Written answers

Friday, 8 September 2023

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Food: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's net-zero policies of not introducing new legislation...

    • Food: Retail Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to encourage unsold food in the retail space to be redirected to (a) food banks and (b) food...

      Inland Waterways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of funding it provides for the Canal and River Trust;...

      Canal and River Trust: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure the financial self-sufficiency of the Canal and River Trust.

      Public Footpaths: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her officials have had with the Canal and River Trust on the maintenance of footpaths.

      Angling: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of rod licences issued by the Environment Agency in 2022.

      Angling: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many rod licences were issued by the Environment Agency in each (a) region and (b) county in 2022.

      Animal Welfare: Labelling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare, published by her...

      Ofwat: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints the Office for Water Regulation received for issues relating to the laying of pipes across private land...

      Flood Control: Private Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that flood defences on private land are well maintained.

      Ofwat: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of Ofwat have previous experience in the sector that...

      Microplastics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) monitoring and (b) mitigating the presence of microplastics...

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish a response to the consultation entitled Consistency in Household and Business Recycling...

      Water Abstraction: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that abstraction licence holders are given adequate time to adapt when their licences are...

      Local Resilience Forums

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its polices of the Risk Assessment and Risk...

      Climate Change: Weather

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential financial risk to local authorities from climate...

      Air Quality Grant Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to increase the air quality grant for local authorities in the next budget.

      Air Pollution: Pollution Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the revised National Air Quality Strategy.

      Companies: Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which organisations completed air quality modelling to inform the air quality targets set out in the Environmental...

      Climate Change: Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ring fence funding for local authorities to manage climate-related incidents.

      Seeds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which seeds that are permitted under Article 49(1) of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009 have not been provided authorisation for use...

      Poultry: Animal Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on the phasing out of cages for laying hens.

      Silk Stream Flood Resilience Innovation Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to communicate the risk of flooding to flood-prone homes along the Silk Stream in Colindale.

      Canal and River Trust: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the written statement entitled Future funding for the Canal and River Trust of 10 July 2023, HCWS924, for...

      Water Supply: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to support investment in water capture and storage infrastructure on farms after 2025.

  • Department for Education

    • Schools: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school buildings constructed by (a) Caledonian Modular and (b) other contractors engaged under the Modern Methods of Construction framework...

    • Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to retain the current level of tuition fees for home fee status students.

      Literacy: Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools in England use literacy resources at Key stage 1 designed specifically for (a) deaf children and (b) other visual learners...

      Free School Meals: Academic Year

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he Department is taking steps to support families on low incomes through provision of nutritious meals for children over school holidays.

      Vocational Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve careers advice on options for vocational learning.

      Stonewall

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings her Department has held with representatives from Stonewall since 2020.

      Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's annual report and accounts for 2022/23, published in July 2023, what steps she is taking to mitigate the risk 4 on...

      GCE A-level

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of pupils taking A-Levels received the grades A* to E and U in each subject by each region of England in each academic year since 2019.

      Department for Education: Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2022 to Question 17077 on Department for Education: Public Expenditure, if she will publish the (a) highest 10 areas...

      Special Educational Needs: Inspections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to deliver updated Ofsted and CQC Area SEND inspections.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's annual report and accounts for 2022/23, published in July 2023, what steps she is taking to mitigate the risk 5 on...

      Further Education and Schools: Strikes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of industrial action in (a) schools and (b) colleges.

      Childcare: Houghton and Sunderland South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the average cost of a full time nursery place for a two year old in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency.

      Schools: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage the use of artificial intelligence in schools.

      Alternative Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the amount of money spent by (a) local authorities and (b) schools on placing pupils in unregistered alternative...

      Maintained Schools: Solar Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of local authority maintained schools that have installed solar panels.

      GCE A-level

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils taking A-Levels received each grade in each academic year since 2019.

      Pre-school Education: Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, how many early years staff have signed up...

      Sign Language: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Advanced Learner Loans were granted for courses in British Sign Language in each of the last five years.

