Alex Brewer MP: written questions 2025
176 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Children: MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that paying parents do not conceal (a) earnings and (b) investments to evade child maintenance payments.
Answer: Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the most recent available full tax year. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Use of historic income ensures a stable calcul...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood: ContaminationCabinet OfficeTabled 8 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51067More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress he has made on reducing the time taken to provide full compensation to people affected by the infected blood scandal; and what steps he is taking to ensure compensation is provided to victim
Answer: The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). Whilst the roll out of the scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, I fully support their commitment to moving forward as swiftly as p...
Answered 16 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSlaughterhouses: ClosuresDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50753More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support small and medium abattoirs and (b) prevent closures.
Answer: Defra recognises the vital role small and medium sized abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient, competitive food supply chain. Defra works closely with the industry including through the Small Abattoirs Working G...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50752More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Dedicated Schools Grant funding formula.
Answer: The dedicated schools grant (DSG) is paid in support of local authorities’ schools budgets. It allocates funding through four separate blocks covering mainstream schools, high needs, early years and central school services. Each block is calculated using ...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Instruction and Driving Tests: North East HampshireDepartment for TransportTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50751More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) recruiting new driving instructors and (b) opening new test centres in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.DVSA does not employ driving instructors. Whilst DVSA does not have the power to eithe...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: Guildford and HampshireDepartment for TransportTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50750More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of time taken for driving tests in (a) Farnborough, (b) Basingstoke and (c) Guildford; and what steps she is taking to help reduce the backlog of those tests.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.DVSA does not employ driving instructors. Whilst DVSA does not have the power to eithe...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Neurone Disease: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49644More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support patients with motor neurone disease.
Answer: At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with motor neurone disease (MND), including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurolog...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: Bus LanesDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49230More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure consistency across local authorities over motorcycles using bus lanes.
Answer: As set out in the consultation response published on 21 November 2024, the Department for Transport will update TAL 1/24 to include advice that local authorities should work with neighbouring authorities to achieve consistency of provision across boundari...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBank Services: FraudTreasuryTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47070More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with banks on the time taken to pay full refunds to people who have been subject to phishing scams.
Answer: Government ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations, details of which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel The Payment Systems Regulat...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: ComplaintsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46506More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve the effectiveness of the internal NHS complaints system.
Answer: Patients have the right to complain about any aspect of National Health Service care, treatment, or service. The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 set out the minimum standards NHS organisati...
Answered 24 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUrinary Tract InfectionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46505More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) diagnoses, (b) treatment options and (c) support for people living with chronic urinary tract infections; and whether he plans to increase levels
Answer: Support for those affected by chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) is locally led and commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs) to meet the needs of their local populations. NHS England is supporting research and working with industry to horizon sc...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Funds Transfer: FraudTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46504More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Payment Systems Regulator on the enforcement of the Authorised Push Payment fraud reimbursement rules introduced on 7 October 2024.
Answer: Government ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations, details of which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel The Government takes the is...
Answered 25 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: Victim Support SchemesMinistry of JusticeTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the experiences of rape and sexual assault victims in the criminal justice system.
Answer: The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade. Ministers from a wide range of relevant Government departments regularly meet to ensure we are using all available levers to achieve th...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that levels of adult social care funding are adequate to (a) meet care requirements, (b) support people at risk of being placed into residential homes and (c) ensu
Answer: To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care G...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: HampshireDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45347More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the provision of SEND services by Hampshire Council.
Answer: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The Hampshire local area partnership was last...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45346More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to meet the demand for specialist SEND school places.
Answer: The government recognises the vital role that special schools play in catering to children and young people with the most complex needs. We also want more children and young people to receive the support they need to thrive in their local mainstream schoo...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: HampshireDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45345More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support Hampshire County Council in its provision of SEND support.
Answer: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The Hampshire local area partnership was last...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: South EastDepartment for TransportTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45344More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of public transport to hospitals in Hampshire and Surrey.
Answer: The Government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to providing access to services and keeping communities connected. The government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December 2024 as part of its ambitious plan for bus refor...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: HampshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45343More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for ministerial visits to hospitals in Hampshire.
Answer: Ministers regularly consider visits across the country to see the impact of their policy areas. Any plans to visit specific locations will be notified to the relevant Members of Parliament in advance.
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBasingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45342More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the estimated cost to the public purse of maintenance on Basingstoke Hospital before its rebuild in 2037.
Answer: National Health Service trusts are responsible for maintaining their estates using their annual capital allocations, including surveying facilities and estimating future maintenance costs.The Government is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operation...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44360More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) simplify the paperwork and (b) make online submissions possible for Access to Work Plus applications.
Answer: Access to Work Policy has worked collaboratively with the Supported Business Steering Group to develop Access to Work Plus. The Access to Work Plus processes are reviewed on a regular basis and work is currently underway to streamline the claims process. ...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44359More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is between submitting an application for Access to Work Plus and (a) an in-person assessment, (b) a funding decision and (c) payment.
Answer: Access to Work Plus applications are prioritised and pulled from the standard Access to Work application queue. The average clearance time for Access to Work applications which include Access to Work Plus is 25-days. Once requested an enhanced Access to W...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work Programme: TrainingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44358More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all DWP caseworkers assessing employees in the Access to Work Plus scheme are fully trained on the scheme’s requirements.
Answer: Since Access to Work Plus began testing in 2022, Access to Work has a dedicated team of Case Managers who process Access to Work Plus applications. Case Managers underwent training to ensure the policy intent was understood and being applied consistently....
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordExport ControlsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the he plans to take to improve the system of (a) applying for and (b) receiving export licences.
Answer: ECJU is implementing a new digital export licensing system, LITE, to provide a modern digital service that streamlines the export licence application process.ECJU has an ongoing programme of Continuous Improvement and we routinely identify and implement o...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Rural AreasDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44284More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Early education and childcare (effective from 1 April 2025), published on 21 February 2025, what steps her Department is taking to maintain access to childca
Answer: It is the department’s 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. In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the depa...
Answered 17 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →