry of Defence: Housing, how many boilers in service family accommodation (a) over 10...

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much from the public purse his Department spent on repair work in service family accommodation in each year since 2015; and if he will provide a...

      Falkland Islands: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 180811 on Falkland Islands: Armed Conflict, whether sections of the records held on RFA Sir Galahad...

      Military Aircraft: Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on the NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability project.

      Type 32 Frigates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he expects to allocate additional funding to Babcock for the construction of the Type 32 frigates beyond that which was previously agreed.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Palantir: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the performance of Palantir in fulfilling its contract.

    • Palantir: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many officials have responsibility for monitoring the value for money of his Department's contract with Palantir.

      Palantir: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) extend and (b) undertake a consultation on the potential extension of its contract with Palantir.

      Palantir: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has discussions with relevant stakeholders on the extension of the NHS contract with Palantir in 2021.

      Methylphenidate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of methylphenidate.

      Zopiclone

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of zopiclone.

      Chlordiazepoxide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of chlordiazepoxide.

      Health Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to launch a publicity campaign to educate people on self-managing illnesses and on when to access...

      Care Homes: Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce delays to the (a) dispensing and (b) delivery of prescriptions to care homes.

      General Practitioners: Telemedicine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) fund and (b) develop IT systems to help GP practices implement telemedicine and online...

      Catering: Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing alcohol labelling for menus in restaurants and cafes in England.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to increase (a) funding and (b) support for general practice to respond to increases in demand for their...

      Pharmacy: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of pharmacy practices on health inequalities in (a) Enfield...

      Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 179995, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the waiting time for...

      Parkinson's Disease: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) reduce the waiting times for Parkinson’s diagnosis and (b) increase the number of...

      Breast Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve knowledge in (a) patients and (b) providers of the increased risk of (i) cancer going...

      Independent Review of Integrated Care Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for the Government’s response to the Hewitt Review.

      Kidney Diseases: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Major Conditions Strategy will include steps to help tackle chronic kidney disease.

      Nurses: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes in the level of pay for nurses employed by the NHS on the use of nursing...

      Kidney Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce kidney disease-related health disparities.

      Dialysis Machines: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of NHS England’s adherence to Service Specification for Haemodialysis.

      Dialysis Machines: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people on home dialysis not receiving reimbursement for energy costs of dialysis.

      Dialysis Machines: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of how funds allocated to the reimbursement of utility bills or home dialysis that are not spent by Trusts...

      Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times (a) he and (b) other Ministers from his Department have met with the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust...

      Palantir: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contracts and for what services his Department has with Palantir.

      Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) staffing and (b) funding for the Medicines and Healthcare products...

      General Practitioners: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 176748 on General Practitioners: Closures, if he will publish a list of the 158 practices...

      General Practitioners: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP practices use cloud-based telephone solutions.

      General Practitioners: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of GP practices with cloud-based telephone solutions.

      Health Services: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to allow patients to recover the cost of privately funded treatment from the NHS where they were not offered the...

      Infectious Diseases: Drug Resistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the annual cost to the NHS of (a) drug-resistant infections generally and (b) imported...

      Older People: Advocacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to appoint a commissioner for older people and ageing.

      Older People: Advocacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a commissioner for older people and ageing.

      Health Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting time for access to community child health services.

      Smoking: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people who died from smoking in (a) Enfield and (b) London in each year since 2017.

      Dentistry: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists are still practising in the UK five years after qualifying through the NHS.

      Dental Services: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that newly qualified dentists working only in private practice (a) receive training and( b) are...

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to (a) dental surgeons and (b) other dentistry professions.

      Dentaid: Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with DentAid on providing support to community dental services for vulnerable people.

      Dentistry: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of addressing shortages of dentists by paying them a salary for their...

      Dentistry: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessments of the potential merits of making dentists salaried through allowing integrated care boards to buy practices.

      BUPA: Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of BUPA dental practices on NHS patients.