      Schools: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent mental health professionals were working in schools in the (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23...

      Students: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an estimate of the median level of student debt held by people in Enfield North constituency.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Youth Covid-19 Support Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

    • Youth Services: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Youth Investment Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Youth Accelerator Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Sanitary Protection: Taxation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Voluntary Work: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Loneliness: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Loneliness: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Commonwealth Games: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Social Enterprises: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Community Development: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Culture: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Life Chances Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Digital Broadcasting: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to safeguard the provision of digital terrestrial television and radio broadcast services beyond 2040 for...

      Television: Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has held discussions with television production companies on mental health support for reality television (a) contestants...

      Football: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to require all Scotland association football matches to be shown for free on television.

      Television Licences: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason payment for Accommodation for Residential Care Concessionary TV Licence can only be paid by cheque and not by BACS; and...

      Television Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with TV Licensing on the effectiveness of their policy on sending letters to people who have...

      Department for Culture, Media and Sport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Prime Minister has made of the effectiveness of the re-formed Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

      Internet: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government is taking steps to regulate online advertisements selling financial products not authorised by the Financial...

      Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

      Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

      Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

      Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and...

      Film and Television: Strikes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, What steps her Department is taking to help support individuals employed in the film and television sector in the UK from being...

      Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department have taken to improve (a) environmental and (b) human sustainability practices in the fashion industry.

      Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department have taken to steps to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the fashion industry with (a) the cost...

      Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Inquiries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by her Department in each of the last five years; and whether she...

      Culture: Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 53 of the consultation document entitled Disability Action Plan: Consultation, published in July 2023, what...

      Tickets: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to introduce legislation for the uncapped secondary ticketing market.

      Tickets: Touting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the reselling of tickets for (a) music and (b) other events at prices...

      Breaching of Limits on Ticket Sales Regulations 2018

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Breaching of Limits on Ticket Sales Regulations 2018 at preventing the use of...

      British Museum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussion with the Trustees of the British Museum on the protection of its holdings.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Miscarriage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that miscarriages are systematically (a) counted and (b) reported.

    • Vaccination: Take-up

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce variations in the level of the uptake of routine vaccination programmes.

      Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on regional variations in standards of maternity care.

      Maternity Services: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) safe and (b) efficient staffing levels in maternity units.

      Infant Mortality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what targets his Department has on reducing inequalities in (a) pregnancy loss and (b) baby deaths.

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS England staff are working on fertility aspects of the Women's Health Strategy for England as of September 2023; and what...

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, omitting staff working on maternity care, how many NHS England staff are working on implementation of the Women's Health Strategy for...

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release published by his Department on 22 July 2023 entitled Boost for women and girls as Women’s...

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of the members of the new network of women’s health champions.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the extent of water testing for Covid in the last 12 months.

      Psychiatric Hospitals: Mother and Baby Units

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of mother and baby units in mental health hospitals.

      Migraines: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of offering migraine specialist services at women’s health hubs.

      Mental Health Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children with serious mental health problems.

      Maternity Services: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage research in maternity care.

      Childbirth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the preterm birth rate was in (a) 2010 and (b) 2020.

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to promote the women’s health area on the NHS website.

      Women: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the success of the women’s health area on the NHS website.

      Neurodiversity: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with (a) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and (b) other types of...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has his Department allocated to process compensation claims caused by Covid-19 vaccines; and how much of that budget has...

      Care Quality Commission: Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) steps his Department is taking to monitor the implementation of the new regulatory platform for the Care Quality Commission and...

      Influenza: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to ask the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to update the baseline modelling and assumptions...

      Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for autism assessments.

      Vaccination: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s paper A review of the Vaccine Taskforce, published on 29 August 2023, what funds the Office for...

      Vaccination: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to A review of the Vaccine Taskforce, published by his Department on 29 August 2023, what additional vaccine production...

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that individuals experiencing a mental health crisis receive appropriate tailored care.

      Vaccination: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) data collection and (b) reporting for routine immunisation programmes.

