Written answers

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Technology: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published in March 2021, CP...

    • Space Technology: Civil Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps her Department has taken to establish a civil-defence national space operations centre.

      Satellites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent estimate she has made of when the next satellite launch will take place in the UK.

      Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much her Department spent on external recruitment consultants in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 financial year.

  • Department for Education

    • Music: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 4115 on Music: Education, when her Department plans to (a) commission and (b) publish the...

    • Music: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school music teachers there were in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2019 and (d) 2022.

      Schools and Universities: Anti-semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, published on 22 November 2023, which organisations will receive the £7 million funding to help...

      Schools: Discipline

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on when to intervene if a school's disciplinary policy is reported to be causing harm to the mental health of students.

      Social Services: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that staff working within children's social care receive training to understand the potential altruistic motivation...

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local councils secure the specified special educational provision for children and young people as...

      British National (Overseas): Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of potential merits of making people with British National (Overseas) visas eligible for student finance.

      Childcare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the offer of 30 hours of free childcare for three and four...

      Schools: Central Bedfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to support Central Bedfordshire Council with the transition from a three-tier to a two-tier school system.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Guyana: Venezuela

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Venezuelan counterpart on that country's territorial dispute with Guyana.

    • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23...

      Iran: Capital Punishment

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the nationalities of people executed in Iran in the last 12 months.

      Iran: Capital Punishment

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of executions that have occurred in Iran in the last 12 months.

      Commonwealth: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the Commonwealth Secretariat on the potential merits of...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the Palestinian...

      Gaza: Israel

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has taken steps to support a ceasefire south of the Wadi in Gaza.

      Gaza: Children

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to the Israeli Government on protecting children in Gaza.

      Hamas: Israel

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs...

      Binyamin Needham

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the death of Binyamin Needham in Gaza.

      UN Charter

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the UN Secretary-General invoking...

      West Bank: Violence

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of violence in the West Bank.

      Hamas: Israel

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he (a) has and (b) plans to have discussions with the government of Qatar on steps it is taking to help secure...

      Democratic Republic of Congo: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of regional diplomatic efforts to secure peace in eastern Democratic...

      Cyprus: Russia

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of levels of Russian investment in the...

      Democratic Republic of Congo: Development Aid

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps to help (a) the people displaced in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of...

      Polisario Front

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Polisario Front on (a) regional stability and (b)...

      Afghanistan: Overseas Students

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps with Ministers in the (a) Department for Education and (b) Home Office to help facilitate...

      New START Treaty

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with his US counterpart on taking steps to ensure that all parties originally committed to...

      South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Fisheries and Krill

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the impact of climate change on (a) fishing and (b) krill stocks in South Georgia and...

      South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) on the...

      Myanmar: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps the Government is taking (a) bilaterally and (b) with its UN partners to help tackle conflict in...

      Myanmar: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Myanmar.

      Democratic Republic of Congo: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce rates of conflict-related sexual violence in the Democratic Republic...

      Sudan: Food Supply

      To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to tackle food insecurity in Sudan.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation on Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, updated by her Department on 20 October...

    • Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction treatment on the NHS.

      Prostate Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2023 to Question 4318 on Prostate Cancer: Drugs, if he will make a comparative assessment of the (a)...

      Rheumatology: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November to Question 3424 on Rheumatology: Consultants and Nurses, what (a) methodology and (b) criteria...

      Vitamin B12: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is making funding available to (a) pharmaceutical companies and (b) researchers to conduct medical studies into...

      Department of Health and Social Care: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much their Department spent on hospitality in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

      NHS: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any homecare medicines services providers have been placed in an escalation process since May 2023.

      Skin Diseases: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Getting it Right First Time's report on Dermatology, published in August 2021, what progress she has made on the...

      Domestic Accidents: Community Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of level (a) one and (b) two fall incidents community health services responded to in each of...

      Mental Health Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2023 to Question 4599 on Mental Health Services: Children, how many people under the age of 18 have...

      Mental Health Act 1983

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains her Department's policy to reform the Mental Health Act 1983.