      Dental Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all funding for dentistry transferred from NHS England to the Integrated Care Boards.

      Dental Services: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to support Integrated Care Boards to develop and offer a school-based service of dental inspection and treatment.

      Dental Services: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent comparative assessment he has made of the level of training provided to dentists in (a) primary and (b) secondary care; and...

      Pharmacy: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the rising cost of medicines on community pharmacy contractors’ ability to deliver...

      NHS: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the impact of the NHS Pay Settlement is on the Public Health Grant for 2023-24; and whether that Grant is a real-terms increase from...

      British Pregnancy Advisory Service: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) inspection processes at (a) the BPAS Bournemouth clinic following its...

      Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time from referral to second appointment was for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services service users for...

      Menopause: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to improve NHS services for Menopause.

      Menopause: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with NHS England on NHS treatments available for menopause.

      Menopause: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS services relating to the menopause in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow, (b) London...

      Pethidine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of pethidine supplies in April 2023.

      Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the removal of the end-of-life modifier in technology appraisals by...

      Genito-urinary Medicine: Clinics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of sexual health clinics closed in England in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

      Huntington's Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people living with Huntington’s disease.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there was a cost to the public purse relating to the FCDO cartoons published on his official Twitter...

    • Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia on the detention of Saudi human rights...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the treatment of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons.

      Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the recent earthquakes in Turkey on the upcoming parliamentary...

      Tunisia: Political Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in Tunisia on the arrest and detention of representatives of...

      Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a list of the organisations his Department has given funds to in Turkey since the earthquake on...

      Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the minutes of any meetings held with his Turkish counterparts since the earthquake on 9...

      Malawi: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the funding required for (a) reconstruction and (b) livelihood restoration over...

      Sudan: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Special Representative Volker Perthe to take steps to help negotiate a...

      Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the deployment of British funded aid in Turkey to marginalised...

      Turkey: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department has pledged for (a) humanitarian, (b) engineering personnel and (c) other support...

      Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has for long term support to the recovery effort in Turkey following the recent...

      Syria and Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Enfield North to discuss the response to the recent earthquakes in Turkey...

      Syria and Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available for Kurdish people following the recent...

      Egypt: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he with hold discussions with his counterparts in Egypt on releasing Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mohamed Baker and Neama...

      Paradise Golf and Beach Resort

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Moroccan counterpart on the Paradise golf and beach resort.

      Somalia: Capital Punishment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Somalia on reports of the use of the death penalty,...

      Sudan: Sanctions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of imposing additional sanctions on (a) persons and (b) other...

      Taiwan: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on (a) the status of Taiwan as a state and (b) peace in Taiwan.

      Turkey: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has provided engineering personnel to Turkey since the earthquakes in February 2023.

      Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has raised the distribution of aid in Turkey since the recent earthquakes in that country with his...

      Tibet: Languages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to discuss the use of Tibetan language in schools within that country with his...

      Turkey: Earthquakes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ability for aid to pass freely (a) into and (b) around Turkey following the...

      China: Bay of Bengal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has he made of reported Chinese militarisation of islands in the Bay of Bengal.

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support the de-escalation of violence between military groups in Sudan.

      Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people can access humanitarian aid in Sudan.

      Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support British citizens in Sudan following violence and damage to airport...

      Cyprus: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the leaders of both communities in Cyprus on establishing a sustainable,...

      Pakistan: Demonstrations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has held discussions with Pakistani authorities on potential incidences of violence against...

      Pakistan: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of (a) the removal of the former Prime Minister...

      UK Special Representative for Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2023 to Question 177707 on Pedestrian Areas: Parking, what assessment he has...

      UK Special Representative for Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2023 to Question 177707 on Pedestrian Areas: Parking, when he expects a...

      Development Aid: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 180766 on Development Aid: Climate Change, how much and what...

      Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 181313, on Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla,...

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to take steps increase the UK’s fill and finish manufacturing capacity.

    • Innovation: Urban Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that cities and towns which do not have a...

      Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department holds data on the (a) percentage and (b) total number of staff in the Department who have (i) a STEM...

      Science and Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether money from the public purse spent on the proposed Pioneer prospectus would count towards the Government’s...

      Broadband: Fibre Optics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the average waiting time was for the installation of fibre-optic broadband for businesses in (a) Enfield North...

      Broadband: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the number of businesses and (b) the number of businesses without fibre-optic...

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that full fibre broadband is available to all properties.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support people who are unable to access the Warm Home Discount as they do not have an electricity bill...

    • Carbon Budgets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs on (a) the potential impact of the...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase investment in renewable energy sources to the same level as in the oil and...

      National Grid: East of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will make an estimate of the cost of tackling environmental issues arising from (a) the East Anglia Green Energy...

      National Grid: East of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate he has made of when the review announced by the electricity system operator of the offshore alternative to the...

      National Grid: East of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with ESO-National Grid on the timing of the next consultation on the East Anglia Green Energy...

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of electricity generating capacity that will be required in each year...

      Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many applications for an Alternative Fuel Payment have been rejected because they are for second or holiday homes.

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a voluntary contract for difference scheme.

      Energy: Older People and Vulnerable Adults

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with energy providers on treating elderly and vulnerable customers with care.

      Energy Equity Commission Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 470, Proposed Energy Equity Commission Bill, tabled on 17 October 2022.

      Recycling: Businesses and Households

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the timing of the...

      Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 24 April to Question 181618 on Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes. what information his Department holds...

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with (a) energy suppliers and (b) Ofgem on ending the premiums for prepayment meter energy customers.

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a permanent ban of (a) forced prepayment meter...

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to end the use of premiums for prepayment meter energy customers after the conclusion of the Energy Price...

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure the end of premiums for prepayment meter energy customers.

      Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households received a Warm Home Discount payment in (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Question

      What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of gambling regulation.

    • Motor Sports: Alternative Fuels

      Whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure the availability of synthetic and sustainable fuels for use in motorsport.

      BBC: Harassment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC Board on the potential merits of reviewing the BBC's policy on online harassment of...

      Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason Peers attending His Majesty’s Coronation are not being mandated to wear their Coronation Robes and Coronets.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Guardianship: Child Trust Fund and Individual Savings Accounts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve access to (a) Child Trust Funds (b) Junior ISAs for the guardians of young people without...

    • Courts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average unused court capacity in each year since 2010 for which figures are available.

      Immigration: Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Immigration and Asylum legal aid advisers are registered in (a) each constituency in England and (b) each local authority of (i) England, (ii)...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Shops: Urban Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that (a) town centres and (b) high streets have a variety of shops...

    • Local Enterprise Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 3.119 of the Spring Budget 2023, HC 1183, what assessment his Department has made of the...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much of the £10 million of seed funding allocated to the Modern Methods of Construction Taskforce in the Budget...

      Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Inter-Faith Network; and if he will make a...

      Elections: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the number of instances of voter personation that will be prevented by the new voter...

      Local Government: Elections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding has been allocated to local authorities to promote awareness of new Voter ID rules, broken down by local...

      Private Rented Housing: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an estimate of the average time taken to regain possession of a rental property following...

      Private Rented Housing: Pets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's White Paper entitled A Fairer Private Rented Sector, published on 16 June 2022, what...

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps with planning authorities to ensure that planning permission is granted only when...

      Private Rented Housing: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed fair rents policy in the Fairer private...

      Affordable Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what proportion of the affordable housing programme is allocated to modern methods of construction.

      Disabled Facilities Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to increase the maximum amount that can be awarded through the Disabled Facility Grant in the...

      Pocket Living

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Pocket Living on remediation of fire safety defects in buildings it...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Royal Mail: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Royal Mail on the closure of customer service points.

    • Special Educational Needs: Employment Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what incentives her Department plans to introduce to encourage businesses to offer flexible working arrangements that help enable jobseekers...

