Alex Sobel MP: written questions 2024
78 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Immigration Controls: ArtsHome OfficeTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review training provisions for UK Border Force officers for entry into the UK for non-UK (a) artists, (b) sponsors and (c) creatives.
Answer: Border Force officers are trained to the highest of standards to be able to carry out their role to enforce immigration policy at the border.Throughout that training, officers are continually tested to ensure they have the required skills and knowledge to...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: ArtsHome OfficeTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16989More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to improve (a) training and (b) guidance for Border Force officers on temporary admission procedures for entry into the UK for creative workers.
Answer: Border Force officers are trained to the highest of standards to be able to carry out their role to enforce immigration policy at the border.Throughout that training, officers are continually tested to ensure they have the required skills and knowledge to...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRussia: Freezing of AssetsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring frozen Russian assets held in the UK to support the underwriting of insurance for Ukrainian projects.
Answer: This Government is clear that Russia must be held responsible for its illegal war. That includes its obligations under international law to pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine. Working with allies, we continue to pursue all possible lawful further...
Answered 3 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAutismDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15779More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to support (a) people diagnosed with pathological demand avoidance and (b) their carers.
Answer: The department wants all children and young people to be able to receive the right support to succeed in their education and we recognise that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) often require access to additio...
Answered 2 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAutism: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15778More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to support (a) people diagnosed with pathological demand avoidance and (b) their carers.
Answer: Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is most often understood as a characteristic experienced by or observed, or both, in some autistic people, but professional consensus on its status is still required. PDA is not a recognised and stand-alone diagnosis wi...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLicensing Act 2003Home OfficeTabled 22 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15654More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Licensing Act 2003 to include a legal definition of the term drunk.
Answer: The High Court has set out in case law (Neale v E 1984) that the word ‘drunk’ should be given its ‘ordinary and natural meaning’.It is an offence under S.141 of the Licensing Act 2003 knowingly to serve alcohol to someone who is drunk. It is also an offen...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLicensing LawsHome OfficeTabled 22 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to extend the temporary off-sales regulatory easement in the Business and Planning Act 2020 beyond 31 March 2025.
Answer: The Home Office conducted a consultation on the future of the temporary off-sales regulatory easement earlier this year. A response will be published in due course.
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLotteries: AccountabilityDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14697More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will request that the Gambling Commission provide an overview of where (a) the Health Lottery and (b) other large scale lotteries have not fulfilled their social responsibility duties; and
Answer: The oversight of operating licences for large scale lotteries such as the Health Lottery, including compliance with social responsibility duties, is a matter for the Gambling Commission. Where the Commission takes regulatory action against an operator, it...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Lottery: LicensingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14696More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of whether the current Health Lottery licence holder meets the fit and proper person test.
Answer: The oversight of both operating and personal management licences for society lotteries, including assessing an applicant’s suitability to hold a licence, is a matter for the Gambling Commission.More information about the Gambling Commission’s principles f...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Lottery: InquiriesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14695More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Gambling Commission took in 2011 in response to the announcement of an inquiry into the Health Lottery.
Answer: From 2011 onwards, the Gambling Commission has provided advice and worked with the Health Lottery to ensure it remains compliant with its statutory responsibilities. The ongoing assessment of the Health Lottery has been in line with the Commission’s usual...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Lottery: LicensingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14694More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the Health Lottery’s licence to operate.
Answer: The oversight of both operating and personal management licences for society lotteries, including assessing an applicant’s suitability to hold a licence, is a matter for the Gambling Commission.More information about the Gambling Commission’s principles f...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Lottery: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14693More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of revenue the Health Lottery has given to charity in each year since 2019.
Answer: All society lotteries, including the Health Lottery, are required to publish information on their websites about the proportion of revenue they return to good causes. This data is available on the Health Lottery’s website. The Department does not hold dat...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSixth Form Colleges: PayDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Sixth Form Pay Award settlement to Non-Academized Sixth Form Colleges in addition to Academized Sixth Form Colleges.
Answer: The recent pay award for the 2024/25 financial year was for school teachers only. The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE).This government recognises the vital role that FE teachers and providers play in equipping learners wi...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: PayDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Nov 2024WithdrawnUIN 14122More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet representatives of the National Education Union to discuss the 2024-25 further education pay award for teachers.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: PayDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14121More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with representatives from the National Education Union to discuss the 2024-2025 further education pay award for teachers.
Answer: As part of this government’s commitment to working closely with stakeholders, my Ministerial colleagues and departmental officials meet regularly with representatives of all the education unions, including the National Education Union, to discuss a range ...
Answered 22 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMusic Venues: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12457More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to business rates relief on grassroots music venues.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting the creative industries, which play a key role in driving economic growth, contributing £124.6bn GVA in 2022 and supporting over 2 million jobs.At the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Chancellor set out plans to transform ...
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: TreatiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a Minister from his Department will attend the fifth round of negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty in Busan, Korea.
Answer: The fifth round of negotiations on the global plastic pollution treaty (INC-5), beginning on 25 November 2024 does not include a formal Ministerial segment. The UK will continue to be appropriately represented, and we will keep the need for Defra minister...
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMenopause: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11311More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a permanent national menopause network supported by specialist nurses to (a) support and (b) offer advice on (i) diet, (ii) exercise, (iii)
Answer: No specific assessment has been made. The Government sympathises with the difficulties women experiencing menopausal symptoms face, and we are committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service.The NHS website provides infor...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: ProcurementCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11029More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish the debarment list.
Answer: The Procurement Act 2023 (the Act), which received Royal Assent in October 2023, creates a new debarment regime, including a public debarment list.As of the 24th February 2025 the Act comes into force, at which point debarment investigations can be starte...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMenopauseDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10466More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory menopause training for GPs.
Answer: The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has a holistic curriculum of training that all GPs must cover before they are able to pass the examination to become a member of the RCGP and work independently as a GP. There is a specific section on wome...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMenopauseDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10465More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce health inequalities for women managing menopause in areas of high health inequalities.
Answer: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our missions.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for providing services that meet t...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHydrogenDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10464More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using hydrogen to power glass factories.
Answer: Low carbon hydrogen is a leading option to decarbonise industrial processes that are harder or more expensive to electrify. Hydrogen could therefore be important for processes that require high temperatures or direct firing such as in the glass or ceramic...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordADHD: LeedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the temporary suspension of non-urgent adult referrals by the adult ADHD service in Leeds on people with ADHD in that area.
Answer: The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of ...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordADHD: LeedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9936More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) is taking steps and (b) plans to take steps to support the adult ADHD service in Leeds to reopen their referrals.
Answer: The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of ...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordADHD: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9935More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to support increased capacity for adult ADHD assessments in (i) Leeds and (ii) England.
Answer: The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of ...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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