Freddie van Mierlo MP: written questions
425 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Workplace PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will implement safeguards to ensure that release of surplus from defined benefit schemes does not adversely impact the security of accrued benefits.
Answer: The Pension Schemes Bill will enable more trustees of well-funded defined benefit pension schemes to share surplus with employers and deliver better outcomes for members. Trustees, working with the sponsoring employer, will be responsible for determining ...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordWorkplace PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112811More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to publish draft regulations relating to surplus extraction under the Pension Schemes Bill; and whether he plans to publish these before the Bill completes its passage through
Answer: The Pension Schemes Bill will enable more trustees of well-funded defined benefit pension schemes to share surplus with employers and deliver better outcomes for members. Trustees, working with the sponsoring employer, will be responsible for determining ...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordWorkplace PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112810More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for her policies of the role of (a) trustees and (b) sponsoring employers in decision-making on surplus extraction in defined benefit pension sc
Answer: The Pension Schemes Bill will enable more trustees of well-funded defined benefit pension schemes to share surplus with employers and deliver better outcomes for members. Trustees, working with the sponsoring employer, will be responsible for determining ...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTax AvoidanceTreasuryTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112809More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of setting a maximum settlement reduction of £70,000 under the revised loan charge settlement arrangements.
Answer: The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those affected, ensure fairness for all taxpayers and ensure that appropriate support is in place for those subject to the loan charge. Because of the ...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAlzheimer's Disease: CarersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112808More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to ensure that the (a) psychological, (b) social and (b) financial impacts of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease are accounted for as part of National Institut
Answer: In developing its recommendations, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) takes into account all health-related costs and benefits for patients and caregivers, in line with its established methods and processes.In 2022, NICE undertoo...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPlaces of Worship Renewal Fund: EnergyDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112807More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will support energy efficiency improvements such as low carbon heating and lighting systems.
Answer: Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course.
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordListed Places of Worship Grant SchemeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112806More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on community services hosted by places of worship, including (a) food banks, (b) youth groups and
Answer: DCMS conducted an evaluation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which included an extensive survey of current and past scheme users and is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-listed-places-of-worship-sch...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Lawsuits against Public ParticipationMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his department has to address the potential misuse of legal proceedings for purposes associated with Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.
Answer: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Friday 13 February to Question 111038.
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordProject GigabitDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112693More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the (a) current planned deadlines are for new applications to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, and (b) whether any changes to those deadlines are under consideration.
Answer: The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) will come to an end on 31 March 2028. The following deadlines will apply to meet this closure date:31 August 2026 – New voucher project submissions.31 March 2027 – Vouchers issued. Vouchers requested but not val...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGivinostatDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 19th January to question 105612, to ask what role the Department for Health and Social Care will have in drug price negotiations following the abolishment of NHS England.
Answer: The target operating model for the integration of NHS England operations into the Department has yet to be finalised. However, drug-price negotiations will continue uninterrupted up to and beyond April 2027, when NHS England will cease to exist as a separ...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: InvestmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) what estimate she has made of the proportion of the £104 billion investment package that will be funded through higher customer bills rather than through water company capital inve
Answer: The Government has secured a record £104 billion investment package to upgrade England’s water infrastructure by 2030. This investment will be funded through a combination of water company capital investment and customer bills, but the precise split canno...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordEnvironment Agency: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112549More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her department will confirm plans for the Environment Agency to hold a separate, stand alone bridges construction and maintenance budget to run alongside budgets for Locks & Weirs
Answer: Environment Agency owned bridges along the non-tidal Thames are part of the overall Navigation infrastructure. Construction and maintenance allocations for the Environment Agency’s Navigation assets has already been set for the current Spending Review pe...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPlaces of Worship Renewal FundDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to prevent funding gaps during the transition from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
Answer: The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide an equivalent overall level of financial support to that provided by the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, £23 million per annum. The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a capital fund providing grant...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPlaces of Worship Renewal FundDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide (a) equivalent to and (b) greater financial support than the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; and what steps she is taking to ensure
Answer: The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide an equivalent overall level of financial support to that provided by the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, £23 million per annum. The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a capital fund providing grant...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHormone Replacement TherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to to the answers of 5 and 17 October 2025 to Questions 77387 and 86538, what progress he has made on ensuring a reliable supply of testosterone and oestrogen HRT implants.
Answer: We are continuing to work closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to ensure safe access to these products. We have reached out to Specialist Importers who can source unlicensed medicines in order to find alternative sou...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDementia: ResearchDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated to dementia research by (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Research and (b) UK Research and Innovation in each of the last five years.
Answer: Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and T...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: NegligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111041More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the length of time medical malpractice legal proceedings take to complete on (a) families and (b) staff.
Answer: NHS Resolution handles claims for compensation against National Health Service providers of healthcare and has a strategic priority to keep patients and healthcare staff out of litigation to minimise distress. To achieve this, NHS Resolution deploys a ran...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCrown CourtMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of court sitting days on the Crown Court backlog.
Answer: We have funded 112,250 Crown Court sitting days this financial year – 5,000 more than the previous Government and a record number. The Deputy Prime Minister has made clear that sitting days will continue to increase in both the Crown and magistrates’ cour...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCrown Court and JuriesMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111039More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which (a) professional bodies and (b) legal organisations his Department consulted prior to the publication of proposals to restrict jury trials; and what alternative measures his Department has considered to red
Answer: In developing his recommendations, Sir Brian Leveson and his expert advisers, including Professor David Ormerod, engaged with many external bodies and organisations with invaluable expertise of our Criminal Justice System including criminal legal organisa...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Lawsuits against Public ParticipationMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111038More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to reform powers in relation to Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation cases.
Answer: The Government implemented the Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) in June 2025, which provides protection against SLAPPs relating to economic crime. While t...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing: WaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109418More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled A New Vision for Water, published on 20 January 2026, what assessments he has made of the potential impact of the proposed joine
Answer: In the White Paper Defra has committed to delivering an enhanced, better joined up regional water planning function. This will enable a more holistic, coordinated approach to water environment and supply planning which supports delivery of national strat...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing Associations: Freedom of InformationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109417More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to cover housing associations in England.
Answer: This government is committed to increasing transparency and accountability in the social rented sector.In September 2025, we directed the Regulator of Social Housing to introduce new Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) for private re...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit: Supported HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106267More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will publish further information on the four new earned income disregards for housing benefit claimants in supported housing.
Answer: The Department will be introducing new earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation from Autumn 2026. Further information will be available in the regulations pack and Explanatory Memorandum when ...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit: Supported HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the annual budget that has been allocated for the introduction of new earned income disregards for Housing benefit claimants in supported housing.
Answer: The Department's estimate of the Exchequer impact of the additional earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants resident in supported housing and temporary accommodation from 2026/27 to 2030/31 on Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) can be found...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the 18-week waiting time target can be met.
Answer: The Government is committed to returning, by March 2029, to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.In November 2025, performance against the standard ...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
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