      Imports: Israeli Settlements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to prevent the importation of goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements into the UK.

      Clean Steel Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will publish the timeframe for the establishment of the Clean Steel Fund.

      Government Departments: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 177725 on Government Departments: Staff, when staff in the London headquarters of the former...

      Government Departments: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer 2023 of 17 April to Question 177725 on Government Departments: Staff, when staff in the London headquarters of the...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Swimming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for inland bathing water sites were submitted last year; and how many and what proportion of those...

    • Hill Farming: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of withdrawing the basic payment scheme from uplands and...

      Tree Planting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of trees that were planted in England in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

      Food: Shortages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with food producers on potential food shortages in the context of the drought in Spain.

      Tree Felling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) (i) ash and (ii) other trees that were felled to help tackle ash dieback...

      Hunting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take further steps to prevent illegal hunting at events described as trail hunting; and if she will...

      Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter PM2.5 (a) from (i) non-anthropogenic...

      Food: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate with Cabinet colleagues of the amount and proportion of public sector spending on food that was...

      Food: Public Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2022 to Question 74577 on Food: Public Sector, what recent estimate she has made of...

      Food: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries to the urgent question entitled Food...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • National Employment Savings Trust Corporation: Atos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether NEST employed external advisers and consultants regarding the procurement contract between the National Employment Savings Trust and...

    • Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of appointing a pensions commissioner on the uptake of pension credit.

      Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on how may people received benefit overpayments as a result of fraud in the last financial year for...

  • Leader of the House

  • Department for Education

    • Teachers: Workplace Pensions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of any changes to employer contributions for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on (1) maintained schools, and (2)...

    • Teachers: Workplace Pensions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of any changes to employer contributions for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on private schools which participate...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Child Trust Fund

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to amend legislation to help (1) child trust fund beneficiaries who do not have the capacity to make their own financial decisions, and...

    • Juries

      To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the findings of a study by Royal Holloway, University of London of religious bias in jury outcomes with regard to...

      Chief Coroner

      To ask His Majesty's Government what role the Chief Coroner has in relation to the conduct of coroners in respect of non-judicial matters.

      Appeals: Immigration

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many immigration decisions were overturned on appeal in (1) 1993, (2) 2003, (3) 2013 and (4) 2021.

      Prisoners' Transfers: Open Prisons

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many parole board recommendations for the transfer of prisoners to open conditions were (1) accepted, and (2) rejected, by the Secretary of State for...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Drugs: Advertising

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 11 April (HL6877), in which legislation it states that advertisements which form part of Government...

    • Maternity Services: Languages

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether all printed information and advice provided to women who are pregnant or in labour about specific conditions and procedures which may be required at short...

      Prescriptions: Digital Technology

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce a digital prescription scheme for patients who have repeat prescriptions.

      World Health Organization

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of amendments to Article 1 (Definitions) and the proposed new Article 13A (WHO-led International Public Health Response) of the...

      Integrated Care Boards: Pay

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 3 April (HL6059), to list for the three Integrated Care Board chief executives of (1) Humber Coast...

      Blood: Microplastics

      To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of research published in Environment International in February 2022 on the presence of microplastics in human blood, what plans they have for...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Beef: Imports

      To ask His Majesty's Government (1) whether they have a reliable test to check whether beef imported from outside the European Union has been previously subjected to hormone implants, and if so,...

  • Home Office

    • Asylum

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum claims were processed in (1) 1993, (2) 2003, (3) 2013 and (4) 2022.

    • Refugees: Homelessness

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support newly recognised refugees; and what plans they have to reconsider extending the move-on period from 28 to 56 days in...

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of using and converting (1) RAF Scampton, (2) MDP Wethersfield, (3) the Northeye site, and (4) the Bibby Stockholm barge...

      Asylum

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of implementing the recommendations made in the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration...

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Tesla: Cameras

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for British citizens of the evidence obtained by a Reuters investigation which suggests that Tesla employees...

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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