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of women’s health hubs will provide Fracture Liaison Services.

      Ian Harvey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when Mr Ian Harvey, the former medical director at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was last employed (a) within the NHS and (b) an...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the written correspondence of 10 July 2023 from the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport regarding...

      Question

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children were (a) on a waiting list for an assessment and (b) waiting for a diagnosis for (i) attention deficit hyperactivity...

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of people using community mental health services are receiving psychological therapy.

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the overall (a) administrative and (b) enforcement costs of (i)...

      Mental Health Services: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure NHS mental health workforce staff pay keeps pace with other sectors.

      Nurses: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training the NHS provides to nursing staff on (a) accountability and (b) reporting (i) suspicious activities and (ii) concerns.

      Hospitals: Pseudomonas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who have contracted Pseudomonas whilst staying in hospital in each of the last...

      Health Professions: Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory psychological assessments for medical staff...

      Mental Health Services: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on (a) waiting times for mental health care services and (b) the...

      Health Professions: Conduct

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place to monitor medical staff who have been moved to administrative roles after concerns about them have been raised.

      Care Quality Commission: Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times officials in his Department have met representatives of the Care Quality Commission to discuss the rollout of the new...

      Allergies: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merit of each Intrgetated Care System having a (a) specialist allergy...

      Care Quality Commission: Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the rollout of the new regulatory platform at the Care Quality Commission.

      Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the quality of service in maternity units in England.

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department is providing for implementation of the Women's Health Strategy for England.

      Menopause: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he has met the Menopause Employment Champion in the period since her appointment.

      Women's Health Ambassador

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he has met the Women’s Health Ambassador in the period since June 2022.

      Babies: Blood Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the number of conditions screened under the NHS bloodspot programme with similar...

      Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy on the priorities of the...

      Migraines: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to diagnose migraines.

      Mental Health Services: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the average waiting time for mental health services in (a)...

      Strokes: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to treatment for people who have had a stroke.

      Gene Therapies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192548 on Gene Therapies, how many of the advanced therapeutic medicinal products...

      Hospitals: Inspections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of unannounced hospital inspections by the Care Quality Commission.

      Care Quality Commission: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Care Quality Commission have previous experience in the...

      Dental Services: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for braces to be fitted by an NHS dentist in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester in the latest...

      Health Services: Homelessness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require all integrated care boards to make reference to (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping...

      NHS: Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to work with dental practices to help ensure an adequate supply of NHS appointments.

      Pharmacy: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the role of pharmacists in increasing access to routine vaccinations.

      Food: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) cautions were issued and (b)(i) prosecutions and (ii) other legal actions were taken by the Food Standards Agency against...

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making the inclusion of advice on (a) how to quit smoking and (b)...

      Smoking: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using digital technology to support access to stop smoking services.

      Smoking: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) support access to and (b) provide funding for stop smoking services.

      General Practitioners: Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, What steps his Department plans to take to help ensure GPs can return to work after periods of ill health.

      General Practitioners: Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of GPs not in post due to ill health as of 21 August 2023.

      Primary Health Care: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Deep End GP groupings; and how much from the public purse NHS England has spent on...

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the Dental Recovery Plan.

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 11 April 2023, HCWS710, on Achieving Smokefree 2030: cutting smoking and stopping kids vaping,...

      Electronic Cigarettes: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the £10,000 penalties for the sale of illicit tobacco...

      Electronic Cigarettes: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to estimate the long-term cost to the NHS of vaping.

      Electronic Cigarettes: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential long-term effects of vaping on the health of people (a) under and (b) over the age of 18 in...

      Electronic Cigarettes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people (a) under and (b) over the age of 18 who vape in (i) Wirral and (ii) England.

      Dental Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all children can (a) be registered with an NHS dentist and (b) receive regular...

      NHS 111: Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of individuals contacting the NHS 111 helpline (a) for medical advice on...

      Dental Services: Care Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of dental treatment provided to patients requiring treatment within a (a) care home...