      Maternity Services: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Final report of the Ockenden review, published on 30 March 2022, what steps she...

      Bowel Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to reduce the minimum age for bowel screening to 50.

      Care Workers and Health Services: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Oral Statement from the Secretary of State for the Home Department of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official...

      Department of Health and Social Care: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department spent on external recruitment consultants in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 financial year.

      Neurology: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the backlog in neurology appointments in Greater Manchester.

      NHS England: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are employed in equality, diversity and inclusion roles by NHS England.

      Royal Oldham Hospital: Concrete

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of replacing the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in Royal Oldham Hospital.

      Department of Health and Social Care: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will respond to the letter from Andrew Cox, Senior Coroner for the coroner area of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, of 23...

      Pancreatin

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help secure the supply of Creon 25000 for patients ordinarily prescribed that pharmaceutical.

      Medical Equipment: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking with NHS England to reduce disposals of medical equipment to landfill.

      Prescriptions: Pregnancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of communications by the NHS on access to maternity exemption certificates for...

      Prescriptions: Pregnancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of backdating maternity exemption certificates to the start of pregnancy...

      Care Workers and Health Services: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Oral Statement from the Secretary of State for the Home Department of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official...

  • Treasury

    • Disability: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Autumn Statement 2023 on the finances of people with complex disabilities.

    • Treasury: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much their Department spent on hospitality in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

      Supermarkets: Prices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives of (a) supermarkets and (b) other retail outlets on steps being taken to...

      Cash Dispensing

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on the potential merits of taking into account the specific needs of local communities...

      World Economy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with the International Monetary Fund on levels of national global debt.

      Personal Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the average worker paid in personal taxes in each financial year since 2010-11.

      Migration: Forecasts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 31 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's publication entitled Economic and fiscal outlook- November 2023, published on 22...

      Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on (a) how many people earn less than £38,700 a year in (i) Wales, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv)...

  • Attorney General

    • Attorney General: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Attorney General, whether any severance payments have been made by her Department to Ministers other than to the Rt hon. Member for Torridge and West Devon since 1 January 2015.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Shipbuilding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Refresh to the National Shipbuilding Strategy on (a) regional economic development and (b) job creation.

    • Ministry of Defence: Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 71 on Defence: Training, how many apprentices were recruited by his Department to (a) digital,...

      Ministry of Defence: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected project end date for the MODnet Evolve programme was in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

      Shipbuilding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to develop a framework for evaluating the impact of the policy paper entitled Refresh to the National...

      Shipbuilding: Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to encourage collaboration between (a) industry, (b) academia and (c) research institutions to promote innovation in shipbuilding.

      Caribbean and Guyana: Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to deploy (a) Armed Forces personnel to Guyana and (b) Royal Navy warships to the Caribbean in the context of the border dispute...

      Caribbean and South America: Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Armed Forces personnel are deployed to (a) Guyana, (b) South America and (c) the Caribbean.

      Cyprus: RAF Akrotiri

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK military need to clear (a) RAF flights and (b) US Air Force flights taking off from RAF Akrotiri with central government in Cyprus.

      Cyprus: Military Bases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to visit the sovereign base areas in (a) Akrotiri and (b) Dhekelia in the next six months.

      Ministry of Defence: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs for the New Style of Information Technology Deployed programme were in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

      Army: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 1042 on Army, how many meetings his Department held with industry partners on the 20-year...

      Army: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the policy paper entitled Land Industrial Strategy, published on 18 May 2022, how much funding his Department has provided for (a)...

      Land Enterprise Working Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2023 to Question 4358 on Land Enterprise Working Group: Membership, how many times the Land Enterprise Working...

      Defence: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs for Project AURORA were in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many calls related to damp and mould issues in Forces accommodation were received by the National Service Centre in each month in 2022.

      National Shipbuilding Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2023 to Question 3703 on National Shipbuilding Office, what the proportion of UK content required was under each...

      F-35 Aircraft: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs for the Lightning programme were in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

      Shipbuilding: Competition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the competitiveness of the shipbuilding sector within the defence industry in international markets.

      Defence: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to help encourage (a) newly-qualified engineering graduates and (b) technicians to join the defence sector.

      Shipbuilding: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contracts his Department awarded to industry for shipbuilding since 2010; and what the value was of each contract.

      Electronic Warfare: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs for the Maritime Electronic Warfare programme were in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

      Shipbuilding: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31 of the policy paper entitled Refresh to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, published on 10 March 2022, if he will make an...

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected project end date for the Future Defence Infrastructure Services programme was in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

      Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs for the Armoured Cavalry 2025 programme were in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

      Armed Forces: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to increase the number of hours of training for armed forces personnel on the security risks of using private social media.

      Israel: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2023 to Question 2667 on Israel: Military Aid, whether any (a) lethal and (b) other military equipment other than...

  • Home Office

    • Visas: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many sponsored study visas his Department granted (a) in total and (b) by student nationality in each year since 2005.

    • Immigration Controls: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement of 4 December 2024 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 41-43, whether he has made an assessment...

      Extradition

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign criminals have been extradited to the UK in each of the last five years.

      Defending Democracy Taskforce

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to publish a report on the work of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

      Visas: Families

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his proposal to increase the income thresholds for spousal visas would apply to renewals of existing visas.

      Electronic Travel Authorisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying the same exemptions as apply to the EU ETIAS scheme for airside transit...

      Immigration Controls: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what nationalities EU citizens who were refused entry at the UK border in 2023 were.

      Visas: Gaza

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a family reunification visa scheme for people in Gaza.

      Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers per capita there were in (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and (b) England in each of the last eight years.

      Police: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police vehicles were allocated to (a) West Mercia Police and (b) each other police force in the last five years.

      Home Office: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff from his Department are based in India.

      Arrests

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) UK nationals and (b) non-UK nationals have been arrested in each year since 2008.

      Fire and Rescue Services: Carcinogens

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help protect firefighters from carcinogens.

      International Corruption Unit

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the National Crime Agency International Corruption Unit, what data his Department holds on the (a) number and proportion...

      Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was provided to Blue Blight Commercial as part of Operation Safeguard.

      Police: Emergency Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the potential impact of reducing police...

      Refugees: Homelessness

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will respond to the concerns raised by the Local Government Association in its press release entitled Thousands of refugees could be...

      Biometric Residence Permits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the average processing time to print a Biometric Residence Permit after a decision to grant leave to remain has been issued.

      Migrants: Health Services and Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that asylum seekers given leave to remain have adequate support to access (a) housing and...

      Immigration: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to (a) extend the leave to remain and (b) offer a route to indefinite leave to remain status for individuals...

      Visas: Ministers of Religion

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, columns 41-43, whether he plans for the T2...

      Asylum: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the most common reason for rejecting an application for asylum was in each year since 2016.

      Visas: Gaza

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to help ensure that the child dependants of UK residents who are in Gaza are able to apply for the UK visas to which...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Overseas Trade: Southern Africa

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the value of the UK's trading relationship with (a) the Southern Africa Customs Union and (b) Mozambique.

    • Infrastructure: National Security

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to protect critical national infrastructure from cyber attacks.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Gender Based Violence: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Northern Ireland Administration on a strategy on ending violence against women and girls.

    • Northern Ireland Office: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much their Department spent on (a) current and (b) legacy IT infrastructure (i) in total and (ii) purchased in 2013 or earlier in each of...

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Mid Bedfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of train services in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

    • Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department makes an assessment of the (a) quality and (b) durability of (i) pothole repairs, (ii) resurfacing and (c) other maintenance of...

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points in (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and (b) the UK.

      Public Transport: Carbon Emissions and Driverless Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support local authorities to develop (a) carbon-neutral and (b) autonomous public transport systems.

      Cars: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 451 on Cars: Exhaust Emissions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential...

      Roads Policing Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the final report of the Roads policing review.

      Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 369 on Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact...

      Department for Transport: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 financial year.

