Cat Eccles MP: written questions
132 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Work 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 recordAllergies: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting lists for people needing urgent allergic care.
Answer: The Department is working closely with a range of stakeholders from across the Government, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, and patient representative groups, including the National Allergy Strategy Group, to consider how allergy care...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 905925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the upcoming NHS Workforce Plan will include measures to improve the recruitment and retention of staff in women’s health services.
Answer: Women’s health is a priority for this government, which is why we are implementing the Women’s Health Strategy. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for women, when they nee...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning Permission: SafetyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80683More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken for Gateway (a) 2 and (b) 3 approvals under the Building Safety Regulator; and if he will provide additional support
Answer: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has established a dedicated external remediation team who assess all building control approval applications for cladding remediation. The team is already delivering engagement events to improve developers’ understanding...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: Finance and TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that adequate (a) training and (b) funding is made available for schools to meet the needs of children with physical challenges requiring individualised support.
Answer: The government is committed to strengthening the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system to help improve outcomes for children and young people.The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26. This ...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: Mental HealthDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74800More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the operation of NHS Practitioner Health beyond March 2026.
Answer: Looking after the mental health of our hardworking National Health Service staff is a priority for the Government.The National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service currently supplied by NHS Practitioner Health is funded until March 2026, and work is bein...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors and Nurses: MedalsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74463More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make his policy to introduce a Long service and good conduct medal for (a) doctors and (b) nurses.
Answer: Employers across the National Health Service are best placed to identify and reward staff for either long service or excellence in the delivery of healthcare. Most organisations have developed a wide range of schemes to celebrate long service in the NHS a...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Professions: Migrant WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73102More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that essential NHS staff in Band?2 and Band?3 roles are eligible for inclusion on the (a) Health and Care Worker vis
Answer: National Health Service staff working in Agenda for Change band 2 roles have never been eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa as they do not meet the skills threshold of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3 diploma.On 9 April, the m...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCycling: FacilitiesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72517More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of constructing an indoor Velodrome in Birmingham; and whether she plans to allocate funding from the £900 million funding for sport announced
Answer: High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. That is why, in June, we committed another £400 mil...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSports: GrantsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72516More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release of 19 June 2025 entitled Game changer for the nation, if she will provide a breakdown of the £900 million funding for sports by grant; and what funding will be
Answer: High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. That is why, in June, we committed another £400 mil...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCurriculumDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that children have access to a (a) full and (b) balanced curriculum; and what steps she is taking to help ensure that children have access to the creative arts (i) up to
Answer: The department wants every child, regardless of background, to have a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum.Art and design, music, dance (included in physical education) and drama (included in English) are in the national curriculum and are ...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordProbation: West MidlandsMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64973More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the probation service in the West Midlands.
Answer: Performance ratings for prisons in the West Midlands are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of the Annual Prison Performance Ratings. The 2023-24 ratings can be found at: Prison Performance Ratings: 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.The performance of the P...
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: West MidlandsMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64972More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of prisons in the West Midlands.
Answer: Performance ratings for prisons in the West Midlands are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of the Annual Prison Performance Ratings. The 2023-24 ratings can be found at: Prison Performance Ratings: 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.The performance of the P...
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Humanitarian SituationForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64971More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations has he made to his Israeli counterpart on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Answer: The Prime Minister spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 29 July. He said that the situation in Gaza was intolerable and that the need for humanitarian access is now more pressing than ever before. He urged him to take immediate action to lift all ...
Answered 4 Aug 2025
Original Parliament record
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