Ellie Chowns MP: written questions 2025
289 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Refugees: GazaHome OfficeTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90559More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a community sponsorship scheme for refugees from Gaza.
Answer: We are not considering establishing a bespoke immigration route for Palestinians. In any humanitarian situation, the UK must carefully consider its approach in response. Any decision to implement a bespoke visa scheme would need to consider a range of fac...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: Electronic GovernmentTreasuryTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90558More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has sufficient capacity to support taxpayers during the implementation of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment.
Answer: HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small ...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: Electronic GovernmentTreasuryTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90557More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of quarterly reporting requirements under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment on (a) landlords’ administrative costs and (b) rent lev
Answer: HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small ...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: Electronic GovernmentTreasuryTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90556More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that HMRC's Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment represents good value for money.
Answer: HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small ...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: Electronic GovernmentTreasuryTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90555More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of quarterly reporting requirements under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment on seasonal businesses.
Answer: HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small ...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Government: Proof of IdentityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90554More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83709 on Electronic Government: Proof of Identity, what assessment she has made of the risk that people with limited credit history
Answer: GOV.UK One Login provides multiple ways for individuals to prove their identity. Individuals with access to a smartphone and traditional ID documents such as a passport or driving licence can complete verification via the GOV.UK One Login App, which does ...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Government: Proof of IdentityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90553More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83709 on Electronic Government: Proof of Identity, what oversight her Department has of third-party data providers used for identit
Answer: As part of the identity verification process, GOV.UK One Login engages specialist third party service providers. All third party relationships are controlled via commercial arrangements set out in contracts with GOV.UK One Login. GOV.UK One Login does not...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90552More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme on Natural England's caseload for investigations of potential brea
Answer: No formal assessment was deemed necessary in relation to the potential impact of the closure of the 2024 Sustainable Farming Incentive offer to new applications on the incidence of EIA (Agriculture) Regulations breaches.
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordGrasslands: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases Natural England is investigating for potential breaches of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2006 on semi-natural grassland
Answer: Figures by financial year can be found in Natural England’s published enforcement reports here. The 2023/24 report is due to be published soon, and work is underway on the 2024/25 report.
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordLifelong Learning EntitlementDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has conducted an equalities impact assessment of the age limit for Lifelong Learning Entitlement tuition fee loans; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that knowledge of the
Answer: The department conducted an equalities impact assessment (EIA) in 2023 that considered the availability of Lifelong Learning Entitlement tuition loans up to the age of 60. The EIA can be found in the public domain and is available at: https://assets.publi...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon EmissionsTreasuryTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89971More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 79904 on Carbon Emissions, if she will make it her policy to require the Bank of England to undertake a nature stress test.
Answer: The Chancellor’s 2024 remit and recommendations letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) sets out that the Committee should “consider how climate-related risks could impact financial stability over the near and long term, including...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon EmissionsTreasuryTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89970More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 79904 on Carbon Emissions, if she will require the Bank of England to undertake a climate stress test that incorporates lessons learned from the Climate Bi
Answer: The Chancellor’s 2024 remit and recommendations letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) sets out that the Committee should “consider how climate-related risks could impact financial stability over the near and long term, including...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordClimate Change: FinanceTreasuryTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89969More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Bank of England on other members of the Network for Greening Financial Services (NGFS) incorporating climate tipping points into NGFS scenarios.
Answer: The Chancellor’s 2024 remit and recommendations letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) sets out that the Committee should “consider how climate-related risks could impact financial stability over the near and long term, including...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: Local GovernmentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89260More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to expand the range of in-person Government services available via the Post Office network.
Answer: The Government’s consultation on the Post Office closed on 6 October and we thank all individuals and organisations for their detailed responses to our Green Paper, including the responses related to Post Office’s role in providing in-person Government se...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: Local GovernmentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to establish a national framework to enable local authorities to provide residents with (a) face-to-face access and (b) payment facilities for local government services thr
Answer: While this idea is not something currently under consideration, this Government welcomes all ideas on the future of the Post Office and will keep this idea under review.
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: Bank ServicesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enhanced Post Offices providing (a) affordable and (b) community-based access to (i) cash and (ii) face-to-face banking services in ru
Answer: I welcome the introduction of enhanced Post Offices in suitable areas, demonstrating Post Office continuing its vital role as an important alternative to bank branches in providing convenient in-person cash and banking services.The Government would welcom...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAnaestheticsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88090More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of anaesthetic workforce availability on elective surgery waiting times.
Answer: No specific recent assessment has been made by the Department on the impact of the levels of the anaesthetic workforce’s availability on elective surgery waiting times. Local providers are best placed to make decisions on workforce capacity to reflect loc...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordElon MuskHome OfficeTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88089More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Suitability: non-conducive grounds for refusal or cancellation of entry clearance or permission, published on 19 January 2024, whether Elon Musk would meet the
Answer: It is longstanding Home Office policy not to comment on individual cases.Where a foreign national is seeking to enter or stay in the UK, in order to qualify they will be assessed by the Home Office against a range of provisions in the current Immigration ...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices and Palliative Care: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88088More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure a sustainable funding settlement for hospice and palliative care in (a) Herefordshire and (b) the country.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86938More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Delivering a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing, published on 2 July 2025, when he plans to set out an (a
Answer: On 7 November 2025, my Department published a policy statement setting out the full details of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme as part of our plan to kickstart a decade of social and affordable housing renewal.The statement accompanies guidance ...
Answered 7 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: DetaineesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 29 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86521More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of UK citizens who have been (a) arrested, (b) detained and (c) deported by the Israeli authorities for picking olives in
Answer: We provided consular assistance to fewer than five British nationals detained by Israel in October 2025, all of whom have subsequently left the region. It is our long-standing policy not to publish statistical information on the reasons for consular assis...
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordGlyphosate: Sanitary ProductsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86520More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Women’s Environmental Network's report entitled Blood, Sweat and Pesticides, published in May 2025; and what steps
Answer: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicine, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet app...
Answered 28 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: Carbon EmissionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86098More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' report entitled Green Maternity Report 2025.
Answer: The Department is committed to supporting the National Health Service in delivering high-quality, equitable, and sustainable maternity services. This includes investing in digital transformation, supporting workforce development, and embedding sustainabil...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: Capital InvestmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86097More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure capital investment in NHS (a) estate and (b) infrastructure supports improvements in climate resilience.
Answer: We recognise the importance of increasing the climate resilience of the National Health Service estate. NHS trusts are responsible for maintaining their estate, including adapting premises to reduce risks associated with climate change and severe weather,...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Homes PlanDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85562More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the report by Citizens Advice entitled Stepping Up: Reforming protections in the retrofit market, published on 17 October 2025, and to the report by the National Audit Offic
Answer: The Government is reviewing and considering the NAO recommendations in full and will publish a response in due course. The results of the independent audits published by the Department demonstrate systemic failures in the consumer protection regime, which...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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