Written answers

Thursday, 28 May 2026

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Apprentices: Newcastle-under-Lyme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to increase the number of apprenticeships available to young people in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

    • Apprentices: Small Businesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) what assessment he has made of the impact of increased employment costs on the ability of small and medium-sized businesses to offer...

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to introduce an apprenticeship guarantee for 16-24 years old.

      Economic Growth: Lincolnshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of trends in the number of young people not in employment, education or...

      Children: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of children in poverty in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

      Sickness Benefits: Staffordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase skills and employment support for people receiving sickness benefit in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme...

      Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department amended the draft Right to Try regulations from The Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment and Employment and...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) chose to defer their state pension and (b) claimed an arears payment after 12 months in the most recent 12-month period...

      State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of frozen state pensions on UK state pensioners residing overseas.

  • Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

    • Robotics: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the University of Leeds report entitled Why doesn’t the UK make more Robots?, published in November...

    • Social Media: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she will have conversations with the Social Media companies about trends in the levels of blocked content across...

      Mobile Phones: Aerials

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of mobile phone mast sites servicing rural areas have alternative power generation or a battery back-up that...

      Technology: Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help women from a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire access high-quality jobs in the tech...

      Broadband: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of rolling out ultrafast full fibre broadband across...

      Life Sciences: Oxfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the life sciences sector in Oxfordshire.

  • Department for Education

    • Universities: Social Mobility

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on social mobility of priority given for student placements to Russell Group universities.

    • Maintained Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Schools White Paper, what plans she has to safeguard local authority-run schools.

      Mathematics: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Maths Hubs programme in improving GCSE maths attainment in disadvantaged areas.

      Music: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department gives to qualified peripatetic and school music teachers to help them deliver music lessons.

      Regeneration: Barrow in Furness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the Barrow Transformation Fund will be funded by her Department.

      English Language and Mathematics: GCSE

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is providing additional support to schools and colleges in areas where an higher than average proportion of students do not...

      Extracurricular Activities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, What steps she is taking to enable more young people to access extracurricular and youth activities outside school hours.

      Holiday Activities and Food Programme: Eligibility

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria for the Holiday Activities and Food programme to...

      Fathers: Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the answer of 20 April 2026 to question 125953, whether the resources provided by Best Start for Life Family Hubs includes guidance...

      Schools: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what action she is taking to support school teachers who are responsible for administering healthcare to students with medical conditions.

      Childcare: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of children who turn nine months old shortly after the term-time eligibility deadline for 30-hour...

      Home Education: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by what date will local authorities have to produce registers of Children Not in School.

      School Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of school exclusions on (i) children’s (a) long-term educational outcomes, (b) mental...

  • Home Office

    • Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the operations of trafficking gangs in the UK.

    • Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the total cost to the public purse of contracts awarded to Corporate Travel Management since July 2024 in relation to accommodation...

      Immigration Controls: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has made to the European Commission and the Government of France on the implementation of the EU Entry-Exit System...

      Asylum: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to Border Force and police officers on responding to safeguarding disclosures made by asylum seekers relating to...

      Asylum: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether additional funding is provided to police forces that receive safeguarding disclosures from asylum seekers relating to alleged...

      Asylum: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguarding procedures are in place for asylum seekers who disclose experiences of harm as the result of crimes said to have occurred...

      Asylum: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms exist for national authorities to refer safeguarding disclosures made by asylum seekers to the relevant authorities in...

      Internet: Offences against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Ministerial resignation letter to the Prime Minister by the Hon Member for Birmingham Yardley of May 2025, what is the...

      Offences against Children: Information Sharing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of Sarah’s Law on women.

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support victims of coercive control.

      Domestic Abuse: Information Sharing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Clare’s Law.

      Missing Persons: Devon

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her department is taking to, a) reduce the number of children that go missing, and b) find children who have gone missing, in Devon.

      Offences against Children: Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of new technologies on the grooming and exploitation of children.

      Slavery

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to end modern slavery.

      Crime: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on aligning the new child criminal exploitation offence with existing...

      Organised Crime: China

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent people with known links to Chinese organised crime groups from being treated as community...

      Police Cautions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current review and oversight mechanisms in cases where the police issue a conditional...

      Radicalism: Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) prosecuted for chanting any variations of "Globalise the Intifada".

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • NHS: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of NHS staff confidence that concerns raised by patients are acted on within NHS...

    • NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 60619, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of expanding...

      Hospices: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 125262, what his planned timetable is for publishing the amount that each...

