Al Pinkerton MP: written questions 2025
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Written questions
Elections: Surrey HeathMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97596More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage newly eligible young voters to participate in elections in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Electoral Commission’s 2023 report on electoral registers found that young people are among the least likely groups to be registered to vote. As set out in our Strategy for modern and secure elections, the Government is committed to improving voter re...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordElectoral Register: Surrey HeathMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to raise awareness of voter registration requirements among young people in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Electoral Commission’s 2023 report on electoral registers found that young people are among the least likely groups to be registered to vote. As set out in our Strategy for modern and secure elections, the Government is committed to improving voter re...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordElectoral Register: Surrey HeathMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97594More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of voter registration among young people in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Electoral Commission’s 2023 report on electoral registers found that young people are among the least likely groups to be registered to vote. As set out in our Strategy for modern and secure elections, the Government is committed to improving voter re...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordVoting Behaviour: Surrey HeathMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97593More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help improve voter participation in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Department is taking forward a comprehensive programme of work to improve voter participation. This work is being designed in close collaboration with the Electoral Commission, local authorities, think tanks, academics and civil society organisations....
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCustoms: ParcelsTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97386More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HMRC has made of the causes of customs delays affecting parcels entering the UK from the European Union during the period 1 November 2024 to 31 January 2025.
Answer: HMRC understands the importance of consumers receiving their parcels on time and has robust procedures alongside Border Force to help maintain the flow. HMRC have confirmed there were no significant system outages during the period requested but has not c...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCustoms: ParcelsTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97381More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average customs clearance time was for parcels entering the UK from the EU during the period 1 November to 31 January in each of the last three years.
Answer: HMRC understands the importance of consumers receiving their parcels on time and has robust procedures alongside Border Force to help maintain the flow. HMRC have confirmed there were no significant system outages during the period requested but has not c...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPostal Services: EU CountriesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97380More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact on businesses of current delivery times for parcels between the UK and the EU during the festive period.
Answer: The government recognises that the proper functioning of postal services is vital for businesses, particularly small businesses engaged in international trade. However, parcel delivery times are an operational matter for postal operators to address as pri...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Overseas TradeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97375More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of consignments of (a) beef, (b) salmon, (c) dairy products, (d) apples and (e) cheese were subject to SPS sampling requirements since 2024.
Answer: Defra does not hold that information. This because rates of sampling will vary according to the type of commodity, the country of export or origin of the goods, the disease status in that country or place of origin, and any treatments or processing that m...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97372More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many SPS-related (a) documentary checks, (b) identity checks and (c) physical inspections are carried out on UK agri-food consignments entering the EU each day.
Answer: Defra does not hold the data for controls undertaken by European Union Border Control Posts. Such information is held by EU Central Competent Authorities.
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97370More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many consignments of agri-food products were exported from the UK to the European Union in each (a) week, (b) month and (c) year since July 2024.
Answer: Data on the number of export health certificates issued for Great Britain to EU exports is available at: Export Health Certificates (Live Animals and Animal Product Origins) Issued between Great Britain and European Union by APHA - data.gov.uk. This data ...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordImport Controls: EU CountriesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97369More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has undertaken a cost–benefit analysis of potential changes to sanitary and phytosanitary procedures applying to UK–EU exports.
Answer: An SPS agreement could increase the volume of UK exports of major agricultural commodities to the EU by 16% [Methodology Note: How Defra has estimated the impact of a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement on the UK agricultural sector - GOV.UK ].Defra comm...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordImport Controls: EU CountriesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97366More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with exporters on sanitary and phytosanitary requirements when trading with the European Union.
Answer: Defra has engaged closely with industry, including exporters, to understand the barriers faced when trading with the EU. Business groups broadly welcomed the announcement in May of the UK and EU’s commitment to work towards an SPS agreement. Defra will co...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97364More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trading arrangements with the European Union on British agri-food exporters.
Answer: An SPS agreement could increase the volume of UK exports of major agricultural commodities to the EU by 16% [Methodology Note: How Defra has estimated the impact of a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement on the UK agricultural sector - GOV.UK ].Defra comm...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Services: Surrey HeathDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97358More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on funding for youth services in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services in helping young people live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. I have worked closely with Cabinet colleagues from over ten departments to develop ‘Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strat...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: DisabilityDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97355More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make education more inclusive of disabled children in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: We want to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting all children and young people in every part of the country to achieve and thrive in education, through early identification of need, access to the right support at the right time, high qua...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordReading: Surrey HeathDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97354More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support families to read with children before they start (a) nursery and (b) school in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The government is investing £500 million in the national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, which will be available in every local authority by 2028. These hubs bring together services for families with children aged 0 to 19, with a particular focus on su...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: Surrey HeathDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97353More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that specialist speech and language therapies are available to children with education, health and care plans in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabil...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: ProtectionDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve child protection services in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The department is working closely with local authorities and their partners to improve multi-agency child protection and safeguarding. Officials meet regularly with Surrey County Council, including to discuss local child protection delivery.We are providi...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAdoption and Special Guardianship Support FundDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.
Answer: This financial year, the department has invested £50 million into the adoption and special guardianship support fund. We have approved applications for nearly 14,000 children since April, for both therapy and specialist assessments. We continue to review ...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Surrey HeathDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97350More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help increase levels of attainment in schools in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed.Through the government’s Plan for Change, the department is giving every child the best start in life and has set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready t...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: Surrey HeathDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97347More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the number of (a) suspensions and (b) exclusions among pupils with SEND in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement, based on the individual circumstances of the case, when issuing a sanction and in the most serious cases exclusion may be necessary. The department regularly analyses and publishes pu...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordVocational Education: SurreyDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97346More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of vocational qualifications for post-16 learners in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Post-16 education and skills white paper, published on 20 October, set out our vision for a world-leading skills system which breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs; widens access to high-quality education and training...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRelationships and Sex Education: Surrey HeathDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97345More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve education on (a) sexual consent and (b) relationships in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The department published updated relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance in July 2025. It includes a focus on building healthy relationships skills from the start of primary school and sets out that secondary schools should cover the ro...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Vocational GuidanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support younger people into agricultural careers in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: Young farmers are essential to the long-term resilience of UK agriculture and DEFRA works closely with the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, alongside other industry bodies, to understand the challenges facing new entrants and how best to suppo...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordChildminding: SurreyDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96880More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to (a) affordable and (b) flexible childcare provision through childminders in (i) Surrey and (ii) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. The department has implemented new flexibilities for child...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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