Written answers

Monday, 22 July 2024

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Birmingham City Council: Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the notice issued by Birmingham City Council on 05 September 2023 under Section 114(3) of the Local...

    • Local Government: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on increasing county council funding for (a) social care services, (b) SEND services...

      Combined Authorities: Devolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release of 16 July 2024 entitled Deputy Prime Minister kickstarts new...

      Vagrancy Act 1824

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824.

      UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to maintain funding from the UK Share Prosperity Fund for projects in Northern Ireland...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the speech entitled Chancellor Rachel Reeves is taking immediate action to fix the foundations of...

      Community Ownership Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Community Ownership Fund Round 4 Window 2 will be reopened and restored for applications.

      Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the speech entitled Chancellor Rachel Reeves is taking immediate action to fix the foundations of...

      Housing: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the report of the Older People's Housing Taskforce.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Wheelchairs: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many disabled adults have been waiting for an NHS wheelchair from AJM Healthcare for longer than (a) 6 months, (b) 12 months, (c) two...

    • Hospital Beds: Somerset

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital beds there were in Somerset (a) in 2015 and (b) 2024.

      Health Services: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS sites have closed in Birmingham since May 2010; and what the (a) name and (b) postcode was of each site.

      Ambulance Services: North Shropshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to reduce ambulance waiting times in North Shropshire.

      Out of Area Treatment: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on (a) the adequacy of current travel costs support schemes for young cancer...

      Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications were made under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme for redress arising from the administration of covid-19 vaccines...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Palestinians: Recognition of States

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will immediately recognise the state of Palestine.

    • Israel: Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the sale of UK arms to Israel on the conflict in Gaza.

      UNRWA: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the resumption of funding for UNRWA; and when he plans to...

      Kosovo: Serbia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Kosovan authorities on the Banjska attack on Kosovo in...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Retirement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what compulsory retirement ages exist in the private sector; what changes have been made to compulsory retirement ages in the public sector...

    • Construction: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will introduce a licencing regime for builders.

      Employment: Bullying and Discrimination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government has plans to ban non-disclosure agreements used for victims of sexual misconduct, bullying and discrimination.

      Airbus: Spirit AeroSystems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives of the aerospace industry on guaranteeing jobs during the...

      Imports: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) Northern Ireland Protocol and (b) Windsor Framework on trends in the level...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisoners' Release: Domestic Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners released between October 2023 and June 2024 under the End of Custody Supervised License scheme had been imprisoned for an offence...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Solar Power: Supply Chains

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to paragraph 3.9.92 of the report by the Planning Inspectorate entitled Mallard Pass Solar Farm: Examining...

    • Solar Power: Supply Chains

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to paragraph 3.9.92 of the report by the Planning Inspectorate entitled Mallard Pass Solar Farm: Examining...

      Hartlepool Power Station: Nuclear Reactors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has plans to build a new nuclear reactor on the Hartlepool nuclear power station site.

      Sizewell C Power Station: Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to make a final investment decision on the proposed construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station.

      Oil: Production

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the judgement in R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) (Appellant) v Surrey County...

      Maentwrog Power Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate he has made of how much net revenue the Maentwrog hydro-electric power station generated in each of the last...

      Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to bring forward proposals relating to the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme to (a) reform the surplus sharing arrangements...

      Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to (a) launch and (b) conclude a review of the mineworkers pension scheme.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Import Controls: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the (a) number, (b) value and (c) repayment rate of invoices issued at each border control point for...

    • Shellfish: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to open an inquiry into crustacean die-offs on the North East coast.

      Pigs: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use of farrowing crates; and if he will...

      Agriculture: Newcastle-under-Lyme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans take to support (a) farmers and (b) the farming sector in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

      Fertilisers: Production

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ability of the UK’s fertiliser production capacity to meet domestic demand.

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to operate regulations on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the...

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether implementation of the (a) Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 and (b) Safeguarding the Union Command...

      Plants: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department (a) has deployed and (b) plans to deploy staff to specifically regulate the movement of plants from...

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in which locations checks are carried out on goods transported between Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and what steps...

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in his Department are responsible for managing the flow of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland;...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of contractor delivery as part of the Fleet Solid Support Programme.

    • Armed Forces: Labour Turnover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of recruitment and retention across the armed forces.

      Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Strategic Defence Review will conclude in its entirety before the next Spending Review commences.

      Military Aircraft: Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the status is of the New Medium Helicopter programme.

      Ajax Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of the Ajax armoured vehicle programme towards meeting initial operating capability by...

      Defence: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date he expects UK defence spending to have reached 2.5 per cent of GDP.

  • Treasury

    • Retirement: Public Sector

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what compulsory retirement ages exist in the public sector; what changes have been made to compulsory retirement ages in the public sector in the last ten...

    • Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what bids have been submitted by the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Finance for 2024-25 based on the operation of the (a) Windsor Framework and...

      Development Aid

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will restore the Official Development Assistance budget to 0.7% of gross national income.

      Employment: Veterans

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is her policy to provide National Insurance relief for eligible employers recruiting veterans in their first civilian role after leaving...

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) volume and (b) value was of (i) goods and (ii) other materials sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

      Import Duties: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason goods imported to Northern Ireland from (a) China and (b) other non-EU countries are charged a higher third country duty tariff than goods...

      Private Education: VAT

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the needs of children receiving specific provision for SEND within the private school system are taken into...

      Banks: Closures

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an estimate of the number of bank branches that have closed in England in the last 10 years.

      Bank Services: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of UK bank accounts held by UK citizens living in European Union member States that have been closed since the...

  • Department for Education

    • Carers: Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing a financial allowance to kinship carers equal to that received by foster carers.

    • Parkfield School Christchurch

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to reject the application by Reach South Academy Trust to close Parkfield School.

      Non-teaching Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of trends in (a) recruitment and (b) retention of school support staff in (i) Birmingham and (ii) England in the last...

      Special Educational Needs: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who were not in school there were in Birmingham who (a) held an Education, Health and Care Plan and (b) had previously been...

      Private Education: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on (a) class sizes, (b) teacher recruitment and retention and (c) relations with...

      Children's Centres: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres closed in Birmingham since May 2010; and what the (a) name and (b) postcode was of each centre.

      Schools: Concrete

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is her timeline is for reviewing (a) capital projects relating to RAAC within schools and (b) other capital projects.

      Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to establish a fair funding formula for (a) SEND and (b) education.

      Schools: Solar Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to reform the rules around the leasing of solar panels on school rooftops.

      Special Educational Needs: Surrey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve special educational needs and disabilities provision in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey.

      Multi-academy Trusts: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the (a) governance and (b) accountability structures of multi academy trusts.

  • Home Office

    • Motor Vehicles: Anti-social Behaviour

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to tackle the antisocial use of off-road vehicles.

    • Visas: Gaza

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of routes available to people in Gaza to join families in the UK.

      Overseas Students: Gaza

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people from Gaza who are studying in the UK to be able to bring their...

      Visas: Gaza

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a family reunification visa scheme for people in Gaza.

      Visas: Married People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the the minimum income requirement for spousal visa applications.

      Refugees: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to enable children brought to the UK by the UNHCR to be reunited with their parents.

      Prostitution: Gower

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is providing to help people in Gower exit prostitution.

      Prostitution: Gower

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce demand for trafficking for sexual exploitation in Gower constituency.

      Sexual Harassment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13568 on Sexual Harassment, when she plans that the Protection from Sex-based...

      Abortion: Demonstrations

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the implementation of safe access zones around abortion clinics to be enacted.

      Asylum: LGBT+ People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the level of the risk of (a) discrimination, (b) harassment and (c) violence towards LGBTQ+ people...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • State Retirement Pensions: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our...

    • State Retirement Pensions: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to bring forward legislative proposals for a compensation scheme for women who are (a) born in the 1950s and...

      State Retirement Pensions: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our...

      State Retirement Pensions: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report into women’s State Pension age changes, published on 21 March...

      Poverty: Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency in each of the last 10 years.

      Disposable Income: Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average disposable income was in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency in each of the last 10 years.

      Jobcentres: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the sustainability of job centres in rural areas.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the Child Maintenance Service's treatment of income from foreign assets held by paying parents.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in securing maintenance from paying parents.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Casement Park: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for the redevelopment of Casement Park.

    • Windsor Framework

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to The Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024, what functions he exercises direction and control over; and if he...

      Windsor Framework

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the policy paper entitled Safeguarding the Union, published on 31 January 2024, whether he plans to implement the policies...

  • Department for Transport

    • Motorcycles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of regulations on motorcycles towing trailers; and whether she plans to (a) review and (b) amend...

    • Motor Vehicles: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to respond to the call for evidence entitled Registering historic, classic, rebuilt vehicles and vehicles converted to electric: call...

      A27

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways is taking to help reduce congestion at the A27 Crossbush junction.

      Railways: Surrey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to improve the (a) speed and (b) connectivity of rail services (i) within Surrey Heath constituency and (ii) between Camberley...

      Bus Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has for the funding of (a) the Bus Service Improvement Plan and (b) BSIP Phase 2 after the next financial year.

      Railways: Seaham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of expediting the application by Grand Central Rail for four daily calls at Seaham train...

      Bus Services: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ending the Get around for £2 bus fare scheme this year on bus use (a) nationally, (b)...

      Newquay Cornwall Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has held with Cornwall Council about the future ownership of Cornwall Newquay Airport.

      Roads: South Shropshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department's policy is on using the Local Transport Fund to help fix potholes across South Shropshire constituency; and what progress her...

      Vehicles: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of ensuring that companies that sub-contract vehicles to (a) delivery, (b) utility and (c)...

      Aviation: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report by the Climate Change Committee entitled 2023 Progress Report to Parliament, published on 28 June 2023, whether he plans...

      Roads: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she next plans to update the guidance entitled Strategic road network and the delivery of sustainable development, published on 23 December 2022;...

      Department for Transport: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the (a) financial impact and (b) potential for delay of her Department's capital projects.

      A283: Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has commissioned research on the level of airborne particulate matter on the A283 in Storrington.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Spaceflight: Liability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to limit the liability of licenced commercial spaceflight operators.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are affected by the under-occupancy charge, what is the financial impact of the charge on those people, and what plans they have to end or...

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