Al Pinkerton MP: written questions
1209 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Driving Licences: HealthDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the time taken to (a) renew and (b) reinstate driving licences involving medical conditions in the last 12 months.
Answer: In 2025/26 the average time to make a licensing decision in cases where a medical condition(s) needed to be investigated before a licence could be issued was 56.66 days. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently reviewing the content of...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Licences: HealthDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of average processing times for medical driving licence applications by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. In the interests of road safety, the DVLA must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued. Applications where ...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: AccessDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review accessibility provisions in community pharmacy services.
Answer: The Department recognises the importance of ensuring community pharmacy services are safe and accessible to all patients, including those with disabilities and sensory impairments in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency.In addition to the legal requir...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: SafetyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126409More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve patient safety in community pharmacy settings in Surrey.
Answer: The Department recognises the importance of ensuring community pharmacy services are safe and accessible to all patients, including those with disabilities and sensory impairments in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency.In addition to the legal requir...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: DisabilityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126408More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the accessibility of community pharmacy services for people with sensory impairments in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Department recognises the importance of ensuring community pharmacy services are safe and accessible to all patients, including those with disabilities and sensory impairments in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency.In addition to the legal requir...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: DisabilityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure community pharmacy services are accessible to patients with disabilities in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Department recognises the importance of ensuring community pharmacy services are safe and accessible to all patients, including those with disabilities and sensory impairments in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency.In addition to the legal requir...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: Surrey HeathDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126389More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) impact of respiratory conditions on health outcomes in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: Respiratory conditions are a leading cause of hospital admissions and the third biggest cause of death in England. Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The foll...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: SurreyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126388More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the adoption of new (a) treatments and (b) innovations for respiratory conditions across NHS services in Surrey.
Answer: Improving respiratory care for both adults and children remains a priority, and this forms part of the Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Boards’s CORE20Plus5 ambitions for both adults, for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and children and young peop...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren: MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will review the adequacy of safeguards to ensure the accuracy of arrears and appropriate court oversight in the enforcement of child maintenance liabilities.
Answer: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring that parents meet their financial responsibilities in full and on time with payments calculated so they are reasonable and affordable for the paying parent. When arrears are identified, parents ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren: MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126381More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the payment calculation approach used by the Child Maintenance Service.
Answer: The Department of Work and Pensions assures the accuracy of Child Maintenance payment calculations. As part of its Quality Framework, the measurement carried out by the Department is then independently assured by the National Audit Office. Information on ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance Service: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126380More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the administration of child maintenance services.
Answer: The Department is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in the administration of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). The Child Maintenance Decision Makers’ Guide is published on GOV.UK and provides transparency around CMS policy and guida...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordChronic Illnesses: Surrey HeathDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to coordinated care for patients living with multiple long-term conditions with overlapping symptomatology in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Department recognises that people living with multiple long‑term conditions with overlapping symptoms can face challenges in navigating health services, including in Surrey Heath, and that coordinated, person‑centred care is essential to improving out...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEhlers-Danlos Syndrome: Surrey HeathDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of diagnostic pathways for patients presenting with suspected (a) hypermobility spectrum disorders and (b) hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndromes in Surrey
Answer: The Department recognises that timely and accurate diagnosis of hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers‑Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is important in supporting people to access appropriate care and management, including people in Surrey He...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Excise DutiesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125960More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the methodology used to estimate Vehicle Excise Duty evasion rates.
Answer: The Department for Transport regularly keeps the methodology used in its official statistics under review, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and considers opportunities to improve methods where this is proportionate and supported by eviden...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Excise DutiesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125959More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the accuracy of the methodology used to estimate Vehicle Excise Duty evasion rates.
Answer: The Department for Transport has assessed the accuracy of the methodology used to estimate Vehicle Excise Duty evasion through the quality assurance, assumptions and limitations set out in the published Background Information and Notes and Definitions acc...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of student loan interest rates on graduates’ financial outcomes.
Answer: This government recognises the concerns caused by high student loan account balances and interest rates, resulting from loan plans designed by previous governments. That is why we are capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and Plan 3 student loans a...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125936More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons her Department applies different interest rates to different student loan repayment plans.
Answer: Decisions on Plan 2 and Plan 5 conditions were made by the previous government. This government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers. Over time, this has led to refo...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125935More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the equity of the different student loan interest rate structures in (a) Plan 2 and (b) Plan 5.
Answer: Decisions on Plan 2 and Plan 5 conditions were made by the previous government. This government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers. Over time, this has led to refo...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSpinal Muscular Atrophy: BabiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the available (a) clinical and (b) cost-effectiveness evidence on including spinal muscular atrophy in the newborn screening programme.
Answer: The Government recognises the challenges faced by those living with rare diseases and their families and is committed to improving outcomes. This is why the National Health Service is planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spi...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of rail reform on the availability of discounted rail travel schemes for (a) members of the armed forces and (b) veterans.
Answer: There are no plans to change or remove availability of discounted rail travel for members of the armed forces or veterans. The Railways Bill gives Great British Railways the flexibility to update and expand the concessionary offers in line with passenger ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people into (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in educatio...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2025 on levels of youth unemployment in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in educatio...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCommunity Assets: SurreyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the community ownership of assets in Surrey.
Answer: This Government is empowering communities to protect and take ownership of valued local assets through the new Community Right to Buy. This will give communities the first opportunity to purchase a registered asset of community value when it is put up for...
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Surrey HeathDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of recent trends in levels of business confidence in the hospitality sector in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: While the Department does not produce constituency-level assessments of business confidence, government closely monitors business confidence across the hospitality sector.We have introduced targeted support measures to strengthen the sector’s resilience. ...
Answered 17 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordJob Creation: Surrey HeathDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the creation of well-paid jobs in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade is supporting the creation of jobs and opportunities across the UK, including in the Surrey Heath constituency. We are doing this by supporting small and medium sized businesses to export, including developing a new B...
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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