David Simmonds MP: written questions 2025
375 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Brain: TumoursDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78823More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered using brain tumour research funding announced in 2018 to fund an increase in the speed of research into new treatments.
Answer: In May 2018 the Government made a commitment to spend £40 million on brain cancer research. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, the Department, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), directly invested £11.8 million in research projects a...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain: TumoursDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78822More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has provided for brain tumour research in each year since 2018.
Answer: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of NIHR’s largest areas of spe...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain Cancer: ResearchDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78821More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what percentage of total research expenditure has been spent on research into (a) Giloma, (b) Glioblastoma, (c) Astrocytoma, (d) DIPG and (e) DMG brain tumour types in the last decade.
Answer: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of NIHR’s largest areas of spe...
Answered 10 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain CancerDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78820More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include astrocytoma brain cancer in the (a) National Cancer Plan, (b) Rare Cancers Bill and (c) NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.
Answer: The National Cancer Plan will take into account the needs of all patients with brain tumours. This means we will not be excluding any kinds of brain or spinal cord tumours and astrocytomas will be included as part of our work on brain tumours.The Rare Can...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCrime: Retail TradeHome OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75355More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of criminal activity linked to candy retail stores.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring high street businesses such as candy retail stores are not exploited by criminals conducting illicit activity such as money laundering or tax evasion.The Government’s approach to tackling money laundering is set out...
Answered 22 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAllotmentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people on waiting lists for an allotment.
Answer: There are strict criteria in place to protect statutory allotments – these are sites covered by the Allotment Act 1925. A local authority cannot sell or dispose of statutory allotment land without the consent of the Secretary of State, who will only grant...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71490More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to commission research to assess the consequences of the second homes council tax premium on the housing market in England.
Answer: It is for individual councils to decide whether to apply a premium in their area, taking into account local circumstances. The government does not currently make housing market assessments based on the use of premiums.
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65011 on Police: Finance, what estimate she has made of the total monetary value of council tax receipts from the police precept in England in (a) 20
Answer: The published total council tax receipts for policing 2024-25 and 2025-26 can be found below (£m): 2024-252025-26Total value5,650.06,057.6Year-on-year increases341.4407.7As set out in the Spending Review (SR) 2025 document, published 11 June 2025, the Pha...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Commission on Community & CohesionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress the Social Cohesion Taskforce has made on its objectives in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Social Cohesion Taskforce is a civil service team considering how to tackle divisions in our society and build common ground. Ministers will update on progress of the Taskforce in due course.
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSites of Special Scientific Interest: EbbsfleetMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71487More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 40908 on New Towns: Planning Permission, whether she has received representations from Ebbsfleet Development Corporation on rem
Answer: The Secretary of State has received no representations from the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation to remove the Site of Special Scientific Interest designation at Ebbsfleet.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local billing authorities have set a second homes premium on council tax in 2025-26.
Answer: The Department will publish data on the number of second homes liable for a council tax premium in November as part of the annual council taxbase statistics.
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Employers' ContributionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councils will receive compensatory payments for increases in employer National Insurance contributions in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.
Answer: The government provided an additional £515 million for local government in 2025-26 to manage the impact of changes to employer National Insurance Contributions. The recent Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three y...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning Authorities: RecruitmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide funding to local authorities for additional planning officers in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Question UIN 67508 on 21 July 2025.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Government Art CollectionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71483More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what items from the Government Art Collection have been (a) installed and (b) deinstalled in (i) her office in Marsham Street, (ii) her office in Whitehall and (iii) Admiralty Ho
Answer: This information is not held by MHCLG. The Government Art Collection is administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGreen Belt: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what planning appeal decisions the Planning Inspectorate has made in relation to Grey Belt land since December 2024 by (a) reference number and (b) local authority.
Answer: The Planning Inspectorate does not hold the requested information in a readily searchable way, and planning appeals do not have a marker for Grey Belt. As such, it is not possible to identify planning appeal decisions relating to grey belt land since Dece...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater ManchesterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71481More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 62596 on Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Property Development, what information (a) her Department and (b) Homes England
Answer: The Greater Manchester Housing Investment Loan Fund is operated by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). MHCLG and Homes England do not hold information in individual developments in this programme. GMCA is therefore best placed to respond to this...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRefugees: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71480More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding is provided to councils with high numbers of people granted refugee status; and whether the Fair Funding 2.0 proposals would affect this level of funding.
Answer: The government has been listening closely to the views expressed by the public, local authorities and other stakeholder bodies on the proposals set out in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation.No final decisions on the outcome of the review have yet be...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMotability: ParentsDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on taking into account the provision of Motability Scheme transport to parents when considering requests for the provision of home to school trans
Answer: The department issues statutory guidance for local authorities on travel to school for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16. This explains that a child’s eligibility for free travel is not affected by any further benefits or allowances a parent may ...
Answered 3 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMayors: MembersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71478More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with combined authority mayors on provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on restrictions on being Members of P
Answer: My department has engaged with Mayors and the local government sector ahead of publication of the English Devolution White Paper, where this policy was introduced.The post of mayor is a significant role at the forefront of delivering change and demands th...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater LondonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71477More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the number of housing starts in London in Q2 2025 on her target to build 1.5 million homes over this Parliament
Answer: Delivering historic levels of housebuilding in London is a critical part of the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes within this parliament. The government fully recognises the scale and breadth of the housing delivery challenge in London. W...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: EducationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding was allocated to English for Speakers of Other Languages in 2024-25; what is the budget for 2025-26; and what proportion in each case was allocated as grants to
Answer: The below answer refers to funding made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government only. The provisions described are in addition to what other departments may offer. Councils receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in t...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: EducationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding was allocated to English for Speakers of Other Languages provision in 2024-25; what is the budget for 2025-26; and what proportion in each case was allocated as grants to local authorit
Answer: Funding for adults to develop the English language skills they need is made available across government – from the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education. The d...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 59362 on Asylum: Housing, whether her Department provides guidance on objections to specific properties which (a) should be accepted by accommodation
Answer: The Home Office Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are published and set out our requirements for the sourcing and procurement of accommodation, including how providers should work and consult with local authorities on a range of issues, fr...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71473More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55303 on Asylum: Housing, if she will publish the template accommodation contract for housing asylum seekers between (a) her Department, (b) its contr
Answer: The document is available at https://atamis-8888.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#58000000L5A4/a/4I000001QuuT/sGjvxn0.zVTmJRxP5zk64Vp4prQLfMGIuGWdVxlBIsA as Schedule 22 in Home Office AASC contracts.
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71472More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the (a) cash terms and (b) real terms increase in the police settlement for 2025-26 includes (i) the increase in council tax and (ii) the compensatory funding for the increase in National Insu
Answer: The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.This includes precept actuals, whic...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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