Ben Maguire MP: written questions 2025
333 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Parking: Private SectorMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a nationwide ten minute grace period for private car parks where users cannot not be fined fo
Answer: On 11 July, the government published a consultation setting out its proposals for raising standards across the private parking industry ahead of preparing a code of practice and an accompanying compliance framework for private parking operators. The consu...
Answered 17 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSewage: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a Clean Waters Forum including (a) charities, (b) NGOs and (c) representatives from (i) his Department
Answer: Following a public call for evidence with over 50,000 responses, the Independent Water Commission (IWC), led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further action to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: AbsenteeismDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66081More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing flexibility for term-time absences for children from families employed in the (a) agricultural and (b) tourism sectors.
Answer: The department has high expectations for all pupils’ attendance. Parents are legally responsible for ensuring regular attendance if their child is of compulsory school age and registered at a school.Taking children out of school for holidays can significa...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCafes: Government AssistanceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support local, independent coffee shops.
Answer: Hospitality businesses, including independent coffee shops, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth and community cohesion.The government plans to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, an...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHorizon IT System: CompensationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64653More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many claims have been (a) made to and (b) rejected by the compensation schemes for sub-postmasters impacted by Horizon IT; and what proportion of those claims have successfully concluded.
Answer: Claimant eligibility for each redress scheme is confirmed before claims are progressed. No eligible claims have been rejected. We have made significant progress in delivering redress to victims of the Horizon scandal. The table below demonstrates the prog...
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordInfected Blood Compensation SchemeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64647More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Authority administering the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme on (a) the number of claims made, (b) the number rejected and (c) the proportion of claimants
Answer: The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) regularly publishes statistics on compensation progress on its website. As of 1 July 2025, 2,043 people have been asked to start their claim, 616 people have received an offer, and a total of 460 people hav...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLGBT Financial Recognition SchemeMinistry of DefenceTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64646More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many claims have been made to the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme; and what steps he is taking to ensure all potential recipients are aware of the scheme before it closes in December 2026.
Answer: As of 30 June 2025, the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) had received 1,099 formal applications, of which none had been rejected. We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive suppo...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLGBT Financial Recognition SchemeMinistry of DefenceTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64645More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many claims have been (a) made to and (b) rejected by the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme; and what proportion of those claims have successfully concluded.
Answer: As of 30 June 2025, the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) had received 1,099 formal applications, of which none had been rejected. We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive suppo...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordWindrush Compensation SchemeHome OfficeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64641More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Windrush Compensation Scheme will (a) deal with outstanding claims and (b) be closed.
Answer: Our priority is to ensure people receive the compensation they are due as quickly as possible. We have reduced the time to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration, from four months a year ago to less than six weeks now. The six-week peri...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordWindrush Compensation SchemeHome OfficeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64632More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claims for compensation her Department has received for the Windrush Compensation Scheme since that scheme began; and how many and what proportion of those claims were (a) rejected and (b) su
Answer: Information on the number of claims received by the Windrush Compensation Scheme is published as part of the monthly Transparency Data release. The latest published data, covering the period up to the end of May 2025, is available here: Windrush Compensat...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSewage: PollutionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people who fall ill from sewage pollution-related causes in Cornwall.
Answer: We are putting water companies under special measures through our landmark Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act has introduced new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against law breakers and made it...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAmbulance Services: North CornwallDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63846More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times for elderly patients in North Cornwall constituency.
Answer: The Government recognises that ambulance response times, including in North Cornwall, are not meeting the high standards patients should expect.We are determined to turn things around and our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025-26, backed by almost £4...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Nature ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63844More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) protect nature-friendly farming practices in North Cornwall constituency.
Answer: The Government is backing British farming. We are prioritising investment that supports the government’s Plan for Change and building on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, foo...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 25 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to encourage developers to begin building promptly after planning permission is granted.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 55898 on 9 June 2025.
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Disclosure of InformationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 25 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to issue updated (a) guidance and (b) statutory requirements to (i) discourage planning applicants from providing supporting information in stages an
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework encourages early engagement between applicants and local planning authorities.Pre-application discussions can help avoid disputes and reduce delays by allowing an applicant and local planning authority to agree what ...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordFiresDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of bonfires involving non-garden waste materials on (a) the environment and (b) public health.
Answer: Existing laws prevent burning household waste if it will cause pollution or harm people’s health. Local authorities may also issue an abatement notice if smoke from bonfires causes a nuisance. We have published further guidance on this issue Reducing air ...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: Rural AreasDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61998More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain General Practitioner doctors in (i) North Cornwall constituency and (ii) other rural areas.
Answer: In the North Cornwall constituency, as of 30 April 2025, there were 61.5 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practices (GPs), an increase of 2.4 FTE compared to April 2024.We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring that rural areas have the...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRivers: SewageDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61428More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of Surfers Against Sewage's publication entitled Water Quality Report 2025, published in April
Answer: This Government is taking significant steps to improve water quality and reform the sector. The Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, closed its public call for evidence in April with over 50,000 responses. An interim report is due in...
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: CornwallMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61426More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of housing stock in areas of high deprivation in Cornwall.
Answer: My Department does not routinely assess the adequacy of housing stock in specific areas of high deprivation.
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: PensionersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60755More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mixed-age couples are impacted by the rule which prevents them from claiming pension-age benefits until the youngest partner reaches State Pension age.
Answer: The requested information is not held The requirement that both members of a couple need to have reached State Pension age to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit took effect from 15 May 2019. Income-related benefit support for co...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: PensionersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60754More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of he rule which prevents mixed-age couples from claiming pension-age benefits until the youngest partner reaches State Pension age on the numb
Answer: The requirement that both members of a couple need to have reached State Pension age to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit was introduced by the previous conservative government from 15 May 2019. Benefit support for couples wher...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSports: EquipmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60736More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of flying ring frisbees.
Answer: No, the Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of flying ring frisbees. This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMarine Recovery Fund and Nature Restoration FundDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60333More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to combine the proposed (a) Nature Restoration Fund and (b) Marine Recovery Fund.
Answer: The Marine Recovery Fund is being established as a voluntary mechanism to deliver strategic compensation for offshore wind developers.
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBank Services: StandardsTreasuryTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59955More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the regulatory mandate under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to require (a) the Financial Conduct Authority and (b) LINK to assess the a
Answer: The Government recognises that the ability to access cash and in-person banking support remains essential for many, which is why we have secured the industry’s commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament, ensuring that access to ...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59954More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of high-density retirement housing schemes in rural areas that do not have corresponding funding for local healthcare infrastructure on demand
Answer: The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class infrastructure across the NHS estate. We recognise the challenges that areas of significant housing and population growth...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →