Helen Maguire MP: written questions
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Written questions
Astronomy and Space: ResearchDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on research for astronomy and space science of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s proposed funding cuts of up to 60%.
Answer: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI.The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI i...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAstronomy and Space: FinanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126044More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council regarding their proposed funding cuts for astronomy and space science.
Answer: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI.The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI i...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: Health ProfessionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what conversations he has had with Business and Trade colleagues regarding improving employment conditions for those in the mental health sector.
Answer: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with colleagues in the Department of Business and Trade to discuss a range of topics.We are committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work by sup...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: Health ProfessionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve working conditions including pay for those in the mental health sector.
Answer: We are committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including those working in the mental health sector. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordTravel: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123053More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the overseas scale rates for employees travelling outside the UK and cost of living pressures.
Answer: Where employers reimburse allowable travel expenses, tax relief is available provided the expenses are wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for work purposes. Ordinarily, employers must hold evidence of the employee’s actual expenditure. However, ...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTravel: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123052More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will conduct a review of overseas scale rates for employees travelling outside the UK.
Answer: Where employers reimburse allowable travel expenses, tax relief is available provided the expenses are wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for work purposes. Ordinarily, employers must hold evidence of the employee’s actual expenditure. However, ...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEating Disorders: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123051More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of implementing NHS support pathways for PICA.
Answer: No assessment has been made on implementing National Health Service support pathways for PICA. For adults and children, individuals presenting with PICA are assessed and supported according to their individual clinical needs and circumstances. In most cas...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEating DisordersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123050More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to develop national guidelines for PICA.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire on 9 February 2026 to Question 110183.
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEating DisordersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123049More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase awareness of PICA.
Answer: No assessment has been made on implementing National Health Service support pathways for PICA. For adults and children, individuals presenting with PICA are assessed and supported according to their individual clinical needs and circumstances. In most cas...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEyesight: TestingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including eligibility for an NHS sight test in the GP learning disability annual health check programme.
Answer: Free National Health Service sight tests are provided by community optometrists to eligible groups, including children, people aged 60 years old and over, people on low incomes, and those at risk of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.Children and young peo...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordOphthalmic ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether decisions on mandatory and additional General Ophthalmic Services contract fees are subject to an Equality Impact Assessment.
Answer: Decisions on mandatory and additional General Ophthalmic Services contract fees are informed by an Equality Impact Assessment, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordOphthalmic ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123046More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of inequalities in access to primary eye care.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet the needs of their local population. National Health Service sight tests are widely available across the country, with no known access issues. ...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordProstate Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding is currently available to Integrated Care Boards to deliver community-level engagement programmes aimed at increasing awareness and early detection of prostate cancer in high-risk grou
Answer: While the Department does not ring-fence integrated care board (ICB) funding exclusively for prostate cancer public awareness campaigns, community-level engagement programmes aimed at increasing awareness and early detection are supported via broader comm...
Answered 31 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordParking: Fees and ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121064More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps to prevent local authorities from charging disproportionately high businesses parking permits in car parks.
Answer: Local authorities are best placed to determine the nature and scope of parking policies across their area. Through the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordParking: Fees and ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121063More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the cost of business parking permits introduced by local authorities in car parks.
Answer: Local authorities are best placed to determine the nature and scope of parking policies across their area. Through the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNew Businesses: FinanceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121062More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to inform start-ups about alternative finance, including the use of liquidity, to help promote growth.
Answer: The growth of non-bank lenders over the past decade means that over two thirds (68%) of overall SME lending in 2025 came from either challenger and specialist banks or non-bank lenders. Alternative finance options include asset-backed lending, invoice fin...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNew BusinessesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121061More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support start-up businesses.
Answer: The government is committed to supporting start-up businesses through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive package of support for small and medium sized businesses in a generation.This includes the most significant legislative reforms in 25 ye...
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFood: NutritionDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121060More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to respond to calls from more than 100 organisations for a Good Food Bill to help improve access to healthy and affordable food.
Answer: The government is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever and breaking down barriers to opportunity.We are extending free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. We are taking decisive a...
Answered 8 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHealth VisitorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121059More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many health visitors were employed by the NHS in England in each year since 2020.
Answer: The number of health visitors working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England is published monthly by NHS England as part of their NHS Workforce Statistics Collection. The data can be found in the link below within the fi...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121058More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS services were outsourced to private contracts in Surrey in each year between 2022 and 2025.
Answer: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning local National Health Services and contracting with providers, including in Surrey. Information is not routinely collected by the Department on the number of services outsourced to private providers...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of NHS funding was spent on private contacts in each year between 2022 and 2025.
Answer: The table attached shows the overview and breakdown of National Health Service spending on non-NHS providers from 2022/23 to 2024/25. The table is taken from the House of Commons Research Briefing on NHS funding and expenditure, using data from the Depart...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: ContractsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121056More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of integrating reforms to the Carr-Hill Formula with the GMS contract.
Answer: The first phase of the Carr-Hill review is expected to conclude in March 2026. Subject to ministerial decision, further work would be undertaken to technically develop and model any proposed changes to the formula. Findings from the review will be publi...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMedical Equipment: RecyclingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Design for Life roadmap, what progress has been made in reducing NHS equipment wastage.
Answer: NHS England has been working on reducing waste and its associated carbon since publication of the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy in 2023.NHS England’s Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) is a mandatory annual data collection for all National Health...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMedical Equipment: RecyclingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Design for Life roadmap, how much equipment has been diverted from waste since the roadmap was launched.
Answer: NHS England has been working on reducing waste and its associated carbon since publication of the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy in 2023.NHS England’s Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) is a mandatory annual data collection for all National Health...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCapita: Reserve ForcesMinistry of DefenceTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119151More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Capita on their management of the recruitment process for army reservists.
Answer: Applications to join the Army Reserve have reached their highest level in five years, with more than 5,000 active candidates currently in the pipeline. However, further work is required to strengthen the progression of applicants into trained Reservists. ...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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