      Food: Microplastics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the prominence of microplastic contaminants in (a) foodstuffs and (b) beverages consumed within the UK.

      Stem Cells: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage more people aged 16-30 to join the stem cell register and (b) raise awareness of the...

      Electronic Cigarettes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his Department's policy to reduce the availability of disposable vapes.

      Dementia: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the Major Conditions Strategy will include a funded plan for timely diagnoses of dementia.

      Parkinson's Disease: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average wait time is for patients to see a specialist related to Parkinson's disease in (a) Stockport constituency, (b)...

      Memory Clinics: Waiting Lists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for a person to have an initial appointment at a memory clinic in each region.

      Mental Capacity Act 2005

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the letter of 14 June 2023 from the Minister of State for Social Care to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human...

      Mental Capacity Act 2005

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2023 to Question 188896 on Patients: Mental Capacity, when he plans to publish a response to his...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Chevening Scholarships Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Chevening scholarships have been awarded to each country for awarded for the 2023-24 academic year.

    • Development Aid: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress the Government has made on meeting its £11.6 billion climate finance pledge by 2026; and if he...

      Central African Republic: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals requested consular assistance in the Central African Republic in each of the last five...

      Developing Countries: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to include older people in developing countries in his Department’s White Paper...

      Burundi: Embassies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to strengthen the UK’s diplomatic mission in Bujumbura.

      Debts: Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether debt relief for Somalia has been included in his Department's accounts for (a) 2023-24 and (b) future...

      Ethiopia: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Ethiopia on (a) protecting civilians and (b) enabling...

      Ethiopia: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he had made of the implications for his policies of the (a) humanitarian, (b) human rights...

      Ethiopia: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Ethiopia on forming an independent investigation into...

      Tigray: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Ethiopia on transparent accountability for human...

      Chevening Scholarships Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Chevening scholarships have been awarded for the 2023-24 academic year; and how many were awarded in the...

      Somalia: Debts Written Off

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether debt relief for Somalia will be counted as Official Development Assistance in (a) 2023-24 and (b) future...

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending sanctions to the (a) subsidiaries, (b)...

      International Finance Corporation: Livestock Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the International Finance Corporation on preventing funding for livestock...

      Sudan: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure reported human rights abuses during the conflict in Sudan are...

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has taken recent steps to help (a) maintain the ceasefire and (b) negotiate a longer-term pause in...

      Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help Sudanese nationals living in Britain to communicate with family in Sudan.

      Sudan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to (a) Egypt and (b) Chad to help manage incoming refugees from Sudan.

      Developing Countries: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the UK's contribution to Global Education...

      Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181199 on Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine, whether...

      Sudan: Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help people in Sudan who have been granted entry clearance to the UK but face obstacles...

      Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on evacuating British nationals from Sudan.

      Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to deliver humanitarian aid to Sudan.

      Global Partnership for Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the announcement entitled PM calls on G7 to help educate every child in the world, published on...

      Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how the International Development White Paper will relate to the 2022 International Development Strategy.

      Ethiopia: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has taken to support peace and stability in Ethiopia.

      Sahel and West Africa: Fulani

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with governments in West Africa and the Sahel on the potential impact of (a)...

      Development Aid and Seeds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the World Bank on the countries it is negotiating with on (a)...

      Development Aid: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to consult on the International Development White Paper.

  • Wales Office

    • Wales Office: Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

    • Wales Office: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make...

      Wales Office: Labour Turnover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

      Wales Office: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

      Investment: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether the Government plans to hold a Wales investment conference.

      Speed Limits: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has made an economic impact assessment of the decision of the Welsh Government to introduce 20mph speed limits.

      Speed Limits: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of introducing 20mph speed limits in Wales on the economy.

      Wales Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Office of Net Assessment and Challenge: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) civilian and (b) military staff work in his Office for New Assessment and Challenge.

    • Ballistic Missile Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Defence’s response to a more contested and volatile world, published on 18 July 2023, CP 901, how much funding is allocated to...

      F-35 Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many flight hours each F-35 aircraft has had in each year since 2019.

      F-35 Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of monthly flight hours by F-35 aircraft was in each year since 2019.

      Aviation: Prime Minister

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many individual occasions his Department was tasked with arranging fixed wing air transport for the Prime Minister for domestic flights on the...

      Aviation: Prime Minister

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many individual occasions his Department was tasked with arranging rotary wing air transport for the Prime Minister on the aircraft registered...

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much core profit has been withheld from contractors employed under Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts.

      F-35 Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects all 48 F-35 fighter jets purchased under the Lighting Programme to enter service with the Armed Forces.

      Hawk Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department has issued on the airworthiness of Hawk (a) T1 and (b) T2 aircraft.

      Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ban the sale of (a) munitions and (b) military equipment to countries found to use weapons against civilians.

      Missile Defence Centre: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel work at the Missile Defence Centre.

      Military Bases: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK (a) airbases and (b) other defence sites used for ground based air defence tasks have been closed since 2010.

      Sky Sabre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on 18 July 2023, how much his Department has invested in the Sky Sabre air defence system.

      Ministry of Defence: Digital Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

      Army: Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected in service date is for the General Support Utility Platform.

      Ministry of Defence: Cybersecurity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

      Ukraine: Defence Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what equipment and training his Department is providing to Ukraine to aid mine clearance.

      Armed Forces: Wildlife

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Armed Forces have been requested by agencies of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to help search for animals listed...

      Cyprus: Military Exercises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to increase the number of joint training exercises between the British and Cypriot armed forces.

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Future Soldier, what the unit establishment figures for the Army are.

      Global Response Force: Deployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what equipment will be available within forty-eight hours for the Global Response Force should it be stood up for engagement.

      Afghanistan: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of how many Afghan (a) principals and (b) dependents potentially eligible for relocation to the UK under the...

      Defence Equipment: Military Alliances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the UK's ground based air defence capabilities are fully interoperable with other NATO systems.

      Military Aircraft: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length is of a fast-jet conversion course for the (a) Tornado, (b) Typhoon and (c) F-35 aircraft.

      NATO: Ammunition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, further to the Answer of 22 December 2022 to Question 106328 on NATO: Ammunition, whether his Department made a decision on the potential of UK...

      Australia: Armed Forces and Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Australian (a) military and (b) civilian Defence personnel have been stationed in the UK each year since 2010.

      Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on 18 July 2023, how his Department plans to double the effect that we seek to achieve in...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Cabinet Office

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the budget is of the Cabinet's Domestic and Economic Affairs (Union) committee.

    • Cabinet Office: Staff

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff support the Cabinet's Domestic and Economic Affairs (Union) committee (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) on flexible working arrangements.

      Government Departments: Equality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department issues to Heads of Departments on meeting with the Civil Service Sex Equality and Equity Networks; and if if he will make...

      Cabinet Office: Staff

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department will next publish an up-to-date organogram.

      Civil Servants: Climate Change Convention

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants from all Government Departments attended the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference in November 2022.

      Civil Service: Flexible Working

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of civil service flexitime working practices on productivity levels in Whitehall.

      Cabinet Office: Remote Working

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what their Departments policy is on Civil Servants in their Department working from home and receiving the London Weighting Allowance.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Department for Business and Trade: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the Department for International Trade spent on (a) training and (b) staff supporting equality, diversity and inclusivity in (a)...

    • Investment: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the agenda for the Northern Ireland investment conference in September 2023.

      Baby Care Units: Parental Leave and Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage employers to offer (a) leave and (b) pay for neonatal care before the Neonatal Care...

      Minimum Wage: Enfield North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of the number of breaches of minimum wage legislation by employers in Enfield North constituency in each of the...

      Post Offices: Opening Hours

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

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Local Government: Liability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a new tier of governance accountability for councils, in the...

    • Local Government: Liability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a new duty of care and statutory...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for local authorities.

