Written answers

Tuesday, 13 May 2025

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Food: Import Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to determine when bans on personal imports of food products should be implemented...

    • Dairy Products and Meat: Import Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria his Department plans to use to decide when personal imports of meat and dairy products from the European Union...

      Supermarkets: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with large supermarkets on the potential impact of (a) food pricing and (b) supermarkets' buying...

      Food: Production

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rainfall patterns in 2025 on domestic food production.

      Insecticides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making (a) fipronil and (b) imidacloprid prescription-only.

      Animal Housing: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding his Department provides to farmers for laying hens.

      Manure: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers with slurry testing to ensure correct pH levels are maintained.

      Furs: Reviews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Animal Welfare Committee will consider the public health risks associated with global fur production in its...

      Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to adapt farming subsidy schemes to encourage farmers to (a) house farmed animals in woodlands and (b)...

      Hedgehogs: Surrey Heath

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support public awareness campaigns aimed at protecting hedgehogs in Surrey Heath...

      National Grid: Pylons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure biodiversity net gain as part of National Grid's proposals to build pylons in the Fens as...

      Climate Change: Emergencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Climate Resilience Board in coordinating climate resilience.

      Rights of Way

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the consultation on access reform; and whether it will include provisions for enhancing...

      Bees: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor imports of queen bees from Ukraine for the presence of Tropilaelaps mites.

      Peatlands: Pennines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help encourage peatland restoration on the West Pennine Moors.

      Horticulture: Peat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the Growing Media Monitor peat use figures for 2023.

      Fly-tipping: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to increase penalties for repeat fly tipping offences.

      Fly-tipping: Dorset

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support rural Dorset Council in managing rising fly tipping incidents.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • State Retirement Pensions: National Insurance Contributions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of the State Pension live outside the UK have less than (a) 35, (b) 20, (c) 10 and (d) 5...

    • Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of disabled people who receive the standard rate of Personal Independence Payments and...

      Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with disability organisations on the impact of (a) eligibility changes to Personal Independence...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of PIP claimants currently have more than four points in any one category.

      Personal Independence Payment: Ynys Môn

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of closing the Holyhead PIP Assessment Centre on sick and disabled people in Ynys Môn.

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who (a) receive and (b) will receive (i) the daily living allowance and (ii) the...

      Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21326 on Personal Independence Payment Mandatory Reconsiderations, what the average...

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • National Space Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when the last meeting was of the National Space Council.

    • Broadband: Slough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what his expected timeline is for full-fibre availability in the SL2 postcode in Slough constituency.

      Broadband: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that people in rural areas have equal access to broadband services.

      Mobile Broadband: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to improve the availability of cellular networks in rural areas.

      Government Digital Service: Gender and Sex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answers of 25 April 2025 to Question 46855 and 46855 on Government Digital Service: Gender and Government...

      Government Digital Service: Gender and Sex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025, to Question 46855 on Government Digital Service: Gender and Government Digital...

      Animal Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent progress his Department has made in encouraging a shift from animal testing towards greater use of synthetic...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Ethics and Integrity Commission

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46285 on Ethics and Integrity Commission, when he will establish the Commission; and whether it...

    • Cabinet Office: Staff

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the total cost in staff time for Cabinet Office all-staff calls since 4 July.

      Government Departments: Equality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to publish guidance on diversity networks.

      Civil Servants: Redundancy

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants jobs the Government plans to remove in this Parliament.

      Government Departments: Women

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to review the Government's provision of sex-specific (a) facilities and (b) services in government buildings, in the context of the...

      Cabinet Office: Trade Union Officials

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 10990 on Civil Servants: Trade Union Officials, whether he plans to increase the amount of...

      Public Sector: Statistics

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to require Departments to publish disaggregated statistics on public service usage by immigration status.

      Public Expenditure Controls

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to other departments on spending controls overseen by Ministers.

      Government Departments: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Civil Service Commission's publication entitled How Departments are doing on fair and open recruitment: what the...

      Government Departments: Policy

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes have been made to the write-round process in relation to allowing the Chair of the Sub-Committee to obtain clearance without a substantive...

      Civil Service: Equality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41077 on Civil Service: Equality, what his planned timetable is for the publication of EDI...

      Cabinet Office: Trade Union Officials

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 8814 on Cabinet Office: Trade Union Officials, and with reference to the Freedom of Information...

      Government Departments: Political Activities

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41110 on Government departments: political activities, whether there are limits on the amount of...

      Government Departments: Equality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times equality, diversity and inclusion spending control decisions been delegated to permanent secretaries since May 2024.

      Arms Length Bodies

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Hundreds of quangos to be examined for potential closure as Government takes back control,...

      Arms Length Bodies

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Arms Length Bodies have been created since July 2024.

      Arms Length Bodies

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many arms length bodies have been (a) created and (b) abolished since July 2024.

      Civil Service: Equality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has a log of the exemptions permitted to the guidance on Civil Service equality, diversity and inclusion expenditure for (a)...

      Arms Length Bodies

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 12 April 2025 to Question HL6032 on Arm’s Length Bodies, what Project Seahorse is.

      Infrastructure: China

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of excluding Chinese firms from critical national infrastructure.

      Government Departments: Policy

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of changes to the write-round process introduced since July 2024.

      Civil Service: Unpaid Work

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which ethnic groups are eligible to apply to the Civil Service Early Diversity Internship Programme.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • China: Foreign Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's strategic approach to relations with China.

    • Ukraine: Crimes of Aggression

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on establishing a special tribunal to prosecute...

      Ukraine: War Crimes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the (a) documentation and (b) investigation of alleged Russian...

      Ukraine: Crimes of Aggression

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with his international counterparts to establish an international register of damage caused...

      Kashmir: Terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that de-escalation of military tensions in Kashmir are...

      Russia: Sanctions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions in deterring further atrocities in Russian-occupied...

      Russia: Warships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to expand the designation of vessels considered part of Russia’s shadow fleet...

      Israel: Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his policy on arms trade with Israel.

      Israel: Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his policy on arms trade with Israel.

      Development Aid: Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support global health initiatives.

      Europe: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK’s involvement in the Security Action...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to increase the number of serving personnel in the British Army.

    • Armed Forces: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39113 on Armed Forces: Equality, when he took the decision to (a) pause and (b) cancel the review...

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many and what proportion of cases did call outs for urgent repairs for standard family accommodation exceed the 48-hour target in the...

      AUKUS: Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to take steps to increase the uptake of UK companies applying to join the AUKUS Authorised User Community.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many urgent repairs were requested for standard family accommodation in each month since January 2024.

      Firearms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 46202 on Firearms, for what reason the L7A2 general purpose machine gun is being withdrawn from...

      Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release of 5 May 2025 entitled Thousands of veterans to benefit from new UK-wide support network, how many...

      Veterans: Bladder Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the research paper entitled Occupational Incidence of...

      Armed Forces: Councillors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what provisions his Department makes for serving personnel who are Parish Councillors in order to retain their Parish Council seat in the event that...

      Army Cadet Force: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 46157 on Army Cadet Force: Training, when that review will take place.

      Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Thousands of veterans to benefit from new UK-wide support network, published on 5 May 2025,...

      Pinnacle Service Families: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints have been made by (a) service personnel and (b) families about Pinnacle’s housing provision since the start of their contract.

      Chinook Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the ordered H-47(ER) helicopters to be delivered.

      Challenger Tanks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the MoD to source replacement Challenger 2 tanks.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of how much of his Department's budget will be spent on installing electric vehicle chargers on MoD sites in (a) 2024-25 and...

      Defence: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the EU's Security Action for Europe procurement programme of the effectiveness of the...

      Foreland Shipping: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the National Shipbuilding Office on the procurement of strategic sealift capacity for operational use after the expiry...

      Merchant Shipping: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of the UK Hydrographic Office's annual budget was spent on chartering commercial ships in each of the last 10 years.

      Merchant Shipping: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many merchant seafarers were employed on vessels chartered by the UK Hydrographic Office in each year since 2015-16.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many private homes adaptation were (a) completed on schedule and (b) were completed behind schedule by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation in...

  • Treasury

    • Money

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of regional differences in the use of cash purchases.

    • Bank Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking steps to revise the open banking framework.

      Bitcoin: Reserves

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits and (b) impact on the economy of using unclaimed digital assets to establish a bitcoin reserve fund.

      Bank of England

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with the Governor of the Bank of England on moving to a two-tier system for reserve remuneration.

      Imports

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total value of shipments worth less than £135 to the UK was in each year since 2015, by country of origin.

      Timesharing

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken for the Financial Ombudsman Service to make final decisions on fractional...

      National Insurance Contributions: India

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will be exempt from National Insurance contributions under the UK-India trade agreement.

      Imports: China

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the proportion of imports from China that were worth less than £135 in each year since 2015.

      National Insurance Contributions: India

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to UK-India trade deal, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of the exemption for Indian people working in...

