Daisy Cooper MP: written questions 2026
172 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Thameslink Line: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she will take to reduce reliance on rest-day working to operate timetabled passenger rail services on the Thameslink route when the operator is nationalised.
Answer: DFTO are supporting GTR in the recruitment of additional Thameslink drivers, which will assist in reducing reliance on rest day working. There have been over 50 new drivers on the GTR network since July 2024, with further drivers currently being trained. ...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: CCTVDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 510More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 99812 on Railway Stations: CCTV, whether bike thefts will be included in the assessment of railway stations with the highest crime levels when priori
Answer: Further to the answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 99812, this work is in progress by Network Rail who are delivering the project on behalf of the rail industry. These details are not yet available.
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPlanning Permission: Fees and ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 509More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Section 51 of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, when he will lay regulations to delegate the power to set fees for planning applications to local planni
Answer: Between 23 March and 18 May 2026, the government consulted on establishing a new national default fee schedule and the key principles behind local fee setting. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of that consultation, we i...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordEducational Psychology: Higher EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she will take to increase the number of places available for educational psychology courses at universities in England.
Answer: The department is investing £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts who started their studies in 2024 and 2025 as part of the Educational Psychology Funded Training scheme. This is in addition to the £10 million already be...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordHussam Abu SafiyaForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 507More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and (b) Israel’s ambassador to the UK on (i) the welfare of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and (ii) acc
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 August 2025 in response to Question 68153.
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 506More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 127101 on Cancer: Vaccination, (a) (i) how many and (ii) which pharmaceutical companies attended the NHS England webinar in 2025, and (b) (
Answer: The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that is increasing access and speeding up recruitment to clinical trials for personalised cancer vaccines and other immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. In 2025, the scope of ...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: St AlbansDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 505More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her department has made in increasing the availability of driving tests in St Albans since 3 November 2025.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests. DVSA is continuing with its recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners. Since November 2025, for those test centre...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration: SyriaHome OfficeTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 504More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she will take to improve the processing times for ILR applications for Syrian nationals.
Answer: On 14 July 2025, we published updated country information which enabled decision making on Settlement Protection applications for refugees from Syria to resume. Protection claims can now be processed and safe return reviews conducted where required in lin...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration Controls: British National (Overseas)Home OfficeTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will produce new guidance on how to complete an Indefinite Leave to Remain application for families holding BNO citizenship, where one or more family members visa expiration date differs t
Answer: The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route guidance already sets out the requirements for settlement, including the need for applicants to complete a period of five years’ continuous residence in the UK.Applications under the BN(O) route are ...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordIndividual Savings AccountsTreasuryTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 502More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Lifetime ISA property cap threshold for (a) England and (b) St Albans constituency.
Answer: Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by bor...
Answered 21 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Workplace PensionsCabinet OfficeTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 501More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he will take to reduce waiting times for those seeking a remedial service statement via Capita for their Civil Service Pension.
Answer: Capita, having assumed responsibility for the Civil Service Pension Scheme in December 2025, is currently preparing a delivery plan for the remaining 2015 Remedy work. The Cabinet Office expects the majority of the remaining Remediable Service Statements ...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordThameslink Line: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 500More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will approve funding for (a) the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme and (b) Midland Mainline capacity improvement to mitigate forecasted capacity constraints on the Thameslink route.
Answer: The Department recognises the significant growth pressures and opportunities facing the rail network from major developments such as the expansion of Luton and Gatwick Airports, the proposed Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire, and extensive plan...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDoctors: Sexual OffencesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 499More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take legislative steps to end the five year rule on investigating sexual misconduct cases before the House rises for summer recess.
Answer: The Government is committed to modernising the regulation of all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.As a first step, on 24 March 2026, we published our Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, which sets out pr...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPsychiatric Hospitals: HertfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 498More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of acute mental health inpatient places in Hertfordshire.
Answer: Since the pandemic, mental health services in Hertfordshire have faced sustained pressure, including a reliance on out‑of‑area beds, reflecting national trends. A 2023/24 review found local inpatient capacity was significantly below comparable areas.In re...
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWatford HospitalDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 497More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward from 2032 the New Hospital Programme construction work to redevelop Watford General hospital should capacity become available.
Answer: Watford General Hospital is part of Wave 2 of the New Hospital Programme, as set out in the published Plan for Implementation. Pre-construction activity, which includes business case development and enabling works, is expected to commence from 2028, with ...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: OrthopaedicsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ending multiple assessments for amputees to qualify for benefits.
Answer: There are many disabled people and people with health conditions in receipt of both Universal Credit (UC) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which means going through two separate assessments – a process that can be complex, time-consuming, duplicat...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordImmigration: SyriaHome OfficeTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128778More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 71117 on Immigration: Syria, whether a delay of 30 months to ILR applications for a Syrian national is considered to be within the acceptable le
Answer: On 11 December 2024, we paused all Syrian asylum interviews and decisions whilst we assessed the country situation. This pause extended to Settlement Protection applications from Syrian nationalsThe pause was a necessary step while there was no stable, ob...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: CorrespondenceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to ensure Royal Mail responds to the Hon Member for St Albans and other Hon Members with regards to constituency casework correspondence.
Answer: Royal Mail is an independent business. However, I have been assured that it endeavours to respond to all correspondence in a timely manner and to provide a full response to concerns Honourable Members raise, rather than a standard response. Some concerns ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Foreign NationalsMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127478More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the Australian policy of permitting those non-nationals living in the United Kingdom the opportunity to apply for service in the military after o
Answer: The UK Armed Forces already accept applications from some nationalities if they are a dual national of a permitted nationality. Eligible applicants must be either a British Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territory Citizen, British Nat...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordInformation Commissioner's Office: Data ProtectionDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127146More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the timeliness of the Information Commissioners Office's responses to complaints about potential breaches of data protection legislation.
Answer: While DSIT acts as the ICO’s sponsor department within government, it is an independent regulator and accountable to Parliament. The ICO reports annually to Parliament on its complaints and investigations, and the Information Commissioner can appear befor...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordParking: DatabasesDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to introduce a cap on the fees charged by app providers to local authorities for operating the National Parking Platform.
Answer: The National Parking Platform is intended to support greater competition and choice by enabling multiple parking app providers to operate across participating local authorities. While the Government is keen to see this system make parking easier for all, ...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHybrid Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127102More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 118384 on Hybrid Vehicles: Excise Duties, whether she has considered the potential merits of allowing those PHEV drivers who (a) opt in to doing so and (b) have vehicle
Answer: As announced at Budget 2025, plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) will be subject to a reduced electric Vehicle Excise Duty rate of 1.5 pence per mile upon its introduction in April 2028 – half the rate that will apply to fully electric cars. This approach rec...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March to Question 119469 on Cancer: Vaccination, how many pharmaceutical companies have been contacted by his Department with details of the expansion of eligibility of
Answer: The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that is increasing access and speeding up recruitment to clinical trials for personalised cancer vaccines and other immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. In 2025, the scope of ...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will review the adequacy of fire risk assessment requirements for retail premises which stock (a) vapes and (b) other small electricals containing lithium-ion batteries.
Answer: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a range of legal duties on Responsible Persons (the person in control of a premises which can include building owners, landlords and employers), chief among which is the need to undertake a fire risk a...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Delivery ServicesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127099More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require large online retailers to provide a choice of courier or delivery company to consumers when placing o
Answer: The department currently has no plans to require retailers to offer a choice of delivery couriers to consumers. This is a commercial decision for the business to make. Consumers are encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions to businesses directly. Th...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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