Esther McVey MP: written questions

Written questions

• Health Services: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18583More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the reduction in the Referral to Treatment waiting list between August 2024 and March 2026 was attributable to (a) increased completed treatments and (b) non-treatment removals,

  Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 30 June in response to Question HL381.

  Answered 19 Aug 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Coronavirus: FraudCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18582More

  Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether HM Treasury has produced, commissioned or received an estimate of the total amount lost through fraud and error across Covid-19 support schemes that exceeds the published estimate of £10.9 billion.

  Answer: Neither HM Treasury nor the Public Sector Fraud Authority have produced, commissioned or received an estimate of the total amount lost through fraud and error across Covid-19 support schemes that exceeds the published estimate of £10.9bn. The Public Secto...

  Answered 17 Jul 2026

  Original Parliament record
• New Businesses: Government AssistanceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 14 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18581More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government has analysed companies incorporated during the pandemic against recipients of Bounce Back Loans and other Covid support schemes.

  Answer: HM Government has analysed the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) portfolio for indicators that borrowers received loans which were ineligible under Scheme rules. This included analysing whether businesses were established on or before 1st March 2020 in accor...

  Answered 20 Jul 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Coronavirus: FraudCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Jul 2026Awaiting answerUIN 18580More

  Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what methodology was used to estimate the £10.9 billion of fraud and error in Covid-19 support schemes; whether the estimate includes unidentified fraud; and what estimate the Public Sector Fraud Authority has m

  Answer: No published answer in this record yet.

  Original Parliament record
• Obesity: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 17729More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the government announcement of 27 June 2026 on Pioneering projects to transform obesity care, for what reason the relevant competing interests of the quoted experts were not discl

  Answer: The Government announcement on 27 June 2026, titled Pioneering projects to transform obesity care, backed by £85 million from government and industry, was a press notice announcing the 12 successful projects funded through the Obesity Pathway Innovation P...

  Answered 17 Jul 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Folic Acid: Perinatal MortalityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 17728More

  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 article in The Lancet by Dr Czeizel entitled Can terathanasia explain the protective effect of folic-acid supplemen

  Answer: In the United Kingdom, folic acid fortification was first considered by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) in 2000.In its report on Folic Acid and the Prevention of Disease, COMA considered the 1997 paper by Hook and Czei...

  Answered 17 Jul 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Peak ClusterDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 8 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16872More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it is his policy to support the building of the Peak Cluster project.

  Answer: The Peak Cluster project is being developed privately by Peak Cluster Ltd, alongside its industry partners. The project has not been identified as one of the four Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) clusters for support through the government’s CCUS ...

  Answered 17 Jul 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Emergency Services: Crimes of ViolenceMinistry of JusticeTabled 8 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16871More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Deputy Prime Minister sets out vision for the justice system, 24 February 2026, what information his Department holds on the number of cases involving ass

  Answer: We inherited a criminal courts system in crisis. There are over 80,000 criminal cases currently waiting to be heard in the Crown Court, which means that some victims – and those seeking to clear their name – are waiting years for justice. Only by pulling ...

  Answered 20 Jul 2026

  Original Parliament record
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Peak ClusterDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16395More

  Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what meetings a) Ministers and b) officials in his Department have had with i) local authorities and ii) private sector companies on the Peak Cluster project.

  Answer: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Details of meetings with Senior Civil Servants are recorded in our transparency database, which is publishe...

  Answered 15 Jul 2026

  Original Parliament record