      Income Tax: Pensioners

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Income Tax threshold for pensioners.

      Financial Services Compensation Scheme

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Prudential Regulation Authority on the potential merits of changes to the Financial Services Compensation...

      Financial Services Compensation Scheme

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the the Financial Services Compensation Scheme deposit protection limit...

      Individual Savings Accounts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the annual cost to the Exchequer of the Lifetime ISA in terms of (a) reduced tax revenue and (b) value paid bonus payments in...

      Air Passenger Duty: Economic Growth

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of future rates of Air Passenger Duty on levels of economic growth.

      Trade Agreements: India

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett consequential for Northern Ireland from the recent trade deal with India will be.

      Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing full compensation to Equitable Life policyholders.

      Woodford Investment Management

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Financial Conduct Authority's redress scheme in relation to the collapse of the Woodford Equity Income Fund.

      Climate Change: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funding for climate adaptation will be included in the spending review.

      Bank Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money is held in dormant bank accounts, broken down by (a) bank and (b) region.

      Individual Savings Accounts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating guidance on the lifetime ISA scheme to clarify the cost of early withdrawal penalties.

      Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with social media and telecommunication companies on reducing Authorised Push Payment Fraud on online platforms.

      Public Sector Debt: Budget October 2024

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the forecast level of (a) public sector net debt, (b) public sector net debt excluding Bank of England and (c) public sector net financial liabilities...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Elections: Surrey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the scheduled local council elections in Surrey in 2026 will be (a) postponed and (b) cancelled.

    • Resettlement: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has a target number of people to be supported under the Communities for Afghans phase 2 scheme.

      Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women...

      West Midlands Fire Service: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to (a) support staff morale and (b) help tackle concerns from staff in the West Midlands Fire...

      Hazardous Substances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Regulatory Policy Committee's report entitled the Status of Post Implementation Reviews...

      Animal Grooming: Change of Use

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to provide updated guidance on the classification of dog grooming parlours in the Use...

      Private Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Renters Rights Bill on landlords with fewer than five...

      Tenants' Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 47931 on Tenants' Rights, what steps she plans to take to raise...

      Regional Planning and Development: Green Belt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled Funding to support local authorities with the costs of Green Belt reviews:...

      Hospitality Industry: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has recused herself from matters relating to licensing in the hospitality sector.

      Fire Services: Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of crash mat availability in (a) Dorset and (b) other rural fire services.

      Property Development: Recreation Spaces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, for what reason...

      Planning: Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that chalk streams are protected in planning policies.

      Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on (a) domestic and (b) international flights since 4 July 2024.

      Private Education: Business Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on (a) the number of charitable independent schools which received 20% discretionary...

      Local Government: Remote Meetings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when her Department will publish the response to the consultation entitled Enabling remote attendance and proxy voting...

      Social Rented Housing: Melksham and Devizes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the amount of social housing in Melksham and Devizes constituency.

      Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish interests of Departmental board members.

  • Home Office

    • Police: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department has provided to rural police forces for the procurement of emergency equipment.

    • Kashmir: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the Welsh Government on the potential impact of the situation in Kashmir on (a) policing and...

      Hospitality Industry: Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46271 on Hospitality Industry: Licensing, what assessment her Department has made of the...

      Terrorism: Deportation and Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Prevent referrals related to Islamic extremism resulted in (a) prosecutions and (b) removals from the country in the last three...

      Animal Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to (a) collect and (b) publish annual statistics on the number of animals bred for scientific purposes but not...

      Asylum: Private Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to secure five-year guaranteed full-rent deals from private landlords to house asylum seekers.

      Asylum: Mid Leicestershire

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which hotels are being used to house asylum seekers in Mid Leicestershire constituency; and how many asylum seekers there are in each hotel.

      Deportation: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of gathering data on time taken between immigration appeals tribunal decisions and...

      Immigration: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued guidance to (a) immigration officers and (b) caseworkers on the compatibility of an asylum claimant's (i)...

      Asylum: Religion

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people claimed asylum by religion in each of the last five years.

      Asylum: Cambridgeshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what accommodation in Cambridgeshire is used to house people that have arrived in the UK illegally.

      Graduates: Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will undertake a review of the Graduate route visa scheme.

      Asylum: Palestinians

      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.

      Offences against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of ongoing investigations into institutional failings related to group-based...

      Slavery: Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to support victims of modern slavery.

      Home Shopping: Cybersecurity

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase security for online shopping to tackle cyber attacks.

  • Department for Education

    • Holiday Activities and Food Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing the Holiday Activities and Food programme on a permanent basis.

    • Special Educational Needs: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average cost of building a special educational needs school was in the last five years.

      Nurseries: Lincolnshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the new school-based nurseries will be in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

      Pre-school Education: Communication Skills

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the long-term development of (a) speech, (b)...

      Schools: Uniforms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to section 23 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, whether the proposed limit of three branded items refers to the (a)...

      Schools: Uniforms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to apply a grace period for school uniform suppliers before fully implementing the provisions of the proposed...

      Special Educational Needs: Lincolnshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to meet the demand for specialist SEND school places in Lincolnshire.

      Schools: Gender Recognition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the guidance on gender-questioning children for schools.

      Children: Religion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on faith communities.

      Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications were made under the fair access limit to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each financial year since 2015;...

      Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on its contract with Mott Macdonald to administer the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each year...

      Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she conducted an impact assessment on restrictions to support through the adoption and special guardianship support fund.

      Arts: Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department plans to provide for (a) dance, (b) drama, (c) music and (d) musical theatre higher education courses in each of the...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Carbon Capture and Storage: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues attending the UK-EU summit on 19 May 2025 on access to a cross-border carbon...

    • Geoengineering: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) oversight of and (b) international collaboration in research into solar radiation management...

      Hydroelectric Power: Storage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with Drax Group plc on the postponement of the Cruachan II pumped hydro storage project.

      Renewable Energy: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of contract for difference projects that have recently been cancelled due to increasing cost pressures;...

      Hydrogen and Natural Gas: Storage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the average time taken is for the North Sea Transition Authority to grant gas and hydrogen storage licences.

      Coal: Mining

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to support future applications for sustainable mining of coal.

      Electricity: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the average cost of connecting to the electricity grid in (a) rural and (b) urban areas;...

      Electricity: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department provides funding to rural communities for the cost of connecting to the electricity mains.

      Community Energy Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to extend the Community Energy Fund to support additional eligible projects.

      Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Information Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications posts there are in his Department; and what the salary band is for each post.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Standard Individual Export Licences: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to provide advice on Standard Individual Export Licence...

    • Coking Coal: Scunthorpe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish a list of the countries from which the coking coal required for the Scunthorpe blast furnaces will be purchased; and if he...

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Leisure travel tops charts for reasons people choose rail, published on 9 April 2025,...

    • Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to make rail fares more affordable.

      Cycling: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to help improve cycling safety on roads.

      Taxis: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle illegal private hire taxi drivers.

      Eurostar: Immigration Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Eurostar on the time taken for UK-bound passengers to board trains at Gare du Nord Station.

      Clean Air Zones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of expansions in clean air zones on levels of costs for road users.

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) availability and (b) accessibility of electric vehicle charge points in (i) rural areas and villages and...

      Cycling: Lighting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure (a) compliance with and (b) raise awareness of legal lighting requirements for cyclists at night.

      Bus Services: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of minimum service standards for cross county bus services.

      Maritime and Coastguard Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the framework agreement between her Department and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency was signed; and if she will publish this agreement.

      High Speed Two

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the executive management team of HS2 Limited.

      Railways: Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether appointments to the Passenger Standards Authority will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council.

      Road Works: Surrey Heath

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in managing the increasing volume of utility roadworks in Surrey Heath constituency.

      Train Operators’ Revenue Protection Practices Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Transport Secretary launches review of train company revenue protection practices, published...

      Great British Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to item 24/132 of Network Rail's Board minutes of 05 December 2024, what the proposed (a) resourcing and (b) functions were of the...

      Hydrography

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the UK Civil Hydrography Programme.

      Railways: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues attending the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025 on UK-EU rail interoperability.

      Aviation: Alternative Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with stakeholders on the potential impact of US trade policy on the (a) level and (b) speed of production of...

      Aviation: Alternative Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the National Wealth Fund on support for the production of sustainable aviation fuel.

      Aviation: Alternative Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential for the former coal power station site at Longannet to be used in the production of third...

  • Ministry of Justice

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Hospitals: Discharges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of hospital pharmacy delays on discharge times for patients who are...

    • NHS: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Quality Improvement reports in driving measurable improvements in...

      Dental Services: Coastal Areas and Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of short-term models to ensure dental access in (a) rural and (b) coastal areas with no...

      Pharmacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of pharmacies above 10,000.

      NHS: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue guidance to integrated care boards requiring them to protect the local place parts of their organisations when...