      Hospices: Children and Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 125262, for what reason the Department is not yet in a position to share those...

      Eyesight: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to reviewing NHS optical voucher values for children with complex visual needs, particularly...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report entitled...

      Dental Services

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

      Dental Services: Liverpool

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve NHS dental access in Liverpool.

      Tinnitus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to exempt VAT on class 1 medical devices that suppress the impact of tinnitus.

      Developmental language disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to support the a) research into b) treatment of developmental language disorder.

      Rare Cancers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on reviewing regulations of treatments for rare diseases and orphan drugs as required by the Rare...

      Disability Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps they are taking to improve access to disability equipment.

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding for research into the diagnosis and treatment of invasive lobular breast cancer.

      Health Services: Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making the Accessible Information Standard a statutory requirement.

      Blood: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many completed blood donation appointments took place in past 12 months; and if he will provide the ethnic and gender breakdown of donors.

      Brain: Tumours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase (a) the number of and (b) capacity to conduct clinical trials for patients with brain tumours.

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88027, whether the Data Protection Impact Assessment for the Federated Data...

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the availability of targeted treatments for invasive lobular breast cancer compared with other forms of...

      Brain: Tumours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase funding for brain tumours (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the national cancer...

      Clinical Trials

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department is making on the development of mechanisms to easily contact eligible patients about relevant clinical...

      Phenylketonuria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy and consistency of access to prescribed low-protein foods and specialist nutritional...

      NHS: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88027, to introduce safeguards to govern access to identifiable patient data by...

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Conditions of Employment: Artificial Intelligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps is he taking to ensure that employment protections are adequate for the future, in the context of the potential for AI to replace...

    • Construction: Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) affordability of transport options for apprentices working on remote...

      Business: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to consult with business to bring forward a comprehensive workforce strategy.

      Small Businesses: Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what meetings did his department hold with trade unions regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.

      Trade Agreements: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, a) what progress his Department has made in implementing the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and b) what benefits it will...

      Small Businesses: Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what consideration his Department made of the evidence submitted to the consultation regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union...

      Unfair Dismissal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to build on the tripartite discussions on the unfair dismissal provisions in the Employment Rights Act; and whether...

      Small Businesses: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department will take to support businesses, especially small business, in complying with the Employment Rights Act, to ensure...

      Retail Trade: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of illegal activities in high street businesses on legitimate businesses.

      Economic Growth: Staffordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help increase economic growth in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Emergencies: Planning

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Contingency Planning Small Ministerial Group has met since its inception.

    • Emergencies: Planning

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which ministers form the membership of the Contingency Planning Small Ministerial Group.

      Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Vetting

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what are the terms of reference of the review into the FCDO and UKSC vetting process; and who it will report to.

      Government Departments: Vetting

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the revised terms of reference are for the review into security vetting led by Sir Adrian Fulford; who will he report to; and whether the review...

      Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Act response, Reference: FOI2026/04977, of 10 April 2026.

      By-elections: Aberdeen South and Makerfield

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 110418 on By-elections: Gorton and Denton, if he will publish reminder guidance that has...

      Lord Mandelson

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Lord Mandelson’s emails to and from John Pond will be disclosed at part of the Government response to the Humble Address.

      Global Counsel

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 114871 on Global Counsel, whether Lord Mandelson was in attendance at the dinners with...

      EU Cohesion Fund

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 15 April 2026, to Question 123696, on EU Cohesion Fund, in which policy areas could the UK make payments towards EU...

      EU Cohesion Fund

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 123696 on EU Cohesion Fund, for what reason joining the EU electricity market requires...

      Lord Mandelson

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 27 April 2026, to Question 124843, on Civil Servants: Dismissal, whether his Department considers that Lord Mandelson...

      Lord Mandelson

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 115552 on Public Appointments, if he will publish the due diligence processes agreed by the...

      Prime Minister: Diaries

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to Question 129162 on Cabinet Office: Written Questions and further to the ICO Decision Notice...

      Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of an EU youth mobility scheme on (a) domestic unemployment levels, (b) domestic welfare dependency...

      Infected Blood Compensation Scheme: Hepatitis

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of assessed claims by living infected individuals with hepatitis have been awarded a Financial Loss and Care Award at...

      Public Appointments

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many direct ministerial appointments currently in post have not had details of their appointment added to the direct ministerial appointment portal...

      Hereditary Peers

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the King's Speech 2026: background briefing notes, published 13 May 2026, on the Removal of Peerages Bill, whether the powers will...

      Ian Horobin

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119406 on Ian Horobin, how are conventions on such peerage matters (a) established and (b)...

      UK Trade with EU: Dispute Resolution

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 15 April 2026, to Question 125413, on UK Trade with EU: Dispute Resolution, where the public expression of interest for...

      Prime Minister: Public Expenditure

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Act response, reference FOI2026/04975 dated 13 April 2026, on Downing Street expenditure,...

      10 Downing Street

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Act response, reference FOI2026/04975 dated 13 April 2026, on Downing Street expenditure,...

      Erasmus+ Programme

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125527 on Erasmus+ Programme, if he will provide the direct relevant hyperlink to the...

      Government Departments: WhatsApp

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the Intelligence and Security Committee outlined in...

      Lord Mandelson

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 27 March 2026 to Question 111158 on Lord Mandelson, whether an independent KC is currently assisting the Cabinet Office...

      Lord Mandelson

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Part of a Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 4 February 2026 relating to the appointment of Lord...

      Josh Simons

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 113783 on Cabinet Office: Reviews, whether the Propriety and Ethics Team took a preliminary...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Family Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Bar Council's recommendation to increase legal aid funding in family law.

    • Prisoners: Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, the total cost of legal aid provided to prisoners bringing action against (a) other prisoners and (b) prison officers in each year since 2024.

      Birmingham City Council: Elections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HM Courts & Tribunals Service holds a copy of the court transcript for the election court hearings, “In the matter of a local...

      Family Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the absence of routinely collected, disaggregated data on ethnicity, religion, and...

      Domestic Abuse: Family Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 127202, whether his Department plans to undertake an assessment of the adequacy of the...

      Family Courts: Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership's report entitled Child Safeguarding Practice Review: Sara Sharif, published on 13 November...

      Marriage Act 1949: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the consultation on the Marriage Act 1949 reforms will be launched.

  • Treasury

    • Motorcycles: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of calculating motorcycle Vehicle Excise Duty on the basis of engine size.

    • ExcludedUK

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further her engagement her Department will have with the campaigning group, Excluded UK.

      Advisory Services: Fringe Benefits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026, to Question 129836, on Advisory Services: Fringe Benefits, and further to the HMRC Employment Income Manual...

      Roads: Standards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment she has made of road wear caused by (a) motorcycles and (b) other vehicle types; and whether she plans to update future VED banding.

      Motorcycles: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered aligning motorcycle Vehicle Excise Duty with the weight‑based approach proposed for other vehicle categories in...

      Parcels: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the cumulative costs of VAT and associated handling fees applied to parcels sent from distribution...

      Fuels: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to fuel duty on households and businesses reliant on road transport.

      Small Businesses: Directors

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the context of financial support for businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, what evidence her Department used to classify small limited company...

      Chancellor of the Exchequer: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the scheduled date for the Chancellor of the Exchequer's tax return to be published by the Government on gov.uk for the 2024-25 tax year.

      Bank Services and Legal Profession

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure access to a) physical currency, b) banking services and c) legal services in (i) the UK and (ii) Bristol North East...

      Cryptocurrencies: Politically Exposed Persons

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance the Financial Conduct Authority provided on cryptocurrency payments to domestic Politically Exposed Persons.

      Banks: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure banks carry out appropriate anti-fraud checks.

      UK Trade with EU: Republic of Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of EU de minimis charges and associated handling fees on UK retailers fulfilling consumer orders to...

      Productivity

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to increase productivity.

      Stamp Duty Land Tax: Fines

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026, to Question 129861, on Stamp Duty Land Tax: Fines, what is the average amount of time to determine (a) a...

      Capital Gains Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was generated from capital gains tax in the last financial year.

      Income Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people paying the higher rate of income tax in the most recent tax year.

      Food: Prices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of rising food prices on household finances in the past 12 months.

      Hospitality Industry: Tax Burden

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of the overall tax burden on hospitality businesses.

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), what factors explain the change in the...

    • Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026, HCWS1425, what the reason is for the...

      Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), whether the £75 million annual...

      Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), what the planned annual payment...

      Developing Countries: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her policy is on the (a) amelioration and (b) cancellation of high-interest debts incurred by low-income...

      Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), what explains the increase in Human...

      West Bank: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department conducted a value for money assessment of the WBPC rebuild-after-demolition cycle; and...

      Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), what explains the reduction in...

      Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), which multilateral allocations are...

      Africa: Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), what assessment she has made of the...

      Gaza: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of healthcare facilities in Gaza in receipt of UK aid have been attacked...

      Israel: Palestine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the United States government regarding the development...

      Terrorism: Criminal Investigation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how terrorist murders of British nationals committed in foreign countries are investigated; and whether...

      Imran Khan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Government of Pakistan on the imprisonment and detention...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Local Government Pension Scheme: Age

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing the Normal Minimum Pension Age from 6 April 2028 on...

    • Homelessness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of local authorities' financial resources to deliver the...

      Temporary Accommodation: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of out-of-area homelessness placements on children’s a)...

      Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the average workplace attendance in his Department’s London main building on a Friday as a proportion of...

      Supported Housing: Domestic Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of accommodation provided by local authorities...

      Devolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take legislative steps to bring into force section 63 and schedule 30 of the English Devolution and...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Tourism: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote (a) Royal Sutton Coldfield and (b) the West Midlands as destinations for British holidaymakers in...

    • Sports: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase the provision of disability sport in Lincolnshire.

      Better Futures Fund: Lincolnshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £500 million allocated to the Better Futures Fund has been committed to projects in Lincolnshire.

      Sports Competitors: Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase general awareness of relative energy deficiency in sport.

      UK Town of Culture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her department plans to announce the UK Town of Culture.

      Creative Foundations Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the outcomes of the Creative Foundations Fund are distributed equitably across the country.

      Arts: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that grassroots artists and cultural organisations in post-industrial towns can access...

      Cultural Heritage: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress she has made on developing a national Cultural Infrastructure Map; and whether it will identify (a) areas of...

      Choirs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the (a)...

      Arts: Neurodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of neurodivergent workers on the creative industries; and what steps...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Energy: Small Businesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling small businesses to renegotiate and exit fixed-term...

    • Transport: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has assessed the recommendations of the Independent Greenhouse Gas Removal Review, published on 23 October...

      National Grid: Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure investment in the national grid, including batteries and other upgrades to capacity.

      Heat Networks: Price Caps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is considering reintroducing or adapting the Energy Bills Discount Scheme for households supplied via heat networks; and...

      Natural Gas: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to identify alternative financing models for flexible gas generation that ensure...

      Fuels: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to promote the Fuel Finder scheme to Motorists.

      Heat Networks: Price Caps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on extending the current regulatory framework for heat networks to include price protections...

      Heat Networks: Price Caps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what legislative timetable he has set for introducing further regulation of heat networks, including any provisions relating to...

      Heat Networks: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the extent to which current regulation of heat networks provides equivalent protections to those...

      Energy: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of (a) fraud and (b) poor installations under the ECO4 scheme, particularly...

      Heat Networks: Price Caps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he expects to launch the proposed call for evidence on heat network price protections; and what the intended scope of that...

      Heat Networks: Price Caps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is considering regulating the non-domestic gas and electricity tariffs charged to heat network operators, in...

      Power Failures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many unplanned power outages occurred in each of the last five years.

      Heat Networks: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the average annual cost increase for households connected to heat networks as a result of...

      Heat Networks: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the exposure of heat network consumers to volatility in wholesale gas markets,...

      Renewable Energy: Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 124401, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the tools available to...

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 124401, what metrics his Department uses to define high levels of resilience in...

      National Grid: Operating Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the total system costs of maintaining grid stability over the last five years for which data is available.

      Heat Networks: Price Caps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a price protection mechanism for domestic consumers...

      Heat Networks: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that households connected to heat networks are not disadvantaged compared to those using...

      Electricity: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Contracts for Difference scheme in decoupling wholesale electricity prices...

  • Department for Transport

    • Bus Services: Gender Based Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 123911, when her Department expects to launch the mandatory training to ensure that women...

    • Department for Transport: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her Department since 2020.

      Cycling and Walking: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department's planned timetable is for publishing the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy 3.

      Roads: Horse Riding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the forthcoming update to the Manual for Streets will include specific guidance on the integration of horse riders within street design; and...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Pigs: Slaughterhouses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to accept the recommendation of the Animal Welfare Committee's report entitled The welfare...

    • Environmental Stewardship Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Environmental Stewardship agreements at protecting wildlife habitats...

      Hunting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of banning on trail hunting on countryside management.

      Marine Protected Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect marine conservation areas.

      Noise: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce noise pollution in a) Stockport and b) Greater Manchester.

      Foie Gras and Furs: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's timeline is for banning the import of foie gras and fur into the UK.

      Poultry: Animal Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the British Veterinary Association's press release entitled British Veterinary Association calls for an...

      Food: Public Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has she made in ensuring that 50% of food across the public sector is UK-sourced.

      Food: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory reporting of food waste in...

      Poultry: Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of Ukraine's implementation of improvements to...

      Pet Travel Scheme: UK Relations with EU

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affair, what steps she has taken to align the United Kingdom as a part 1 listed status with the EU in relation to pet travel into the EU.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Defence: Space Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the fourth report of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (CP1338), published on 24 June 2025, what progress he has...

    • China: National Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the fourth report of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy entitled National Security Strategy 2025: Security for the...

      USA: Airspace and Military Bases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what definition he uses for defensive operations in relation to United States use of UK bases and airspace.

      Artillery: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled Next-generation remote controlled artillery systems to transform British Army, published on 13 May 2026,...

      Navy: Unmanned Air Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Regentcraft Squire sea glider drone as part of the Royal Navy’s capabilities in the...

      Navy: Unmanned Marine Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the answer of 20 April 2026 to question 125359 on Teledyne Marine: Navy, by when he plans to deliver APEX floats to the Royal Navy.

      Defence: Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the Defence Investment Plan has not yet been published.

      Armed Forces: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce final pay figures for the 2026/27 Armed Forces pay round.

      Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long on average it takes for applications to be completed for a) the War Pension Scheme and b) the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

  • Women and Equalities

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Armed Forces: Clubs

      To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance the (1) Ministry of Defence, and (2) Armed Forces, have given to members of the Armed Forces on whether they may formally or...

  • Attorney General

    • Attorney General: Conflict of Interests

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Attorney General has recused himself from advising on (1) all aspects of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, or (2)...

  • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

    • Myanmar: Religious Freedom

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the detention of religious leaders and attacks on places of worship in Myanmar; and what steps are they taking to support...

    • Cyprus: Property

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the June 2025 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights reaffirming the Immovable Property Commission as an effective...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the joint briefing by Gingerbread, Surviving Economic Abuse, and Women’s Aid, “Maintenance is used as a weapon all of...

    • Blood: Lead

      To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Health and Safety Executive regarding its proposals to lower the permitted level of lead in the blood from 60 micrograms...

      Keep Britain Working Review

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Sherlock on 19 January (HL13272 and HL13273), whether information on the shape and remit of the Vanguard Taskforce and...

      Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

      To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of assessments for Personal Independence Payment are conducted (1) face to face, and (2) through paper-based review.

  • Department for Business and Trade

    • Safety: Public Places

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 27 April (HL16209), what steps they will take to implement the recommendations of the report by Liverpool...

    • Paternity Leave

      To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the current period of statutory paternity leave entitlement to more than two weeks.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Environment Protection: Regulation

      To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received regarding the costs and regulatory burdens of environmental permitting regulations for farm practices; and how they...

    • Fisheries: Disclosure of Information

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to endorse the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency,  or to take other steps to end slavery in the UK supply chain, particularly...

      Fishing Vessels: Monitoring

      To ask His Majesty's Government, whether they expect to announce the mandatory rollout of Remote Electronic Monitoring on pelagic vessels over 24 metres long operating in English waters, and if...

  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

    • Carbon Emissions: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 15 May 2023 (HL7503), what discussions they have held with the UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories...

    • Hydroelectric Power: Storage

      To ask His Majesty's Government will they ensure that the "Energy Independence Bill" proposed in the King's Speech made on 13 May includes provisions to augment energy storage through new...

      Renewable Energy: Community Development

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward proposals to ensure that community benefit commitments made by renewable energy developers are binding on successor owners,...

  • Department for Transport

    • DfT Operator: Staff

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 15 April (HL Deb col 59GC), whether the staff transferred from the Department for Transport (DfT) to...

    • Great British Railways: Fares

      To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 27 January (HL13602), whether they have now made an estimate of the capital and ongoing...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman: Standards

      To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the performance of the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman, in particular the timeliness of investigations.

    • Judges: Conflict of Interests

      To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission a review of the effectiveness of the principle set out in the Guide to Judicial Conduct that tribunal judges should...

      Miscarriages of Justice: Repayments

      To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of refunding victims of historic miscarriages of justice for the saved living costs of the time they spent in prison.

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Community Relations

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist new arrivals in the UK to become part of the community.

    • Voluntary Sector: Buildings

      To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance is available for the repair and maintenance of buildings essential for voluntary activities.

      Affordable Housing: Rural Areas

      To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the provision of sufficient affordable housing in rural areas to enable young people to remain in the villages where they live...

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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