Elsie Blundell MP: written questions 2025
176 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Railway Stations: North of EnglandDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support the wider community utility of rail stations in the north of England.
Answer: The Department continues to support the community rail sector across the north of England, including through funding for station adoption groups and Community Rail Partnerships. This support is delivered via train operating companies and through the Commu...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Railways InitiativeDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to help support the long-term viability of community rail organisations in the context of (a) her Department's rail reforms and (b) the inception of Great British Rail.
Answer: As we move towards establishing Great British Railways (GBR), the Community Rail movement will be integral to helping us deliver our priorities and will continue to deliver for passengers and communities. We will continue to work closely with the Communi...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Railways Initiative: North of EnglandDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support community rail in the north of England.
Answer: The Department continues to support the community rail sector across the north of England, including through funding for station adoption groups and Community Rail Partnerships. This support is delivered via train operating companies and through the Commu...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Support Staff Negotiating BodyDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65454More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure collaboration between the School Support Staff Negotiation Body and academy trusts.
Answer: The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will have a remit for pay, conditions, training and career progression for support staff in all state-funded schools, including academies, in England. As half of schools are now academies, it is vital that...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Support Staff Negotiating BodyDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65453More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that recommendations made by the School Support Staff Negotiating Body are implemented.
Answer: The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established in primary legislation through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament within the first 100 days of government on 10 October 2024. The Bill is currently in the H...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Support Staff Negotiating BodyDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65452More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the independence of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.
Answer: The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established in primary legislation through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament within the first 100 days of government on 10 October 2024. The Bill is currently in the H...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Support Staff Negotiating BodyDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65451More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the School Support Staff Negotiating Body will be operational.
Answer: The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established in primary legislation through the Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced in Parliament within the first 100 days of government on 10 October 2024. The Bill is currently in the H...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBridleways: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65450More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to protect bridleways in the context of changes to national planning regulations.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should protect and enhance public rights of way and access, including taking opportunities to provide better facilities for users, for example by adding links to existing...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBridleways: Active TravelDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65449More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of bridleways on supporting active travel nationally.
Answer: Bridleways have an important role to play in enabling active travel across the country. To support local authorities seeking to deliver active travel schemes outside of towns and cities, Active Travel England is developing specific guidance for good pract...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: HousingHome OfficeTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure the provision of appropriate accommodation for police officers whose careers were shortened by significant injury.
Answer: Where a police officer is assessed as permanently medically unfit and leaves the service, there are a range of benefits that may be payable under the occupational pension and injury benefit schemes. The entitlement for an individual would depend on the pa...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigrationHome OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the white paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether people who (a) are already living in the UK and (b) hold active visas will s
Answer: We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be updated at that time.
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigrationHome OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the
Answer: A technical annex has been published alongside the White Paper. It can be found at the following link: Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper - GOV.UKWe will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further det...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: PalestiniansForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps with his international counterparts to establish an international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Answer: The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary are committed to convening a meeting for an international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace. We welcome the opportunity to discuss further with civil society organisations their work and the prospects for peacebui...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance Service: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58096More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure improved service from the Child Maintenance Service.
Answer: As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for our service is increasing. To allow us to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts t...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance Service: FinanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58095More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to increase resourcing for the Child Maintenance Service.
Answer: As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for our service is increasing. To allow us to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts t...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment and Recruitment: DiscriminationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56956More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the new jobs and careers service will work with employers to help tackle ageism in (a) recruitment and (b) the workplace.
Answer: The Government acknowledges the key role employers play in helping older individuals to remain in or re-enter the workforce, and the importance of embracing policies conductive to this support. The 2010 Equality Act provides strong protection against dire...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Older PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56955More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people in their (a) 50s and (b) 60s are included in the design of its new digital employment support offer.
Answer: As part of our reforms announced in the Get Britain Working, we set out our plans to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain. We secured £55m at the Autumn Budget to take forward the first steps of building, testing and trialli...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Older PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56954More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including an increase in employment among people aged 50–59 and 60–66 as a distinct intermediate outcome metric in the Get Britain Working frame
Answer: A key outcome in our Get Britain Working outcome metrics framework is our ambition to raise the country’s employment rate to 80%. To achieve this ambition, we will need to improve employment across a range of groups of the population, including people age...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcares: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53702More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that it is financially viable for childcare settings to offer places to three and four year-old children.
Answer: In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements, a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25. We have announced the largest ever increase to Early Years Pupil Premium since its introduction and will also deliver a si...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Lone ParentsDepartment for EducationTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53701More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support single parents re-entering the workforce with funding to access high-quality childcare.
Answer: Single parents of children aged nine months and over may qualify for 30 hours of funded childcare from September this year, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. Each parent needs to expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours at National Living ...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Lone ParentsDepartment for EducationTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53700More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of single parent family access to high quality childcare settings.
Answer: Single parents of children aged nine months and over may qualify for 30 hours of funded childcare from September this year, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. Each parent needs to expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours at National Living ...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53699More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of early years funding models in supporting (a) parents and (b) guardians who work fewer than 16 hours per week.
Answer: Single parents of children aged nine months and over may qualify for 30 hours of funded childcare from September this year, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. Each parent needs to expect to earn the equivalent of 16 hours at National Living ...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces CovenantDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty on the work of her Department.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions treats its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously and has a number of special rules and arrangements in place.These range from National Insurance Credits for forces spouses who have a gap in th...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMissing Persons: ChildrenHome OfficeTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53286More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to better equip local police forces to ensure the safe return of missing children.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that police forces are equipped to respond appropriately urgently when children go missing, and that missing people and their families receive the best possible protection and support.The Missing Persons Authorised ...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMissing Persons: ChildrenDepartment for EducationTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53285More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to develop a cross-Government strategy for reducing the numbers of missing children.
Answer: This government champions the need for an effective multi-agency response that reduces the number of children going missing, whether this is from a family home or from the care of the local authority.The department’s long-standing statutory guidance on sa...
Answered 28 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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