Freddie van Mierlo MP: written questions
280 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Prescriptions: Fees and ChargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55806More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the criteria for medical exemption certificates to include everyone with a (a) disability and (b) chronic illness.
Answer: The Department has no plans to expand the criteria for medical exemption certificates.Individuals with qualifying medical conditions or with a continuing physical disability which prevents them from leaving their residence without the help of another pers...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrescriptions: Fees and ChargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55805More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to review the adequacy of the earnings criteria for free prescriptions.
Answer: No discussions have been held between my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on expanding eligibility to all claimants in receipt of Universal Credit. The De...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrescriptions: Fees and ChargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55804More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of expanding eligibility for free prescriptions to include everyone in receipt of Universal Cre
Answer: No discussions have been held between my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on expanding eligibility to all claimants in receipt of Universal Credit. The De...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordLGBT+ People: PublicationsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55803More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the availability of books in public libraries which feature (a) characters, (b) storylines, (c) lives and (d) the history of the LGBTQ+ comm
Answer: The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their lo...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Sports Facilities and Swimming PoolsDepartment for EducationTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55581More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding is available for the (a) repair and (b) maintenance of (i) sports facilities and (ii) swimming pools at schools.
Answer: Schools provide important opportunities for all pupils to be physically active, with sports facilities being key to the provision of high quality physical education lessons and extra-curricular sport.The department supports academy trusts, local authorit...
Answered 7 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAlzheimer's Disease: Health ProfessionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54181More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of Alzheimer's disease specialists compared to other G7 countries.
Answer: The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideli...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAlzheimer's Disease: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54180More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) PET scans, (b) cerebrospinal fluid testing and (c) other bio-marker led tests to confirm Alzheimer's disease.
Answer: The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example investing almost £11 million to develop new digital approaches for the early detect...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDementia: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54179More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to return the dementia diagnosis rate to its target level.
Answer: To support recovery of the dementia diagnosis rates, we have developed a memory service dashboard to support commissioners and providers with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed.We have funded an evidence-based improvement project to...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDementia: ResearchDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54178More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support UK-based research into new forms of treatment for dementia.
Answer: The Department delivers dementia research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Government funders are investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis and prevention to treatment, care and support, includi...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53399More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to amend the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017.
Answer: In October 2024 the UK and Welsh Government launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, this is the third stage of the Government’s water strategy and is the largest review of the industry since privatisation.The Commission...
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordInland Waterways: Henley and ThameDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53398More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on achieving (a) Good Chemical Status and (b) Good Ecological Status for waterways in Henley and Thame constituency.
Answer: The major waterbodies in the Henley & Thames constituency are the Thames (Wallingford to Caversham), Thames (Caversham to Cookham) and the Thame. These waterbodies do not achieve Good Ecological Status due to their Phosphate Status. All the other elem...
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52517More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken by integrated care boards to add new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-recommended medicines to their formula
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS in Engla...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care BoardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52516More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department has used to determine which integrated care boards should merge.
Answer: NHS England has asked the integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services, and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, with the expectation of achieving a 50% cost reducti...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: StandardsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51727More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15607 on Water: Standards and with reference to Henley Swim's announcement entitled Henley Swim stops trading, published on 2 May
Answer: This Government supports the innovative approaches being taken to trial new charges aiming to make bills fairer and more affordable. All companies plan to trial new charging structures by 2030 and some of them plan to introduce them more widely for additi...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: StandardsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51726More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15605 on Water: Standards and with reference to Henley Swim's announcement entitled Henley Swim stops trading, published on 2 May
Answer: This Government supports the innovative approaches being taken to trial new charges aiming to make bills fairer and more affordable. All companies plan to trial new charging structures by 2030 and some of them plan to introduce them more widely for additi...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSpinal Muscular Atrophy: BabiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51725More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information has been provided to him on the reason for the delay on publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Research research brief that will inform the UK National Screening
Answer: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been kept informed of the plans being developed for the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy, including the National Institute for Health and Care R...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordActive Travel: ConstructionDepartment for TransportTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51724More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Compulsory Purchase Order powers in progressing active travel schemes.
Answer: The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of compulsory purchase order powers in progressing active travel schemes and there is currently no centralised record of how many active travel schemes in England have relied on ...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordActive Travel: ConstructionDepartment for TransportTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51723More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many active travel routes in England have used Compulsory Purchase Order powers to facilitate their construction.
Answer: The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of compulsory purchase order powers in progressing active travel schemes and there is currently no centralised record of how many active travel schemes in England have relied on ...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChilternsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51082More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress Natural England have made on the proposed expansion of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Beauty; and if he will set out a timeline for a consultation on that expansion.
Answer: The Department is aware that Natural England in light of pressure on their budgets have taken the hard decision to stop work on the Chilterns boundary review. It had yet to reach the stage of sharing proposed ‘candidate areas’ publicly and as a result of ...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHormone Replacement TherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50772More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 35541 on Hormone Replacement Therapy, what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on encouraging manu
Answer: Oestrogen and testosterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants are not licenced in the United Kingdom. The Department is working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to ensure safe access to these products. We...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHormone Replacement TherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50771More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 35541 on Hormone Replacement Therapy, what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the adequacy of
Answer: The processes of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are now performing within the expected timelines, and are meeting company commitments. Guidance has been updated on 3 April 2024 to aid the rapid approval of medicines, ensuri...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHormone Replacement TherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50770More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 35541 on Hormone Replacement Therapy, what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the adequacy of
Answer: Oestrogen and testosterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants are not licenced in the United Kingdom. The Department is working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to ensure safe access to these products. We...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBlue Badge Scheme: EU CountriesDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48293More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps with her EU counterparts to help (a) improve the accessibility and (b) increase the use of UK blue parking badges in the EU.
Answer: The Department for Transport has ongoing discussions with individual countries regarding continued recognition of the UK Blue Badge across the European Union (EU).
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpinal Muscular Atrophy: BabiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48035More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of launching newborn screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy alongside the upcoming launch of newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficienc
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is working with the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) partnership board to scope out the potential shape of the in-service evaluation into SMA. The partnership board includes clinicians, academics, patient represen...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpinal Muscular Atrophy: BabiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48034More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information the UK National Screening Committee has provided on the (a) format, (b) scale and (c) duration of the upcoming in-service evaluation of newborn screening for Spinal Muscular Atroph
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is working with the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) partnership board to scope out the potential shape of the in-service evaluation into SMA. The partnership board includes clinicians, academics, patient represen...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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