Written answers

Tuesday, 23 December 2025

  • Department for Education

    • Schools: Solar Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools seeking to attain purchasing power agreements for solar panels.

    • Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the availability of low-quality, online children’s content on levels of...

      Arts: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support creative education in schools.

      Teachers: Workplace Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish a revised delivery timeline for issuing all outstanding Remedial Service Statements to retired teachers affected by...

      Special Educational Needs: Foster Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on reviewing care plans where new diagnoses of (a) special educational needs, (b)...

      History: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has her Department made of the potential merits of incorporating history-based video games to enhance learning.

      Pupils: Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make proposals to support pupils with medical conditions, including allergies.

      Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to ensure that the National Curriculum includes immersive experiences.

      Special Educational Needs: Speech and Language Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to improve a) universal, b) targeted and c) specialist speech, language and communication support.

      Vocational Education: Lincolnshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that all pupils are able to purse vocational education pathways in Lincolnshire.

      Young People: Unemployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative data her Department holds on the proportion of 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training (a) who attended state...

      Schools: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests her Department has received from schools for sign-off of confidentiality clauses in staff settlement agreements in each of the last...

      Schools: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools provide equal access to school reports, parents’ evening information, and other...

      Special Educational Needs: Surrey County Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the announced SEND funding will be allocated to Surrey County Council.

      Learning Disability and Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase early identification of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what has been the market share of (a) private equity firms, and (b) sovereign wealth funds in the additional needs sector in each year since 2020.

      Brain: Injuries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evaluation has been undertaken of access to specialist educational provision for children with acquired brain injuries; and whether additional...

      Teachers: Music

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of secondary school music teachers left the profession in each year from 2010 to 2025; and how that proportion compares to those that...

      Politics and Government: Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase understanding of (a) politics and (b) Parliament within the national secondary school curriculum.

      Special Educational Needs: Middlesbrough and Thornaby East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East ahead of...

      First Aid: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the government has plans to offer basic first aid training in schools.

      Schools: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to announce the (a) membership of and (b) terms of reference for the regional improvement for standards and excellence stakeholder group.

      Schools: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which funding source is being used to provide the (a) daily stipend and (b) other expenses for regional improvement for standards and excellence advisors.

      Extracurricular Activities: Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions the Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the North East to ensure parents have accessible information regarding the...

      English Language: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 73667 on Schools: Interpreters and Translation Services, what English as an additional language...

      Special Educational Needs: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Department has made of the potential merits of continuing the use of Education, Health and Care Plans to support children with...

      Schools: Antisemitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to mandate antisemitism awareness education for (a) children and (b) teachers.

      Special Educational Needs: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the support available to young people up to the age of 25 with education, health and care plans who...

      Media: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve levels of media literacy among vulnerable children who are more at risk online.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Employment Schemes: Digital Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to use AI and digital technology to improve the efficacy of job and employment services.

    • Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people with a serious or terminal diagnosis are not required to repay benefit overpayments...

      Department for Work and Pensions: Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases of bailiff action have occurred as a result of outstanding child maintenance payments in each of the last five years.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have been sent to prison in each...

      Pensioners: Surrey Heath

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support pensioners with (a) energy, (b) food and (c) housing costs in Surrey Heath constituency.

      Construction: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for construction-related courses in Surrey Heath...

      Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a yellow card warning system in place of immediate benefit sanctions...

      Carer's Allowance: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had made an assessment of the potential impact of the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review of Carer's...

      Biocidal Products: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to question 94838, what impact enacting HSE proposals to change GB Classification, Labelling and...

      Universal Credit: Truro and Falmouth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the sum of money was resulting from a) deductions and b) sanctions applied to Universal Credit claims in Truro and Falmouth constituency...

      Social Security Benefits: Home Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on visits by DWP staff to claimant households.

      Employment: Yeovil

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve local job opportunities for people in Yeovil constituency.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Obesity: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of weight-loss injections upon the levels of grocery sales within the UK.

    • Department for Business and Trade: National Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, who is the Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

      Natural Gas: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with Ofcom on the application of online advertising regulations for illegal gas work promotions.

      Toys and Games: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the British Toy and Hobby Association’s report entitled...

      Dismissal: Rockstar North

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to provide support to people who claim to have been sacked for trying to unionise whilst working at Rockstar North.

      Festivals and Special Occasions: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support UK festival organisers with the implementation of the Employment Rights Bill, in the context...

      Football League and Premier League

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the Premier League and the Football League.

      Department for Business and Trade: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many full time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past...

      Service Industries: Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential value to the UK economy of enhanced services trade provisions in the UK-Turkey Free Trade...

      Trade Agreements: South Korea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to monitor use of investment dispute resolution mechanisms under the UK–Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement.

      Directors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the largest number of companies registered to a single individual acting in the role as an officer of those companies.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the salary band of the current Ajax SRO; and whether this has been supplemented by a performance or other bonus within the part three years.

    • Defence: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he now intends to publish the Defence Investment Plan.

      Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has ever sought legal advice from the Treasury Solicitor's Department on Ajax.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has he made in identifying a replacement for FV433.

      Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the quality of the a) workmanship and b) quality control on the Ajax production line at General Dynamics Merthyr Tydfil...

      HMS Lancaster: Decommissioning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans are in place for transportation of the ordnance on board HMS Lancaster.

      HMS Lancaster: Decommissioning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether HMS Lancaster was deemed unfit to conduct a return journey to the United Kingdom for decommissioning.

      Armed Forces Commissioner

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there has been a delay to the appointment of the Armed Forces Commissioner.

      Military Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK launches new Military Intelligence Services as hostile threats surge, published on 12...

      Military Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK launches new Military Intelligence Services as hostile threats surge, published on 12...

      Russia: Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures are in place to protect British waters from future incursions by the Russian submarine Krasnodar.

      Ministry of Defence: Disciplinary Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in the past twelve months, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies broken down by...

      Ministry of Defence: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in the last year.

      Ministry of Defence: Performance Appraisal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.

      Ministry of Defence: Career Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of staff were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year by (i) performance marking in the previous...

      Ministry of Defence: Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) his Department and (b) its...

      Army: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what will the training capacity shortfall be, and for how long, between the closure of ATR Winchester and opening of new facilities at ATR Pirbright.

      Military Operations: Explosives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will implement civilian harm tracking for explosive ordnance-related incidents in military operations.

  • Home Office

    • Rape: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered reclassifying date rape drugs such as flunitrazepam and gamma-hydroxybutyrate as weapons.

    • Firearms

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when will the Government launch its public consultation on the controls on (a) shotguns and (b) other firearms.

      Crime: Gender and Sex

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of training provided to police officers on identifying and recording incidents...

      Hate Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of consistency of police hate crime recording practices across regional police forces.

      People Smuggling: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the scale of people-smuggling facilitation activity with operational links to Northern Ireland since July...

      Antisemitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure police forces receive (a) adequate training and (b) resources to (i) identify, (ii) prevent...

      Anti-social Behaviour: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allocate additional police resources to tackle antisocial behaviour in the Birmingham City Council area.

      Police: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support the financial sustainability of police forces.

      Police: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that people with convictions for any sexual offences should be prevented from serving in the police forces.

      Drugs: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings have been held of the cross-government officials working group on research with controlled drugs.

      Equipment: Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce and (b) prevent equipment theft in (1) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (2)...

      Knives: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of phasing out the general sale of sharp-tipped culinary knives.

      Knives: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of placing a ban on a) machetes and b) large hunting knives.

      Bicycles: Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help prevent bicycle theft in Eastbourne constituency.

      Civil Liberties

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect civil liberties in the (a) development and (b) implementation of (i) public order and (ii) policing policy.

      Knives: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce knife crime.

      Knives: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in the police on reducing knife crime.

      Police Stations: Surrey Heath

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police counters are kept open in Surrey Heath constituency.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of civil servants in her Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

    • Identity Cards: Digital Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to safeguard against data breaches following the...

      Identity Cards: Digital Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has made to use decentralised data storage systems in the implementation of the digital ID scheme.

      Voice over Internet Protocol: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network and the...

      National Underground Asset Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the National Underground Asset Register will enter full operational service on 1 January 2026 for safe digging and...

      Mobile Broadband: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning the regulatory standard and the consumer information...

      5G

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will have discussions with Ofcom on ensuring the reporting of statistics on where the full allocation of 5G is not...

      National Underground Asset Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of integrating the National Underground Asset Register...

      Elections: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled Study reveals how conversational AI can exert influence over political beliefs,...

      5G

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps with Ofcom to ensure that all full 5G eligible sites offer full 5G.

      Telecommunications: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when remaining mobile sites will be moved away from legacy frameworks and onto the new frameworks of the 2017 Electronic...

      Telecommunications: Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to foster innovation in the Telecoms market.

      Telecommunications: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer received on 21 November 2025 to Written Question 90488, how much additional re-investment her...

      5G

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the quality of 5G UK mobile services compared to (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) the...

      Mathematics: Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what internal discussions her Department has had on the allocation of funding for the mathematical sciences within the...

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to take steps to require all major broadband providers to operate with an internal audit function.

  • Department for Transport

    • Rolling Stock: South West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that there are sufficient replacement trains in operation following the withdrawal of the Class 43 HST trains from...

    • Railway Stations: Yeovil

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps Great British Railway will take to make railway stations in Yeovil constituency more accessible.

      A52: Dangerous Driving

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the Government plans to curb dangerous driving on the A52 in Broxtowe.

      Pedestrians: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she will take through the Road Safety Strategy to raise awareness among motorists of their responsibilities when passing pedestrians on...

      Railway Network: Shropshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve rail connectivity in Shropshire.

      Railway Benefit Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the future role of the Railway Benevolent Fund under Great British Railways, and what steps she is taking to ensure...

      Electric Bicycles: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the APPG for Cycling and Walking's report entitled Unregulated and...

      Birmingham New Street Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment Network Rail has made of the potential impact of (a) the reopening of the Camp Hill Line and (b) the May 2026 timetable change...

      Cross Country Trains: Strikes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to PQ82726 answered on 21 October 2025 about Cross Country Strikes, whether her Department has recently had discussions on that dispute with...

      Railways: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential differences in terms and conditions between outsourced and directly employed staff within...

      Electric Bicycles: Pedestrians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of injuries to pedestrians caused by rented electric bikes in each of the last five years.

      Railways: Facilities Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2025 to Question 94308 on Railways: Facilities Agreements, when the updated Framework Document is expected to be...

      Railways: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2025 to Question 94307 on Railways: Private Sector, what metrics her Department plans to use to measure the...

      Great British Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was for commissioning or licensing material from Dovetail Games for use in promotional content relating to the Great...

      Rolling Stock: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to reduce the cost to (a) the public purse, and (b) farepayers of the cost of maintaining payments to the current Rolling Stock...

      Railways: Nationalisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the comparative operational performance of publicly owned rail operators versus privately owned rail operators since...

      Railways: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to recover the 6120 missing responses from the Railways Bill consultation; and what steps she is taking to ensure the...

      Urban Areas: Wheelchairs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps have been taken to improve the accessibility of the high street for wheelchair users.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Devolution: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 93002 on Devolution, and with reference to his Department's joint press release entitled UK...

    • Civil Servants: Workplace Pensions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which retired civil servants have been ordered to repay pension benefits due to administrative...

      Cabinet Office: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 50576, on Cabinet Office: Recruitment, what is a level move.

      Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2025, to Question 50576 on Cabinet Office: Recruitment, whether members of the Senior Civil Service can be permanently...

      Civil Service: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the Civil Service Recruitment Framework.

      Civil Servants: Training

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether civil servants who act as coaches within the Internal Coaching Service are permitted to provide coaching sessions during their contracted...

      Permanent Secretaries: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025, to Question 93384 on Permanent Secretaries: Redundancy Pay, if he will publish that list.

      Government Departments: Facilities Agreements

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025 to Question 93375 on Government Departments: Facilities Agreements, whether his department holds information...

      Civil Service: Career Development and Leadership

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on what leadership and promotion schemes run by the Civil Service are restricted to people (a) from ethnic...

      Civil Service: Workplace Pensions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps Civil Service Pensions is taking to improve the process for the provision of the death in service benefit pay-out to bereaved families.

      Government Departments: Equality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the timetable for Departments to implement the Civil Service diversity network guidance in their own departmental diversity networks; and...

      Boris Johnson and Peter Thiel

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department holds any digital records in relation to the meeting held on 28 August 2019 between the then Prime Minister and Mr Peter Thiel.

      9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2025 to Question 69366 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, what is the reason for the delay in...

      House of Lords: Reform

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to consult on his Department's proposals to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber.

      Public Appointments: Social Class

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25, published on 2 December 2025, whether Ministers requested that the socio-economic...

      Public Appointments: Political Impartiality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25, published on 2 December 2025, and with reference to previous reports, for what reason...

      Cabinet Office: Codes of Practice

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has a book of precedents.

      Cabinet Office: Social Media

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many full time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.

      Cabinet Office: Social Media

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91618 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, on what topics, campaigns and programmes the expenditure...

      Publications: Gender

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any publications have failed SAFE assessments due to gender-critical content.

      Cabinet Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department operates a code system to determine when and what replies are given to written parliamentary questions.

      Government Hospitality: Wines

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91376 on Government Hospitality: Wines, how much his Department spent with Berry Bros for...

      Tom Kibasi

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91381 on Tom Kibasi, what the length of his secondment to Downing Street was.

      Cabinet Office: Civil Servants

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of civil servants are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants in his Department.

      Trade Unions: Facilities Agreements

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to his Department's publication entitled Public-sector trade union facility time data, updated on 27 November 2025, how many and what...

      Senior Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 95640 on Senior Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay, what was the legal basis for the previous Cabinet...

      Civil Service: Management

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 92016 on Civil Service: Management, for what reason the Terms of Reference are not subject to...

      Infected Blood Compensation Scheme

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delaying by one year the transfer of the responsibility to make support scheme payments from the...

      Cabinet Office: Written Questions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of (a) named day questions and (b) ordinary written questions were responded to by her Department within the required timescale in (i)...

      Honours: Forfeiture

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office further to the Answer of 4 November 2025, to Question 85708, on Honours: Forfeiture, if he will publish the...

      Customs: Digital Technology

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on delivering a UK Single Trade Window.

      Peers: Public Appointments

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the regional representation of new peers appointed for each year since 2015 to the current December 2025 list.

      Public Appointments

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to deposited paper DEP2025-0768, committed on 21 November 2025, further to paragraph 18 of the desk note, how many direct ministerial...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the correspondence from the Permanent Secretary to his Department to the Hon Member for Thirsk & Malton of 24 November 2025.

      Honours and Appointments Secretariat

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is his planned timetable for the publication of the triennial report into the operation of the Honours and Memorialisation secretariats.

      Allan, Tim

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025, to Question 92612, whether Tim Allan is required to recuse himself from government policy or communications...

      Admiralty House: Empty Property

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many months each of the Ministerial flats in Admiralty House have been empty for.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Controlled Burning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the weighted scores given to the academic studies reviewed by Natural England in...

    • Trees: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees sections of her Department's Environmental Improvement...

      Fly-tipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to reduce fly-tipping and strengthen the power of local authorities to prevent fly-tipping.

      Tree Planting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's progress in meeting reforestation targets.

      Dogs: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the maximum penalty for dog fouling offences.

      Public Footpaths: Pennines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration she has given to designating the Trans Pennine Trail a National Trail.

      Hedgehogs: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in the West Midlands.

      Hunting: Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent British-owned companies from selling holidays that promote trophy hunting.

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in the last year.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • World Heritage Sites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help protect UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK from potential environmental threats.

    • World Heritage Sites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support and preserve UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK.

      Arts: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support growth within the creative industries in the West Midlands.

  • Attorney General

    • Female Genital Mutilation

      To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has had discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service on the potential impact of articles in medical journals on the willingness of (a) victims of and...

    • Female Genital Mutilation

      To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Crown Prosecution Service provides guidance to prosecutors on addressing expert or academic evidence that uses alternative terminology for female...

      Female Genital Mutilation

      To ask the Solicitor General, whether he has sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service on the potential impact of articles in medical journals on (a) evidential thresholds and (b)...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Legal Aid Agency: Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what types of personal and sensitive data were compromised in the April 2025 cyber attack on the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) including whether the breach...

    • Prisons and Young Offender Institutions: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons and Young Offender Institutions have (a) an ID and Banking Administrator and (b) an Employment Lead currently in post.

      Prisons: Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are participating in higher education courses.

      Offenders: Electronic Tagging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the rate of compliance for people fitted with an alcohol monitoring device after their release from prison, in each year since 2021.

      Prisons and Young Offender Institutions: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons and Young Offender Institutions currently have (a) an Incentivised Substance Free Living Unit operating, (b) a Drug Recovery Wing...

      Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders were in prison in England and Wales, by offence group as of 30 September 2025.

      Prisoners: Repatriation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Transfer Agreements are currently in place.

      Prison Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards its target of increasing prison capacity.

      Remand in Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to review the status of people held on remand in custody for more than six months to determine whether they should be...

      Palestine Action: Remand in Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the length of time spent in detention without trial by defendants charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 for (a)...

      Ministry of Justice: National Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who is the Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

      Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of early releases with the principles of justice.

      Prison Sentences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 9th December 2025 to Question 96041, on Reoffenders: Sentencing, what assessment he has made of how frequently courts depart from...

      Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made to introduce resettlement passports for prison leavers.

      Ministry of Justice: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.

      Reoffenders: Undocumented Migrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data he holds on the reoffending rates of individuals convicted of offences relating to illegal entry into the UK.

      Immigration: Convictions and Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to publish data on convictions and sentencing outcomes for immigration offences.

      Criminal Proceedings: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the statutory time limit of six months for summary offences.

      Parole: Surrey Heath

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of parole board hearings on victims and their families in Surrey Heath constituency.

      Prisoners: Surrey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve prisoner rehabilitation in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

      Prisons: Hampshire and Surrey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve safety in prisons in (a) Hampshire and (b) Surrey.

      Reoffenders: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce levels of reoffending in the West Midlands.

      Trials: Recordings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to publish recordings made of trials heard without a jury; and what safeguards will govern the use of those recordings for (a)...

      Courts: Cheshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle the backlog of court cases in Cheshire.

  • Treasury

    • Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion: Digital Technology

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential for AI and digital technology to reduce a) tax evasion and b) tax avoidance.

    • Plastics: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will review the scope of the Plastics Packaging Tax to exempt EN 13432–certified compostable materials; and what assessment has been made of...

      Mobility Foundation: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Motability Foundation on the the potential impact of her Department's changes to (a) VAT and (b) Insurance Premium...

      Council Tax: Surcharges

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 97744 on Council Tax: Sutton Coldfield, if she will publish the evidential basis for the claim that...

      Business Rates: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Valuation Office Agency special category code hereditaments are eligible for the 2026-27 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure multipliers.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Energy: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of an increase in energy costs on businesses in North Yorkshire.

    • Renewable Energy: Landfill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's policy paper on the UK methane action plan, published on 29 October 2025, what his planned...

      Warm Homes Plan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the public health impacts of the Warm Homes Plan, especially regarding both indoor...

      Energy: Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made on the potential security impacts of cyber attacks on the energy system.

      Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many full time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of...

      Community Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps the forthcoming Local Power Plan will take to support partnerships between schools, local authorities and community...

      Tourism: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the domestic tourism sector on his net zero targets.

      Energy: Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department will require a cyber incident database with compulsory fixes to be created for attacks on the energy system.

      British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme: North East Somerset and Hanham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) ex-miner workers and (b) their families will receive an uplift in their pensions due to changes in the British Coal...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • NHS: Private Finance Initiative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what are the findings of the department’s business case on new private finance in the NHS.

    • Neighbourhood Health Centres: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding neighbourhood health centres through alternative, non-private finance means.

      NHS: Private Finance Initiative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish his Department’s business case on new private finance in the NHS.

      Neighbourhood Health Centres: Private Finance Initiative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details of his Department new private finance model for building neighbourhood health centres and the business case...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Belfast International Airport: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made in discussions with the United States administration regarding the initiative outlined in the Windsor Framework and...

  • Department for Education

    • Arts: Education

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the closure of arts-based courses at universities and colleges on the culture and economy of towns and cities.

    • Citizenship: Primary Education

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many minutes of citizenship teaching per week will be required for a primary school class when that subject becomes compulsory.

      Academies: Equality

      To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to the Regional Department for Education Directors about the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in academies.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Iron and Steel: USA

      To ask His Majesty's Government, following the increase in energy prices and the tariffs on UK steel imports to the United States of America, when will the steel strategy be published.

  • Department for Transport

    • Network Rail: Biodiversity

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of vegetation clearance carried out by Network Rail under temporary variations on Network Rail’s biodiversity...

    • Aviation: Safety

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish a list of any outstanding safety recommendations from the Air Accident Investigation Branch, along with the planned...

      Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask His Majesty's Government when the strengthening stage of works will be completed on Hammersmith Bridge so that it can reopen to traffic.

      Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether extra pollution has been caused by diverted traffic due to the length of time that Hammersmith Bridge has been closed.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Doctors: Gender

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the General Medical Council about whether patients who ask for a doctor of a preferred sex will be told the biological sex or...

    • Mental Health Services: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a third of UK citizens have used AI chatbots for emotional support or social interaction and the implications for...

      NHS England: Managers

      To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of senior managers at NHS England who have left since 1 March and received a payment in lieu of notice, and what is the total amount of...

      Doctors: Gender

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the General Medical Council (GMC) about whether doctors are included on GMC registers by gender or biological sex.

      NHS: Standards

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of pressures facing the NHS from a surge in flu cases and staff shortages this winter, in the context of maintaining safe patient...

      NHS England: Contracts

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 8 December (HL12316), in the most recent period for which figures are available, (1) what proportion of,...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Recreation Spaces: Departmental Coordination

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a cross-departmental office for green spaces.

    • Freeports

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of the 12 freeports in the UK; and what future impact they expect the freeports to achieve within the current...

      Parking: Unpaid Fines

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to give councils powers to seize or impound vehicles linked to unpaid penalty charge notices; and what discussions they have had with governments...

      Recreation Spaces: Planning Permission

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what criteria they plan to use to decide which categories of...

      Recreation Spaces: Planning Permission

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what issues the review of the existing protections of open spaces...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Defence: Finance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what defence expenditure is planned in (1) 2026–27, (2) 2027–28, and (3) 2028–30; and whether those figures take account of (1) the updated...

  • Treasury

    • Cryptoassets: Mortgages

      To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure consumer protection and regulatory compliance in blockchain and AI-enabled tokenised deposit models in the home-buying and mortgage markets.

    • Freezing of Assets: Russia

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to liquidate Russian assets currently frozen in the UK; and whether they have discussed the implications of that action with (1) leaders of...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Air Pollution

      To ask His Majesty's Government what are the geographical boundaries of each air quality agglomeration zone in England.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Telecommunications Cables: Atlantic Ocean

      To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to secure and protect communications cables in the Atlantic Ocean which either (1) go directly from the UK, or (2) go from the UK...

    • Satellites: Regulation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to ensure low Earth orbit is treated as a commons for all humankind to share, with proper oversight and regulation,...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Public Appointments: Political Impartiality

      To ask His Majesty's Government why the Cabinet Office report Public Appointments Data Report 2024–25, published on 2 December, does not include political activity statistics; and who took...

    • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Media

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Prime Minister on 12 November (HC Deb col 148), whether (1) the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, or (2) his special advisers,...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Arts: Employment

      To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are employed in the UK's creative economy.

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Energy: Prices

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on household energy bills of the £28 billion electricity and gas infrastructure investment approved by Ofgem over...

  • Home Office

    • Exploitation: Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to issue statutory guidance to all statutory safeguarding partners, including police, local authorities and integrated care boards, for the...

    • Police: Biometrics

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any use of live facial recognition cameras by law enforcement bodies is subject to clear safeguards to protect privacy...

      Biometrics: Police National Database

      To ask His Majesty's Government when they were first aware of bias in retrospective facial recognition searches of the Police National Database.

      Biometrics: Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to restrict the circumstances in which children may be added to facial recognition watchlists.

      Metropolitan Police: Firearms

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad will have its firearms capability removed; and if so, what assessment they have made of that decision.

      Anti-social Behaviour: Social Rented Housing

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer and remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 17 November (HL11520) and 10 November (HL Deb col 66), whether for-profit social housing...

      Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a system for recording deaths and serious injuries at the UK-France border; and why mortality data at that border is not...

      Immigration: Biometrics

      To ask His Majesty's Government why staff are "strongly advised" in the Immigration Enforcement Live Facial Recognition Policy Document published in November to refer to that...

      Immigration: Biometrics

      To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish an assessment of the trial use of live facial recognition in immigration enforcement in November; and whether it will be used or...

      Biometrics: Children

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce limits on the circumstances in which police forces can add children to facial recognition watchlists.

      Fast Food and Take-away Food: Crimes of Violence

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Crime and Policing Bill in its current form will see the protection of workers in quick service restaurants and food-to-go-style operators whose work...

      Asylum

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to expand safe and accessible routes of asylum for people fleeing persecution and conflict, including those affected by escalating violence in...

      Immigration: Equality

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they made an equality impact assessment of the proposals in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, published on 20 November; if so, when they plan to publish that...

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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