Written answers

Tuesday, 18 July 2023

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Political Parties: Finance

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to the documents on Financial Assistance to Opposition Parties on the Parliamentary website,...

  • Department for Transport

    • Department for Transport: DP World and P&O Ferries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has (a) made any payments and (b) awarded any grants to (i) P&O Ferries and (ii) DP World since March 2022.

    • Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the potential impact of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement on the...

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that rail operations run by the Operator of Last Resort are subject to the same level of public transparency...

      Electric Vehicles: Emergency Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 on (a) cost and (b) journey times of emergency...

      Department for Transport: Dahua Technology and Hikvision

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

      Department for Transport: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.

      Railways: South West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of closing train station ticket offices in Plymouth on the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of...

      Railways: Battersea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of closing train station ticket offices in Battersea on the (a) safety and (b)...

      Railways: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of closing train station ticket offices in Streatham on the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of...

      Railways: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed train ticket office closures on the accessibility of transport in rural areas.

      Railways: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of closing railway station ticket offices in Tyne and Wear on the (a) safety and (b) accessibility...

      Railways: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of train ticket office closures on elderly passengers.

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what timeline his Department has in place for reletting train operation contracts under the control of Operator of Last Resort.

      East West Rail Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Bedford to Cambridge section of East West Rail is still designated a nationally significant infrastructure project.

      Aviation: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) the Airports Operators Association, (b) Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd and (c) other major UK airport operators on...

      Aviation: Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a Contract for Difference scheme for the domestic sustainable aviation fuel industry.

      Buses: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2023 to Question 193239 on Buses: Exhaust Emissions, if he will list the Government schemes which will be funding...

      Buses: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2023 to Question 193239 on Buses: Exhaust Emissions, how many and what proportion of zero emission buses funded...

      Bus Services: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average cost of bus fares in (a) North Shropshire constituency, (b) Shropshire and (c) England.

      Railways: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with rail operators on offering delay repay for train delays between 15-30 minutes.

      Aviation: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide a list of the UK airports that (a) had installed approved liquid explosive detection systems prior to 15 December 2022, (b) have...

  • Department for Education

    • Schools: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase the weighting for disadvantage in the National Funding Formula for schools; and if she will make a statement.

    • Unemployment: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people on Universal Credit have accessed Free Courses for Jobs skills provision in each of the last 12 months.

      National Vocational Qualifications: Environmental Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many NVQ Level 6 Environmental practitioner places were available for students in the North East of England during the last academic year; and how...

      Highcliffe School: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to provide funding for the new classroom block at Highcliffe School; and if she will make a statement.

      Department for Education: Remote Working

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the civil service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 6 July 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of...

      Pupils: Exercise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the amount of physical activity undertaken by young people at school.

      Erasmus+ Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to make changes to the Erasmus programme.

      Work Experience: Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities have equal access to work experience.

      Vocational Guidance: Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of career hubs for facilitating work experience for students.

      Turing Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to publish mobility data for the Turing Scheme for the 2022-23 academic year.

      Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce regulatory compliance costs for colleges.

      Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many providers are delivering Level 4, 5 and 6 courses eligible for Advanced Learner Loan funding; and how many providers delivering these courses...

      Childcare and Pre-school Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department accounted for additional (a) heating and (b) travel costs experienced in rural areas in calculating the minimum funding floor...

      Climate Change: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2023 to Question 190556 on Climate Change: Education, what her planned timeframe is for publishing the progress...

      Comprehensive Schools: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers were employed by state comprehensives (a) in the most recent period for which data is available and (b) in 2019.

      Free School Meals: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students receive free school meals in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield...

      Secondary Education: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average staff to student ratio was in secondary schools (a) nationally and (b) in Enfield North constituency in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020, (iii)...

      Apprentices: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much from the public purse her Department ringfenced for the apprenticeship budget for England in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Child Maintenance Service: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce the backlog of complaints made to the Child Maintenance Service.

    • Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding his Department has allocated to the Targeted Case Review initiative for financial years (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.

      Autism: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that autistic people are able to access the financial support to which they are entitled.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has had recent discussions with representatives of people who have experience of autism on the formulation of his...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.

      Statutory Sick Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential cost to the Exchequer of raising statutory sick pay.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Prime Minister: Furniture

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent from the public purse on the (a) design and (b) production of the lectern used by the Prime Minister at his press conference at the...

    • Government Departments: Land

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the average time it takes each Government Department to dispose of land; and whether he is taking steps to help reduce this.

      Cabinet Office: CK Hutchison Holdings

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has held meetings with representatives of CK Hutchison in the last 12 months.

      Special Advisers: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s publication of the numbers and costs of special advisers on 19 December 2018, what the net costs were of...

      Cabinet Office: Remote Working

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the civil service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 6 July 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Energy Bills Rebate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households were (a) eligible for, (b) made an application for and (c) received an Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative...

    • Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to allocate the £20 billion of funding announced in the Spring Budget 2023 for early deployment of Carbon...

      Electricity Interconnectors: Germany

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with the National Grid on the NeuConnect project for an electricity interconnector between the...

      Hydroelectric Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2023 to Questions 192706 and 192707 on Hydroelectric Power: Electricity Generation, for what...

      Hydrogen: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of (a) the compensation owed to (i) Cadent and (ii) Cheshire West and Chester Council and (b) other...

      Heating: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the installation of clean heat technologies in social...

      Alternative Fuel Payments: Travellers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) Gypsies and (b) Travellers living on Traveller sites have (i) applied for and (ii) received an Alternative Fuels Payment.

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households in each region have meters on the Wide Area Network.

      Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of fuel poverty in (a) Coventry...

      Industrial Energy Transformation Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to respond to the consultation on Phase 3 of the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.

      Industrial Energy Transformation Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on decarbonisation of businesses not awarded funding from Phase 3 of the...

      Drax Power Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2023 to Question 190540 on Drax Power Station, what estimate his Department has made of the...

      Drax Power Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2023 to Question 190541 on Drax Power Station, if he will place in the House of Commons Library a...

      Energy Bills Rebate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding payments were awarded by type of accommodation applied for in (a) Cynon...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Mining: Investment

      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 findings of the Local Authority Pension...

    • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of setting up a Youth Advisory Council in his Department to...

      UN Resolutions: Racial Discrimination

      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 passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2686.

      Uganda: Homosexuality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what direct aid his Department has given to LGBTQ+ organisations in Uganda since the adoption of the...

      Question

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the UK's progress on meeting its COP26 spending commitment on international...

      Syria: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, If he will make it his policy to provide consular support to British nationals detained in North East Syria.

      Home Office: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of using Official Development Assistance funding for...

      Uganda: LGBT+ People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of LGBT+ human rights defenders and activists in Uganda.

      China: Football

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance funding the British Council plans to spend on developing grassroots...

      Palestinians: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish audit reports of the Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme.

      British Indian Ocean Territory: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many reports of crime in the British Indian Ocean Territory his Department received in each of the last five years.

      City of London Corporation: Visits Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what journeys overseas (a) Ministers and (b) officials made with City of London officials in each year since 2010.

      British Indian Ocean Territory: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many foreign nationals are currently imprisoned in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory as of July 2023.

      British Indian Ocean Territory: Deaths

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many deaths have been recorded in the British Indian Ocean Territory in each of the past 10 years for which...

      British Indian Ocean Territory: Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the veracity of allegations of the false imprisonment of Sri Lankan...

      Honduras: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support (a) land and (b) environmental defenders in Honduras; and what...

  • Home Office

    • Visas: Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on the future visa status of Sudanese nationals who have been given leave to enter the UK.

    • Refugees: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applications made to the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme were successful in the period to June 2023.

      Visas: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of her Department's IT systems when processing visa applications.

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost of accommodating asylum seekers in the UK was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

      Asylum: MOD Wethersfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, where people accommodated at MDP Wethersfield were previously accommodated; and what the average notice was that those people would be...

      Immigration: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on (a) immigration, (b) asylum seekers and (c) refugees.

      Asylum: MOD Wethersfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has set a (a) minimum and (b) maximum time that people will be accommodated at MDP Wethersfield.

      Asylum: MOD Wethersfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been transferred to MDP Wethersfield since 12 July 2023; and how many people are accommodated at that site.

      Stalking: Court Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June to Question 188484 on Stalking: Court Orders, when she plans to publish the number of stalking protection...

      Visas: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 188007 on Visas: Ukraine, if she will detail what the particular challenges are in...

      Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has appointed an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

      Home Office: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems her Department uses; and for what purposes.

      Emergency Services: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service on increasing prosecutions for assault of emergency workers in Bolton.

      Road Traffic Offences: Merseyside

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February to Question 136599 on Road Traffic Offences: Merseyside, if she will hold discussions with Merseyside...

      Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 17 May 2023 HCWS779 on Animal Testing, how many of the time-limited licenses issued between 2019...

      Kent Intake Unit: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Departments plans to take to improve medical isolation practises at the Kent Intake Unit.

      Short-term Holding Facilities: Paintings

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of painting over murals at an asylum processing centre.

      Asylum: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce voice recognition call lines in the asylum system for claimants to receive real time updates on...

      Asylum: Knowsley

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 20 February 2023 on the wider implications of the violent...

      Retail Trade: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Association of Convenience Stores’ Crime Report 2023.

      Police: Electric Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many armed police response vehicles in the UK are (a) electric and (b) are scheduled to be electric by 2030.

