Alex Mayer MP: written questions 2024
239 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Public TransportDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9981More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the relative merits of fixed fleet caps against dynamic fleet caps for micro mobility schemes in the UK.
Answer: The Government is still considering next steps for on-street micromobility rental and will use a wide range of evidence and consultation before making any final policy decisions.
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordProducts: LabellingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9980More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory labelling on (a) furniture and (b) other products that have been tested on animals.
Answer: Animal testing of chemical substances is prohibited in all but a very limited number of circumstances where it is essential for the protection of human and animal health or environmental safety, as prescribed by the REACH Regulations. As a result, there a...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTransportDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9841More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to publish an integrated national transport strategy.
Answer: Better integrating transport networks is one of the Transport Secretary’s five strategic priorities. The current transport system is fragmented, lacks join up and cohesion and does not cater for the needs of all the people who use it. In future, transport...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordYoung Futures HubsHome OfficeTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will outline a planned timeline for the rollout of Young Futures hubs.
Answer: The Government is committed to rolling out a new Youth Futures programme, including a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need.Officials from across a range of d...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordProstate Cancer: Dunstable and Leighton BuzzardDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9839More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve prostate cancer (a) screening and (b) awareness in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency.
Answer: Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. A PSA-based screening programme will harm so...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTree PlantingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on its commitment to launch a four-country tree planting task force.
Answer: Defra has been engaging with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive on the establishment of a Tree Planting Taskforce.
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrescriptions: FinesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8720More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of NHS prescription fines that have been issued to people on (a) contribution-based Employment Support Allowance and (b) Savings Credit in each o
Answer: The information requested is not held. Contribution based Employment Support Allowances and Savings Credits do not qualify for an exemption from prescription charges. No information is recorded on the FP10 relating to these benefits, nor at the time of is...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLand: BurialMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of land for burials.
Answer: The Government is aware of increasing localised pressure on burial spaces in certain parts of the country and we welcome information from burial providers and local communities about the situation in their areas, as this is helpful in enabling us to build...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBroadband: East of EnglandDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8718More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department has on the number of miles of (a) copper wire and (b) fibre in the internet network in (i) Central Bedfordshire and (ii) the East of England; and how man
Answer: The Department does not hold this information. Openreach’s annual review for 2023-24 provides some information for the largest wholesale broadband and network provider, though this does not reflect the market as a whole and does not provide regional break...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFloods: Home InsuranceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8717More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take legislative steps to ensure all domestic insurers offer Build Back Better policies.
Answer: I hosted a roundtable in September 2024 with leaders from the insurance industry, as well as experts in research and development. At this event, the importance of Build Back Better was stressed to the insurance industry and all providers were encouraged t...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFloods: Home InsuranceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8716More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that all domestic insurers signed up to the Build Back Better flood insurance scheme offer those provisions across all their products.
Answer: I hosted a roundtable in September 2024 with leaders from the insurance industry, as well as experts in research and development. At this event, the importance of Build Back Better was stressed to the insurance industry and all providers were encouraged t...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTree PlantingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8715More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to use the Government's tree planting programme to help tackle (a) flooding and (b) upper catchment management of rivers.
Answer: Defra recognises the role tree planting has to support the management of England’s rivers. Defra works with the Forestry Commission, Natural England and the Environment Agency to ensure tree planting is appropriately targeted. Defra supports a number of p...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRivers: Tree PlantingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8714More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase tree planting along riverbanks.
Answer: Defra recognises the role tree planting has to support the management of England’s rivers. Defra works with the Forestry Commission, Natural England and the Environment Agency to ensure tree planting is appropriately targeted. Defra supports a number of p...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLarger Eight-toothed European Spruce Bark BeetlesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8713More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in European countries on mitigating the spread of the Ips typographus tree pest.
Answer: Ips typographus is present in most of continental Europe, where it is not a regulated pest. In recent years, large populations have built up across western and central Europe causing extensive damage and mortality of spruce trees. Beetles routinely caught...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAnimal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8712More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department had made of the potential merits of producing an animal protection strategy.
Answer: This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. We will be outlining more detail in due course.
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8711More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to set a target date for the long-term replacement of animal experiments in med
Answer: The manifesto commits us to partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing, and we are currently engaging with the sector as to how to take this commitment forward. Any policy changes as a result ...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordShellfish: TransportDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish best practice guidance for the transport of live decapod crustaceans.
Answer: The Government is committed to an evidence-based approach to improve welfare standards for decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs. My department is continuing to engage with stakeholders and seeking to address evidence gaps to inform future policy de...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordShellfish: SalesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8709More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to end the sale of live decapod crustaceans.
Answer: The Government is committed to an evidence-based approach to improve welfare standards for decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs. My department is continuing to engage with stakeholders and seeking to address evidence gaps to inform future policy de...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEnergy: North SeaDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the Declarations between the UK and North Seas countries at the North Sea Summit in April 2023.
Answer: The Ostend Declarations commit signatories to delivering cross-border projects in the North Seas, and set out a shared target of 300GW of offshore wind in the North Seas by 2050. We are committed to radically increasing the deployment of offshore wind, es...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTaxis: VATDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8707More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the adequacy of the level of VAT charged on fares for (a) demand responsive transport and (b) other public transport services that use privat
Answer: The government has consulted on the potential tax impacts on the sector and its passengers of court judgments on the interpretation of private hire vehicle (PHV) legislation. The consultation considered the VAT treatment of PHVs when used for conventional...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBuses and Large Goods Vehicles: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8554More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending the zero emission vehicle mandate to include (a) trucks and (b) buses.
Answer: To meet net zero, both the HGV and bus sectors will need to decarbonise. The Government has not made a detailed assessment of the merits or feasibility of extending the zero emission vehicle mandate.
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordToys and Games: SafetyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8553More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to limit the number of dangerous toys sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces.
Answer: The Office for Product Safety and Standards leads a national programme of regulatory action to tackle risks from unsafe and non-compliant goods from online marketplaces. This includes test purchasing products, including toys, to assess compliance and remo...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRoad Works: Public ConsultationDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8552More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to publish the results of the consultation on Street works: fines and lane rental surplus funds.
Answer: The Department for Transport consulted earlier in 2024 on reforms to street works fines and the use of surplus lane rental funds. Publication of this response was delayed due to the general election. We plan to publish the response to this consultation in...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVaccination: Supply ChainsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of sovereign cold chain partners on the safe (a) storage and (b) delivery of vaccines in healthcare emergencies.
Answer: The UK Health Security Agency has appointed, through a Commercial and Quality Technical Agreement, a third party to provide storage and distribution of vaccines in the event of healthcare emergencies. The United Kingdom-based provider must adhere to the r...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will establish a definition for (a) lower emission and (b) net zero steel.
Answer: Building demand for low carbon products is essential for achieving net zero. Public procurement is a key lever for driving demand. At COP28 the UK declared its intention to meet international green procurement pledges for low emission steel and concrete i...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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