Written answers

Monday, 6 January 2025

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Local Housing Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not increasing Local Housing Allowance rates in 2025-2026 on families.

    • Budgeting Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department spent on Budgeting Loans (a) overall and (b) in each category in the 2023-24 financial year.

      Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timeframe is for the 80 per cent employment rate target.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud and Maladministration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16391 on Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud and Maladministration, what progress...

      Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to people waiting for a Personal Independence Payment tribunal.

      Carer's Allowance: Income

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department has set a limit for the amount of income that someone in receipt of carer's allowance can earn.

      Social Security Benefits: Leicester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to disability benefits on vulnerable individuals in...

      Carers: Bedfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of financial support available to unpaid carers in Bedfordshire.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Question

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take through the Defence Industrial Strategy to grow the defence sector.

    • Ministry of Defence: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce levels of waste in his Department.

      Veterans: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the delivery of Homes for Heroes.

      British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the agreement with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory on global...

      Defence: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve defence relationships with European allies.

      Middle East: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the provision of military support in the context of conflict in the Middle East.

      Strategic Defence Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December to Question 19375 on Strategic Defence Review, whether he plans to report the Strategic Defence Review to...

      Estonia: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding he has allocated for urgent capability requirements for Estonia in (a) this financial year and (b) each of the next three financial years.

      Strategic Defence Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the response of Lord Robertson to Question 1 in the Defence Committee Session on the Strategic Defence Review, HC 484 on 3 December...

      Veterans: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that veterans residing in Northern Ireland receive the same level of support as those in Great Britain (a)...

      Afghanistan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of awarding the (a) Op Herrick Operational Service Medal and (b) Civilian Service...

      Veterans: Radiation Exposure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 17507 on Veterans: Radiation Exposure, when (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department...

      Ministry of Defence: Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much their Department spent on (a) media and (b) voice training for Ministers since 5 July 2024.

      Combined Cadet Force: Havering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding for the Combined Cadet Force Association on its operation in the...

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of standards of (a) maintenance and (b) repair work to (i) Single Living and (ii) Service Families Accommodation.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government buys back 36,347 military homes to improve housing for forces families and save...

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the houses bought from Annington are in (a) North Shropshire constituency, (b) Shropshire, (c) Staffordshire and (d) Telford and Wrekin.

      Annington Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which departmental budgets will provide the funds to complete the purchase of the Annington estate; and what assessment he has made of the potential...

      Military Aircraft: Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 16219 on Military Aircraft: Helicopters, what the timetable is for introduction into service of...

      Guided Weapons: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to allocate additional funding for the Long-Range Area Affects Programme in financial year (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Infrastructure and Projects Authority: Annual Reports

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish the Infrastructure and Projects Authority annual report for 2023-24.

    • Unrwa

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister and the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East discussed...

      Film: Marketing

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech of 5 December 2024 on Plan for Change at Pinewood Studios, what the cost to the public purse was of...

      Working Hours: Floods and Temperature

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of working hours lost as a result of (a) extreme heat and (b) flooding in 2024.

      Ed Miliband

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on whether the former Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. hon. Member for Doncaster North, accepted a severance...

      Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ministers' Private Offices

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 12890 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ministers’ Private Offices, if she...

      Foreign Investment in UK: National Security

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of transactions under review under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 relate to links to a company owned in (a)...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisons: Norfolk

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times prisons in Norfolk operated an (a) amber and (b) red regime in each the last 10 years.

    • Electronic Tagging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the sizing of electronic monitoring equipment.

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessments her Department has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payment tribunal wait times; and what steps she is taking to reduce them.

      Courts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the size of the current court case backlog is in England and Wales.

      Ministry of Justice: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year.

      Tribunals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for Tribunal cases to be heard for (a) Social Security and Child Support, (b) Immigration and Asylum...

      Matrimonial Proceedings and Separation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her planned timescale is for responding to the Law Commission's scoping report on Financial remedies on divorce and dissolution, published on 18...

