Written answers

Tuesday, 23 May 2023

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Planning Permission: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of average appeal handling times for appeals considered by the Planning Inspectorate; what steps...

    • Social Rented Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the article by Dr Nick Thoburn of the University of Manchester entitled Razing the neighbourhood:...

      Land Use: Merseyside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's policy is on development on (a) greenbelt and (b) brownfield sites in St Helens and Merseyside.

      Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of clause five of the Renters (Reform) Bill on (a) trends in the...

      Community Assets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to publish the Strategy for Community Spaces and Relationships.

      Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Flags

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will fly the respective county flags on county days.

      Regional Planning and Development: Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications in total were received for the post of Levelling Up Director.

      Buildings: Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the British Standard BS 40102-1:2023 entitled...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Livestock: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the UK’s biosecurity arrangements on farm animal to human...

    • Biodiversity and Nature Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of trends in levels of connection between the public and nature and biodiversity.

      Derelict Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the way brownfield...

      Countryside: Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what her Department's Environmental Improvement Plan ensures people have equal access to nature.

      Countryside: Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to help ensure that social prescribing for...

      Pets: Prizes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park in the House of Lords on 20 June 2022, Official...

      Landfill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 18 of her Department’s Greening Government Commitments Annual Report April 2020 to March 2021,...

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Incinerators and Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of her Department’s waste is (a) reused and (b) incinerated.

      Floods: Somerset

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) homes and (b) businesses in Somerset were affected by flooding in each of the last 10 years.

      Flood Control: Somerset

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the resilience of flood protection measures in (a) Somerset, (b) East Somerset...

      Water: Sewage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May to Question 183788 on Water: Sewage, which overflows cause the most harm to public health.

      Water: Sewage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May to Question 183788 on Water: Sewage, which overflows cause the most harm to the environment.

      Water: Sewage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May to Question 183788 on Water: Sewage, if she will publish the dates of meetings she has had...

      Cosmetics: Animal Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment had been made of the efficacy of existing non-animal methods of safety testing of cosmetic products...

      Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2023 to Question 183643 on Public Health, what other types of (a) financial and (b)...

      Pesticides: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government's decision to withdraw parallel trade permits...

      Pesticides: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Health and Safety Executive on the potential impact of parallel trade...

      Food: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has held with trade union representatives of food workers on the impact of the increase in...

      Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) growers and (b) growers associations on the potential merits of extending...

      Dairy Farming: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to increase the level of financial support available to dairy farmers.

      Farms: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support smaller farms that want to apply for a Farming Equipment and Technology Fund...

      Foie Gras

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 165497 on Foie Gras, when his Department intends to finish building its...

      Agriculture: Plastics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential for soil-biodegradable mulch films certified to the BSI standard BS...

      Flowers: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage (a) supermarkets and (b) other vendors to sell British-grown flowers.

      Land: Dartmoor

      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 in the debate on Farming on Dartmoor...

      Horticulture: Peat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s announcement on 23 March 2023 that it plans to introduce a phased reduction in the...

      Countryside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of trespassing laws on protection of the countryside.

      Countryside: Hostels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she will take to implement her Environmental Implementation Plan on improving YHA facilities.

      Waste Management

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled Greening Government Commitments 2021 to 2025, published on 15 December 2022,...

      Horticulture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local and sustainable horticulture.

      Food: Labelling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce mandatory animal-welfare labelling on supermarket products.

      Government Departments: Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s Greening Government Commitments 2020 to 2021 annual report, published 27 April...

      Government Departments: Plastics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate with Cabinet colleagues of the number of single use plastic items that were used on the central...

      Goats and Sheep: Electronic Training Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of banning electronic collars for (a) sheep and (b) goats.

  • Department for Education

    • Countryside: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to ensure young people have access to learning in nature settings.

    • Teachers: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of Outer London pay scales on (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in (i) Enfield North...

      National Curriculum Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions (a) she and (b) officials in her Department had with Ofqual in advance of the 2023 Standard Assessment Tests.

      Pupil Exclusions: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to allow school exclusion decisions to be appealed to first-tier tribunals in cases where racial discrimination is alleged.

      Defibrillators and First Aid: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to improve the automated external defibrillator training in first aid training to include (a) how to (a) identify a...

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including a list of student groups with disproportionately high exclusion rates in her...

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of diversity in schools' senior leadership teams on exclusion rates.

      National Curriculum Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of SATs test design.