      Dental Services: Great Yarmouth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of dentistry in Great Yarmouth constituency.

      General Practitioners: Employers' Contributions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted a cost analysis for GP practices impacted by changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

      General Practitioners: Employers' Contributions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that numbers of (a) GP surgeries and (b) staff working in those surgeries are not adversely...

      Bipolar Disorder: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to establish specialist care pathways for people with bipolar to (a) improve treatment and (b) reduce...

      Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve early diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

      Brain: Tumours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the National Cancer Plan includes vaccine treatments for brain tumours.

      Cardiovascular Diseases: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing coronary artery calcium scoring in routine NHS...

      Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of levels of support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

      Cancer: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national cancer plan will include policies on equitable access to companion diagnostics for all (a) regions and (b) patient...

      Prostate Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase early stage detection rates for prostate cancer.

      Food: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Recipe for...

      Eating Disorders: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the accurate recording of deaths related to eating disorders; and what steps he is taking...

      Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust and (b) Shrewsbury and Telford ICB on (i) patient safety,...

      Antidepressants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for people discontinuing anti-depressants.

      Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: Sexual Dysfunction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance (a) his Department and (b) NHS England provide to people who are prescribed SSRIs on the risks of developing Post-SSRI...

      Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: Sexual Dysfunction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will recognise Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction as a condition.

      Department of Health and Social Care: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in...

      Dementia: Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of hearing loss causing dementia.

      Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome and Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to facilitate the circulation of material to General Practitioners advising how to (a) recognise and (b) treat with...

      Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of training available to (a) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and (b)...

      Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's policies on overprescribing.

      Earwax: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Birmingham and Solihull integrated care board on access to ear wax removal services in the...

      Brain: Tumours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing a national brain tumour strategy.

      Genomics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed abolition of NHS England on (a) Genomics England and (b) the...

      Cervical Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish...

      Mental Health Services: Fathers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish data on the number of (a) fathers who have accessed perinatal mental health services and (b) maternity...

      Dental Services: Surrey Heath

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) adult and (b) child dental care in Surrey Heath constituency.

      Dental Services: Newbury

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve NHS dental service provision in Newbury.

      General Practitioners and Pharmacy: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS systems used by (a) GPs and (b) pharmacies are protected against IT outages in...

      Dental Services: West Dorset

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to introduce dental buses to treat (a) low-income, (b) elderly and (c) disabled patients in West Dorset constituency.

      General Practitioners: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46097 on General Practitioners: Pay, what the difference is between the (a) New...

      Health Services and Social Services: Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to (a) implement and (b) enforce the Accessible Information Standard for organisations that provide (i)...

      Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment for (a) wet macular degeneration and...

      Primary Care Networks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics are used to evaluate the effectiveness of primary care network toolkits for meeting their intended objectives within...

      Dental Services: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support financially disadvantaged people to access private dental services in areas where NHS...

      Pharmacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of implementing new caps on clinical pathway consultations on Pharmacy First...

      NHS England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44003 on NHS England, when the next meeting between Ministers and the new executive...

  • Church Commissioners

    • Christianity: Anniversaries

      To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England plans to take to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Hillsborough Stadium

      To ask His Majesty's Government what estimates they made of the cost of legal assistance and representation for bereaved survivors in relation to their proposals for a 'Hillsborough...

    • Prisoners' Release: Young Offenders

      To ask His Majesty's Government what support they provide to young people serving sentences of less than 12 months who are released on licence to secure affordable youth-friendly...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Hormone Replacement Therapy: Transgender People

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of general practices which have stopped offering prescriptions for hormones for transgender patients; and what steps,...

    • Circumcision

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 30 April (HL6268), how many children were hospitalised as a result of non-therapeutic male circumcision...

      Drug Resistance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect NHS services and patients from the development of drug-resistant pathogens.

      NHS England: Redundancy

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted an impact assessment of the planned 50 per cent staff cost reductions for NHS England this financial year; and if so, what are the...

      Radioisotopes

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with companies providing radioisotopes for cancer screening and treatment regarding the future security of supplies and options for...

      Sepsis and Strokes: Health Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address any inequality in reliability of diagnosis and immediate care between (1) sepsis, and (2) stroke.

      Medical Records: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of artificial intelligence technology being trained on real patient data, and whether they intend to introduce regulation around the...

      Antibiotics: Prescriptions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of patient demand for antibiotics from pharmacists; and what action, if any, they are taking to reduce this.

      Speech and Language Therapy

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many speech and language therapists are employed in each integrated care board area in England, and how many of these work in criminal justice settings.