      Domestic Abuse: Family Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations by Resolution in its report entitled Domestic Abuse...

      Injunctions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made and assessment of the potential merits of the reform of super-injunctions; and whether she has had recent discussions with 10...

      Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help protect funding streams for specialist domestic abuse services.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Gambling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the gambling research, education and treatment sector; and what assessment she has made of the...

    • Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question 8623 on Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, whether she plans to make a...

      Football: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps with the shadow Football Regulator to prevent English football clubs from joining breakaway leagues.

  • Women and Equalities

    • Gender Recognition: Germany

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will remove Germany from the Gender Recognition Certificate: list of approved countries and territories.

    • Unpaid Work: Discrimination

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to ensure that employers offering internship programmes do not discriminate against applicants based on (a) sex, (b) ethnicity...

  • Department for Transport

    • Public Transport: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve accessibility for disabled passengers on public transport in Forest of Dean constituency.

    • Parking: Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing regulations similar to disabled parking on parent and child parking spaces.

      Rolling Stock: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the lack of clarity on the northern leg of HS2 on the the train manufacturing...

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to public electric vehicle charging points.

      Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will conduct modelling on the potential impact of increases in the use of (a) low carbon-emitting and (b) synthetic fuels by vehicles in the...

      Bus Services: Company Liquidations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of recent trends in the number of coach companies that have ceased trading.

      Bus Services: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department issues guidance to local authorities on running good-quality bus stops.

      Roads: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what payments her Department has made to Birmingham City Council in support of the Birmingham roads PFI contract in each financial year from 2020-21...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Fair Work Agency: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the projected annual budget of the Fair Work Agency.

    • Department for Business and Trade: Cost Effectiveness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of potential efficiency savings (a) his Department and (b) in arms length bodies for which his Department is...

      Department for Business and Trade: UK Relations with EU

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what meetings officials in his Department have had with representatives from the European Union since 5 July; and for what purpose.

      Department for Business and Trade: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year.

      Engineering: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support women in the engineering sector.

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of employers in the (a) private and (b) public sector that have recognised a trade union in 2024.

      Xinjiang: Uyghurs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on forced labour involving Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang; and what steps...

      UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with (a) eBay, (b) Etsy, (c) Folksy and (d) other online suppliers and platforms on steps to help ensure that...

      Infrastructure: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Institution of Civil Engineers' report entitled ICE policy position statement: How can the UK’s infrastructure...

      Insurance and Small Businesses: Shoplifting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on (a) small businesses and (b) insurance premiums of changes in the levels of high...

      Horizon Compensation Advisory Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer prior to sending his letter dated 21 November 2024 to the Horizon...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Local Plans: Horsham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if (a) she and (b) the Minister for Housing and Planning will meet the hon. Member for Horsham to discuss Horsham's...

    • Almshouses: Affordable Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to allow almshouses to secure funding as affordable housing providers.

      Planning: Powers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what differentiating powers she plans to provide to (a) unitary authorities and (b) mayors in (i) considering...

      Radicalism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has contributed to the extremism review.

      Housing and Population

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with the Migration Advisory Committee on (a) population growth projections and...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of houses planned to be built during this Parliament that will home new...

      Mayors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to allow elected Mayors outside London to appoint Deputies in the same way as the Mayor of London.

      Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 16736 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:...

      UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Walsall

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of funding provided by her Department to Steps to Work in Walsall...

  • Department for Education

    • Pupils: Allergies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring schools to have mandatory allergy and anaphylaxis policies.

    • Higher Education: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her plans are for higher education reform; and what the role is of innovation in that process.

      Financial Services: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to create a strategy for embedding financial literacy within the primary and secondary education curricula.

      Students: Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will commission research on the potential impact of room temperature during examinations on student performance.

      Holiday Activities and Food Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 17058 on Holiday Activities and Food Programme, whether she plans to make a statement on...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Syria: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help ensure the representation of women in political institutions in Syria.

    • Syria: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help ensure (a) stability and (b) continuity of (i) governance and (ii) institutions...

      Pakistan: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the human rights situation in...

      Syria: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help ensure a United Nations led process that restores democratic institutions of...

      Syria: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support (a) humanitarian aid efforts and (b) rescue efforts for Syrians still trapped...

      Syria: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254.

      Syria: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the new government of Syria on including women in senior roles in the (a)...

      Syria: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with the new government of Syria on protecting the human rights of (a) Muslim...

      Syria: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to use UK-based assets that were expropriated by the Assad regime for (a) aid and (b)...

      Syria: Embassies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has plans to re-open the British Embassy in Syria.

      Imran Khan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Pakistani government to secure the safe release of Imran Khan.

      Gaza: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Israel on hostages in Gaza.

      Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to push for greater humanitarian access to Gaza.

      Gaza: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza on 1 April 2024 was (a) reviewed as and (b) found...

      Afghanistan: Women's Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the rights of women in Afghanistan.

      Syria: Humanitarian Situation and Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Syrian counterpart on the (a) humanitarian situation in that country, (b)...

      Ryan Cornelius

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to raise the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's ruling that the United...

      Russia: Liquefied Natural Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to sanction UK based insurance firms providing insurance to tankers engaged in shipping...

      Russia: Liquefied Natural Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to sanction the shipping of Russian Liquified Natural Gas by UK-based businesses to (a) the...

      Turkey: Gulen Movement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on upholding the human rights of members and those...

      Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13746 on FCDO: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, for...

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies...

      China: Mauritius

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16475 on China: Mauritius, whether he plans to monitor the...

  • Treasury

    • Royal Mint: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 17516 on Royal Mint: Fraud, whether any of the fraudulent transactions were traceable to (a) people...

    • Business Rates: Greater London

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish a list of the number of hereditaments in each local authority in Greater London categorised by Special Category Code (a) 303 Bars...

      Productivity

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help improve (a) public and (b) private sector productivity.

      Digital Technology: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax revenue the Digital Services Tax has raised since 2020.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Surgical Mesh Implants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the retrospective audit of all pelvic floor surgery completed between 2006 and 2011 to be published by NHS England.

    • Respiratory Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have presented at Accident and Emergency with respiratory concerns in the last six months.

      Spinal Injuries: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to (a) preventative care, (b) diagnosis and (c) long term management strategies for women with...

      Spinal Injuries: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to (a) comprehensive healthcare guidance and (b) specialised gynaecological support for people...

      Department of Health and Social Care: Ministers' Private Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2024 to Question 9621 on Department of Health and Social Care: Ministers' Private Offices, how much...

      Department of Health and Social Care: Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much their Department spent on (a) media and (b) voice training for Ministers since 5 July 2024.

      Family Hubs: Oxfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to extend Start for Life and Family Hub funding to include Oxfordshire.

      Family Hubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to expand the reach of Start for Life services to (a) Poole and (b) other local authorities.

      NHS: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of the increase in NHS England funding will be dedicated to staffing budgets.

      Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress the Government has made on implementing the recommendations of the report by Dr Hilary Cass entitled Independent...

      Spinal Injuries: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that women with spinal cord injuries receive adequate (a) breast feeding assistance, (b) breast feeding...

      Congenital Abnormalities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many birth defects were reported among children born to couples who are first cousins in each of the last three years, broken down by...

      Influenza: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to encourage uptake of the flu vaccination in 2024.

      Cystic Fibrosis: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reinstate funding for the National Institute for Health and Care Research Bioresource project providing...

      Blood Cancer: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to tackle (a) delays to diagnosis and (b) emergency presentation rates for blood cancer patients.

      Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

      HIV Infection: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the devolved administrations on development of a new HIV Action Plan.

      Mental Health Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of funding for mental health services and (b) the potential impact of the level of that...

      Blood: Contamination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is specific support for haemophiliacs impacted by the infected blood scandal.

      Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to review the regulations surrounding the sale of potent medications such as (a) finasteride, (b)...

      Ambulance Services: Bude

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve ambulance waiting times in Bude.

      Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to simplify health treatments between the UK nations.

      Disability Aids: Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of compulsory walking aid return and reuse schemes for NHS trusts.

      Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a British supplier of Creon.

      Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to commission further waves of the Mental Health of Children and Young People in England report.

      Prostate Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a national prostate-specific antigen screening programme...

      NHS: Weather

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he has met NHS England's (a) National Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care and (b) Deputy Chief Operating Officer on NHS...

      Smoking: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the Windsor Framework on any proposed UK wide smoking ban in...

      Health Professions: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the recognition of overseas medical qualifications of Ukrainian refugees.

      Coeliac Disease: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to initial diagnostic blood tests for coeliac disease in primary care settings.

      Neurodiversity: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on neurodiversity-affirmative approaches in schools.

      Prostate Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK National Screening Committee’s public consultation on prostate cancer screening will open.

      Sipavibart: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the licensing process for the drug sipavibart.

  • Home Office

    • Motor Vehicles: Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of vehicles stolen in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b)...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Teachers: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on trends in the level of teachers pay in Northern Ireland.

    • Intertrade UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2024 to Question 12917 on InterTrade UK, when he plans to announce the (a) remaining membership...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Water Companies: Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the (a) governance and (b) performance of the water industry in England meets the UK's obligations under the Aarhus...

    • Agriculture: Inheritance Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of her policies on (a) agricultural...

      National Parks: Pollution Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent companies from polluting (a) Lake Windermere and (b) other national parks.

      Nitrogen Oxides: Pollution Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 7788 on Air Pollution, what guidance his Department provides on safe...

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Unpaid Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is (a) his Department's and (b) the Environment Agency's policy on the use of positive discrimination in the...

      Recycling: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to make recycling easier for residents in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

      Pigs: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 6270 on Poultry and Pigs: Animal Welfare, if he will publish a public...

      Pigs: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to support indoor pig farmers to adopt free farrowing systems.

      Rights of Way

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reform the current right to roam regime.

      Water: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to roll out mandatory water efficiency labelling.

      Farming Recovery Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether changes have been made to the criteria of the Farming Recovery Fund since Storms Ashley and Bert.

      Flood Control: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the eligibility criteria for the Frequently Flooded Allowance on...

      Biodiversity: International Cooperation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his priorities are for the 68th Global Environment Facility Council Meeting in relation to target (a) 5 and (b) 18 of...

      Dangerous Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of adding XL Bullies to the list of prohibited dogs under...

      Flood Control: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to announce new projects funded by the Frequently Flooded Allowance in the next year.

      Land Drainage and Roads: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of existing (a) culvert and (b) land drainage...

      Fisheries: Monitoring

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 17501 on Fisheries: Monitoring, if he will make an assessment of the...

      Northern Ireland Water

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the regulation of Northern Ireland Water.

      Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 17500 on Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries, for what reason he was...

      Sewage: Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what specific steps he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) mitigate the environmental impact of sewage spills on (i) waterways...

      Food Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish a strategic plan for food security.

      Farming Recovery Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the methodologies used by the Rural Payments Agency...

      Carbon Emissions: Agriculture and Land Use

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to use earth observation data to help support the (a) measurement, (b) monitoring and (c) setting of (i)...

      Cycling and Walking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the condition of the canal towpath network and (b) potential merits of...

      Small Businesses: Floods

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support small businesses with flood damage (a) prevention and (b) mitigation.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • UK Research and Innovation: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 69 of the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, how much funding will be...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Care Homes and Hospices: Costs

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the services of hospices and private care homes in the light of the increase in National Insurance contributions and other...

  • Department for Transport

    • Roads: Safety

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make it simpler and quicker for communities to request changes to speed limits and implement road danger reduction measures.

    • Railways: Public Holidays

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for future years to ensure train operators provide services on Boxing Day.

      Road Traffic Offences: Cycling and Electric Vehicles

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to put road traffic offences for bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters on an equivalent basis to other vehicles.

      Electric Scooters: Insurance and Regulation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to regulate the operation of privately owned e-scooters in public spaces, and (2) to introduce mandatory insurance for them.

      Cycling

      To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on developing the Avenue Verte cycle route launched at the UK–France Joint Leaders' Declaration in March 2023.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Official Residences: Government Art Collection

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 4 December (HC16604), whether they will place in...

    • Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue or replace the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme beyond its expiry date in March 2025.

      Charity Commission: Complaints

      To ask His Majesty's Government what action they have taken following the findings by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman about the failures by the Charity Commission in its handling...

      Gambling: Taxation

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan for the £30 million allocated to prevention for the gambling statutory levy to be administered by a statutory body.

      Arts: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Creative Rights in AI Coalition, published on 16 December; and whether they intend further regulations...

  • Restoration and Renewal Client Board

    • Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what has been the cost of the work on the Restoration and Renewal programme since 2012 in respect of (1) the salaries, recruitment fees, and redundancy payments...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Exports: Xinjiang

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's re-export of goods from Xinjiang that are made with Uyghur forced labour to Europe and North America.

    • Business: Equality

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage companies to increase diversity in senior leadership roles, particularly in relation to (1) ethnic minorities, and (2) women.

      Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: Small Businesses

      To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to raise awareness among small and medium-sized enterprises of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • France: Foreign Relations

      To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the 1940 proposal for the establishment of the Franco–British Union in 2025.

    • China: Uyghurs

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since 4 July to monitor the actions that the government of China has taken against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

      British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the validity of the Maldives’ claim to sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

      British Overseas Territories: Companies

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking together with the Overseas Territories to improve the transparency of the beneficial ownership of assets.

      Bangladesh: Elections

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage free and fair elections in Bangladesh.

      Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents

      To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to signing and ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents.

      Geneva Conventions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the efforts of the government of Switzerland in convening a meeting of the parties to the Geneva Conventions.

      Mauritius: Chagossians

      To ask His Majesty's Government which external consultants or advisors, if any, have been involved in the negotiations with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands.

      British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is its timeline for the agreement and ratification of a treaty with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory, and whether they still...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Loneliness

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address loneliness and social isolation as a root cause of foodbank usage following a recent report published by the Centre for...

    • Universal Credit: Uprating

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the impact on the living standards of different groups of people in receipt of Universal Credit resulting from the difference between...

      Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment assessments were carried out (1) face-to-face, (2) remotely and (3) on paper in each month since...

      Employment: Disability

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people were employed by small, medium, or large businesses in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24.

      Access to Work Programme: Business

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were in receipt of an Access to Work grant by small, medium, or large business in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3)...

      Access to Work Programme

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many disabled people were in receipt of an Access to Work grant in the financial years (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, and (3) 2023–24, and by sector.

      Employment: Disability

      To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the savings of one disabled person being in full time work, rather than out of work and fully reliant on benefits.

      Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

      To ask His Majesty's Government what were the levels of overpayments in benefit expenditure by the Department for Work and Pensions in (1) 2022–23, and (2) 2023–24; and what is that...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Sean Brown

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the High Court in Northern Ireland that a public inquiry must be established into the murder of Sean Brown in 1997.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Muslims

      To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the population was Muslim at the time of the last census, and what is their projection for the next 10 years.

    • Honours: Public Appointments

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 15 November (HL1929), whether the Prime Minister approved the proposal from HD Committee to transfer the...

      Prime Minister: Corporate Hospitality

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Twycross on 1 November (HL1767) and by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 7 November...

      Ministers

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the length of time that (1) Cabinet Ministers, and (2) the Foreign Secretary, should remain in office.

      Civil Service: Management

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide a list of all Civil Service committees that exercise management functions in relation to the Civil Service, including the membership...

      Permanent Secretaries

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many and which Permanent Secretaries have left office since the general election; and how many and which Permanent Secretaries have given notice that they...

      Cabinet Office and Prime Minister: Staff

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a current organisational chart of the senior staffing structure of the Cabinet Office and 10 Downing Street,...

      Suicide: Farmers

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to keep and publish detailed records of farmer, landowner, and family business owner suicides in the months leading up to the reduction of...

  • Department for Education

    • Pupils: Carers

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help local authorities and schools regularly to monitor and support the attendance of young carers.

    • Schools: Food

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to revise the school food standards guide so as to maximise the nutritional value of food served through the school breakfast programme.

      Music: Teachers

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the £10,000 tax free bursary available to trainee art and design teachers, so that it is also available to trainee music teachers.

      Special Educational Needs: Employers' Contributions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the lowering of the threshold for employers' national insurance payments in the Autumn budget on the provision of...

      Employment: Mandarin Language

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for building Mandarin language skills within the workforce to meet the needs of the United Kingdom in (1) security, (2)...

      Apprentices

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make apprenticeships more financially viable for young people and their families.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Laboratory for AI Security Research

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential the Laboratory for AI Security Research could offer for both the public and private sector.

    • Data Centres: Investment

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage more investment into new data centres in the UK.

      Smart Devices: Data Protection

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure consumers' data is protected from smart devices collecting more information than their function requires.

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Unitary Councils

      To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they will apply to "small unitary authorities" when assessing whether they will be expected to merge with other authorities.

    • Local Government

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered alternative proposals to local government unitarisation put forward by district councils.

  • Home Office

    • Immigration: Detainees

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 November (HL2389), in which he says that the Home Office review into immigration...

    • Meat: Smuggling

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of funding for the Dover Port Health Authority in conjunction with UK Border Force to carry out checks for illegal...

      Drugs: Policy

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to devolve drugs policy to councils or mayors.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Food: Waste

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have estimated what proportion of food being sent to anaerobic digestion plants that is edible and fit for human consumption.

    • Food: Waste

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of aligning subsidies paid out of public expenditure with the food waste hierarchy statutory guidance.

      Air Pollution: Mental Health

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research led by Dr Mary Abed Al Ahad of the University of St Andrews showing that people exposed to high levels of...

      Food: Waste

      To ask His Majesty's Government, for each of the most recent five years for which data are available, what was the total amount of public expenditure that has been allocated to companies or...

      Pigs

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a national monitoring system for wild boars and feral pigs to support environmental goals, manage social conflicts, and increase...

      Veterinary Services: UK trade with EU

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any veterinary agreement concluded with the European Union will not undermine the United Kingdom's existing animal...

      Countryside Stewardship Scheme

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier payments to farmers are being delayed from December 2024 to mid-2025; what is...

      Litter

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat littering.

  • Treasury

    • UK Asset Resolution: Mortgages

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many residential mortgages were handled by or on behalf of UK Asset Resolution in each 12-month period beginning with 1 July 2017; for each period what were...

    • China: Foreign Relations

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer is planning to visit China in early 2025, and what level of priority they are giving to developing a...

      Financial Conduct Authority: Public Appointments

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reform the process for appointing the Financial Conduct Authority's senior leadership and to introduce Parliamentary oversight of...

      Financial Conduct Authority

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Report on the Call for Evidence about the Financial Conduct Authority, published by the APPG for Investment Fraud and Fairer...

      Welsh Government: Employers' Contributions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss with the Welsh Government the full implications of the proposed rises to National Insurance contributions which the Welsh...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Matrimonial Proceedings and Separation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to give consideration to the options for reform set out by the Law Commission in its scoping report Financial remedies on divorce and...

What is this?

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

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

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