      Schools: Managers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase diversity in senior leadership teams in schools.

      Childcare: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department has any plans to extend the 30 hours free childcare entitlement to include families where one parent is retired and one works full time.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.

      Children in Care: Restraint Techniques

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the handcuffing of children in care during secure transportation occurs.

      Apprentices: Bexleyheath and Crayford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of people beginning apprenticeships in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each year since 2010.

      Space: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage students in (a) schools and (b) universities to study subjects that could lead to careers in the...

      Sign Language: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the accessibility of British Sign Language classes for parents of (a) deaf children and (b) children with hearing loss...

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to improve (a) monitoring and (b) oversight of school exclusion rates.

  • Home Office

    • Refugees: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has she made of the impact of moving refugees (a) based in York and (b) based in York with children attending York schools...

    • Asylum: Portland Port

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port, whether people accommodated on the vessel will be (a) new arrivals...

      Visas: Families

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the support available to families moving to the UK on a student visa.

      Repatriation: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average wait time is for people calling the voluntary returns service to speak to a caseworker.

      Anti-social Behaviour: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) prosecutions for antisocial behaviour in rural areas there have been in each year since 2020.

      Asylum: Portland Port

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port, what plans she has for the provision of law enforcement for...

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of preliminary information questionnaires on the asylum decision backlog.

      Passports: Educational Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the use of collective passports for school visits to the UK.

      Visas: Australia

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with counterparts in the Australian Government on a date for forthcoming changes to the Australian...

      Asylum: Hong Kong

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Hong Kong citizens in the UK are awaiting a decision on their asylum application as of 16 May 2023.

      Asylum: Portland Port

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the service provider for the asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port, who will be responsible for providing (a)...

      Asylum: Portland Port

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port, what will happen to people accommodated on the vessel if their...

      Asylum: Portland Port

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port, whether the service provider has a system to report (a) accidents, (b)...

      Judicial Review: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many judicial review applications were made by foreign national offenders in prisons under the Human Rights Act 1998 in each of the last...

      Asylum: Africa and Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claimants from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Eritrea, (c) Syria, (d) Yemen and (e) Libya were asked to fill in a questionnaire to...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Child Trust Fund: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) external stakeholders on accessing disabled young people's child trust funds.

    • Pension Credit: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken is for pensioners to receive an outcome of their pension credit application.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce call waiting times on the benefit enquiry line.

      Child Maintenance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Sixth Report of the Work and Pensions Committee of Session 2022-23, Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service, HC...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department uses automated decision making.

      Offshore Industry: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 on...

      Food Banks: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department have made of trends in the distribution of food parcels in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2023 to Question 183797 on Universal Credit, for what reason have the capital limits for Universal Credit not...

      Asbestos: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers have been fined for failing to protect their employees from asbestos exposure in each year since 2010.

      Asbestos: Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of people in the UK who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases after exposure at work...

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its work to decrease benefit fraud.

      Disability History Month

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to promote UK Disability History Month.

      Cost of Living Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of qualifying recipients have received the first 2023 Cost of Living payment as of 18 May 2023.

      Universal Credit: Self-employed

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the impact of the Minimum Income Floor for self-employed Universal Credit claimants on expenditure by his...

      Jobcentres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data is collected by Jobcentres on employment outcomes of claimants.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Descovy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to provide Descovy to people with HIV through the NHS.

    • NHS: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage medics who have received funding for their studies to work in the NHS.

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of training NHS staff to use the federated data platform; and whether those costs are included in...

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on how many patients in England have written to NHS trusts to ask that their NHS data is not...

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking in the tendering process for the federated data platform contact to ensure that everyone working on the platform...

      Health Services: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the average cost to the public purse of the provision of health and social care for people aged (a) 65 to 79 and (b) 80 and...

      Evusheld

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to develop a more clinically and cost-effective form of the Evusheld vaccine.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the email correspondence from the hon. Member for Sefton Central sent on 7 March 2023.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of repeated Covid-19 vaccine boosters on natural immunity for patients aged (a)...

      Autism: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure adequate provision of support services for 16 and 17 year olds with autism and sensory...

      General Practitioners: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2023 to Question 182736 on General Practitioners: Enfield, how many GPs have worked in (a) Edmonton and...

      Menorrhagia: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will introduce a waiting time target for treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding.

      Air Pollution: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 183301 on Air Pollution: Death, if he will provide (a) a worked calculation and (b)...

