Ellie Chowns MP: written questions 2025
289 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Development Aid: Climate ChangeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, columns 631-634, what assessment he has made of the potent
Answer: The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA), including that the UK will continue to play a key role in tackling climate change. Detailed decisions on how ...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: Climate ChangeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34490More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in ODA spending on climate security.
Answer: The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA), including that the UK will continue to play a key role in tackling climate change. Detailed decisions on how ...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFish Farming: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of new legislative measures to protect the welfare of farmed fish.
Answer: Current legislation already provides protection for farmed fish kept for the production of meat or other products whilst on farm and during transport. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any protected animal, ...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAdoption and Special Guardianship Support FundDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund permanent.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for North Herefordshire to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: Labour TurnoverDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34131More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential reasons for health professionals leaving the NHS, to the lowest available data level; and what steps his Department is taking to promote imp
Answer: NHS England publishes quarterly data on the broad reasons for staff leaving and staff movements in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations, support organisations, and central bodies in England. This is published as part of the NHS Work...
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFossil FuelsTreasuryTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34130More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Government (a) subsidies and (b) support to fossil fuel companies in the last 12 months.
Answer: The UK does not give any subsidies to fossil fuel companies and follows the International Energy Agency’s definition of a fossil fuel subsidy.Where data is available, estimates of the cost of tax reliefs available to oil and gas companies are published on...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordElectricity: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34129More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason the Government uses the marginal cost pricing system for electricity.
Answer: The wholesale electricity market, like most commodity markets worldwide, is based on marginal pricing. This reflects the value of consuming or generating an additional unit of electricity at any given time and ensures that generators increase or decrease ...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMusculoskeletal Disorders: Ethnic GroupsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34128More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce health disparities amongst ethnic minority communities in the treatment of (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions.
Answer: The Race Equality Foundation’s report, Musculoskeletal conditions and Black, Asian and minority ethnic people: addressing health inequalities, commissioned by what was then Public Health England, identified that some Black, Asian and minority ethnic group...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPain: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34127More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce the gender pain gap for women.
Answer: Through the call for evidence for the Women’s Health Strategy, women told us that they had not always been listened to by healthcare professionals and that more needs to be done to improve research, evidence, and data on women’s health. It is unacceptable...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMusculoskeletal Disorders: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34126More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to women that are more likely to live with a musculoskeletal condition.
Answer: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our missions. Women’s health hubs have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists. As of December 2024, 39 ou...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMusculoskeletal Disorders: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34125More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to publish a plan for improving outcomes for people living with musculoskeletal conditions.
Answer: Over 17 million people in England live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver the Government's missions to build a National Health Service fit for the future and kickstart economic growth.The...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Rural AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33741More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional funding she plans to provide to local authorities in rural areas for road repairs.
Answer: This Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting both rural and urban authorities in maintaining and renewing their highway networks. We have announced a £500 million highway maintenance funding upli...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Rural AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33740More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional funding she plans to provide to local authorities in rural areas to improve road safety.
Answer: We have awarded local authorities £185.8 million of funding between 2017 and 2024 through the Safer Roads Fund to improve the safety of England's most high risk 'A' roads. To date, it has funded 445.3 miles of rural roads which make up 62.4% of all funded...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: North HerefordshireDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33739More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to improve road safety in North Herefordshire constituency in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answer: Local authorities often use Integrated Transport Block funding for road safety improvements: the Department hopes to announce ITB allocations for 2025/26 for Herefordshire and other authorities shortly. This will allow Herefordshire County Council to deci...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordBBC: Health EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the BBC Board on the broadcasting of public information films to promote public health.
Answer: Ministers engage regularly with a variety of stakeholders to discuss a range of topics, including but not limited to the promotion of public health. A partnership between the Department and the BBC promotes physical activity through the Couch to 5K app. S...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordLearning Disability: HerefordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32742More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the document by NHS England entitled 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, published on 30 January 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of t
Answer: The NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance for 2025-26 addresses the urgent challenges facing the NHS, as highlighted by the Darzi investigation. My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently announced a series o...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: HerefordshireDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the frequency and reliability of rail services to stations in Herefordshire.
Answer: The Department works with all its Train Operating Companies on the frequency and reliability of services, including those in Herefordshire, where it also liaises with Transport for Wales on its services through the county. We are aware that West Midlands ...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction AgreementForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 24912 on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, whether the measures to implement the provisions needed to
Answer: The Government is completely committed to ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement,...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32613More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17264 on Children: Epilespy, what steps her Department is taking with governing bodies to ensure that all schools (a) develop a policy for supporting pupils
Answer: Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 10...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordBovine Tuberculosis: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on ending badger culling.
Answer: The Government has started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy, to continue to drive down disease rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. The previous government was taking decisio...
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordKiribati: Nuclear WeaponsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK's nuclear testing on the (a) medical, (b) public and (c) genetic health of the population in Kiribati.
Answer: The UK has arranged several assessments of the impacts of nuclear testing in the Pacific region and it has been the UK Government's position since 2008 that any remediation work required due to UK nuclear tests in Kiribati has been completed. There are no...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31396More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017, whether his Department is (a) committed to achieve good ecological status for
Answer: The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 transposed the European Union’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) into law in England and Wales and were retained in UK law after EU exit. In the Government’s response to...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Agreements: Gulf Cooperation CouncilDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31326More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the prospective free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council on the climate.
Answer: The UK is a global leader on climate action, and we have been discussing a range of environment and climate issues with GCC partners under the trade agreement negotiations.The UK - GCC Strategic Approach published on 22nd June 2022 on GOV.UK contains a ch...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Agreements: Gulf Cooperation CouncilDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31325More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to amend the policy paper entitled UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement: The UK’s Strategic Approach, published in June 2022.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade published the UK's Strategic Approach for the UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement ahead of launching negotiations. The Strategic Approach was based on public consultation with stakeholders and has informe...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordZambia: DebtsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31244More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the number of (a) non-bond and (b) other private creditors have reached debt restructuring agr
Answer: Zambia has now reached agreement on restructurings with its official creditors and private bondholders, though progress was slow initially. Good faith negotiations continue with remaining commercial creditors. The UK has been clear that private creditors ...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →