Written answers

Thursday, 11 May 2023

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Plastics: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage retailers to allocate proceeds from the sale of single-use plastic bags to charitable...

    • Flood Control: Parish and Town Councils

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when details of community engagement with Parish Councils and local Flood Action Groups will be published on the Environment...

      River Severn: Flood Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for the publication of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.

      Food: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the quantity of food that has spoiled while awaiting export checks at UK borders that were...

  • Department for Education

    • Koru Kids: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has sought to (a) refuse freedom of information requests and (b) prevent other forms of public disclosure of any matters...

    • Childminding: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department had discussions with (a) Koru Kids and (b) the Prime Minister on start-up grants for childminders in the six months before the...

      Teachers: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teaching provided by distance and online remote learning education providers meet the required...

      Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent fiscal assessment she has made of the value to GDP that international students bring to the UK economy per year.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Mental Health Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 176815 on Mental Health Services, how many full-time equivalent staff in his...

    • Hormone Replacement Therapy: Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have bought an HRT pre-payment certificate since its introduction.

      Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of Tier 4 beds in (a) England, (b) York and (c) North Yorkshire; and...

      Mental Health Services: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate staffing levels for mental health services.

      Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what recent steps his Department has taken to support children and young people on the waiting list and (b) what steps he is taking...

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's Women's Health Strategy for England, published on 30 August 2022, when he plans to publish the...

      IVF: LGBT+ People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Women’s Health Strategy for England, published on 30 August 2022, whether his Department has taken recent...

      Mental Health Services: North Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that appropriate provision is in place to support mental health patients in North Yorkshire; and what...

      Air Pollution: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181817 on Air Pollution: Death, if he provide a worked calculation and weblinks to...

      Parkinson's Disease: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to include projections of the numbers of mental health staff that will be recruited to support people with...

      NHS: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the NHS Workforce Plan contains a detailed analysis of the long-term...

      Influenza: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the Government has spent on antiviral medication stockpiles against influenza in each year since 2005.

      General Practitioners: Wandsworth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS GPs there were in the London Borough of Wandsworth in each year since 2010.

      Ageing and Older People: Public Appointments

      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.

  • Home Office

    • Home Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 181359 tabled on 18 April 2023 on Refugees: Afghanistan.

    • Overseas Students: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the financial requirement threshold for international student applications to higher...

      Immigration Officers: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional immigration officers have been appointed in each year between January 2018 and March 2023.

      Immigration Officers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional immigration officers are undergoing training in order to expand the current staffing level.

      Police: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, what proportion of her Department's budget was spent on food for the police force in each of the last five years; and what proportion of food...

      Home Office: Email

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many emails were received by her Department in each year from 2017 from people outside the UK relating to (a) border, (b) immigration...

      Refugees: Families

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 26 April 2023 to Question 181331 on Refugees: Families, if she will make it her policy to include evidence of risk of...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the correspondence of 20 March 2023 from the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, reference MIN/0549165/23.

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Question

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of introducing a system of proportional...

    • Affordable Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many homes have been built that are (a) affordable (b) for social rent since 1 January 2022.

      Housing: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the number of accessible and adaptable homes.

      Housing: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many times the Nation House Building Council has signed off on a property that has subsequently been found not fit for...

      Local Government: Elections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people were turned away from the polls at the local elections on 4 May 2023 because they presented unacceptable...

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the shortfall of social housing stock is (a) nationally (b) by local authority.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Uzbekistan: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his (a) Uzbekistani counterpart and (b) HM Ambassador to Uzbekistan on (i)...

    • Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department will implement its Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget commitments to reinstate ODA...

      Humanitarian Aid: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking help (a) resource and (b) encourage participation of women-led organisations...

      East Africa: International Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to host an international conference on humanitarian assistance for the East Africa drought.

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the potential impact of the conflict in Sudan on its neighbouring...

      Alaa Abdel Fattah

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to secure the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah.

      Ukraine: Reconstruction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) women's rights and (b) women-led organisations participate in the...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Military Bases: Concrete

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military barracks on the Defence Estate have been identified as containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

    • Ukraine: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the reduction in the number of Army personnel has had an effect on the provision of new military capabilities to Ukraine since February 2023.

      Global Combat Air Programme: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) procurement cost and (b) whole life cost for the Global Combat Air Programme.

      Global Combat Air Programme: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding has been allocated for the Global Combat Air Programme by (a) the UK, (b) Italy and (c) Japan.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Community Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of court applications to extend supervision due to community sentence unpaid work going...