      Asylum: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192551 on Asylum: Applications, how many asylum decisions were made between 1 April 2022...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Post Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of implications for her policies of the Post Office Ltd policy to reclassify some main post office branches as...

    • New Businesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to (a) promote and (b) support aspiring entrepreneurs in (i) Plymouth and (ii) the UK.

      Minimum Wage: Leicester East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many breaches of minimum wage legislation there have been by employers in Leicester East constituency in each of the last four years.

      Supermarkets: Competition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Competition and Market Authority's regulatory enforcement powers at...

      Help to Grow Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress she has made on the Help to Grow scheme; what plans she has for the future rollout of this scheme to (a) SMEs and (b) other...

      Service Industries: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the services sector on (a) exports and (b) economic growth in (i) Enfield...

      Employment: Bullying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps she has taken to reduce bullying in the workplace.

      Employment: Bullying and Discrimination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance her Department provides workers on the legal protections available to them in cases of workplace (a) bullying, (b) harassment...

      Employment: Bullying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an estimate of the potential lost income to the economy as a result of bullying in the workplace in the last five years.

      Employment: Bullying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of bullying at work on levels of bullying in (a) schools and...

  • Wales Office

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Water: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of water efficiency technologies on (a) tackling water...

    • Waste Management: Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to the London Borough of Bromley as compensation for the...

      Public lavatories: Men

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that men with bowel and bladder incontinence have access to public...

      Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure the safe disposal of vapes.

      Electronic Cigarettes: Environmental Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to provide education to (a) adults, (b) young people and (c) children on the environmental effects of...

      Electronic Cigarettes: Polluter Pays Principle

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to help ensure that the polluter pays principle applies to vaping products.

      Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide guidance to all local authorities on minimum service standards following her...

      Fish Farming: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will publish the Animal Welfare Committee's Opinion on the Welfare of Farmed Fish at the Time of Killing 2023.

      Water Companies: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle levels of debt in the water industry.

      Business: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to take steps to mandate large food business to improve food waste reporting.

      Meat: Origin Marking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that meat is labelled clearly to inform consumers about provenance from (a) animals...

      Eggs: Production

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not including eggs as a sensitive sector in the Comprehensive and...

      Water Companies: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of high levels of debt in the water industry.

  • Women and Equalities

    • LGBT+ People

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the LGBT Action Plan published in July 2018 is Government policy.

    • Disability: Housing Improvement

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2023 to Question 191621 on Disability: Housing Improvement, what steps the Government is taking to implement the...

  • Treasury

    • Treasury: Deltapoll

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2022 to Question 33731 on Treasury: Deltapoll, what the (a) dates, (b) locations and (c) demographic target groups were...

    • Stamp Duty Land Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many additional Stamp Duty Land Tax refunds have taken longer than 35 days to process in the last 12 months.

      Taxation: Self-assessment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an equalities impact assessment of proposals for a points-based penalty regime for late submissions of tax returns.

      Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the level of tax (a) evasion and (b) avoidance in each of the last four years.

      Excise Duties: Electronic Cigarettes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the deterrent effect of the excise duty on vaping products.

      Public Works Loan Board

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of what the Public Works Loan Board (a) principal and (b) debt repayments for local authorities will be in the 2023-24...

      Bank Services: Interest Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to hold further discussions with representatives of banking institutions on the adequacy of the level of interest rates applied to savings...

      Treasury: Dahua Technology and Hikvision

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

      Treasury: Deltapoll

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2022 to Question 33731 on Treasury: Deltapoll, how many weekly online polls were carried out for his Department by...

      Treasury: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.

      Public Sector: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department allocated for public sector pay increases in the Spending Review 2021 for the next three financial years; and how much has been...

      Trade Marks: Registration

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Financial Conduct Authority's procedures for ensuring that all trading names associated with a...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisoners' Transfers: Albania

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of the Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania.

    • Prisons: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer on 28 June 2023 to Question 190933 on Prisons: Education, whether Treasury guidance on the application of Fair Deal Pensions...

      Ipsos MORI

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the contract agreed by his Department with Ipsos (Market Research) Limited on 5 June 2023, procurement reference 336036/1227987, if he...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Recreation Spaces: Romford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is undertaking to (a) protect and (b) enhance green spaces in Romford constituency.

    • Buildings: Hendon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of properties in Hendon constituency that require building safety works.

      Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Remote Working

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the civil service headquarters occupancy data, updated on 6 July 2023, if he will make an assessment of...

      Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Dahua Technology and Hikvision

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

      Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems his Department uses; and for what purposes.

      Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent progress his Department has made on releasing funds from the Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund to Homes...

      Land: Public Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making it his policy to give local authorities first refusal on all...

      Renters (Reform) Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the (a) business and (b) social net present value is of the impact of the policies enacted through the Renters...

      Social Rented Housing: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure the adequacy of the supply of social housing in (a) Enfield North...

      Retail Trade: Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans for High Street Rental Auctions to come into effect.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Envoy IV aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost to the public purse of painting the fuselages of in service Envoy IV aircraft in the Royal Air Force since 1 June 2022.

    • Ministry of Defence: CK Hutchison Holdings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether her Department has held meetings with representatives of CK Hutchison in the last 12 months.

      Air Force: Electric Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2023 to Question 191262 on Air Force: Motor Vehicles, if he will list the countries where Battery Electric Vehicles...

      Armed Forces: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on taking steps to improve ethnic diversity as part of (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force recruitment...

      Veterans: Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of veterans who left the armed forces before 2018 have been issued with a Veteran's ID card.

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghans eligible under (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme are currently waiting to be...

      Warrior Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out-of-service date is for the Warrior armoured vehicle.

      Ministry of Defence: Royal Household

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's personnel have held a position in the Royal Household in each of the last five years; and if he will provide a breakdown of...

      Envoy IV aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions has the Envoy IV aircraft been used by Ministers for official purposes since 1 June 2022; and which Ministers have used it.

      Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the comments by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in The Guardian and other media on 4 July 2023 resulted in complaints to his Department.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

  • Attorney General

    • Stalking: Prosecutions

      To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2023 to Question 125375 on Stalking, how many prosecutions were commenced into offences of stalking in financial year 2022/23.

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Health and Safety

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 27 June (HL8446), what plans they have to discuss with South Western Railways that...

    • High Speed 2 Line: Construction

      To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the change to the overall cost of building the Birmingham to Crewe section of HS2 which will result from the proposed delay to...

      Channel Tunnel: Freight

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase international rail freight journeys through the Channel Tunnel; and what assessment they have made of the benefits and value...

      Railways: East of England

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the Ely area capacity enhancement programme; and what assessment they have made of the impact of this programme on the freight corridor,...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Anti-social Behaviour and Sleeping Rough

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 9 June (HL8162), whether these figures for the incidence of rough sleepers can be divided...

    • Planning Permission: Fees and Charges

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to give planning authorities more flexibility to set fees for planning applications.

      Levelling Up Fund

      To ask His Majesty's Government what sums have been allocated to projects in each nation of the UK respectively under the levelling-up strategy.

      Walls and Fences

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 on adjoining owners, and its potential to cause them distress through (1) unwanted...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Employment: Older People

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support older workers who left the labour market during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now in financial hardship get back into work.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Treasury: Flags

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their reason for replacing the Union Jack flag flying above His Majesty's Treasury with a flag to celebrate Gay Pride.

  • Department for Education

    • Schools: Nurses

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many school nurses were employed in each local authority in England in each of the three most recent years for which figures are available.

    • Teachers: Qualifications

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many teachers at state-funded schools in England do not have qualified teacher status.

  • Home Office

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Iron and Steel: Wales

      To ask His Majesty's Government what sums they have spent on supporting the steel industry in Wales in each of the past five years.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Drax Power Station

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Callanan on 3 July (HL Deb col 984) which stated that the BBC Panorama programme on Drax misrepresented the practices of the forestry...

    • Energy Supply: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect customers' interests by ensuring financial stability in the energy market.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Gender Dysphoria: Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government what action they will take if any new organisation prescribes puberty blockers to children, other than as part of a clinical trial in accordance with the policy of...

    • Osteoporosis

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to appoint a National Clinical Director or National Specialty Adviser for fracture prevention.

      Social Services: Conditions of Employment

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the (1) pay, (2) conditions, and (3) recognition, for those working in the social care sector.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Sportsgrounds: Health Hazards

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Commission proposal to ban the use of recycled rubber infill in artificial pitches, and in particular of its...

  • Treasury

    • Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support individuals and families facing difficulties in accessing affordable mortgages due to elevated interest rates.

    • Bank Services: Defence

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support military companies who have been refused banking services as a result of the nature of their work.

      First-time Buyers

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support first-time house buyers.

      Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the law covering cooperatives and community benefit societies.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to undertake a detailed review of the effectiveness of the Barnett formula and its effect on allocations of finance to...

      Bank Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent banks from closing, or refusing to open, accounts for any reason other than unlawful activity.

      Pharmacy: VAT Exemptions

      To ask His Majesty's Government why VAT is applied if an NHS hospital pharmacy supplies out-patient medicine but if a private sector pharmacy supplies the same medicine it is zero-rated.

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the publication of the document ‘The Windsor Framework: The Green Lane’ on 9 June, what will be the benefits of being part of the UK...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Parades: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to promote the Twelfth of July celebrations in Northern Ireland as a tourist attraction.

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.

July 2023
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31