Ben Coleman MP: written questions
55 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Business Rates: ReformTreasuryTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61464More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on reforming the business rates system.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (R...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61463More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to hold discussions with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) local authorities in London on the potential impact of changes to business rates on (i) small and (ii) independent retailers.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (R...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Chelsea and FulhamTreasuryTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61462More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to business rates on the long-term viability of high streets in Chelsea and Fulham constituency.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (R...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61461More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to introduce additional support measures for small businesses affected by increases in business rates in London boroughs.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (R...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61460More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support small businesses in (a) high-rent areas and (b) Chelsea and Fulham constituency, in the context of recent changes to business rates.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (R...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61459More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to business rates on small independent businesses in Chelsea and Fulham constituency.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street. To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (R...
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: AdvertisingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60752More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 May 2025 on Childhood Obesity, HCWS652, what steps he is taking to ensure that the final non-statutory guidance issued by the Advertising Standards Aut
Answer: The Government has committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. These restrictions are expected to remove up to 7.2...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMalnutrition and PovertyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 904638More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the document by Trussell entitled Cost of Hunger and Hardship - final report, published on 30 April 2025.
Answer: Hunger and poor nutrition are devastating for society - especially children. We are determined to raise the healthiest ever generation, which is why the Government is expanding free school meals, rolling out breakfast clubs and supporting those in need th...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of the 1.5 million homes expected to be built in this Parliament will be designated as social housing; and what criteria her Department uses to desig
Answer: The government has not set an affordable housing target to date, but we are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.Affordable housing is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52538More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide additional funding to local authorities to support repairs in social housing; and what steps she is taking with local authorities to ensure the adequ
Answer: The government is committed to working with social housing providers to ensure that homes are safe, decent, warm, and free from damp and mould.The Deputy Prime Minister made a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 February 2025 (HCWS423) confirming that the ...
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTemporary AccommodationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52537More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase funding for local authorities to help reduce the number of (a) people and (b) families living in temporary accommodation; and if s
Answer: The Government has increased funding for homelessness services by £233 million this year, taking total investment to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of people and families in temporary accommo...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: InspectionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45422More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on reducing the waiting time for the re-inspection of healthcare providers rated as requiring improvement.
Answer: Departmental officials meet fortnightly with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to discuss measures CQC have put in place to address among other issues, delays in the production of inspection reports and initial inspection and reinspection.As part of this ...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordInternet: DrugsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44361More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to restrict the online (a) advertising and (b) selling of (i) image and performance enhancing drugs and (ii) anabolic steroids to children and young people.
Answer: It is not permitted to advertise prescription-only medicines such as anabolic steroids. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating and investigating advertising in the UK, including online.Additionally, the Online Safety Act r...
Answered 14 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Solar PowerMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to encourage the freeholders of multiple occupancy leasehold buildings to install solar panels when the lease does not permit the Right To Manage
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 38264 on 21 March 2025. The government remains committed to meeting its net zero emissions target by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that making buildings more energy efficient wil...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical Records: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39379More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to implement the Digital Redbook nationally.
Answer: We remain committed to transforming the way we deliver healthcare for parents and children and supporting the best start in life; digitisation of records is a key enabler of this.The Department is working closely with officials in NHS England to ensure th...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical Records: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39378More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Digital Redbook pilot in London.
Answer: The eRedbook product was commissioned by NHS England (London) for several years. A comprehensive evaluation was not undertaken, although registration volumes were reported. This has informed our ambition of a digital service to help parents and profession...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Solar PowerMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38264More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to encourage freeholders of buildings occupied by multiple leaseholders to install solar panels.
Answer: The government has commenced the Right to Manage measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. They came into effect on 3 March 2025.These changes implement the Law Commission recommendation to increase the non-residential floorspace limit from ...
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: Hearing ImpairmentDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of the 3 February 2025 to Question 26386 on Children: Hearing Impairment, whether the expected apprenticeship in Sensory Impairment will be funded via the Apprenticeship Levy; and when co
Answer: The government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth with the support of a strong skills system.This government has an extremely challenging fiscal inheritance. There are tough choices that need to be taken on how funding should be p...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that Universal Credit advisers are aware that payments should be backdated when a change of circumstances relates to the award of a disability benefit.
Answer: All DWP new entrant work coaches and case managers receive job role specific technical learning, which covers backdating. As changes of circumstances are notified, the Universal Credit system calculates many payments due automatically. Case Managers are s...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: Hearing ImpairmentDepartment for EducationTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) deaf children and (b) their families receive support from specialist teachers of the deaf in (i) education and (ii) early years settings.
Answer: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The Institute for ...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFruit and Vegetables: DisadvantagedDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25949More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase access to affordable fresh fruit and vegetables in deprived communities.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever, as set out in our Child Health Action Plan. The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children unde...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25132More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Departments are working on the development of a food strategy; which Department is leading this work; what the strategy's aims are; and what his planned timetable is for the comp
Answer: Addressing the issues the food sector faces requires a whole-of-government effort, so while Defra is leading the strategy we will be working in very close collaboration with several government departments. Our ambitious food strategy will set and deliver ...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: PovertyDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with which charities representing disabled children her Department has consulted on the development of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answer: The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is co-chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are liste...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: PovertyDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19215More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the nature is of her Department's consultation with (a) charities representing disabled children and (b) disabled young people on the development of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answer: The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is co-chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are liste...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the additional costs to families for raising a disabled child.
Answer: The DWP pays close attention to the evidence base on the extra costs faced by disabled children, including external academic research but does not endorse a particular external study. For example, Scope’s Disability Price Tag (2023) uses a sensitive econo...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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