Greg Smith MP: written questions 2025
114 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Neurological Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97565More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme on access to specialised neurology care, including care from specialist nurses,
Answer: At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), including those in the Mid Buckinghamshire constituency, including the RightCare Progressive Neurological Co...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMultiple Sclerosis: Mid BuckinghamshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97564More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people living with multiple sclerosis to access timely, high-quality care and treatment in Mid Buckinghamshire constituency.
Answer: At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), including those in the Mid Buckinghamshire constituency, including the RightCare Progressive Neurological Co...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97250More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is her policy to use the business rates system to help support high street businesses in the context of their competition with online retailers.
Answer: The Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality a...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97249More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the difference in the projected changes in liabilities for (a) pubs and (b) distribution warehouses over the three-year revaluation period after transition.
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry and Retail Trade: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97248More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of applying a) a 10p multiplier b) a 15p multiplier or c) the full 20p discount on high street and hospitality businesses; and if she will publish that assessme
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: InternetTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97247More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it remains the Government’s policy to reform the business rates system to level the playing field between bricks and mortar businesses and large online businesses.
Answer: The Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality a...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Young PeopleDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97246More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his department is taking to reduce youth unemployment in light of recent job losses in the hospitality sector, the largest employer of young people.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality in providing employment for young people. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to ...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97245More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the combined effect of higher rateable values and reduced business rates relief on the number of hospitality closures and empty units on high streets over the
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97244More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact assessments the Government has conducted on the potential effect of rateable value increases and changes to business rates relief, announced at Budget 2025, on a) vacancy rates on local high streets b) j
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry and Leisure: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97243More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her department has made of how many a) pubs b) hotels c) restaurants d) indoor leisure and e) night clubs are expected to see their business rates bill i) go up ii) stay the same or iii) decrease from
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97242More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance or analysis her department has undertaken on the potential impact on high street businesses of the removal of business rates relief and the simultaneous business rates revaluation.
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: AccidentsDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the eCall system on the number of casualties or fatalities on the roads.
Answer: A 2013 pre-legislation appraisal concluded that following full adoption of eCall in the UK (in 2018), casualty reduction was likely to be at most 13 fatalities a year and 100 serious injuries involving car and van occupants only. No post-implementation re...
Answered 5 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she has any plans to expand automatic crash detection requirements to powered two wheel vehicles.
Answer: The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Emergency call (eCall), an automatic crash notification system, is a legal requirement in mass produced new types of cars and li...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95454More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve motorcycle safety.
Answer: The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Emergency call (eCall), an automatic crash notification system, is a legal requirement in mass produced new types of cars and li...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordFarms: Fire PreventionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93267More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues in MHCLG responsible for fire services regarding what further steps can be taken to prevent farm fires.
Answer: Defra Ministers and officials have regular discussions with their counterparts in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on a range of issues.
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordFarms: Fire PreventionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage farmers to develop detailed fire plans, as recommended by the NFU Mutual's Farm Fires Report 2025.
Answer: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are the lead Department for wildfire. Defra work closely with MHCLG and support Natural England (NE) in delivering their responsibilities. This includes the recently published EIP commitmen...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Machinery: Fire PreventionDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93264More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is considering regulatory steps to encourage the fitting of fire suppression systems to agricultural equipment, such as combine harvesters.
Answer: The Government is not considering regulatory steps to encourage fitting fire suppression systems to agricultural equipment. This is because existing requirements under The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 set out that machinery must be design...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92096More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has held with industry since Extended Producer Responsibility invoices were issued to assess the impact of the 4% impairment fee on business cashflow an
Answer: Defra holds regular conversations with industry regarding all aspects of the pEPR scheme, including the impairment provision within notices of liability. Incorporating impairment provisions for bad debt in a cost recovery scheme is an expected considerati...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92095More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the risk of applying a 4% impairment fee on EPR on future impairment rates as a result of additional pressure on business finances.
Answer: Incorporating impairment provisions for bad debt in a cost recovery scheme is an expected consideration of Government, as detailed in Managing Public Money guidelines, and is common practice when setting fees. Whilst Notice of Liabilities issued under the...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92094More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made of an assessment of the extent to which the 4% impairment fee has contributed to (a) financial strain and (b) non-payment among obligated producers.
Answer: Incorporating impairment provisions for bad debt in a cost recovery scheme is an expected consideration of Government, as detailed in Managing Public Money guidelines, and is common practice when setting fees. Whilst Notice of Liabilities issued under the...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92093More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what determination was made to assess the proportionality and fairness of the 4% impairment fee applied under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.
Answer: The impairment provision is based on the bad debt experience of Defra with charging schemes that are most similar to pEPR, whilst taking into consideration the large values of some of our Notice of Liabilities.
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what methodology was used to calculate the 4% impairment fee applied under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.
Answer: The impairment provision is based on the bad debt experience of Defra with charging schemes that are most similar to pEPR, whilst taking into consideration the large values of some of our Notice of Liabilities.
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAbrar Islamic Foundation and Dar Alhekma TrustDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 14 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Charity Commission on regulatory compliance cases into (a) Dar Alhekma and (b) the Abrar Islamic Foundation.
Answer: Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission to discuss a range of issues relating to charity regulation. As the Charity Commission is independent from the Government in its regulatory decision making, it will be for the Charity Comm...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88844More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ensure that funding for newly licensed medicines results in improved patient outcomes.
Answer: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to implement the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which seeks to improve patient outcomes by driving health innovation in England.The National Inst...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBBC: ComplaintsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88843More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to introduce an independent complaints system for the BBC.
Answer: The principle of BBC First - where the BBC has the opportunity to try and resolve complaints about its content before consideration by Ofcom - was formalised by the current Charter. If a complainant is not satisfied by the BBC’s initial response to their ...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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