      Menorrhagia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including a question on heavy menstrual bleeding in the routine...

      Menorrhagia: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department uses low levels of engagement around menstrual health services as a criterion used to determine in which areas...

      Vaccination: Side Effects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a national awareness campaign on (a) the possible...

      Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times his Department has emailed a media release to journalists or weather forecasters about air pollution in (a) 2018, (b)...

      Suicide: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to provide funding for local suicide prevention services.

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure that the necessary clinical guidelines are in place to identify adverse reactions to...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on covid-19 vaccinations of the study by Fraiman, J., et al., entitled...

      Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the extent of air pollution (a) directly and (b) indirectly affecting the health of (i)...

      Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of comments from Sir David King in the Independent newspaper on the UK's...

      Gene Therapies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential support for UK leadership in the adoption of cell and gene therapies of...

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the scope of activities for which the Federated Data Platform is to be used; and who his...

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from local NHS leaders on the proposed federated data platform.

      Public Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2023 to Question 183643 on Public Health, what methodologies were used to estimate the costs to the NHS...

      Dentistry: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to the Overseas Registration Exam for Non-European Economic Area nationals wanting...

      General Practitioners: Bexley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the proportion of registered General Practitioners to residents is in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London...

      Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in (a) dispensing and (b) delivering prescriptions to patients awaiting hospital...

      Radiology: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the consequences for his policies of disparities in access to paediatric interventional radiology services...

      Brain: Injuries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on analysing responses to the acquired brain injury call for evidence.

      NHS Trusts: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he has and (b) officials in his Department have had recent discussions with NHS Trusts with financial deficits on their...

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the federated data platform will (a) process and (b) be a repository of (i) anonymised patient data and (b) pseudonymised patient...

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Federated Data Platform, what safeguards are in place to ensure that it will not be used to market health or care...

      Protective Clothing: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of usable energy generation from the 3.14 billion items of PPE removed from stock through...

      Protective Clothing: China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May to question 172423 on Protective Clothing: China, what proportion of the items of Personal Protective...

      Vulnerable Adults: Reviews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the safeguarding adult review report by Allison Sandiford entitled...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Guided Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to fund research and development for the purposes of protecting the UK against current and future ballistic and hypersonic...

    • A400M Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the functionality of the Atlas A400M fleet in meeting the operational requirements of all Armed...

      Military Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what way his Department measures the reliability of aircraft in the Royal Air Force's Forward Operating Fleet; and what data his Department holds on...

      Military Bases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May to Question 184576 on Military Bases: City of York, if he will list all military sites broke down by each UK Authority.

      A400M Aircraft and Hercules Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the annual running costs for (a) Hercules C130 and (b) Atlas A400M.

      RNAD Coulport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there was a public announcement of the re-location of staff from building 201 at Royal Navy Armament Depot Coulport to building 41 in 2022.

      A400M Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to review the performance of the Atlas A400M fleet in the light of recent evacuation operations in Sudan.

      Clyde Naval Base and RNAD Coulport: Radiation Exposure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the process is for recording radiation breaches that occur at (a) HM Naval Base Clyde and (b) RNAD Coulport; and what the process is for...

      Navy: Military Bases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the threshold is for recording a serious radiation breach at naval bases; and which organisations are responsible for assessing what constitutes a...

      Clyde Naval Base and RNAD Coulport: Radiation Exposure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any radiation breaches below the serious radiation breach threshold have taken place at (a) HM Naval Base Clyde and (b) RNAD Coulport.

      Type 45 Destroyers: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department covered the cost of the Power Improvement Project.

      RNAD Coulport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when staff at building 201 at Royal Navy Armament Depot Coulport were first informed that they were being relocated to building 41; how many days notice...

      Frigates: Guided Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the planned missiles systems that will be used in the Mk41 vertical launch system on Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.

      A400M Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) cost of and (b) timeframe for adapting the Atlas A400M fleet to meet the full functionality of the C-130J fleet.

      A400M Aircraft and Hercules Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the differences are in the (a) capabilities and (b) functions between the (i) Hercules C130 and (ii) Atlas A400M.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Semiconductors: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make a comparative assessment of the impact of the level of Government subsidies available for investment in...

    • Research: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what funding her Department is providing to (a) improve research infrastructure and (b) support scientific breakthroughs.

      Research: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Table 1f of the Office for National Statistics dataset entitled Research and development expenditure by the...

      Newton-Bhabha Fund: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding the UK Government provided to the Newton-Bhaba partnership between 2014 and 2023.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Great British Insulation Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason Band E properties in (a) England will be excluded from the Great British Insulation Scheme and (b) Scotland and...

    • Energy: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of expanding the eligibility for the electricity...

      Energy: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support people with complex disabilities who run medical equipment at home with the cost of energy.

      Energy: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2023 to Question 168055 on Energy: Business, what additional steps (a) Ofgem and (b) his...

      National Grid: Rewewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of lead times for connecting renewable energy projects to the grid.

      Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the supply of nuclear power on energy bills.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the information on available grid capacity on the introduction of depot...

      Heating: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what funding his Department is providing for systems drawing heat from deep underground.

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Parliamentary Estate: Drinks

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make it its policy to ensure that all tea and coffee served on the parliamentary estate...

    • Victoria Tower: Flags

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has had discussions with its counterparts in the House of Lords on arrangements for...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Development Aid: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it remains his policy to increase Official Development Assisstance spend on R&D from £600 million...

    • Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support a lasting ceasefire in Sudan.

      Zimbabwe: Election Observers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to send election observers to Zimbabwe for the upcoming general election in that country.

      Zimbabwe: Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the restrictions placed on independent trade...

      Zimbabwe: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of amendments to the Private Voluntary Organizations Act...

      Climate Change: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that the Loss and Damage Fund established at COP27 supports...

      Climate Change: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government's role in the United Nations Climate Change...

      Weather: Damage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of anticipatory cash transfers to populations vulnerable to...

      International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of UK involvement in the International Fund for...

      International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what date he most recently discussed the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace with his American...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israel counterparts on (a) the demolitions of homes and infrastructure...

      Iran: United Nations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the United Nations Human Rights Council against the appointment of Iran’s...

      Ukraine: War Crimes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking diplomatic steps to investigate potential mass burial sites in Mariupol.

      Taiwan: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his department plans to provide (a) financial and (b) other support to Taiwan.

      Pakistan: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is his Department taking to help alleviate poverty in Balochistan.

      Sudan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support he is providing to refugees in countries neighbouring Sudan.

      Malawi and Mozambique: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the urgency of the need of (a) Malawi and (b) Mozambique for debt relief following...

      Nigeria: Christianity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of five separate attacks on Christian communities in Benue State in Nigeria.

      Kenya: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) funding and (b) other support his Department plans to provide to the Deris Wanaag programme; and whether...

      BGI Genomics: Queen Mary Bioenterprises Innovation Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential national security implications of Chinese...

      Pakistan: Human Rights and Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security and (b) human rights situation in the province of...

      Argentina: Interest Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the increase in interest rates in...

      Red Cross: Nicaragua

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking diplomatic steps to support the Red Cross following the closure of its offices in...

      Refugees: Caribbean

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the (a) Dominican Republic and (b) Turks and Caicos islands with...

      Ecuador: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ecuadorian counterpart on impeachment proceedings of President Lasso.

  • Treasury

    • Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to balance the potential financial impact of changes to Vehicle Excise Duty from 2025 on owners of (a) internal combustion engine...

    • Sanitary Protection: VAT

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2023 to Question 183901 on Sanitary Protection: VAT, what steps he is taking to assess the potential impact of the removal...

      Domicil

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the rules on non-domiciled status.

      Oil: St Kitts and Nevis

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation holds on whether oil tankers registered under the St. Kitts and Nevis international ship...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is providing support for the promotion and playing of (a) Gaelic football, (b) hurling and (c) camogie in England.

    • Gambling: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of gambling regulation to protect people from the risk of gambling addiction.

      Culture: Brexit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she has made an assessment of the impact of the UK’s exit from the European Union on the income of UK cultural organisations.

      VisitBritain: Japan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many VisitBritain staff are based in Japan.

      VisitBritain: South Korea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many VisitBritain staff are based in the Republic of Korea.

      Music: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on consulting with technology and music industry stakeholders on the...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Cabinet Office: Data Protection

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183317 on Capita: Cybercrime, what his Department's (a) policies on and (b) processes for informing...

    • 10 Downing Street: Flags

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the county flag of Middlesex will be flown from 10 Downing Street on Middlesex day; and whether he plans to fly the respective county flags...

      Disadvantaged

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to develop a measure for social vulnerability as an indicator of (a) socio-economic resilience and (b) how risks impact...

      Government Departments: Renewable Energy

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what percentage of Government owned buildings have (a) solar panels and (b) wind turbines; and how many (i) solar panels and (ii) wind turbines were...

      Mining: Industrial Disputes

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of documents relating to the 1984-85 Miners Strike that have not been published.

      Teesworks: Domestic Visits

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates which Ministers visited Teesworks since the 2019 General Election.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Department for Business and Trade: EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which retained EU laws her Department has repealed in the last two years; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of...

    • Construction: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent legislative steps she has taken to protect consumers from builders who charge for work never (a) completed and (b) begun.

      Digital Markets Taskforce

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether news publishers will be included in the types of third parties that firms designated as having Strategic Market Status by the Digital...

      Small Businesses: Newport West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps she has taken to help small businesses in Newport West constituency grow.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Criminal Proceedings: Video Recordings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average time for a criminal case to be heard in court via a Section 28 video recording.

    • Child Trust Fund: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a Green Paper on potential alternatives to the current model of unlocking child trust funds for disabled young people.

      Criminal Proceedings: Enfield North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the size of the backlog of criminal court cases in Enfield North constituency.

      Prisoners: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May to Question 184465 on Parole: Standards, what information his Department holds on the total financial cost of...

      Prisoners: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the amount of compensation paid out in relation to parole hearings.

      Rape: Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of rape have dropped their case within (a) one month, (b) three months, (c) six months, (d) nine months, (e) 12 months, (f) 18 months...

  • Department for Transport

    • Speed Limits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of 20mph speed limits introduced by local authorities.

    • Motorways: South East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.13 and Figure 4.2 in the Transport Strategy for the South East, whether his Department has taken steps to establish a...

      M3

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to London from the M3 at Junction 1 (a) along the A316 and (b) by other routes.

      Motorways: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of legally requiring cars that have broken down on motorways to display a hazard sign.

      UK Centre for Seabed Mapping: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on the number of UK-based seafarer jobs that could be supported by the...

      Shipping: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of seafarer jobs in the UK which will receive support over the next five years under the National...

      Driving Licences: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 on Question 179857 on Driving Licences: Ukraine, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of...

      Shipping: Crew

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of setting an annual target for the number of UK seafarers (a) Ratings...

      Motorways: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of people killed on Smart Motorways as a result of their being no hard shoulder in each year since its...

      High Speed Two: Cheshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require HS2 Ltd. to release full ground condition survey reports for the Mid Cheshire area.

      High Speed 2 Line: Cheshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the safety of the ground for HS2 (a) Weaver Vale constituency and (b) Cheshire.

      North Kent Line: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on Southeastern train punctuality on the Woolwich line since the new timetable was introduced in December 2022.

      Dartford Loop Line: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on Southeastern train punctuality on the Sidcup line since the new timetable was introduced in December 2022.

      Railways: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to simplify the way Railcards are purchased.

      Bexleyheath Line: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on Southeastern train punctuality on the Bexleyheath line since the new timetable was introduced in December 2022.

      Electric Vehicles: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) cost and (b) estimated timescale for the installation of appropriate equipment to support electric...

      Motor Vehicles: Petrol

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to consult with groups representing motorcyclists on banning the sale of petrol vehicles in the UK.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to support the installation of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Southport constituency.

      Motor Vehicles: Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what scientific basis he proposes to exclude vehicles that use energy sources other than electric battery power in his Department's strategy to...

      Railway Stations: Defibrillators

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of railway stations in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London are equipped with...

      London North Eastern Railway: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the demand-based pricing trial at LNER, what the maximum increase is that could occur under those plans because of demand-based...

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on rail passengers of rolling out single leg rail pricing across the rail network.

      London North Eastern Railway: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the single-leg fares trial at LNER, what fares will no longer be available for purchase.

      London North Eastern Railway: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the single-leg fare trial at LNER, whether any individual journeys cost passengers more under the trial than they did under the...

      Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his speech, Building a better railway, published on 16 June 2022, what the evidential basis is for the statement that 1 in 8 rail...

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of public chargepoints that are suitable for commercial vehicles including HGVs that are (a)...

      Electric Vehicles: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to improve infrastructure for electric vehicles.

      Railway Stations: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the train platforms to accommodate longer trains at (a) Enfield Lock and (b)...

      Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to promote and facilitate the uptake of new road repair and maintenance technology by local highway authorities in...

  • Attorney General

    • Fraud: Prosecutions

      To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been prosecuted for fraud each year in the last five years for which data is available.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisoners

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish a breakdown of the current prison population by length of sentence.

    • Prisoners' Release

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many inmates are released from prison each year.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Syria: Sanctions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration has been given to broadening the general licence granted in relation to the Syria sanctions (1) beyond the current six-month timeframe, and...

    • Uzbekistan and Xinjiang: Forced Labour

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report of Dr Adrian Zenz, Coercive Labor in the Cotton Harvest in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Uzbekistan,...

      Israel: Surveillance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Amnesty International published on 2 May into the use of the Israeli military facial recognition system, Red...

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current security situation in Sudan, and in particular of any escalation of violence in Khartoum between government forces...

      Humanitarian Aid

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of aid from the UK, including through multi-lateral programmes, to Somalia, in particular in relation to (1) curbing...

  • Home Office

    • Immigration Controls: Families

      To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of families with children that will be (1) detained, and (2) removed, under the Illegal Migration Bill in 2024.

    • Asylum: Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government under which legal provision the Home Office has assumed child protection powers for unaccompanied migrant children.

      Asylum

      To ask His Majesty's Government which safe third countries they have made an agreement with for the purposes of processing asylum claims for people coming to the UK via irregular routes, as...

      Undocumented Migrants

      To ask His Majesty's Government what they plan will happen to a person whose protection or human rights claim is deemed inadmissible under Clause 4(2) of the Illegal Migration Bill but who cannot...

      Undocumented Migrants: Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many children they predict will be subject to the duty to remove under Clause 2 of the Illegal Migration Bill in 2024.

      Undocumented Migrants: Detainees

      To ask His Majesty's Government what role, if any, the detention gatekeeper will have in relation to decisions to detain people under Clause 12 of the Illegal Migration Bill.

      Undocumented Migrants: Detainees

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many people they forecast will be detained under the powers contained in Clause 12 of the Illegal Migration Bill in (1) 2024, (2) 2025, and (3) 2026.

      Undocumented Migrants

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether people who meet the four conditions in Clause 2 of the Illegal Migration Bill who make a (1) protection, and (2) human rights, claim will undergo an asylum...

      Asylum: Interviews

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether there have been any changes to asylum screening interviews since 7 March.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Infant Foods: Shortages

      To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to address the current shortage of baby milk formula.

    • Coronavirus: Immunosuppression

      To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to protect clinically extremely vulnerable and immunocompromised people from COVID-19.

      Healthy Start Scheme

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to expand the Healthy Start voucher scheme.

      Processed Food

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answers by the Minister for Primary Care and Public Health on 17 March and 24 April (HC163765, HC180118, and HC180748), what steps they are taking...

      Cancer: Screening

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the national target time for (1) analysis, and (2) assessment, of biopsy results for patients being treated for cancer-related conditions; and what...

      Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

      To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to hold integrated care boards to account on meeting NICE guidelines on the uptake of treatments for people with rare diseases.

      Radioisotopes

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 22 February (HC Deb, col 286), when they expect NHS England...

      Ambulance Services: Motor Vehicles

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, published in January, what progress they have made in delivering 800 new...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • India: Legal Profession

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to promote free movement for lawyers between England and Wales and India, including steps (1) to make visas easier to obtain, and (2) to...

    • Department for Business and Trade: Ministerial Duties

      To ask His Majesty's Government what are the ministerial responsibilities of each of the three Lords ministers for the Department for Business and Trade.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Pension Credit

      To ask His Majesty's Government what their latest estimate is of the take-up of Pension Credit in the past five years.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Oil: Imports

      To ask His Majesty's Government how they can ascertain whether oil sold by India to the UK and other countries has not been refined from Russian oil, thereby circumventing sanctions.

    • Oil: Russia

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the percentage of Russian oil as a proportion of all Indian oil imports (1) prior to the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and (2)...

  • Department for Transport

    • Great British Railways

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether it remains their policy to introduce Great British Rail; and if so, which aspects of the policies set out in the Great British Railways:...

    • Railways: Timetables

      To ask His Majesty's Government for what reasons Network Rail is proposing to reduce the timetable publication requirement from 12 to 8 weeks; and what assessment they have made of the impact of...

      Euston Station: Trees

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 9 May (HL7361), what is their reason for cutting down the trees adjacent to the taxi rank at...

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Research and Science

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support young and emerging scientists, including those whose research is contributing to the treatment and eradication of malaria and...

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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