Elsie Blundell MP: written questions 2025
176 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Foster CareDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35826More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help retain skilled and experienced foster carers.
Answer: Currently, there are ten fostering regional programmes active across England, collaborating with 64% of all local authorities to recruit and retain foster carers who will provide loving homes, local to the children who need them. An additional £15 million...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRussia: Crimes of AggressionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35825More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will advocate for a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against (a) President Putin and (b) the political leadership of the Russian Federation.
Answer: The UK continues to support work towards establishing a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, and is playing an active role in the Core Group established by Ukraine to progress this work. Senior UK legal and policy experts attended ...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAirports: ParkingDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35824More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce an independent organisation to (a) monitor and (b) control parking fees at airports.
Answer: As commercial businesses it is for airport operators to manage and justify the amount and advertising of parking charges. Parking arrangements are subject to contractual agreements between airport operators, car parking companies and covered by consumer l...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDeathMinistry of JusticeTabled 5 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35823More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has considered establishing an independent national oversight mechanism for deaths involving (a) state and (b) law enforcement bodies.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving transparency and accountability in the state’s response to learning from investigations involving state-related deaths and more widely. To this end, we are actively considering how we can most effectively address c...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordBreakfast ClubsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35417More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on timings schools will be expected to run free breakfast clubs to and from on a given day.
Answer: From the start of the summer term, early adopter schools will be expected to deliver a free, universal breakfast club providing childcare and food for at least 30 minutes, immediately before the start of the compulsory school day. This will also be a requ...
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTelecommunications: InfrastructureDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take steps to help ensure private telecommunications infrastructure providers are unable to install hardware without consultation with local communities.
Answer: We deprecate the installation of unnecessarily intrusive telecommunications infrastructure, especially where operators have not cooperated in sharing infrastructure or followed guidelines such as consulting communities. Planning regulations aim to strike ...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordBreakfast Clubs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for how long will the Government fund free breakfast clubs.
Answer: The department has introduced the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which will mean every state-funded school with primary aged children will offer a free breakfast club. This will ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, can have a supportive ...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordVeteransMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to increase his Department's support for (a) Commonwealth veterans and (b) British army veterans born outside of the UK.
Answer: This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans get access to the support they need. The Government is deeply grateful to all those who ser...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: GrantsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to take steps to (a) improve signposting and (b) create a central database for small and medium enterprises on grants for which they are eligible.
Answer: SMEs can identify available government grants to check which ones they are eligible to apply for on the Find Government Grants page on www.gov.uk. As part of efforts to better support growth and productivity across the UK’s 5.5 million SMEs, the Departmen...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: TrainingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of subsidising the cost of IT courses for staff in small and medium enterprises.
Answer: Use of digital technology is a key driver for productivity, helping businesses become more efficient. However, many businesses in the UK are slow to adopt new software, and we know smaller businesses in particular may not have access to information, resou...
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: Greater ManchesterDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34046More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with stakeholders in Greater Manchester on improving local public transport.
Answer: Officials in the Department have regular engagement with colleagues in Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and those across the districts. We work closely with the Mayor and GMCA to support their plans and...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMidwives: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of midwives.
Answer: We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan which will deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, to ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, including midwives, in the right places, with the r...
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: Greater ManchesterDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34044More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) midwives and (b) maternity units across Greater Manchester have up-to-date equipment.
Answer: The responsibility for local funding decisions, including on equipment, ultimately rests with the appropriate National Health Service commissioner. To ensure midwives and maternity units across Greater Manchester have up-to-date equipment, the following s...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordChurches: Civil SocietyDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has plans to provide support to (a) community and (b) social enterprises to help re purpose churches that are now closed.
Answer: Over 350 Grade I or II* closed listed churches have been saved by the Churches Conservation Trust. The Trust works with the public to ensure these churches once again stand at the heart of their communities, enjoyed as cultural, visitor, educational and s...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordListed Places of Worship Grant SchemeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the modifications to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Answer: Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications between 2022-2024 have been under £25,000, and most of these claims are for under £5,000. We believe that the modifications were necessary and adequate within the tight fiscal circum...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordUkraine: International AssistanceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33139More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve unity amongst his European counterparts on the provision of support to Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
Answer: The UK Government is in constant contact with European partners to ensure that Ukraine has the support it needs. The Foreign Secretary and I engage regularly with European counterparts on this issue, including at the Munich Security Conference on 14-16 Fe...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOffensive Weapons: SalesHome OfficeTabled 24 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33138More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with (a) local authorities and (b) business across Greater Manchester on steps to tackle the sale of (a) knives and (b) other offensive weapons to (i) teenagers and (ii
Answer: The Government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve knife crime in a decade and we are already taking a range of steps to make our communities a safer place for our young people.We know that more needs to be done to tackle the sale of knives and ...
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordKnives: SalesMinistry of JusticeTabled 24 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33137More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to increase sentences for individuals that sell knives to (a) teenagers and (b) young people.
Answer: While it is the function of the independent judiciary to decide the sentence in individual cases, subject to the maximum sentence available and sentencing guidelines, tackling knife crime is a priority and the Government is determined to halve knife crime...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: ComplaintsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33136More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the handling of complaints regarding private hospice care.
Answer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England and, therefore, covers the palliative and end of life care sector, including independent hospices. The CQC registers health and adult care providers,...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHeat Pumps: Low IncomesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to make heat pumps more (a) accessible and (b) cost effective to lower income households.
Answer: The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future. The Government is taking steps to make heat pumps more efficient and easie...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorways: Safety MeasuresDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32675More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of re-introducing the hard shoulder on all motorways.
Answer: The latest set of safety data published by National Highways continues to show that, overall, smart motorways are safer than conventional motorways for deaths or serious injuries. However, the risk of a collision between a moving and a stopped vehicle is ...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTechnology: Greater ManchesterDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32672More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on support for small technological start-ups in Greater Manchester.
Answer: We work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to support the digital economy, and ensuring that the UK continues to be one of the best places in the world for our tech businesses to start, scale and stay.All businesses ...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordResearch: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32671More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of research and development tax reliefs on the expansion of small businesses.
Answer: The Government is committed to periodically evaluating the R&D reliefs to ensure they are as effective as possible and underpinned by a credible, up-to-date evidence base. It will be some time before the required outturn data is available to conduct a...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHospital Beds: Greater ManchesterDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32670More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of hospital bed availability in health trusts in the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.
Answer: Hospital bed occupancy, including in Manchester, is too high. This reduces the number of beds available for patients who require hospital admission.Greater Manchester Integrated Care System continues to take action to support bed occupancy including a con...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Health Services and Primary Care: Greater ManchesterDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32669More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce pressures on (a) community health and (b) primary care settings within the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.
Answer: Community health services are an essential building block in developing a neighbourhood health service. The Department and NHS England are committed to reducing pressures on community health services, which includes reducing long waits and improving timel...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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