Written answers

Thursday, 6 November 2025

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Franchises: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK's franchising framework.

    • Royal Mail: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure Royal Mail complies with its legal obligations on the delivery of post.

      Biofuels: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make a statement on the (a) timing and (b) outcome of the Trade Remedies Authority’s investigation into imports of...

      Fossil Fuels: Dispute Resolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the level of the UK's exposure to Investor State Disputes in the fossil fuel industry.

      Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 59033 on Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique, whether the UK Export Finance due diligence in...

      Aluminium: Trade Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support the aluminium industry through its negotiations on free trade agreements.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Languages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials in her Department hold language qualifications in (a) Mandarin, (b) Cantonese, (c) Russian, (d)...

    • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department has spent on external training courses involving actors since July 2024.

      Inter Mediate: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will her Department's contracts with Inter Mediate.

      Taiwan: Recognition of States

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to formally recognise Taiwan.

      Bangladesh: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Bangladeshi counterpart on ending religious-based violence in that country.

      Somalia: Christianity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with international counterparts to ensure the protection of Christian...

      USA: Immigration Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on US Immigration and...

      Sub-saharan Africa: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on strengthening protections for freedom of...

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the (a) humanitarian, (b)...

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the reported massacres in el-Fasher in Sudan.

      Sudan: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recent fighting in el-Fasher, Sudan.

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of...

      Public Lavatories: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to negotiate an agreement with the EU for a reciprocal key scheme to allow access...

      Ukraine: Import Duties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in Ukraine on an extension of tariff-free access for...

      Turks and Caicos Islands: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has taken steps to help support residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands in their response to...

      Development Aid: Sanitation and Water

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support water and sanitation projects through Official Development Assistance.

      Ukraine: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the UK Government will continue it’s policy not to place pressure on Ukraine to adopt a policy of...

      Montserrat: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve primary healthcare provision on Montserrat.

      International Assistance: Environment Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international partners since the World Bank Group and International Monetary...

  • Department for Education

    • Primary Education: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82981 on PE and sport premium grant funding, what alternative funding streams her Department...

    • Schools: Intimate Image Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools reported deepfake intimate image abuse in 2024-25.

      Holiday Activities and Food Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the criteria for additional summer holiday support to include all...

      Schools: Vocational Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on steps to improve vocational skills teaching in schools in (a) Hexham...

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to remove interest rates on student loans.

      Overseas Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an International Student Levy on the ability for universities to deliver on the Post-16 Skills...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Dementia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure consistent access to post-diagnostic dementia support.

    • General Practitioners: Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people in full-time employment who have caring responsibilities can access GP appointments.

      Dental Services: Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dental services for (a) carers and (b) frontline care workers.

      General Practitioners: Gloucestershire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of GP services in Gloucestershire to meet patient demand.

      Dementia: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of dementia-specific training provided to primary care staff.

      Dental Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve children's access to orthodontic treatment in Hornsey and Friern Barnet constituency.

      Dementia: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing the relevant target from the NHS Operational Planning...

      Community Care and Respite Care: Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to increase funding for (a) respite care and (b) community-based support for unpaid carers.

      Dementia: Ely and East Cambridgeshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of dementia care provision in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.

      Palliative Care: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve children's palliative care services in Lincolnshire.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that patients who are digitally excluded can retain (a) telephone and (b) in-person routes to book...

      Dental Services: Mercury

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his Department’s policy to introduce a ban on mercury dental fillings in England.

      Dentistry: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to recruit dentists into the NHS.

      Food: Hygiene

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken with local authorities to help improve food hygiene ratings of catering businesses.

      Breast Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve breast cancer screening rates in Devon.

      Hepititis and HIV Infection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) demography and (b) regional locations of new diagnoses of (i) HIV, (ii) hepatitis B and...

      Strokes: Camborne and Redruth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for patients with (a) strokes and (b) transient ischaemic attacks in Camborne and...

      Rare Diseases: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of integrating psychological support into care pathways for people with...

      Coronavirus: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is his Department taking to support people (a) injured or (b) bereaved by AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations, including those...

