Cat Eccles MP: written questions
60 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Insulation: Private Rented HousingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124368More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that reforms to energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector drives heat demand reduction via insulation.
Answer: Reformed Energy Performance Certificates will assess properties’ energy performance against several metrics, one of which is fabric performance. The new minimum energy efficiency standards will require private rented homes to first meet a ‘C’ rating for f...
Answered 17 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that referral services for women and girls impacted by violence and abuse will be evidence-based.
Answer: As part of the cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the Department has committed to roll-out a domestic abuse and sexual violence referral service, “Steps to Safety” across all integrated care boards by 2029.This will ensure that al...
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCats: Animal BreedingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action the Government is taking to address harmful cat breeding practices, including the breeding of wildcat hybrids.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stourbridge on 24 March 2026 PQ UIN 121217.
Answered 31 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: Communication Workers UnionDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122075More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to help ensure the new owners of Royal Mail honour agreements made with the Communication Workers Union and his Department.
Answer: The Secretary of State met Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, and Daniel Křetínský, the owner of EP Group, on 16 February and again on 19 March 2026, to understand the progress on continued discussions on the CWU Agreement. The undertakings agreed b...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSewage: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121570More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recorded sewage spills and leaks into (a) rivers, (b) coastal waters and (c) other inland waterways there have been in England in the last 12 months; and what assessment his D
Answer: Sewage spills can enter water bodies from a number of sources and pathways. One mechanism is via storm overflows, designed to spill into water bodies when the sewer system is under strain from rainfall or snowmelt. Storm overflows are tracked through Even...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCats: Animal BreedingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121217More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help address harmful cat breeding practices, including the breeding of wildcat hybrids.
Answer: As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, which was published on 22 December 2025, the Government will take steps to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector,...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Working HoursDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121201More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a 36-hour week for full time NHS staff at no loss of pay.
Answer: This specific assessment has not been made.National Health Service staff covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay system in England work 37.5 hours per week in line with the terms set out in Section 10 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMedicine: Higher EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medical students graduated from UK universities in each of the last five years; and how many doctors completed foundation training in each of the last five years.
Answer: Data published by the General Medical Council (GMC) provides information on the number of doctors with a United Kingdom Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ) by year. The following table shows the number of doctors graduating from UK medical schools in each...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: VeteransMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115268More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will instruct Local Authorities to disregard the compensation and pensions of veterans as a form of council income.
Answer: Councils tax support for working-age people is locally designed. Councils must review their schemes each year and make any changes in consultation with their residents. Support for pensioners is prescribed in regulations which are updated by the departmen...
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: WomenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114741More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will facilitate a vote on proposals for financial redress contained in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on changes to women's State Pension age, published on 21 March 2024.
Answer: The Government has made its decision on this case based on due process and careful consideration of the body of evidence. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made a statement to the House of Commons and the detailed reasons for this decision have ...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: WomenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114740More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on changes to women's State Pension age, published on 21 March 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) economic;
Answer: The Government carefully considered the findings of the Ombudsman’s report on the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age, and a detailed response including an Equality Analysis has been deposited in the House library.
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDisabled Facilities GrantsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114653More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) guidance has been provided to Dudley Council on the treatment of Armed Forces compensation in means-testing for Disabled Facilities Grants and (b) the Government’s commission on adult s
Answer: In March 2022, the Government published Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) guidance for local authorities in England. It includes a section on the Armed Forces community and can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-dfg-...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAllied Health Professions: PrescriptionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114537More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the outcomes of the Extend medicines responsibilities for allied health professions consultation which closed in October 2025.
Answer: The Department is currently analysing the large number of respondents received, and a Government response detailing next steps will be published in due course.
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114416More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many current cases are there where Work Capability Assessments have taken longer than the 13 weeks set out in departmental guidelines.
Answer: It might be helpful to explain that the 13 weeks set out in departmental guidelines only applies to the assessment phase of Employment Support Allowance. It is the guideline for when the department expects a decision to be made upon entitlement to Employm...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment Support Allowance and Personal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114415More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the average processing time for Employment Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payments.
Answer: Information on average processing time for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) can be found on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). The requested data can be found in the ‘Clearance Times for Initial Claims’ dataset. Stat-Xplore will automati...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Season TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99058More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the West Midlands Railway student season ticket is not available to purchase from ticket offices.
Answer: Due to the complexities of the discount, the three different sales cycles throughout the year, the customer service involved, student verification and the level of product knowledge needed, this has to be managed by a specialist team at West Midlands Trai...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it is her policy that under GBR all rail fares including discounted fares will be available to purchase from ticket offices.
Answer: The Government has set out that Great British Railways will have a broad retail function, using all available channels to serve passengers. The Railways Bill will deliver the statutory basis for this function.
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99056More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of which rail fares offered by DfT managed train operating companies are not available to purchase from ticket offices.
Answer: The move to Great British Railways will enable passengers to receive a more consistent offer across the network, and we are already taking steps to overhaul the complex fares and ticketing system and make it easier and simpler for passengers to trust they...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99055More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it is her policy that under GBR all railcards will be available to purchase and renew at ticket offices.
Answer: The Government has set out that Great British Railways will have a broad retail function, using all available channels to serve passengers. The Railways Bill will deliver the statutory basis for this function.For various operational and technical reasons,...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which types of railcard are currently unavailable to purchase or renew at ticket offices.
Answer: The Railcards currently unavailable to purchase at stations are 16-17 Saver, 26-30 Railcard, Disabled Persons' Railcard, Veterans Railcard and the HM Forces Railcard. In the case of the Disabled Persons' Railcard, Veterans Railcard and HM Forces Railcard ...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: West MidlandsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 906548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times from referral to specialist appointment in the Black Country.
Answer: We’ve cut waiting lists in the Black Country by more than 10% in the past year, including through the deployment of digital tools and AI to ensure more time is dedicated for patient care. But we are committed to going even further through the investment a...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDeportation: AppealsHome OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportation appeals that were successful at the First Tier Tribunal were later overturned at the Upper Tribunal in the past five years.
Answer: The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDeportation: AppealsHome OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92409More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish the number and proportion of successful appeals against deportation that relied on ECHR grounds since July 2024.
Answer: The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordFireworks: RegulationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90646More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to adopt a UK-wide model similar to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Act (Scotland) 2022, which empowers local authorities to set up fireworks-free zones.
Answer: There are currently no plans to adopt such a model UK-wide. The Government regularly engages with its counterparts in Scotland is keen to understand the impact Firework Control Zones have made before considering if similar changes are needed for England a...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCats: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to update the 2017 Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats; and if she will meet with animal welfare organisations to seek their input on this matter.
Answer: Defra is developing an overarching approach to animal welfare and has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of this work. The department will continue to engage with the sector to help improve cat welfare practices.
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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