Ashley Fox MP: written questions 2024
149 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Treasury: Civil ServantsTreasuryTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9053More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants are assigned to work in each of her Department's offices; and how many desks are available in each office.
Answer: HM Treasury operates a hybrid working policy, in line with other Government departments and cabinet office guidance. Employees are expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working hours in their contractual work location and work from home for the rema...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: WomenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7943More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, following her Department’s meeting with representatives of the WASPI Campaign on 5 September, whether there is an expected timeline for responding to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman repor
Answer: We need time to review and consider the Ombudsman’s report along with the evidence provided during the investigation. We need to consider the views that have been expressed on all sides including the points raised by representatives from the WASPI Campaig...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her plan to reform or replace the Work Capability Assessment will recognise the increased cost of living for those with physical disabilities.
Answer: The government is committed to reforming or replacing the Work Capability Assessment, alongside putting in place a proper plan to support disabled people into work. We will say more about this in due course. We want people to avoid poverty, and for this t...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCommonhold and Leasehold: ReformMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7625More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when her Department plans to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform for broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny.
Answer: As set out in the King’s Speech, the Government intend to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this parliamentary session.
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAdoption and Special Guardianship Support FundDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7624More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there will be cuts to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in the next Budget.
Answer: The department is continuing to hold Spending Review discussions regarding future funding for children’s social care with colleagues across government.
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAdoption and Special Guardianship Support FundDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7623More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on expanding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.
Answer: The department is continuing to hold Spending Review discussions regarding future funding for children’s social care with colleagues across government.
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGreat British Energy: Community EnergyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7622More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Local Power Plan will contain measures to increase the take up of cooperative energy schemes.
Answer: Yes. The aim of Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan (LPP) is to support a more decentralised and resilient energy system, with more local generation and ownership. By doing so, we are giving communities a stake in the transition to net zero as owners ...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7621More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Care Quality Commission of (a) inspecting and (b) rating private care providers who have not been rated in the last four years.
Answer: The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) cost over the last four years for fee funded activity was between £220 million and £230 million. The CQC doesn’t break down the cost of activity between private and public providers, however, as shown in the CQC’s Annua...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7620More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that private care providers are Regularly (a) inspected and (b) rated by the Care Quality Commission.
Answer: The Department has taken steps to ensure that all providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), including private care providers are regularly assessed and rated by the CQC.The interim findings and recommendations made by Dr Penny Dash as p...
Answered 1 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCompulsorily Detained Psychiatric PatientsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7619More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) local authorities and (b) integrated care boards to meet the requirements of Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Answer: It is important that eligible individuals receive the aftercare they are entitled to under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983, in order for them to stay well and to prevent readmission or detention.The Discharge from Mental Health Inpatient Setting...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHeat PumpsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7618More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether there will be any exceptions to the planned phasing out of gas boilers in favour of heat pumps in all homes by 2035.
Answer: The Government’s position is not to force anyone to rip out a working boiler and will incentivise moves to cleaner, affordable heating. The Government has started delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, which will offer grants and low interest loans to support i...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordElectricity: Standing ChargesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6876More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department’s policy is on reducing electricity standing charges.
Answer: Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, a...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordElectricity: Standing ChargesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has had discussions with Ofgem on reducing electricity standing charges.
Answer: Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, a...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBrain: DiseasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the symptoms of Chiari malformation with NHS practitioners.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions, which was last updated in October 2023. This guideline covers the initial assessment of symptoms and s...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: Take-upDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6873More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's campaign to promote Pension Credit on the number of successful applications.
Answer: The latest available data published on the 27 September [Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 22 September 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)] shows that the Department received around 74,400 Pension Credit claims in the 8 weeks since the Wi...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: Take-upDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6872More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost of her Department's campaign to encourage people to apply for Pension Credit.
Answer: The Department’s paid marketing activity to promote Pension Credit, which includes radio, national and regional press, paid social media and GP and Post Office screens has been live since 16 September and is ongoing. It is not possible to provide an accur...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel Payment: BridgwaterDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6871More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who will be affected by the change is eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment in the Bridgwater constituency.
Answer: It is estimated that around 19,200 pensioners in Bridgwater Constituency (2024 boundaries) will be impacted by the decision to amend the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are a...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDisability: EmploymentWomen and EqualitiesTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 900452More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Answer: Our Get Britain Working plan will support more disabled people and people with health conditions to enter work and stay in it. We will devolve power to local areas to join up work, health and skills support for local people.
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: WaterForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5444More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much official development assistance was provided to programmes aiming to ensure access to clean water in the last financial year; and how much he plans to provide to suc
Answer: The UK oversees a portfolio of bilateral and multilateral development programmes that seek to improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In 2022, the UK provided £124 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for programmes which...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: SpaceflightForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5443More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much official development assistance was provided to countries that have a space agency with launch capabilities in the last financial year; and how much he plans to prov
Answer: The UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending is reported on a calendar year basis. In 2023, the UK's country specific bilateral ODA spend on India was £25.5m (focused mainly on tackling the climate crisis), on China was £7.2m (focused mainly on...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSolar PowerDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5442More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to include in his Solar Roadmap a target for the proportion of UK solar energy that should be generated through the installation of solar panels on industrial or commercial r
Answer: The Solar Roadmap will be published after consultation with the relaunched Solar Taskforce, which will bring together Government and industry to discuss barriers to solar deployment. The nature of any targets included in the Roadmap will be for the Taskfo...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSolar Power: Land UseDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5441More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of solar farms on levels of availability of agricultural land.
Answer: Solar power is crucial to achieving net zero, providing an abundant source of cleaner, cheaper energy on the mission towards 2030. The total area used for solar farms is very small, and – even in the most ambitious scenarios – solar farms will occupy less...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPesticidesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the National Action Plan for the sustainable use of pesticides.
Answer: We intend to publish a National Action Plan in due course that reflects the Government’s priorities and ambitions to minimise the risks and impact of pesticides on human health and the environment, and to facilitate sustainable use.
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsTreasuryTabled 27 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 900225More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to make efficiency savings in the welfare system.
Answer: In the July Statement, the Chancellor set out that all departments will find a 2% saving against their administration budgets so that we can improve the efficiency of the public sector, and prioritise frontline services. This government is also committed ...
Answered 3 Sept 2024
Original Parliament record
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