      Cancer: Health Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Incisive Health, Getting upstream: creating an early intervention service for cancer, published on 5 May.

      Prisons: Speech and Language Therapy

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 6 May (HL6997), which organisation holds the information requested regarding speech and language services...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • UN Human Rights Council

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of non-democratic states currently serving on the United Nations Human Rights Council and of their record of upholding...

    • Afghanistan: Development Aid

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people who benefit in Afghanistan from projects funded by UK development aid, and what steps they are taking...

      Iraq: Yazidis

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current condition of the Yazidi community in Iraq; what steps they are taking to assist the Yazidi community; and...

      Syria: Minority Groups

      To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Syria about the mass killing of civilians from the Alawite minority by militia groups in March.

      Afghanistan: Development Aid

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many projects in Afghanistan are funded by UK development aid, and through which entities the funds are distributed.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Infected Blood Compensation Scheme

      To ask His Majesty's Government on what date the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme will open to applications under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025; and whether those who...

    • Government Departments: Training

      To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, what plans they have to review training...

      Infected Blood Compensation Scheme

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5057), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of...

      Young People: Construction

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many men aged 16 to 24 years old were employed in the construction sector in April.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Voice over Internet Protocol: Power Failures

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to establish minimum standards for battery back-up of Digital Voice services during power outages; and what assessment they have made...

    • Intimate Image Abuse: Software

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the recommendation by the Children's Commissioner for England to ban 'nudification' apps that enable users to generate sexually explicit...

      Companies House: ICT

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on private digital identification service providers of the free use of One Login by Companies House; and whether they...

      Voice over Internet Protocol: Public Consultation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what requirements they have placed on BT to consult customers about the implementation of the Digital Voice rollout, particularly for vulnerable customers or...

      Artificial Intelligence

      To ask His Majesty's Government which ministers, officials, and external experts attended the meeting held at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 16 April regarding the establishment of UK sovereign...

      Electronic Government

      To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons they learned from GOV.UK Verify, and how they will apply those lessons to the development and governance of the One Login digital identification system.

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Standards

      To ask His Majesty's Government what figures relating to (1) train service cancellations, and (2) the punctuality of arrival at final destinations, they require the major UK train service...

    • Public Transport: Disability

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to improve disability accessibility on transport services which they provide.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Seas and Oceans: Waste Disposal

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 20 March (HL5461), how many marine disposal sites there are, and how many are monitored each year.

    • Environment Protection

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to integrate the planned updates to the Environmental Improvement Plan and the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan.

      Fisheries

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 October 2024 (HC6250), whether it is their...

  • Home Office

    • Palestinians: Racial Discrimination

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the role of the Home Office on policy for tackling (1) anti-Palestinian racism, and (2) the dehumanisation of Palestinians.

  • Women and Equalities

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Cybersecurity and Technology: Training

      To ask His Majesty's Government how, in developing the industrial strategy following their consultation on Invest 2035: the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy published in October 2024, the...

    • UK Battery Strategy Taskforce

      To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made to the UK Battery Strategy Taskforce.

      UK Trade with EU: Components

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether goods exported by UK companies to the EU containing components made in the USA will be subject to EU tariffs on USA imports either fully or partially.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Joint Expeditionary Force: Expenditure

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total expenditure of the contribution of the United Kingdom to the Joint Expeditionary Force in each year since 2021.

    • Veterans

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to appoint a veterans' commissioner for England to work alongside (1) the Veterans' Commissioners for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland,...

      Harland and Wolff: Navantia

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Navantia UK about the role of the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast in delivering the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

      Gaza: War Graves

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of damage caused by the conflict in Gaza to (1) the Gaza War Cemetery and, (2) the Deir El Balah War Cemetery.

      Ministry of Defence: Committees

      To ask His Majesty's Government on which dates since 2016 the Advisory Military Sub Committee has met.

  • Treasury

    • Capital Gains Tax: Tax Allowances

      To ask His Majesty's Government what additional tax revenues would be raised by abolishing the allowance for Capital Gains Tax.

    • Video Games: Tax Allowances

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published on 9 February by the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment, Business case for an enhanced video...

      Pre-school Education: Business Rates

      To ask His Majesty's Government why there are different business rate liabilities for fee-charging (1) standalone nursery schools, and (2) nurseries within the curtilage of independent schools.

      Small Businesses: Taxation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the preparedness of small businesses for the ‘Making Tax Digital’ reforms, and whether additional support is...

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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