Freddie van Mierlo MP: written questions
735 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Maternity Pay: Multiple BirthsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help support families with the costs of raising (a) twins and (b) children of multiple births; and if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of her maternity pay policie
Answer: There are two types of maternity pay available to pregnant working women:Statutory Maternity Pay paid by employersMaternity Allowance paid by the Department for Work and Pensions to eligible women (including the self-employed and women in employment who a...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHartley Pensions: InsolvencyTreasuryTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24068More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to allow Hartley pension holders to transfer their pensions funds to other administrators.
Answer: The Government is actively monitoring the situation of Hartley Pensions and offers our sympathies to the affected customers. Hartley Pensions is a self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) provider and is therefore the responsibility of the Financial Conduc...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordJapan: Foreign RelationsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department took to support the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony in August 2024; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the non-attendance
Answer: We have consistently been represented at the Nagasaki peace ceremony by our Ambassador or a senior diplomat since 2010. Last year was no different: the British Embassy's Minister Counsellor Political, our second most senior diplomat in Japan at the time, ...
Answered 23 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24066More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent the illegal sale of ADHD medication for recreational use.
Answer: The illegal sale and supply of human medicines is recognised as a significant challenge for regulators across the world. Medicines purchased from websites that are illegally trading can be harmful to health, as the products received are generally unlicens...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: DrugsDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24065More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of ADHD medication shortages on children in school.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve the supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other cou...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: Young PeopleDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24064More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will work with local authorities to ensure Education, Health and Care plans are updated post annual review for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to take into account
Answer: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The SEND code of p...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: Children in CareDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24063More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward proposals to finalise the care placements for children in care to align with applications to post-16 education.
Answer: The department recognises the critical importance of continuity and stability throughout a looked after child’s life. Under the ‘Care planning, placement and case review’ guidance and regulations, the child’s allocated social worker should do everything p...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24062More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps to (a) increase (i) frequency and (ii) reliability and (b) decarbonise services on (A) the Henley branch line and (B) other branch lines.
Answer: The Department and operators continually review demand when assessing the need to increase frequency going forward. There are currently no plans to increase frequency on the Henley line. The Department also monitors reliability closely as operational perf...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24061More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to increase the availability of rolling stock suitable for (a) the Henley branch line and (b) other non-electrified branch lines.
Answer: Train operators are responsible for ensuring that they make adequate rolling stock available to meet the needs of their customers. The Government is in the early stages of formulating a rolling stock strategy which will include considerations around the t...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren's Social Care Independent ReviewDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21892More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Independent Review of Children’s social care final report (MacAlister,2022), published on the 23rd of Ma
Answer: Reforming children’s social care is critical to giving hundreds of thousands of children and young people the best start in life. This government has already moved quickly to set out its plans for a whole-system and child-centred approach to reform and ou...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps is he taking to ensure that all villages are included the rollout of broadband infrastructure.
Answer: The Government is committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK. So far we have over 30 Project Gigabit contracts in place, filling in gaps that are not being met commercially, predominantly in rural areas. This includes a co...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMuseums and Galleries: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of financial support provided to (a) the River and Rowing museum in Henley-on-Thames and (b) other museums outside London.
Answer: We have made no such specific assessment about the River and Rowing museum, but we are keen to see museums outside London flourish. Funding is tight, but DCMS oversees the £86m Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), which invests in museum infrastruct...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordFamily Hubs: OxfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20871More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to extend Start for Life and Family Hub funding to include Oxfordshire.
Answer: The Prime Minister’s Plan for Change outlined that there will be investment to continue to build up the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. In 2025/26, this investment will fund the 75 local authorities in England with high levels of deprivation tha...
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAlzheimer's Disease: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of NICE methodology in appraising innovative medicines for licensed for Alzheimer's Disease.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for the methods and processes it uses to develop recommendations on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. The N...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordToys and Games: SafetyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20107More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that Christmas toys sold through online retailers are safe.
Answer: Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold. Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, all toys placed on the market must meet essential safety requirements. The Office for Product Safety and Standards runs the national Online ...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNational Landscapes: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19824More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2024 to Question 11126 on National Landscapes: Environment Protection, what steps the Government is taking to make National Landscapes wilder and g
Answer: This Government is committed to making Protected Landscapes greener, wilder and more accessible. We have just announced our intent to strengthen legislation, when parliamentary time allows, and this will form part of a wider package of tools and resourcin...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNational LandscapesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19819More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14870 on National Landscapes and with reference to section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, for what reas
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer, as corrected, given to Question UIN 14870 on 26 November 2024.
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS Trusts to speed up access to innovative therapies before MHRA approval through Early Access Programmes.
Answer: NHS England has issued national policy guidelines on free of charge schemes, which are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/The only fre...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordGivinostatDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19190More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were in receipt of Givinostat through the Early Access Programme on 10 December 2024; and if he will make an assessment of the potential barriers to accessing the Early Access Pro
Answer: The information on how many patients were in receipt of givinostat through the Early Access Programme (EAP) on 10 December 2024 is not held centrally, as the scheme was set up by the manufacturer.We have made no assessment of access to the EAP for givinos...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: National Insurance ContributionsTreasuryTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18823More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce (a) delays and (b) complexities in obtaining the necessary information to purchase additional years of National Insurance contributions to maximise their state pension (a) faced by
Answer: To support customers, HMRC and DWP enhanced the online Check your State Pension forecast service in April 2024. New functionality enables the majority of working age customers to self-serve by viewing their State Pension forecast, see payable gaps and mak...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDormiceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18031More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Glis Glis (edible dormouse) on (a) indigenous species and (b) property; and whether he plans to take steps to reduce this i
Answer: An assessment of the risk of edible dormouse (Glis Glis) published by the Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat identified that there were potential impacts of edible dormouse on native species of hole nesting birds and on trees. It also identified...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHospitals: ConstructionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18030More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the New Hospital Programme review, when the (a) options and (b) recommendations for the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading will be published; and when he plans to announce which ho
Answer: The new hospital scheme for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust at the Royal Berkshire Hospital is in the scope of the review into the New Hospital Programme.We are finalising the outcome of the review so we can be honest and upfront with everyone on...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Justice: Translation ServicesMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to publish the independent review of her Department’s language services.
Answer: We have been considering the findings of the independent review to help inform the development of new tender specifications. This is a complex process and covers a wide range of agencies within the Ministry of Justice. Once all internal governance has bee...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Justice: InterpretersMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18028More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of services provided by interpreters to her Department.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice operates a robust performance and quality regime for these services. Interpreter fulfilment of bookings is the service provided by suppliers under contract, and their performance is managed through contract management. The quality ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Justice: Translation ServicesMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing external (a) translation and (b) interpretation services provided to her Department with services provided by departmental staff.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice considered the potential for bringing the service fully or partially in-house when assessing its options. The outcome of the assessment indicated an outsourced model continued to be the best value for taxpayers’ money, taking accou...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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