Alex Sobel MP: written questions
123 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Motor Vehicles: ImportsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9755More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of off-road vehicles imported from the USA on pedestrian safety.
Answer: Any imported car or light goods vehicle up to 10 years old will require approval before it can be registered for use on the roads of Great Britian to ensure it meets prescribed environmental and safety requirements. There are several different approval sc...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average maintenance loan received by English-domiciled students (a) studying away from home in London, (b) living at home and studying in London and (c) studying in London in total was in each of the l
Answer: Student finance is awarded on an academic year basis, not a financial year basis, so the average amounts are provided by academic year. The mean average maintenance loan amounts presented below are for England-domiciled full-time undergraduate borrowers:a...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordResettlement: AfghanistanHome OfficeTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7527More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide the UNHCR with a renewed quota under Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answer: The UK has made an important commitment to resettle Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served alongside the UK.As of the end of June 2024, the latest published Immigration Statistics show that around 30,100 people had been brought to safety from Af...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to use modular housing to increase the amount of available housing stock.
Answer: Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can quickly deliver high-quality, energy efficient homes and they provide an important opportunity to improve productivity in the construction sector. MHCLG supports the use of all types of MMC, and we will share our a...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: TreatiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6435More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2024 to Question 3775 on Plastics: Treaties, which Ministers from his Department will attend the fifth intergovernmental negotiation meeting for
Answer: The host country and Secretariat for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution have confirmed there will not be a dedicated Ministerial segment at the fifth session of the Inter...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: PollutionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6434More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2024 to Question 3774 on Plastics: EU Law, whether he plans to sign the Bridge to Busan declaration.
Answer: On the 24 September in New York, the Foreign Secretary announced the UK had endorsed the Bridge to Busan declaration to support greater ambition on addressing unsustainable levels of primary plastic production in the negotiations for a new treaty to end p...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: TreatiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6433More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2024 to Question 3775 on Plastics: Treaties, whether he plans to personally attend the fifth intergovernmental negotiation meeting for the Global
Answer: The host country and Secretariat for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution have confirmed there will not be a dedicated Ministerial segment at the fifth session of the Inter...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6432More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when private schools should become VAT registered.
Answer: On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boardin...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEnergy: Social TariffsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6431More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to introduce social energy tariffs.
Answer: The Government has no plans to introduce an energy social tariff this winter. However, we are committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households.The Govern...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEnergy: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4776More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the energy price cap for winter 2024-25.
Answer: The energy price cap is set by Ofgem and not the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. More information on how Ofgem calculate the price cap can be found on its website - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap.
Answered 11 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4775More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) simplifying and (b) automating the process to apply for Pension Credit.
Answer: The Department continues to assess the Pension Credit service. This led to the introduction of the online claim process, providing customers with a convenient alternative claim route, alongside the existing telephony and paper application methods. As the ...
Answered 16 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordBiofuels: CostsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4774More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the cost per household of government support for biomass in (a) 2024, (b) 2025 and (c) 2026.
Answer: Government provides support for biomass, for the purpose of heat and power generation, through active and legacy policy schemes, such as the Renewables Obligation (RO) and the Contracts for Difference (CfD). The annual cost of support is dependent on vari...
Answered 17 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordBiofuels: Sustainable DevelopmentDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4773More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on its review of biomass sustainability standards.
Answer: The 2023 Biomass Strategy contained a commitment to consult on developing and implementing a cross-sector sustainability framework to enable greater consistency across sectors. Next steps on this will be announced in due course.
Answered 17 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordUganda: Politics and GovernmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the current political situation in Uganda.
Answer: The UK works with the Government of Uganda on a range of shared interests including trade, development, humanitarian support and regional security. We engage as a critical friend, and regularly raise concerns about governance and human rights issues with ...
Answered 12 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordUganda: Politics and GovernmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4247More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the safety of the opposition leaders in Uganda.
Answer: The British High Commission in Uganda regularly advocates for the protection of democratic freedoms and respect for human rights enshrined in Uganda's constitution and has raised the issue of opposition parties being able to campaign safely with the Gover...
Answered 11 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: Greenhouse Gas EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 3776More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the contribution of the plastic production industry to the level of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the UK in (a) 2024 and (b) in the next ten years.
Answer: The department does not produce specific emissions estimates for the plastic production industry, however our greenhouse gas (GHG) territorial (i.e. occurring within the UK’s borders) emissions statistics by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) includ...
Answered 10 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: TreatiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 3775More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to send a representative from his Department to the fourth intergovernmental negotiation meeting for the Global Plastics Treaty in November 2024.
Answer: Yes, officials will attend the fifth session, due to be held in November in Busan, South Korea.
Answered 12 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordPlastics: EU LawDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 3774More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Bridge to Busan declaration.
Answer: The Bridge to Busan is a political declaration to raise ambition on addressing primary plastic polymers. It aims to achieve the goal of ending plastic pollution in the context of the plastic pollution treaty, currently being negotiated by the Intergovernm...
Answered 12 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: Air PollutionDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 3063More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce air quality targets within train stations.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that the railway maintains the highest air quality standards to safeguard the health and well-being of passengers and rail staff. The Department for Transport already requires Network Rail and train operators to dev...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: EnergyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 3062More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help GP surgeries (a) improve energy efficiency and (b) reduce their carbon footprint.
Answer: Primary care will play an important role in helping the National Health Service achieve the net zero targets outlined in the report, Delivering a Net Zero NHS, published in July 2022, by decarbonising its estate, travel, and supply chain. Targeted efforts...
Answered 10 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordPapua: Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 900158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indonesian counterpart on the human rights situation in West Papua.
Answer: The Foreign Secretary and have raised concerns publicly about reports of human rights abuses during the protests in Bangladesh. We have urged an end to the violence and stressed the need for the right to assemble peacefully and express different political...
Answered 30 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordFurther Education and Training: LeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 18 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 674More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number 16-18 year-olds who will not be able to secure a place in (a) further education and (b) training because not enough suitable places are available in Leeds in September
Answer: The department is working closely with Leeds City Council, Luminate Education Group and other providers in Leeds to ensure all 16-19 learners can access places, both in 2024 and in 2025.
Answered 31 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordDMRC Headley Court: Medical EquipmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 363More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the extent to which medical equipment that was used at Headley Court Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre has been repurposed since that centre's closure.
Answer: The table below provides a breakdown of the medical equipment from Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) Headley Court that was either transferred to another Defence location, or relocated to DMRC Stanford Hall, as it was still serviceable. Equipme...
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament record
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