Ben Spencer MP: written questions 2026
54 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Written question 29516Cabinet OfficeTabled 14 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 29516More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which ministerial office is the AI Security Institute accountable to following recent machinery of government changes.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordWritten question 29515Cabinet OfficeTabled 14 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 29515More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the membership list of the Prime Minister's AI Taskforce.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordWritten question 29514Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 29514More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the legal advice she has received relating to local government reorganisation also pertains to Surrey.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordArtificial IntelligenceDepartment for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeTabled 11 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 29178More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, when he plans to update the AI Opportunities Action Plan Dashboard.
Answer: The AI Opportunities Action Plan dashboard was published on 29 January 2026 alongside the progress report AI Opportunities Action Plan: One Year On. It provides a detailed, action-by-action view of delivery against all 50 recommendations, showing that the...
Answered 22 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: ChinaCabinet OfficeTabled 10 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 28819More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether open weight models from China are being procured for use by government departments.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: ChinaCabinet OfficeTabled 10 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28818More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information her Department holds on the distillation of UK AI models by China.
Answer: Distillation is the practice of training a "student" model to reproduce the capabilities or characteristics of a more capable "teacher" model. Developers commonly distill their own models to produce smaller, cheaper versions, and some ...
Answered 25 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAI Security InstituteCabinet OfficeTabled 10 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28817More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps she is taking to ensure the AI Security Institute is able to access the newest frontier models before their release.
Answer: The UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) has built trusted, relationships with the world's leading AI labs. This collaborative approach lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves and has allowed AISI to secure privileged access t...
Answered 16 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBudget October 2024: Runnymede and WeybridgeTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 901224More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 2024 Budget on businesses in Runnymede and Weybridge constituency.
Answer: Autumn Budget 2024 took place on 30th October 2024. It made choices necessary to support economic stability and investment, including sustaining public investment at the highest sustained levels since the 1970s, and putting our public finances back on a s...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPark Homes: DiscriminationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16083More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support is available to park home residents who face discriminatory practices by park home site owners.
Answer: Where a park home resident believes they have experienced discrimination related to a protected characteristic, they can contact the Equality Advisory Support Service. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 110492 on 11 February 2...
Answered 9 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: Health ServicesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12278More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she will update the House on her plans to regulate LLMs/AI Chatbots providing therapeutic interventions.
Answer: As outlined in the government’s progress statement following the ‘Growing up in the online world’ consultation, we received responses which felt that chatbots could play a beneficial role in supporting children’s wellbeing. However, we also heard concerns...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Thames: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9703More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains Government policy to support the delivery of the River Thames Scheme.
Answer: The Government is working with the Environment Agency (EA) on the proposal for the River Thames Scheme, with the EA leading the development in line with its National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. The scheme’s main objective is to red...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Thames: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9702More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of when River Thames Scheme main construction works will begin.
Answer: The Environment Agency is progressing the River Thames Scheme following the reset, with an updated Outline Business Case which will be submitted in summer 2026. The programme timeline for the Development Consent Order and Construction phases will be agree...
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Thames: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9701More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the planned timetable is for the submission of the Development Consent Order for the River Thames Scheme.
Answer: The Environment Agency is progressing the River Thames Scheme following the reset, with an updated Outline Business Case which will be submitted in summer 2026. The programme timeline for the Development Consent Order and Construction phases will be agree...
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason she has not met with representatives from the National Association of Special Schools as part of her work to improve SEND.
Answer: Since July 2024, the department has engaged with thousands of children, young people, parents, families, professionals and local authorities. As part of the National Conversation held between December 2025 and January 2026, the department reached over 8,0...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth Western Railway: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6662More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what perfomance metrics will be considered as part of SWR's leadership performance review.
Answer: The Department holds South Western Railway (SWR) to account against a range of performance measures focused on the delivery of reliable, safe and high quality services for passengers. This includes monitoring punctuality and cancellations, safety and oper...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth West Main Line: TimetablesDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6661More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the potential impact of changes on level crossing down times will be a factor in the upcoming SWR timetable review and consultation.
Answer: The potential impact of changes to level crossing down times will be a factor in the upcoming South Western Railway timetable review. This is an issue that is carefully considered as part of wider timetable development. The Department and the operator wel...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSewers and Water Supply: Runnymede and WeybridgeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6660More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of additional house building on the resilience and capacity of a) water and b) sewerage systems in the Runnymede and Weybridge area
Answer: Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water and wastewater provision for customers. Companies set out how they plan to meet and continue to meet these duties through statutory Water Resources Management Plans, and Drainage an...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Supply: WeybridgeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will make an assessment of the a) resilience and b) capacity of the local water provision following shortages in the Weybridge area.
Answer: Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers. Companies set out how they will continue to meet this duty through statutory Water Resources Management Plans. They must maintain their plans and are required to revi...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth West Main Line: Runnymede and WeybridgeDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6022More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had discussions with South Western Railway regarding ensuring children do not miss school due to rail delays in Runnymede and Weybridge constituency.
Answer: SWR recently informed the Department they have applied some mitigations around connections at Weybridge to hopefully avoid children missing school, due to rail delays. SWR also works closely with local schools and other stakeholders to help manage peak sc...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth West Main Line: TimetablesDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6021More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the budget allocation is for a) community engagement and b) external consultants as part of SWR's timetable review in 2026.
Answer: No specific budget has been allocated by the Department for community engagement and external consultants as part of Southwestern Railway's (SWR) timetable refresh. SWR is leading on the timetable refresh and the budget allocation for these activities is ...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth West Main Line: TimetablesDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6020More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the minimum number of community face to face consultation events South Western Railway are required perform in Runnymede and Weybridge constituency as part of the timetable review.
Answer: There is no specified minimum number of community face to face consultation events that South Western Railway (SWR) is required to undertake in the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency as part of its timetable review. Engagement activity is led by SWR, an...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth Western Railway: Public ConsultationDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6019More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of South Western Railway's community engagement compared to other providers.
Answer: No formal comparative assessment has been made by the Department of South Western Railway’s (SWR) community engagement against other operators. As SWR has not yet launched its public consultation for the timetable review, it would not be appropriate to as...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: TimetablesDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6018More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to consult communities for rail timetable reviews at a) the the pre-consultation stage and b) during the consultation period.
Answer: We expect train operating companies to consult and inform passengers and stakeholders in advance of material timetable changes in a manner appropriate to the scale of the proposed changes.
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: ExpenditureTreasuryTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5412More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has she made of the proportion of household income spent on hospitality during summer holidays versus other VAT rateable services, for each income quartile.
Answer: From 25 June to 1 September the Government is introducing a temporary reduced rate of VAT on children's menu meals and eligible family attractions. This is a targeted and temporary scheme to reduce the costs of children’s meals in restaurants, children’s ...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces Compensation Scheme and War PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3376More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any additional operational capacity has been introduced to address backlogs in War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claims following the IT transition.
Answer: The War Pension Scheme (WPS) IT system moved to Compendia Touch (CT) in September 2024. Following digitisation in November 2022, claim volumes rose sharply, creating a backlog as processing slowed. A WPS taskforce, formed in Spring 2025 and bolstered by 1...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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