      Ketamine: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate the Government has made of the prevalence of ketamine addiction among under 25s; what steps the Government is taking to...

      Tofersen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Motor Neurone Disease Association on patient access to Tofersen.

      Diethylstilbestrol: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on the number of women prescribed diethylstilbestrol in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d)...

      Vorasidenib

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had discussions with (a) NICE and (b) Servier on the barriers to approving Vorasidenib for use by the...

      Pharmacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reform the (a) procurement and (b) supply chain of medications to (i) ensure timely availability...

      Mental Health Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to FOI request 24/015 to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, if he will publish the responses...

      Orphan Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to examine options for a separate evaluation process for orphan medicines claiming significant benefit over...

      Hospitals: Discharges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of seasonality patterns in the numbers of people leaving hospital on (a) discharge pathway 0 (b) discharge...

      Obesity: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that weight loss drugs are available on the NHS for (a) women with (i) polycystic ovary syndrome and...

      Urinary Tract Infections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the link between untreated Urinary Tract infections and (a) mental confusion and (b) aggression in...

      Tofersen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish data on the number of patients receiving Tofersen through NHS services.

      Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of new referrals for ADHD assessments in the past month.

      Rare Cancers: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the availability of research into less survivable...

      NHS: Software

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) the NHS Food Scanner app and (b) other NHS-endorsed public health tools align with...

      Healthy Start Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the uptake figures were for the Healthy Start scheme in the latest period for which data is available.

      Heart Diseases: Camborne and Redruth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for patients with coronary heart disease in Camborne and Redruth constituency.

      Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support services for eating disorders; and what steps his Department is taking to help...

      Mental Health Services: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the results of research funded through the Mental Health Goals programme are rapidly translated...

      Diethylstilbestrol: Side Effects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to issue a official apology to those affected by the historical prescription of diethylstilbestrol.

      Insomnia: Software

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the availability of Sleepio as a treatment for insomnia in different Integrated Care Board...

      Organs: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of digital ID on levels of registration for the...

      NHS: Civil Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many active legal cases are open against the NHS.

      Health Services: Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who is responsible for the (a) national and (b) regional (i) adoption and (ii) spread of health innovation within the NHS; and what role...

      Brain Cancer: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in England are receiving treatment with the Optune Tumour Treating Fields device; and at which NHS Trusts such...

      Health: Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the health outcomes of veterans in the West Midlands.

      Rare Diseases: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the commercial arrangements made by NHS England with marketing authorisation holders between January 2020 and September 2025...

      Diethylstilbestrol: Side Effects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with patient advocacy groups representing people affected by diethylstilbestrol exposure.

      Diethylstilbestrol: Side Effects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness among healthcare professionals of the long-term health risks associated with in...

      Genomics: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Health Plan, what safeguards will be put in place to prevent hostile actors from accessing genomic data...

      Prostate Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the design of the TRANSFORM trial includes sites that do not currently offer focal therapy; and how treatment diversity is being...

      North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: Medical Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 77257 on North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: Medical Records, by when the...

      Cerliponase Alfa: Batten Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposals in the National Institute for Health and Care...

      Brain Cancer: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, what percentage of completed NICE...

      Mental Health Services: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to expand access to mental health services for young people at risk of not being in education, employment or...

      Prostate Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to determine site eligibility for participation in the TRANSFORM prostate cancer screening trial; and...

      Brain Cancer: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to request that NICE begin an appraisal of the Optune Tumour Treating Fields device for the treatment of...

      Mental Health Services: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support young people with their mental health.

      Mental Health Services: Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of clinical medical cases relating to childbirth injuries on maternal...

      Blood: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help find rare blood type donors.

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of potential alternative suppliers to Palantir for the Federated Data Platform contract; and...

      Mental Health Services: Macclesfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to make mental health services more widely available to children and young people in Macclesfield.

      Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve support for veterans with complex PTSD in Cheshire.

      Mental Health Services: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage young people in Yeovil constituency requiring mental health support to seek help.

      Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce the backlog of ADHD assessments for children and (b) ensure continuity of care for...

      Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism: Fireworks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has been made of the potential impact of fireworks on people with (a) PTSD, (b) autism, and (c) sensory...

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for people seeking psychological therapy to support employment.

      Obesity: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing details to the public on how to report suspected unlicenced vendors...

      Medical Treatments: Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency early access service for innovative technologies to open.

      NHS: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she had made of the potential impact of the Amazon Web Services outage in October 2025 on NHS services.

      NHS: Negligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount paid by his Department in clinical negligence costs.

      Foetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of compensating (a) people and (b) families of people with Foetal Valproate...

      Dental Health: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the Department has spent on dental research in each of the last three years.

      Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what safeguards are in place to prevent children and young people from being placed in inappropriate mental health settings, including...

      Sodium Valproate: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to update families affected by sodium valproate on compensation following publication of the Hughes...

      Diethylstilbestrol: Side Effects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to update NHS clinical reference materials or NICE guidelines to include information on the diagnosis,...

      Brain Cancer: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of clinical trials available for brain cancer vaccines.

      Suicide: Bereavement Counselling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing funding to community-led suicide bereavement services.

      Health Professions: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting the (a) training and (b) deployment of UK health staff to Ukraine.

      Huntington’s Disease: Surrey Heath

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for research into treatments for Huntington’s...

      Obesity: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he has considered the potential merits of establishing a database of licensed weight loss injection providers that is easily...

      Diabetes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NICE plans to review (a) guideline NG17 for Type 1 diabetes in adults and (b) guideline NG18 for Diabetes (type 1 and type 2) in...

      Mental Health Services: Prisons and Young Offender Institutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Independent Monitoring Board's report entitled Annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP/YOI...

      Gaza: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's news story entitled, Update on Gaza medical evacuation scheme, published on 22 August 2025, what...

      Health Services: Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the role of mayoral authorities will be within Regional Health Innovation Zones.

      Diethylstilbestrol: Side Effects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to issue updated clinical guidance on diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure to (a) general practitioners, (b)...

      Hospitals: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Care if he will bring forward proposals for reducing hospital waiting lists in Cumbria.

      Health Services: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists's report entitled A work in progress: evaluating the...

      Multiple Births: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national maternity investigation will also look into cases of twin and triplet deaths as part of its investigation into NHS...

      Nursing and Midwifery Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Minister has responsibility for oversight of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

      Department of Health and Social Care: Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions his Department has withheld information due to the risk of prejudicing private commercial interest under Section...

      Baby Care Units

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS neonatal units have parental accommodation available.

      Maternity Services: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve maternity safety in hospitals.

      Resident Doctors: Location

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider reviewing the geographical areas within which resident doctors are expected to relocate during specialty training.

      Health Services: Gender and Transgender People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to (a) gender identity and (b) trans healthcare services.

      Respiratory Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the number of people (a) with a respiratory disease, (b) who were hospitalised during winter...

      Neurology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for neurology outpatient appointments; and what plans are in place to ensure...

      Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish (a) the long list of NHS trusts considered by the Chair for inclusion in the Independent Maternity and...

      Health Services and Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 10 Year Health Plan on the roles of mayoral authorities in delivering health...

      NHS: Workplace Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address delays by NHS Pensions in contacting retired NHS staff with letters detailing settlements; and what...

  • Home Office

    • Asylum: Hotels

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will hypothecate funding saved from hotel closures for legal aid to reduce the backlog of asylum claims.

    • Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her article in The Sun on 22 October 2025, on what evidential basis she said that the UK was the destination of choice for...

      Asylum: Hotels

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish all the written evidence submitted by the Government to the court on the Epping Forest Bell Hotel hearings.

      Non-crime Hate Incidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-crime hate incidents have been recorded in (a) England, (b) Greater London, and (c) Romford constituency since 2023.

  • Department for Transport

    • Cars: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken with relevant stakeholders to help tackle illegal car sales.

    • Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 84798 on Driving Licences, how many code 70s were issued in each of the last ten years.

      Bus Services: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 84695 on Bus Services: Fares, when her Department expects to complete its evaluation of the...

      Bus Services: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to expand eligibility of the England National Concessionary Travel Scheme to (a) carers and (b) companions of (i) older...

      Department for Transport: Performance Appraisal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases...

      Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Engineering Recommendation G100: Technical Requirements for Customers’ Export and Import Limitation Schemes, published in...

      Motor Vehicles: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating section 8.1.1 of her Department's guidance entitled MOT inspection manual: cars and...

      Department for Transport: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in her Department (a) did not retain employment following completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period...

      Department for Transport: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in her Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability, broken down by grade.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Pigs: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a ban on farrowing crates on pig production capacity.

    • Food Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will allocate additional funding to (a) support farmers and (b) strengthen UK food security.

      Pigs: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with counterparts in (a) Austria, (b) Sweden, (c) Switzerland, (d) Norway, (e)...

      Agriculture: Cooperatives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential contribution of co-operatives in agriculture to food security.

      Food: Production

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing overproduction czars at the...

      Sustainable Farming Incentive: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the suspension of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on farmers in...

      Hazardous Substances: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the regulation of hazardous waste storage at industrial...

      Flood Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase flood resilience in (a) Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency and (b) other...

      Flood Control: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on improving flood defences.

      Radioactive Materials: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to (a) recover and (b) salvage any consignment of radioactive material in the event of the...

      Water Restoration Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 11 July to Question UIN 65893 on Water Restoration Fund, whether the reinvestment of £100 million...

      Trees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the maintenance of newly planted trees during the first 12...

      Nature Conservation: Wetlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) costs and (b) merits of adding Ramsar sites to the Habitats Regulation rules.

      Public Footpaths: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to work with local authorities to improve the safety of footpaths.

      Swifts: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to reverse the decline of the swift population in England.

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department (a) did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period and (b)...

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Bodies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the extent to which the functions of (a) national parks, (b) Natural...

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures her Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage.

      Seas and Oceans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the quality of coastal waters around England.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that vulnerable pensioners are protected from online benefit scams.

    • Women against State Pension Inequality: Dispute Resolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to enter into alternative dispute resolution with WASPI Ltd.

      Winter Fuel Payment: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with law enforcement agencies to help (a) identify and (b) prevent winter fuel payment scams.

      Winter Fuel Payment: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of reported incidents of winter fuel payment-related scams in each of the past five years.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that frontline call handling staff have (a) accurate and (b) up-to-date information on expected...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Employment Tribunals Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against his Department for (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has recently made an assessment of the adequacy of the approach to child maintenance for parents without custody...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78297 on Department for Work and Pensions: Social Media, which campaigns influencers...

      Crisis and Resilience Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the importance of furniture provision as an element of the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

      Childcare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of 30 hours free childcare on (a) Job Centre operations and (b) levels...

      Jobcentres: Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the early release of prisoners on Job Centre operations.

      Social Security Benefits: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has held discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of the continuation of the...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference disabled people migrating to Universal Credit from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), for what reason income that was...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Refugees: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83627 on Refugees: Social Rented Housing, how many lead tenants...

    • Planning and Infrastructure Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75194 on Planning and Infrastructure Bill: European...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Unmanned Air Systems: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding his Department has allocated to the research and development of non-lethal and lawful counter-drone technologies in the last five years.

    • Ukraine: Ballistic Missile Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department (a) has provided and (b) plans to provide (i) financial and (ii) technical support for missile interceptor technology projects in...

      Military Alliances: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79246 on Military Alliances, what steps he has taken to enhance cooperation through the EU's...

      Unmanned Air Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential deployment of military counter-unmanned aerial vehicle...

      Ukraine: Ballistic Missile Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking in cooperation with Ukraine to develop or invest in low-cost missile interceptor technology.

      Air Force: Crew

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully qualified RAF pilots are available for front-line deployment; and how many pilots would be required for full operational capability.

      Armed Forces: Offences against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference his Department's documents entitled Murder, Manslaughter and Sexual Offences in the Service Justice System: 2024, updated on 3 October...

      Turkey: Typhoon Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what tranche of Eurofighter Typhoon has been purchased by Turkey.

      Armed Forces: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to minimise the requirement for back pay for service personnel when pension calculations...

  • Treasury

    • Climate Change: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the use of international taxation measures to...

    • Foreign Investment in UK: Gulf States

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Bank of England on managing potential financial stability risks from increased Gulf investment in UK markets.

      Economic Situation: Nottinghamshire

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support the local economy in (a) Broxtowe and (b) Nottinghamshire.

      Investment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has identified priority regions for investment arising from recent Gulf trade agreements.

      Lloyds Bank: Closures

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions the Government has had with Lloyds Bank on (a) the closure of branches in (i) Haslemere, (ii) Petersfield, and (iii) Godalming and (b) the...

      Financial Services: Gulf States

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen financial sector co-operation between the UK and Gulf economies.

      Investment and Trade: Gulf States

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to monitor delivery of the £6.4 billion of trade and investment commitments announced during her visit to the Gulf.

      Treasury: Social Media

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

      Income Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average proportion of income paid in tax is for a full-time worker earning the national median salary.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prison Officers: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on prison officer recruitment capacity of the conclusion of the Unlocked Graduates contract in 2026.

    • Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of housing foreign national offenders in UK prisons.

      Council Tax: Non-payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) committed to prison and (b) given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax in 2024.

      Ministry of Justice: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

      Public Office (Accountability) Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the provisions in chapter 2 of part 2 of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will (a) apply to councillors and (b) be in addition to section...

      Mediation: Dudley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mediation services on resolving disputes for residents in Dudley; and what steps he...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Ethnic Groups

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether White Irish is included in the Government’s ethnicity definition of White Other.

    • Equal Pay Regulatory and Enforcement Unit

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51461 on the Equal Pay Regulatory and Enforcement Unit, whether the Unit will be separate to the...

      Public Bodies: Equality

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to extend the number of public bodies subject to the socio-economic duty under section 2 of the Equality Act 2010.

  • Treasury

    • Pensions: Tax Allowances

      To ask His Majesty's Government what latest estimate they have made of the cost per year of (1) tax relief, and (2) National Insurance relief, on new pension contributions unions.

    • National Insurance Contributions: Limited Liability

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the impact of charging National Insurance to limited liability partnerships on the number of such firms relocating...

      Public Sector: Borrowing

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to incorporate the recent fall in government borrowing costs into fiscal planning.

      Public Sector Debt

      To ask His Majesty's Government what amount of interest was paid on the UK national debt for each financial year since, and including, 2015–16.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Pakistan: Education

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK aid channelled through international partners for education in Pakistan is not used to fund the teaching...

    • Tommy Robinson

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the official invitation by the government of Israel to Stephen Yaxley-Lennon to Israel and of the impact on public order and...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Sanitary Products: Testing

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate, and mandate independent testing of, period products following recent reports of harmful chemicals and heavy metals being...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 23 October (HL Deb col 945), whether the potential security threat posed by the proposed location of the...

    • Anglian Water: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the data on which they based the decision to withdraw funding for Anglian Water's waste water treatment plant relocation.

      Local Government: Infrastructure

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of removing the statutory requirement to consult local authorities as part of the pre-application stage for nationally...

      Planning: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the research by Create Streets, AI Judging Architecture for Well-Being: Large Language Models Simulate Human Empathy...

      Artificial Intelligence: Data Centres

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that construction of AI data centres is compatible with energy infrastructure capacity and statutory environmental targets.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Learning Disability: Health Services

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Merron on 20 October (HL Deb col 480), in what way is the Mental Health Act "very...

    • Learning Disability

      To ask His Majesty's Government what improvements have been made to life expectancy for people with learning disabilities through the Core20PLUS5 programme.

      NHS England

      To ask His Majesty's Government why a contract worth £8 million for IT consultancy is required to support the abolition of NHS England and the transfer of many of its functions to the...

      Prosthetics

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support and fund the development of the bionics and advanced prosthetics industry, including through companies such as Open Bionics,...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Heating: Carbon Emissions

      To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have considered in addition to the installation of heat pumps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from domestic hot water and heating systems.

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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