Chris Evans MP: written questions 2025

Written questions

• Gambling: AdvertisingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31005More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to limit children's exposure to gambling advertisements on popular streaming platforms.

  Answer: We are committed to protecting children and young people from harmful gambling. There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect chi...

  Answered 28 Feb 2025

  Original Parliament record
• Social Security Benefits: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31004More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress her Department has made on tackling benefit overpayments made due to (a) fraud and (b) error.

  Answer: This government is determined to reduce fraud and error in the social security system. To tackle benefit overpayments, we agreed £8.6bn of savings at the Autumn Budget 2024 – the biggest fraud and error package on record, which led the independent Office ...

  Answered 27 Feb 2025

  Original Parliament record
• Ministry of Defence: BuildingsMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31003More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the building maintenance backlog on Ministry of Defence properties.

  Answer: Service Family Accommodation (SFA): The Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducts more than 300,000 maintenance tasks per year. These tasks relate to health and safety works, as well as proactive and reactive repairs, to maintain safe and compliant homes in line...

  Answered 27 Feb 2025

  Original Parliament record
• Gambling: AdvertisingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30600More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling advertising on (a) children under 18, (b) adults and (c) people with a gambling addiction.

  Answer: This government recognises that while advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over illegal gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation. Some forms of advertising can a...

  Answered 19 Feb 2025

  Original Parliament record
• Ministry of Defence: BillingMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28010More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help reduce late payment to SMEs (a) directly contracted by the Ministry of Defence and b) in the supply chain of firms contracted by the Ministry of Defence.

  Answer: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) aims to pay 90% of undisputed and valid invoices from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within five days. In the last quarter of this financial year, over 95% of invoices have been paid within this timescale. Addition...

  Answered 11 Feb 2025

  Original Parliament record
• Pregnancy: Sodium ValproateDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28009More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made by the (a) Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and (b) the Commission on Human Medicines to (i) understand the (A) current and (B) historic risks

  Answer: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), taking advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), has worked to raise awareness among healthcare professionals and patients of the risks of valproate when taken during pregnancy thr...

  Answered 12 Feb 2025

  Original Parliament record
• Equality: HairWomen and EqualitiesTabled 15 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24154More

  Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to amend the list of protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 to include hair colour.

  Answer: The Government has no such plans.

  Answered 23 Jan 2025

  Original Parliament record
• Boxing: HomophobiaDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 15 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24153More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle homophobia in boxing.

  Answer: Sport must be open to everyone. There is absolutely no place for homophobia, or discrimination of any kind, in sport or society.The Government expects sports bodies, including the boxing authorities, to take robust action to tackle discrimination whenever...

  Answered 22 Jan 2025

  Original Parliament record