Allison Gardner MP: written questions
132 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Temporary Accommodation: Stoke-on-Trent SouthMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of (a) adults and (b) children living in temporary accommodation in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.
Answer: Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working ...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: ReformDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22523More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New reforms and independent commission to transform social care, published on 3 January 2025, how these reforms will improve service provis
Answer: In January 2025, we announced that we will be taking forward a range of initiatives, including funding more home adaptations, promoting better use of care technologies, and further professionalising the adult social care workforce.On top of the Budget mak...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFire and Rescue Services: Stoke-on-Trent SouthHome OfficeTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22522More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase recruitment of firefighters in Stoke-on-Trent South.
Answer: Firefighters play a vital role in keeping the public safe and we are grateful for the work undertaken by fire and rescue services across the country in support of their local communities.The Government is committed to ensuring fire and rescue services hav...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAddictions: Stoke-on-Trent SouthDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22521More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to fund improved provisions for addiction support services in Stoke-on-Trent South.
Answer: In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department provides additional funding to support drug and alcohol services. In 2024/25 a total of £4,670,913 was allocated to Stoke-on-Trent. This included £2,906,020 for the Supplementary Substance Misuse Trea...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners' Release: ReoffendersMinistry of JusticeTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22520More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of reoffending among people released on licence.
Answer: This Government is committed to reducing reoffending by giving prison leavers, including those released early on licence, the tools they need to turn their backs on crime. To do that, we will increase prisoners’ access to purposeful activity, such as educ...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: PregnancyMinistry of JusticeTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22519More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the appropriacy of custodial sentences for pregnant women.
Answer: Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. The sentencing framework, maximum penalties and the Sentencing Council’s sentencing guidelines apply to all offenders.Sentencing guidelines are clear that there are factors that senten...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: OffendersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22518More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support people with a criminal record to find employment.
Answer: This Government understands the challenges a criminal record can bring to finding a job and also recognises that employment significantly reduces the risk of reoffending. The recently published Get Britain Working White Paper sets out Government’s proposa...
Answered 14 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: MisuseDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22517More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking through the implementation of an alcohol strategy to tackle problem drinking.
Answer: Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordInnovation: Stoke on TrentDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 901953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of innovation in Stoke-on-Trent.
Answer: I set out in my previous answer to the Honourable Member for Stafford, that we are investing £29.8 million in research and innovation projects in Staffordshire.For example, through the Strength in Places Fund, we are investing £18 million in the Midlands ...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAdrenaline Auto-injectors: First Aid and SchoolsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20823More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to improve access to adrenaline pens (a) for first aid organisations and (b) in schools.
Answer: Since October 2017, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 have allowed all schools to buy adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) devices without a prescription, for emergency use. The Department has published non-statutory guidance to accompany this le...
Answered 23 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: DisabilityDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20817More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the accessibility of bus services for disabled people in Stoke-on-Trent.
Answer: The government is committed to improving public transport services so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. On 1st October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Inform...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordOffenders: EmploymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18064More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to support those with criminal records to reintegrate back into appropriate work.
Answer: We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points for offenders released from custody. That is why we have committed to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with empl...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChildcareDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Universal Credit reimbursement processes on claimants having to pay childcare fees upfront in a lump sum.
Answer: Universal Credit customers can claim up to 3 months of future childcare costs at a time with these costs reimbursed month by month. Universal Credit childcare element, when claimed together with upfront childcare costs, means that customers receive up to ...
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBovine Tuberculosis: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to end badger culling.
Answer: On 30 August, the Government announced the start of work on a comprehensive new strategy to drive down bovine TB rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. The Government will work with farmers, ve...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordRoads: Rural AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12895More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve safety on rural roads.
Answer: This Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. We do recognise that the majority of road fatalities (according to the latest statistics) occurred on rural roads (60%) with fewer fatal...
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSleeping RoughMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11539More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to tackle rough sleeping in (a) Stoke-on-Trent South constituency and (b) the rest of England.
Answer: Rough Sleeping levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. We will develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness, and have ann...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHuntingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11538More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to introduce legislation to ban trail hunting.
Answer: This is a devolved matter with regard to Scotland and Northern Ireland; hunting with dogs is a reserved matter with respect to Wales and therefore, the information provided relates to England and Wales only. The Government made a manifesto commitment to b...
Answered 1 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHuntingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11537More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on preparing legislation to ban trail hunting.
Answer: This is a devolved matter with regard to Scotland and Northern Ireland; hunting with dogs is a reserved matter with respect to Wales and therefore, the information provided relates to England and Wales only. The Government made a manifesto commitment to b...
Answered 1 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: Stoke-on-Trent SouthDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11536More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department plans to give parents of children with SEN to access transport to school in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.
Answer: The department’s home to school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home to school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who atten...
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11535More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the creation of a National Care Service.
Answer: The Government is committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service, including by engaging cross-party and with people who draw on care and support.Alongside our plan for health, we will create a 10-year plan...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordApprentices: DisadvantagedDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to support apprentices who cannot afford public transport to reach their apprenticeship.
Answer: Apprenticeships are jobs and the department expects employers to provide apprentices with the support, tools and resources they need for a high quality experience.Where additional costs are anticipated, the department provides employers and apprenticeshi...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRoads: SchoolsDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10620More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve road safety outside schools.
Answer: The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians, by strengthening pedestrian priority on pavements and at crossings and introducing the Hierarchy...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordApprenticesDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10619More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department (a) provides and (b) plans to provide for apprentices who are required to purchase equipment to fulfil their apprenticeship.
Answer: Apprenticeships are jobs and the department expects employers to provide apprentices with the support, tools and resources they need for a high quality experience.Where additional costs are anticipated, the department provides employers and apprenticeshi...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10618More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to simplify the application process for Pension Credit.
Answer: The Department have introduced an online claim process, providing customers with a convenient alternative claim route, alongside the existing telephony and paper application methods. As the Department continues to modernise the Pension Credit service, we ...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLeasehold: ReformMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10616More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will ban leasehold houses.
Answer: Further to the answer I gave to Question UIN 8491 on the 18 October 2024, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 included a ban on the sale of new residential long leases on houses. This will mean that, when this measure is implemented, other than in ...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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