    • Prisons: Racial Discrimination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on outcomes for prisoners from ethnic minority backgrounds of the report by His...

      Prison Officers: Cameras

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department has allocated to providing improved camera equipment for prison officers.

      Community Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court applications his Department made to extend supervision due to unfulfilled community sentence unpaid work in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

      Prisons: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the contract between his Department and BFS Group Ltd for the supply of food to prisons in England and Wales, what proportion of eggs...

      Prisons: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the contract between his Department and BFS Group Ltd for the supply of food to prisons in England and Wales, what proportion of raw...

      Prisoner Escorts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many delays to court proceedings in 2022 resulted from prisoners who were the responsibility of (a) Serco Ltd and (b) GEOAmey Ltd not being...

      Prisons: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 23 March 2023, Official Report, column 1850, if he will provide...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Alternative Fuel Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households have applied to receive Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding as of 4 May 2023; and what proportion...

    • Energy: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish new Minimim Energy Efficency Standards for the private rental sector.

      Boiler Upgrade Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason households with (a) fossil fuel central heating and (b) hot water heating from renewable sources must replace both...

      Smart Export Guarantee

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Smart Export Guarantee on private investment in renewable technology; and whether...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the (a) Universal Credit helpline and (b) Disability Service Centre for queries on (i) Personal Independence Payments, (ii)...

    • Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department investigate benefit fraud; what recent estimate he has made of the cost of that fraud to the public purse;...

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department defines benefit fraud.

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any claimants who have had their claim suspended by the Risk Review Team have subsequently been convicted of fraud in the last six months.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Sign Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his department has made with implementing the British Sign Language Act 2022.

      Employment: Arthritis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of placing work advisors in community musculoskeletal services on...

      Employment: Musculoskeletal Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support people with musculoskeletal issues into work.

      Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for access to work assessments.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants who received the (a) Support Group element of Employment and Support Allowance and (b) Limited Capability for Work-Related...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Health and Disability White Paper, CP 807, published on 15 March 2023, whether he intends to introduce a substantial...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Health and Disability White Paper, CP 807, published on 15 March 2023, whether he plans to introduce a Mandatory...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Health and Disability White Paper, CP 807, published on 15 March 2023, whether a benefit sanction that reduced Universal...

      Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of (a) the 20-metre rule, (b) informal observations and (c) the 50 per...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of people who do not claim benefits to which they are entitled.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the proposals by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell Trust on an...

      State Retirement Pensions: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she expects the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to publish its final report and recommendations on the communication of...

      State Retirement Pensions: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it remains her Department's policy (a) that the matter of changes to women's state pension age is resolved and (b) to continue to...

      Ageing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to develop an ageing population strategy.

      Universal Credit: Deductions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available,...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing payment period arrangements for Universal Credit to account for people...

  • Department for Transport

    • Active Travel: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect the active travel 4 budget.

    • Active Travel: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the level of funding for active travel.

      Active Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps the Government has taken to increase the use of active travel in (a) cities (b) towns and (c) villages.

      Active Travel: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 March 2023 entitled Transport Update, HCWS625, whether he plans to amend the objectives in...

      Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Ticketing and Settlement Agreement ticket office guidance, which body would act as an adjudicator for that process involving...

      Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of rail tickets were sold at (a) ticket offices, (b) via ticket vending machines, (c) online, (d) via apps and (e) via smartcards in...

      Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what are the full range of fares and rail products available to purchase at ticket offices (a) nationally and (b) at each Train Operating Company.

      Shipping: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the number of seafarers working in the UK of the requirement for seafarers to have either ENG1...

      Driving Tests: Waiting Lists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current average waiting time is in England to take a driving test from the date of booking the test; and how many people are currently...

      Railways: Tooting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of improving service levels at Tooting rail station.

      Railways: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the proportion of trains which did not arrive on time between (a) 07:30 and 09:30 and (b) 17:00 and 19:00 at (i)...

      Rolling Stock: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether train operating companies are required to inform passengers in advance if a train is in service without a functioning accessible toilet.

      Rolling Stock: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department permits train operating companies to take rolling stock into service without a functional accessible toilet.

      Motor Vehicles: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to EU regulation 2019/2144 on vehicle safety systems, whether the UK has adopted that regulation; and under what circumstances truck...

      Shipping: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the requirement for seafarers to have either ENG1 or ML5 medical certificates in order to continue working at sea after November...

      Shipping: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the requirement for seafarers to have either ENG1 or ML5 medical certificates in order to continue working at sea after November...

  • Treasury

    • Minimum Wage

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff work in the HMRC National Minimum Wage team; and how many posts in that team were unfilled on 1 May 2023.

    • Treasury: Advertising

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has spent on radio adverts in each of the the last five years broken down by radio station.

      Taxation: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department has on situations where HMRC discovers a secrecy provision has been violated for one of the UK's tax information exchange...

      Tax Evasion

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff are employed to investigate tax evasion in HMRC's Wealthy Team unit; and if he will make a statement.

      Prisons: Education

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Prisons of 28 March 2023, Official Report, column 811 on Prison Education, whether the Fair...

      Money Laundering: Property Ownership

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce the risk of money laundering through UK property ownership.

      Electronic Funds Transfer: Business

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure competition in providing merchant services to businesses in the (a) leisure sector and (b) other high-risk...

      Vegetable Oils: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the fuel duty rate of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil for heating to match that of kerosene...

      Shipping: Fuels

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the average time it takes for HMRC to process applications from seafarers for relief from fuel duty for marine voyages.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • National Living Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that workers on the National Living Wage receive any uplift in...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Churches: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding has been provided by the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland to Christian places of worship excluding cathedrals in...

  • Scotland Office

    • Scotland Act 2016

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when his Department plans to publish the Seventh Annual Report on the implementation of the Scotland Act 2016.

    • Churches: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much funding has been provided by Historic Environment Scotland to Christian places of worship excluding cathedrals in each of the last five...

  • Cabinet Office

  • Home Office

    • Frontier Workers: Ferries

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the allocation and use of Frontier Worker permits for crews on freight ferries between (1) Great Britain and Northern Ireland,...

    • Computer Misuse Act 1990

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timetable for the next stages of review and potential reform of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 to ensure better legal protections for cyber security...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask His Majesty's Government what diplomatic steps they are taking to reduce the risk of regional contagion from the conflict in Sudan.

    • Abdullah Öcalan

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will call on the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to publish...

      Turkey: Elections

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will sponsor independent observers of the elections in May in Turkey; and if so, whether this will be under the auspices of the Council of Europe or...

      Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to communicate with British citizens in Sudan in the absence of internet and power for mobile phones.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Piracy

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their ability to combat piracy once fully automated ships have been brought into service, and of how fully automated...

    • Fisheries: North Sea

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to use Overseas Patrol Squadron vessels to monitor hostile activity in the UK's fisheries and against vulnerable undersea assets...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Motor Neurone Disease: Research

      To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £50 million ringfenced for research into Motor Neurone Disease in 2021 has been allocated; and what assessment they have made of progress...

    • Rare Diseases: Diagnosis

      To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2023, whether they will publish an update on progress relating to the action to measure the time to...

      Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

      To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2022, whether NHS England still plans to assess and publish a report on levels of uptake of rare disease...

      Rare Cancers: Health Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether rare cancers will be included in the scope of the Major Conditions Strategy.

      NHS: Staff

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent NHS England staff were transferred from specialised commissioning to the monkeypox response workstreams.

      NHS: Procurement

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is meant by the term "value-based procurement" in the context of NHS Supply Chain; whether it is their policy that such a value-based procurement...

      Health Services: Older People

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their levels of preparedness for the predicted increase in the older population.

      Motor Neurone Disease: Research

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many roundtables have been hosted by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care with researchers and patient groups to discuss research on Motor Neurone...

  • Treasury

    • Plastics: Taxation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the Plastic Packaging Tax to encourage investment in chemical recycling.

    • Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage increase in (1) revenue budget, and (2) capital budget, for Northern Ireland for 2023/24 compared to the percentage increases for...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisoners

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to plan for the projected increase of 10,000 inmates in the prison population by March 2025.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Housing: Insulation

      To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what steps they are taking to increase the rate at which homes are insulated under the Great British Insulation Scheme, and (2) what consideration they have...

    • Radioactive Materials: Transport

      To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the regulations governing the transport of nuclear material within the UK.

      Nuclear Reactors and Wind Power

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide an update on their target (1) to increase offshore wind capacity five-fold by 2030, and (2) to approve eight new nuclear...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • NHS: Drugs

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the Northern Ireland Drug Tariff.

  • Attorney General

    • Crimes against Humanity: Prosecutions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to applying universal jurisdiction as a means of bringing to justice those who have committed atrocity crimes, but have evaded...

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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