Cameron Thomas MP: written questions 2025
204 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Universal Credit: ChildcareDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the process for (a) paying and (b) claiming reimbursement for childcare expenses on the finances of Universal Credit recipients.
Answer: The childcare costs element in Universal Credit is based on a customer’s actual costs and monthly reporting of paid out costs is simple to submit. Working parents can report their childcare costs either in the same assessment period they were paid, or by ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: ChildcareDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of Universal Credit childcare costs.
Answer: No such assessment has been made. The Universal Credit Childcare element expenditure and forecast statistics can be found in row 18 of the ‘Universal Credit and equivalent’ tab, published here: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK Further...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: CorrespondenceDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the appropriateness of her Department contacting teaching staff during the summer holiday.
Answer: The department is committed to engaging positively with school staff and ensuring they receive information to support them in carrying out their roles. However, they are only contacted during the summer holidays where there is a need to share important, t...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNurseries: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in nursery fees on the finances of families with nursery-age children.
Answer: In 2025/26, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements as we roll out their expansion. This represents an additional £2 billion compared to 2024/25.The government’s roll out of an expansion to the funded hours of chil...
Answered 9 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordParents: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to financially support parents of children who attend nursery.
Answer: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.To support parents with the cost of childcare,...
Answered 9 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of (a) increasing the number of driving test examiners and (b) introducing a greater number of out-of-hours tests.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driv...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: Rural AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72403More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of driving tests in rural areas.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driv...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72402More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to help reduce waiting times for driving tests.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driv...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: ChildrenDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72401More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders on the risks artificial intelligence poses to children; and what steps he is taking to mitigate those risks.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of this issue. We engage with a range of stakeholders on the impact of AI, including child safety experts.As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point ...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOpenAI: Data ProtectionDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72400More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between UK and OpenAI on AI opportunities, published on 21 July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure safeguards are in p
Answer: The government is committed to transparency, security, and the responsible use of emerging technologies. The Memorandum of Understanding with OpenAI is voluntary and non-binding. It does not grant access to public data or commit the Government to any expe...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordME/CFS: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70262More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for new (a) services and (b) research to support people with (i) myalgic encephalomyelitis and (ii) chronic fatigue syndrom
Answer: NHS England is responsible for allocating funding to integrated care boards, which in turn are responsible for commissioning specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) services that meet the needs of their population, subject t...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSolar Power: Public BuildingsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70261More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of transferring excess solar energy from large corporations to (a) hospitals, (b) schools and (c) other public facilitie
Answer: Solar generators can export surplus electricity to the local network when generation exceeds onsite demand, helping to power local hospitals, schools and other public facilities. However, export decisions depend on costs and revenues, and the availability...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy SupplyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70260More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of peer-to-peer energy transfers.
Answer: Peer-to-peer energy trading may, in some circumstances, support Government energy objectives, particularly those relating to community energy. The Department is working closely with Ofgem and other key stakeholders to determine how best to support local g...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGambling: AddictionsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to help protect people impacted by problem gambling.
Answer: The Government recognises that harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals, families and communities. Working with the Gambling Commission, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk through a range of new safer gambling requi...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that new housing developments incorporate measures to reduce noise pollution.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to, and enhance, the natural and local environment by preventing new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from,...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNoise: Urban AreasMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of noise pollution in urban areas.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to, and enhance, the natural and local environment by preventing new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from,...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness: Government AssistanceTreasuryTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66496More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps her Department is taking to help support (a) rural and (b) independent businesses.
Answer: The Government provided support for small businesses at Autumn Budget by:protecting the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by more than doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500,freezing the small busines...
Answered 17 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66495More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to encourage people who are not in employment but have the capability to work to re-enter the workforce.
Answer: Our Get Britain Working reforms, set out in a White Paper in November last year, will tackle economic inactivity, build a thriving labour market, and increase the number of people in work. By delivering the biggest reforms to employment support for a gene...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66494More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the consistency of the quality of care in England.
Answer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for ensuring the quality of care in England. It assesses all health and social care service providers registered with the CQC for compliance against the statutory standards set out in the Heal...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Homes: Finance and StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66493More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS dementia and care homes are adequately (a) staffed and (b) resourced.
Answer: Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Mode...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDementia: Social ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66492More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to ensure the effectiveness of the (a) monitoring of and (b) improvements to dementia care.
Answer: Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Mode...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDementia: Social ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of dementia care.
Answer: Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.We will deliver the first ever Moder...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMicroplastics: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66490More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on preventing microplastics from infiltrating agricultural land.
Answer: There are several potential ways in which microplastics which can infiltrate agricultural land and the wider environment. These include fallout from the atmosphere, land connections with surface waters and industrial premises, leaks from septic tanks and ...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordYoung CarersDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken (a) with schools and local authorities to strengthen the measures used to identify young carers and (b) to ensure that schools are audited against those measures.
Answer: Young carers were added to the school census as a specific group for the first time in 2022/23. The department expects the census data to improve over time as the collection becomes better established. We are looking at the ways the data is entered to see...
Answered 17 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Young PeopleDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60779More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to incentivise young people to take up farming.
Answer: Attracting bright new talent into land-based careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming. Defra works closely with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) which is encouraging young people a...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →