Ellie Chowns MP: written questions 2025
289 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Healthy Start Scheme: North HerefordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of eligible families were in receipt of Healthy Start in North Herefordshire constituency on 9 June 2025.
Answer: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at ...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Meals: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to monitor compliance with the updated school food standards; and what support she plans to provide to schools that are not currently meeting those standards.
Answer: The department is engaging with stakeholders on revising the school food standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.School governors and trustees have a statutory duty to ensure compliance with th...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFuneral PaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants who were (a) responsible for funeral costs and (b) in receipt of a qualifying benefit were denied a Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment because of the family tests in the eligibilit
Answer: Table 1 shows the number of applicants who were refused a Funeral Expenses Payment for the below reasons:There is a surviving partnerThere is a closer relativeThey are not a partner, friend or relative Table 1: Funeral Expense Payments- Refusals linked to...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning and Infrastructure BillMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56715More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Environmental Statements under section 20(2)(a) and (3) of the Environment Act 2021, what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that the Planning and I
Answer: Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill concerning development and nature recovery will not reduce overall levels of environmental protection. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied th...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pickering Fishery AssociationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56568More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to implement the judgement in Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Pickering Fishery Association [2025] EWCA Civ 378.
Answer: I refer the Member for North Herefordshire to the Minister’s written statement of 6 May 2025.
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordLand: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56559More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system for regulating the land market along the lines of the French Société d’Aménagement Foncier et d’Etabli
Answer: Defra has made no such assessment. The Land Use Consultation explored the functions of land markets in England and the case for new incentives, including regulation to support the Government’s growth, environmental, and food production objectives. The res...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56463More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 12807 on Public Appointments, what recent progress he has made on publishing an updated list of significant public appointments.
Answer: An update will be provided in due course.
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRights of Way: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54149More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase the level of funding for local authorities to ensure the maintenance of public rights of way.
Answer: The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review. Local autho...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordForests: CommoditiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53745More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that forest risk commodities implementing legislation supports the UK's commitments under the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade
Answer: The Government recognises the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course. The Government is taking action to support our FACT ...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDeep Sea MiningForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the US President's Executive Order entitled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and
Answer: The Government notes the US Executive Order on 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. The UK is a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is committed to the continued work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA)...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: OverpaymentsTreasuryTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53743More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enquiries have hon. Members made to HMRC on errors that led to constituents being overcharged tax in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those enquiries resulted in HMRC repaying overcharged
Answer: HMRC receives enquiries from hon. Members through a variety of channels, including calls, emails and letters, covering a wide range of topics. HMRC does not systematically record which of these enquires specifically relate to instances of overcharged tax,...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52829More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan) in response to the question from t
Answer: The Government published a summary of the assessment process and decisions that led to the suspension on 2 September of export licences for items that could be used by Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Further information on the assessment proces...
Answered 3 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCapital Gains TaxTreasuryTabled 13 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52127More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the potential revenue that could be raised through (a) equalising capital gains tax with income tax rates and (b) applying a 2 per cent tax for people with assets over £10 million, to
Answer: The Government continually keeps the tax system under review. Published estimates for illustrative tax changes can be found in HMRC’s Direct effects of illustrative tax changes bulletin including changes to Capital Gains Tax [1] [1] https://www.gov.uk/gov...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordForests: CommoditiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52126More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing Schedule 17 of the Environment Act before COP 30 in November 2025.
Answer: The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, including advocating for an international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while supporting livelihoods and economic development.
Answered 20 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52125More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing Schedule 17 of the Environment Act before COP 30 in November 2025.
Answer: The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, including advocating for an international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while supporting livelihoods and economic development.
Answered 20 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 49218 on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, whether her Department plans to (a) make an assessment of the potential merits of exploring more
Answer: As stated in our response to Question 49218, we are not planning to exempt specific conditions, but we are planning to reduce reassessments for those with the most severe conditions.We aim to do this in Universal Credit through guaranteeing that for both ...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBovine Tuberculosis: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50353More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Government to end badger cull with new TB eradication strategy, published on 30 August 2024, what progress he has made on the TB era
Answer: We have started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB (bTB) eradication strategy to drive down bTB rates in cattle, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. To ensure it benefits from the latest evidence, we ...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: Recreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, whether she plans to limit the number of open public spaces in new housing d
Answer: The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charges. This year we will consult on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for...
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: Recreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, if she will collect comprehensive information on the number of open public s
Answer: The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charges. This year we will consult on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for...
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: Recreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50350More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, for what reason the Government does not hold that information.
Answer: The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charges. This year we will consult on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for...
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the energy used to run artificial intelligence technologies on the UK's net-zero emissions targets.
Answer: Embracing the opportunities that AI can provide to drive growth and productivity in the economy is a government objective. Building the low carbon economy of the future will lead to significant increases in electricity demand across many sectors. These pr...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHoliday Activities and Food ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49999More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing the Holiday Activities and Food programme on a permanent basis.
Answer: The government is committed to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme and the impact it has on children, young people and families. We are very pleased that the overall funding for the HAF programme in 2025/26 is again more than £200 million, wit...
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPain: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49998More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 34127 on Pain: Women, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is undertaking any research into (a) patient and (b) hea
Answer: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is currently funding a £2.7 million study that aims to find out if adding testosterone to standard hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduc...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironment Protection: UK Relations with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to seek closer environmental cooperation and collaboration with the European Union and its agencies as part of the UK-EU reset.
Answer: At the UK-EU Summit on May 19th, the Government announced the intention to agree a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChemicals: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49996More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to seek (a) regulatory alignment and (b) a closer relationship with the European Union on chemicals regulation as part of UK-EU reset discussions.
Answer: This Government will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU across a range of areas. It is too early to discuss scope or specific areas in any greater detail.
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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