Ben Spencer MP: written questions
73 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Artificial 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 recordArmed Forces Compensation Scheme and War PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3375More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of resourcing for War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claim processing since the IT transition.
Answer: I refer the hon.Member to the answer given to question 3376 on 2 June 2026.
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces Compensation Scheme and War PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2917More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of complaints relating to the War Pension Service and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme were upheld in each of the last three years.
Answer: The dedicated Complaint Resolution Team (CRT) is able to assist with any aspect of the service received during an individual’s War Pension Scheme (WPS) or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) claim. Formal CRT outcomes were not centrally recorded until...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces Compensation Scheme and War PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints were received in relation to the War Pension Service and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in each of the last three years.
Answer: The dedicated Complaint Resolution Team (CRT) is able to assist with any aspect of the service received during an individual’s War Pension Scheme (WPS) or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) claim. Formal CRT outcomes were not centrally recorded until...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces Compensation Scheme and War PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claims are currently awaiting Medical Adviser input.
Answer: War Pension Scheme (WPS) legislation requires Medical Adviser (MA) consideration for all WPS claims decisions, and an MA certificate summarising accepted disablements and severity assessment. As at 20 May 2026, there were 6,104 WPS cases awaiting MA consi...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces Compensation Scheme and War PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current (a) average and (b) maximum waiting times are for the processing of War Pension Service and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claims.
Answer: The (a) average and (b) maximum waiting times for the processing of War Pension Service and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claims as at 15 May 2026 can be found below. Clearance times relate to the number of working days between the Ministry of Defence ...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceMinistry of JusticeTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2889More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to respond to correspondence dated (a) 30 January 2026, (b) 30 March 2026 and (c) 7 May 2026 from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge regarding a constituent, ref BS39139, MoJ Ref: MC131442
Answer: A response to the correspondence was sent on 20 May 2026.The Department apologises for the delay in responding on this occasion and we regret that this fell short of expected standards.
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAntenatal CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1314More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he can confirm that all NHS Trusts are no longer using Intergrowth charts as part of their fetal growth surveillance.
Answer: In December 2025, NHS England wrote to all maternity providers asking that trusts using Intergrowth Estimated Fetal Growth charts, either the 2020 or 2017 versions, move to a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists approved alternative.To ensure...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: Chronic IllnessesDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123777More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of new statutory guidance for supporting pupils with medical conditions and allergies in schools on costs for schools.
Answer: Schools have existing statutory duties to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The draft statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to mee...
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: SurreyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123315More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the preparations for avoiding school exam disruption during the construction a320 HIF scheme.
Answer: My Department has made no such assessment. The matter in question is for the relevant local authority.
Answered 17 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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