      Department for Transport: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much their Department spent on hospitality in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

      Buses: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 198771, how much funding his Department has provided for specific retrofit initiatives...

      Aviation: Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the use of sustainable fuel in the aviation sector.

      Airports: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 18 July 2023 to Question 193065 on Aviation: Security, on what dates Ministers in his Department have held discussions...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Personal Independence Payment: Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department produces for PIP assessors on how to process cases where an applicant has autism spectrum disorder.

    • Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on the Health Transformation Programme.

      Musculoskeletal Disorders: Unemployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to support people with (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions who have been out of work for...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to the Work Capability Assessment on disabled people’s finances.

      Disability: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposals set out in the Government Response to the Work Capability Assessment:...

      Disability: Employment Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the impact of the Universal Support programme on employment outcomes.

      Unemployed People: Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households received free broadband for six months from the TalkTalk and Jobcentre Plus scheme.

      Household Support Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of ending the Household Support Fund on (a) local authorities and (b)...

      Loneliness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to require his frontline officials to (a) assess the potential (i) loneliness and (ii) social isolation when interacting...

      Disability: Cost of Living

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of increases in cost of living on people with complex disabilities.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much their Department spent on hospitality in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many written parliamentary questions to his Department remained unanswered when Parliament prorogued on 26 October 2023.

      Unemployment: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who are (a) waiting for (i) trauma and (ii) orthopaedic treatment and (b) are...

      Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access to Work scheme applications were submitted for reconsideration in 2023.

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the scorecard set out in the Autumn Statement document for the reform of the Work Capability Assessment descriptors takes into account...

      Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effectiveness of the Disability Action Plan.

      Employment: Neurodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to encourage industry to foster a more inclusive working environment for neurodivergent people.

      Social Security Benefits: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s publication entitled Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 financial year.

      Work Capability Assessment: Flexible Working

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government Response to the Work Capability Assessment: Activities and Descriptors Consultation, published on 22 November...

      Poverty: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential correlation between the (a) proportion of children living in households...

      Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2023 to Question 3350 on Access to Work Programme, how many applications to the Access to Work scheme...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, whether he had discussions with (a) disabled people and (b) disabled people's organisations when...

      Social Security Benefits: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department holds information on the number of households that (a) are affected by the two-child limit and (b) have accessed...

      Pension Funds: Advisory Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pension Schemes Act 2015 (Transitional Provisions and Appropriate Independent Advice) 2015 Post Implementation Review,...

      Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to the (a) risk review team and (b) enhanced review team on suspension and termination.

      Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of benefit claims (a) flagged and (b) investigated by the (i) Risk Review Team and (ii) Enhanced Review Team have...

      Social Security Benefits: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of (a) households and (b) children in those households that will be affected by the...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Department for Business and Trade: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much their Department spent on hospitality in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

    • Trade Agreements: Timor-Leste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government has plans to pursue a free trade agreement with East Timor.

      Shipbuilding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 61 of the policy paper entitled Refresh to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, published on 10 March 2022, whether her...

      Postal Services: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with Royal Mail on (a) delayed and (b) missed postal deliveries in Tooting constituency.

      Postal Services: Electric Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many of Royal Mail's delivery routes have changed as a result of the adoption of electric vehicles.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Water Abstraction: Teddington

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to Thames Water's s35 application for its Teddington Direct River Abstraction proposal.

    • Flood Control: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent flooding in Wales in winter 2023-2024.

      Water: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment Ofwat has made of the affordability of water bills for pensioners living in poverty.

      Joint Air Quality Unit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 452 on Joint Air Quality Unit, what steps he is taking to ensure that...

      Barbecues and Sky Lanterns

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the research study into single use sky lanterns, disposable barbecues and helium...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) complaints and (b) other feedback can be provided to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff within HMCTS buildings; and what steps...

    • Ministry of Justice: Communication

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's (a) policies, (b) procedures and (c) service standards are for officials in (i) his Department, (ii) the HM Courts and Tribunals...

      Legal Aid Scheme: Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, published on 22 November 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposals...

      Magistrates' Courts: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for the reopening of (a) Blackpool and (b) Preston magistrates’ courts.

      Magistrates' Courts: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of open magistrates courts in Lancashire.

      Ministry of Justice: Vodafone Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the contract awarded by his Department to Vodafone Ltd on 9 November 2023 under tender reference 338599/1285515, if he will publish...

      Young Offender Institutions: Inspections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to set a target date by which all institutions of the youth secure estate should be considered good by the prison inspectorate.

      Young Offender Institutions: Domestic Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many visits to the youth secure estate have (a) he, (b) the Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation, (c) the Chief Executive of HMPPS and (d) the...

      Prisons: Overcrowding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the value for money of Operation Safeguard in 2023.

      Prisons: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons do not have a completed local security strategy as of 4 December 2023.

      Probation Service: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department have carried out surveys to identify buildings constructed with RAAC on the probation estate.

      Prisons: Overcrowding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether officials in his Department plan to review the value for money of triggering Operation Safeguard in 2023.

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Parliamentary Estate: Sanitary Protection

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission is taking steps to increase access to period products on the parliamentary estate.

    • Members and Members' Staff: Science and Statistics

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission is taking steps to help increase (a) scientific and (b) statistical literacy among (i)...

      House of Commons: ICT

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to the guidance by the Central Digital and Data Office entitled Guidance on the Legacy IT Risk...

      House of Commons: ICT

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons spends on (a) total IT infrastructure, (b) IT infrastructure that was first...

      Parliamentary Estate: Power Failures

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many power cuts have been recorded on the Parliamentary estate in each of the last five years; and where...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to provide a substantive response to Question 2996 on Department for Culture, Media and Sport: ICT, which was due for...

    • Brass Bands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department holds data on the number of community brass bands in England in (a) 2003, (b) 2010, (c) 2013, (d) 2019 and (e) 2023.

      Music: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to promote English baroque musical tradition in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Parking: Mid Bedfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with Central Bedfordshire Council on the potential impact of increasing the number of car...

  • Scotland Office

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Electricity: Storage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to page 7 of the Government's response to the call for evidence entitled Facilitating the deployment of large-scale...

    • Small Businesses: Utilities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to help support SMEs with utility costs.

      Energy Charter Treaty: Sunset Clauses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make it her policy to negotiate the removal of the sunset clause from the Energy Charter Treaty.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Pornography: Internet

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their anticipated timeline for the introduction of age verification measures to prevent children’s access to online pornography.

    • Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022

      To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to lay statutory instruments under section 76 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 to introduce transitional...

      Broadband: Rural Areas

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 28 September (HL10228), how many of the 97 voucher project applications came from Northern Ireland.

      Broadband: Rural Areas

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 27 September (HL10227), when the temporary pause to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was...

      Pornography: Internet

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether Ofcom has any plans (1) to hold discussions with the British Board of Film Classification to support its regulation of online pornography sites, and...

      Pornography Review

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their announcement on 3 July regarding the launch of a pornography review to tackle exploitative, abusive and illegal content online, what update they...

  • Treasury

    • European Union: Payments

      To ask His Majesty's Government how much money the UK pays to the EU annually; for what purpose; and for how long such payments are expected to continue.

    • Debts

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of an increase in unaffordable consumer debt, including credit-card debt, in the new year.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Bangladesh: Rohingya

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 November (HL485), how much the UK donated in aid to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh in (1)...

    • Roderick Drummond

      To ask His Majesty's Government why the former Ambassador to Bahrain, Roderick Drummond, has not been instructed to hand back the award given to him by the government of Bahrain, given the terms...

      India: Charities

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have published guidance for people and organisations wishing to donate to charities in India, with regard to India’s Foreign Contribution...

      Commonwealth: Charities

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have asked the British Commonwealth of Nations for advice on how the charitable sector can operate within the Commonwealth.

      USA: Foreign Relations

      To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to enhance bilateral relations with the United States; and what priorities they have identified for cooperation on key global challenges.

      New Zealand: Foreign Relations

      To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to deepen relations with New Zealand; and what common objectives have been identified for advancing cooperation in areas of mutual...

      Windsor Framework

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the European Commission about changing the Windsor Framework and removing aspects of EU law from Northern Ireland.

  • Department for Education

    • Schools and Universities: Antisemitism

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the bidding process for the £7 million of funding to tackle antisemitism in schools and universities, announced in the Autumn Statement.

    • Special Educational Needs: Cancer

      To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total number of children suffering from cancer and on an Education, Health and Care Plan in each of the last three years.

      Students: Loans

      To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making towards Sharia-compliant student loans.

      Teachers: Pay

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) representatives of the devolved governments, and (2) trade unions, regarding the geographical discrepancies in...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to reply to the letter dated 24 July from Baroness Quin to the Minister of State at the Department for Education regarding...

      Apprentices

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many End Point Assessment Organisations are currently approved to carry out assessments for level 7 standards; and how many of these are (1) higher...

      Employment: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any potential benefits of using artificial intelligence to develop skills for the workplace.

      Children and Young People: Cancer

      To ask His Majesty's Government what provision and educational support is given to children and young people who are out of school long term with cancer.

      Apprentices

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts at level 6 there were in (1) 2021–22, and (2) 2022–23, broken down by (a) 16 to 18 year-olds, (b) 19 to 24...

  • Department for Transport

    • Transport: Rural Areas

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to respond to the high level of transport poverty in rural areas, as outlined in the report Getting the measure of transport poverty published...

  • Home Office

    • Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to stop dangerous and illegal Channel crossings and to ensure criminal gangs can no longer assist illegal immigration into the UK, and when...

    • Asylum: Age Assurance

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many people who arrived in the UK claiming to be unaccompanied children seeking asylum, and who underwent a Merton compliant age assessment and were determined...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Armed Forces: Standards

      To ask His Majesty's Government what investments they are making to enhance the capacity of the Armed Forces, including modernization of equipment, training and recruitment.

    • Armed Forces: Cybersecurity

      To ask His Majesty's Government what update they can provide on the progress of initiatives aimed at enhancing the cybersecurity of the UK military; and what measures are in place to protect the...

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

    • Affordable Housing: Travellers

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many Gypsy and Traveller sites the Affordable Homes Programme has funded in each year since its inception, and how many in total.

    • Freeports: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government why Northern Ireland was omitted from the Chancellor’s plan to create more freeports or ‘investment zones’ within the UK.

      Local Government: Judicial Review

      To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to duties imposed on local authorities by the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill for which there is an enforcement authority,...

      Private Rented Housing

      To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that the average tenant household spends 35.3 per cent of their income on rent, what steps they are taking to alleviate financial strain on...

      Planning: Climate Change

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities when she stated that they "intend to do a fuller...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Legislation

      To ask His Majesty's Government which sections of which Acts of Parliament that have received Royal Assent since May 2010 have not been commenced by Ministers.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Local Housing Allowance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of ending the freeze in Local Housing Allowance rates before April 2024.

    • Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

      To ask His Majesty's Government, in the most recent period of 12 months for which data are available, how many benefit claims were cancelled or suspended while third-party accusations about...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Folic Acid: Prescriptions

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will request NHS England to permit the prescription of Thiamine capsules as an alternative to tablets.

    • Genito-urinary Medicine

      To ask His Majesty's Government, ahead of the 30-year review of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, what progress they have made since 1994 on sexual...

      Dementia: Medical Treatments

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that patients diagnosed with dementia are able to access breakthrough treatments as soon as possible.

      Infectious Diseases: Climate Change

      To ask His Majesty's Government what precautions they have taken against the spread of infectious diseases resulting from future climate emergencies.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care intends to respond to the letter from Lord Rogan dated 13 October 2023 enclosing correspondence on behalf...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Gambling: Addictions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the services available to address gambling addiction in the UK; and how they plan to further support those affected.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to deliver unfettered access for goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and to remove the Irish Sea...

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.

December 2023
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031