Alberto Costa MP: written questions 2025
53 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Local Government and Social Care OmbudsmanMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63684More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an independent appeal or review mechanism for complainants who are dissatisfied with decision
Answer: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's decisions on complaints are typically final, and can only be challenged through the courts on points of law. The government has no plans to change this.
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPortugal: British Nationals AbroadForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52256More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that British nationals who are the victims of violent attacks are adequately supported by the British Embassy in Portugal; and w
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the UK's embassies, high commissions and consulates provide consular support to British nationals abroad. We are contactable 24/7, 365 days a year, around the world. In Portugal, we have staff ...
Answered 20 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision: AdvertisingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48966More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the regulation of televised advertisements depicting (a) violent imagery, (b) knifes and (c) other weapons during family viewing hours; and what steps s
Answer: Although we have not had specific such conversations with Ofcom, we take the issue seriously. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) co-regulates broadcast advertising under contract with Ofcom and its sister organisation, the Broadcast Committee of Ad...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterans: HomelessnessMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48965More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of homelessness among armed forces veterans; and what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help pr
Answer: This is a Government that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government to ensure veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing, as well as health, employment and other areas. In November 202...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Social Rented HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48964More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that armed forces veterans are given priority status on local authority housing registers.
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for designing and managing their own housing allocations policies to meet local need within the framework of legislation under which certain categories of people must be given priority.By law, local authorities must give ...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSheltered HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward proposals to (a) support and (b) incentivise the resale of retirement or sheltered housing units.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 40972 on 1 April 2025.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEmpty Property: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45632More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to introduce a statutory exemption from the long-term empty homes council tax premium for properties that have been inherited and are being marketed
Answer: When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), ...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEmpty Property: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department monitors the number of households charged the council tax premium on long-term empty homes following (a) bereavement and (b) inheritance.
Answer: When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), ...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: ProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Apr 2025WithdrawnUIN 43186More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA heard in the Crown Court since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: ProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43185More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA being heard in the Crown Court since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021.
Answer: Based on extracted management information data, the RSPCA has initiated 15,070 prosecutions since the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force in April 2007. This figure is taken as of September 2024 in line with published statistics.There have been 198 Cr...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: ProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43183More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA being heard in the Crown Court and the Magistrates Court since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Answer: Based on extracted management information data, the RSPCA has initiated 15,070 prosecutions since the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force in April 2007. This figure is taken as of September 2024 in line with published statistics.There have been 198 Cr...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBovine Tuberculosis: VaccinationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40171More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to offer farmers badger vaccination in 2025 to tackle bTB in wildlife populations.
Answer: Badger vaccination is proven to significantly reduce the risk of infection and spread of disease within badger populations. The Government is committed to strengthening the evidence on how badger vaccination reduces TB in cattle. We know this is crucial f...
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBovine Tuberculosis: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40170More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to issue supplementary cull licences in 2025.
Answer: The Government has started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy, to continue to drive down disease rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this Parliament. Licensing and authorisation decisions are ...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSign Language: GCSEDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37206More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with Ofqual on the timing of the first teaching of the British Sign Language GCSE.
Answer: The development of a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE is an important step toward fostering greater recognition of BSL as a language, and the government is committed to developing a qualification that benefits both students and the wider deaf community.Th...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSign Language: GCSEDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37205More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects the first BSL GCSE course to begin.
Answer: The development of a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE is an important step toward fostering greater recognition of BSL as a language, and the government is committed to developing a qualification that benefits both students and the wider deaf community.Th...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPlastics: Waste ManagementDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assess the potential toxicity of bioplastics; and whether he plans to introduce specific toxicity testing requirements beyond existing waste mana
Answer: Chemical substances, including monomers, which are constituent components of bioplastics manufactured in or imported into the UK are subject to the requirements of our regulatory framework. This includes UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation &...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPlastics: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33921More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) define and (b) set standards for the use of (i) biodegradable and (ii) compostable plastics.
Answer: A Circular Economy Taskforce of experts has been convened from across government, industry, academia and civil society to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England and a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government and ...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMicroplastics: PollutionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31055More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report entitled Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains, published in Nature Medicine on 3 February 2025, what assessment he has made of the pot
Answer: Microplastics have been widely detected in the environment – in the air, soils, rivers, and the seas. We are aware there is still much work to be done to strengthen our understanding of the impacts of microplastics in the water and wider environment. Defr...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMicroplastics: Health HazardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) research and (b) mitigate the potential health risks posed by microplastic exposure to humans.
Answer: The UK Health Security Agency, in collaboration with Imperial College, is carrying out research and providing evidence to assist the understanding of the potential risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes. The po...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to improve (a) broadband speed and (b) connectivity in rural areas.
Answer: Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.More than £2 billion of contracts have been signed to connect over a million more premises with gigabit-...
Answered 19 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: PrimatesHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30104More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a response to the Animals in Science Committee's research entitled Commission of advice: non-human primates bred for use in scientific procedures, published on 6 September 2022; an
Answer: Through the UK legislation, the government requires the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) to be delivered for non-human primates (NHPs) in scientific research. When there is no alternative to using NHPs in scientific procedure...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30103More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to maintain 2024-25 funding levels for research to (a) replace, (b) reduce and (c) refine the use of animal testing.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting the development and uptake of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. A significant amount of UK research funding UK goes to underpinning technologies (e.g. cell-based assays and computer modelling) ...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel PaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26024More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department made a distinction between pensioners living in (a) care homes and (b) assisted living accommodation when reviewing eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments.
Answer: Pensioners who are in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit, and who live in a care home are not entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment. This is because most will have their care and accommodation costs met by the Local Authority. For purpos...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFaith Schools: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend the 50% faith-based admissions cap to all new schools.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for South Leicestershire to the answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23775.
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordQuarrying: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on requiring local authorities to take into account the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM) guidance, Guidance on the Assessment of Mineral Dust Impacts
Answer: Planning policy for minerals is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. This is supported by Planning Practice Guidance, including details on how planning authorities should assess the environmental impacts of mineral extraction.By law, plannin...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →