Alison Bennett MP: written questions 2026
78 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Juries: CompensationMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26356More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to review the maximum amount jurors can claim for loss of earnings while undertaking jury service, and whether he considers the current allowance to be sufficient.
Answer: Jury service is an important civic duty, and the Government is committed to ensuring jurors feel supported throughout their service. People who are not paid by their employer whilst they are on jury service can claim a loss of earnings allowance from the ...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordParking OffencesDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 24813More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review Civil Enforcement Officer powers where there is a repeated contravention of parking restrictions over the course of a single day within a localised area.
Answer: There are no plans to review Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) powers. In the event that multiple parking contraventions are observed, CEOs have powers to issue a Penalty Charge Notice in respect of each contravention.
Answered 3 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: FraudCabinet OfficeTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19673More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to recover public funds lost through fraud, misconduct and the improper award of public contracts; and how much has been recovered in each of the last five years.
Answer: This government is taking the strongest action against fraudsters that seek to take advantage of the public sector. That’s why the government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act in December 2026 - giving us more tools to comb...
Answered 3 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19672More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what service targets apply to (a) application processing, (b) renewals, (c) payment processing and (d) complaint handling within Access to Work.
Answer: Access to Work is a discretionary grant scheme and does not operate against published service targets for application processing or renewals. The time taken to process applications and renewals will vary depending on a range of factors, including the comp...
Answered 3 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGreater Thameslink Railway: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19671More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of (a) cancellation rates and (b) service reliability on Thameslink services since the operator transferred into public ownership.
Answer: Thameslink services transferred into public ownership on 31 May 2026, and the Department has not yet made a formal assessment of trends in cancellation rates and service reliability since that transfer. However, the new public sector operator has committe...
Answered 3 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren: EqualityDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 17587More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children from ethnic minority and working class backgrounds have equal access to education and future work opportunities.
Answer: The department is committed to doing more to improve the life changes of all children, including children from ethnic minority and working class backgrounds.Our approach is comprehensive: rebuilding early family support, developing a new model for targeti...
Answered 2 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 17586More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure equal access to education for children with additional learning needs.
Answer: An inclusive education system for all children and young people requires a strong universal offer, built on high-quality adaptive teaching and early, effective support.To support the development of a more inclusive mainstream system, we are investing £500...
Answered 14 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAfghanistan: WomenForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 17585More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking in response to ongoing restrictions put on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 April in response to Question 122807.
Answered 13 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordEmergency Services: Sign LanguageDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16270More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the provision of British Sign Language interpreters within emergency services.
Answer: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, which includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters to support deaf p...
Answered 9 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9439More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to support hospices prior to the implementation of the reforms outlined within the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care.
Answer: We have supported the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing approximately £80 million of revenue funding for ...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7086More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who died while waiting to receive end-of-life care in each financial year since 2020–21.
Answer: The Department does not hold data on the number of people who died while waiting to receive palliative or end‑of‑life care in England.Palliative care and end‑of‑life care are broad, holistic approaches delivered across a range of settings, including hospi...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7085More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in hospice services on NHS palliative and end-of-life care services.
Answer: Whilst the majority of palliative care and end‑of‑life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in supporting people at the end of life a...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7084More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional revenue funding to hospices in (a) 2026-27, (b) 2027-2028, and (c) 2028-2029 financial years.
Answer: Whilst the majority of palliative care and end-of-life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7083More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on palliative care in each financial year since 2020–21; and how much funding has been budgeted for palliative care in (a) 2026-2027, (b) 2027-2028 and (c) 2028-20
Answer: Palliative care and end-of-life care services are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) and spend is not measured or held centrally in a way that allows a comprehensive breakdown by each financial year. Additionally, palliative care and en...
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordApprentices and Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to (a) introduce increased support and incentives for businesses that recruit and train apprentices, (b) help employers to meet the costs of apprenticeship provision and (c) expa
Answer: The government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one mil...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: SussexMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6518More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the timetable for local government reorganisation in Sussex.
Answer: The Government remains committed to the indicative timeline published in July 2025, on GOV.UK under “Summary of the local government reorganisation process”. Sussex is now in line with the remaining 14 areas undergoing local government reorganisation, wit...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Lavatories: Stoma AppliancesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5730More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration is being given by his Department to improving guidance and standards for public toilet provision to better accommodate stoma users.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 70255 on 4 September 2025 and UIN 117465 on 11 March 2026. The Building Safety Regulator has a duty, under s.5 Building Safety Act 2022, to keep the standard of buildings under review. Governme...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCrown Court: Mental Health ServicesMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4771More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mental health support is available to judges, barristers and other court officials working in Crown Courts (a) during and after particularly distressing cases and (b) on an ongoing basis.
Answer: Judges have access to a range of confidential services delivered by our Judicial Assistance Provider, which are tailored to support them in their judicial roles including specific support for those judges hearing distressing cases in the Crown Court. This...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4059More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many earnings-related Carer's Allowance overpayments were referred to Debt Management between January 2025 and March 2026.
Answer: This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities. Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons. With respect to t...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4058More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30627, if he will provide updated figures on the number of carers with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings
Answer: Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons. With respect to those linked to the treatment of earnings in Carer’s Allowance, we inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, found themselv...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times each maternity unit has been temporarily closed due to insufficient staffing levels to operate safely in each of the last three years; and what the longest duration of such a tempora
Answer: We do not hold this data centrally. National Health Service commissioning bodies such as integrated care boards are responsible for the delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for local services. This makes sure that decisions are made locally and...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4056More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mothers were transferred from maternity units to alternative units due to (a) lack of capacity and (b) staffing shortages in each of the last three years nationally.
Answer: We do not hold this data centrally. National Health Service commissioning bodies such as integrated care boards are responsible for the delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for local services. This makes sure that decisions are made locally and...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCounselling and Psychiatry: RegulationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3012More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy, including legal protections for the titles 'counsellor' and 'psychotherapist'.
Answer: The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) operates a voluntary registers programme, which provides a proportionate means of assurance for unregulated professions, that sits between employer controls and statutory regulation by ...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHospices: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2652More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123423 on Hospices: Children, how much has NHS England advised integrated care boards to give to each children's hospice in 2026-27 financi
Answer: NHS England has informed all integrated care boards (ICBs) of their total allocation for children and young people’s hospices for 2026/27, amounting to approximately £27 million. Decisions on the distribution of this funding to individual hospices rest wi...
Answered 21 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCrown Court: Mental Health ServicesMinistry of JusticeTabled 28 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 130115More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mental health support is available to judges, barristers and other court officials working in Crown Courts both during or after particularly distressing cases and on an ongoing basis.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament record
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