      Leasehold

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Qualifying date, qualifying lease and extent, updated on 21 April...

  • Home Office

    • Refugees: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the capacity of the UK to provide refuge for the number of climate refugees that her Department estimates...

    • Asylum: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2023 to Question 191605 on Asylum: Staff, what steps her Department has taken to (a) streamline, (b)...

      Ibrahim Faraj

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194471 on Court Orders: Children, if she will investigate the circumstances under which...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reinstating the Universal Credit uplift of £25 per week and (b) extending...

    • Universal Credit: Bexley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people receive Universal Credit in (a) the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley.

      Child Maintenance Service: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training Child Maintenance Service caseworkers receive.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he is taking steps to help (a) repair and (b) reopen the Forum Leisure Centre swimming pool located within his Department's property...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2022 to Question 101751 on Children: Maintenance, whether his Department (a) has launched and (b) plans...

      Local Housing Allowance: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much local housing allowance was paid in (a) Wales, (b) Neath Port Talbot and (c) Aberavon in each of the the last five years.

      Support for Mortgage Interest

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme at supporting homeowners with rising mortgage costs.

      Support for Mortgage Interest

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the (a) Support for Mortgage Interest scheme and (b) pre-April 2018 scheme.

      Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people who have had difficulty affording their bills between (a) September 2022 and August...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to take steps to remove the non-dependent charge in Housing Benefit for disadvantaged groups.

  • Department for Transport

    • Department for Transport: Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23...

    • Department for Transport: Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

      Transport: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of the average carbon dioxide emissions per person per journey from London to Newcastle by (a) air, (b)...

      Railways: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's policy is on what proportion of the future rail network will be electrified.

      Railways: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish the annual update of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline before the end of this session of Parliament.

      British Transport Police: Detection Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the British Transport Police Authority publication entitled British Transport Police Fund Annual Report and Accounts for the year...

      British Transport Police: Detection Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the British Transport Police Authority publication entitled British Transport Police Fund Annual Report and Accounts for the year...

      Railways: Bexleyheath and Crayford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of closing train station ticket offices on passengers in Bexleyheath and Crayford...

      Railways: Crew

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) frequency and (b) scope of psychological fitness examinations of train drivers.

      Railways: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many safety critical job roles on the rail network were unfilled in July 2023.

      Railways: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of systems to quickly alert train drivers and controllers to emergency situations which are occurring on...

      Charging Points: Haringey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicle chargepoints there are in (a) Haringey and (b) Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

      Motorways: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of electric charging points on the motorway network.

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of fare types available across the railway network.

      Railway Stations: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking with train operating companies to ensure that planned ticket office closures do not disproportionally affect (a)...

      Department for Transport: Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public appointments are sponsored by his Department.

      Railway Stations: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure any potential closure of ticket offices does not increase travel costs for people travelling outside TfL boundaries.

      Motor Vehicles: Production

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commit to removing the proposals to ban the production of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

      Transport: Strikes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle strike action which delays commuters.

      Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the transition to zero emission vehicles.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information the Government holds on the number of electric vehicle charging points at each motorway service station in England.

      Railway Stations: West Yorkshire

      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 (a) Leeds, (b) Burley Park and (c)...

      Railway Stations: Tickets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of proposed closures of station ticket offices in (a) Great Yarmouth...

      Department for Transport: Public Inquiries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department was in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce...

      Department for Transport: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that...

      Department for Transport: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Sudan: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he is taking steps to help shut down social media activity in the UK that incites further violence in Sudan.

    • Emergency Calls: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people in rural areas are able to contact emergency services in instances...

  • Treasury

    • Financial Services: Vetting

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that (a) banks and (b) other financial institutions cannot refuse to provide financial services on the...

What is this?

The parliamentary question is a great way for MPs and Peers to discover information which the government may not wish to reveal. Ministers reply via written answers, a list of which gets published daily.

We let you vote on whether or not the answer given is adequate.

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