Helen Whately MP: written questions
222 published records · newest first.
Written questions
A229: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30124More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department plans to provide for road improvements at the capital roads project Blue Bell Hill.
Answer: The A229 Blue Bell Hill Improvements scheme is being promoted and managed by Kent County Council. The Council plans to submit an Outline Business Case to the Department in summer 2026. If this is approved, under current arrangements the Department’s maxim...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical Certificates: Public ConsultationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 50 Question 22715 on Medical Certificates: Public Consultation, whether she plans to launch the fit note trailblazers.
Answer: In 2024, the previous government announced that fit note trailblazers would be included in some of the 15 WorkWell pilot areas across Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England. Due to the timings of the General Election, they were not launched. As part of ...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Older PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to respond to the independent report entitled Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population, published on 26 November 20
Answer: The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations in the final report of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce.We are committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market and we will continue to consider th...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28989More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what artificial intelligence technologies are used by her Department; and for what purpose each technology is used.
Answer: DWP is working with a range of artificial intelligence technologies, such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI (gen AI) which will help DWP improve its ability to respond to customers’ needs in a more personalised and seamless way. Some of th...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28988More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the white mail artificial intelligence programme used by her Department.
Answer: Whitemail scanning complements existing systems. The AI tool flags correspondence for review by operational agents to determine customer vulnerability and appropriate actions. During solution development, digital teams collaborated closely with operationa...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordOlder People: HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28987More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the recommendations of the independent report entitled Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing
Answer: DWP works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to ensure housing needs of those on low incomes, including pensioners, are considered as part of the Government’s Strategy. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordOlder People: HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28986More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the recommendations of the independent report entitled Our Future Homes: Housing that
Answer: DWP works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to ensure housing needs of those on low incomes, including pensioners, are considered as part of the Government’s Strategy. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28985More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps to increase the number of Personal Independence Payments assessments that are conducted face-to-face.
Answer: Since July 2024, there has been no change in policy regarding assessing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims remotely. With effect from September 2024 assessment suppliers deliver the ‘Health Assessment Advisory Service’ on behalf of the department ...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28984More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department’s policy on assessing Personal Independence Payments claims remotely has changed since 7 July 2024.
Answer: Since July 2024, there has been no change in policy regarding assessing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims remotely. With effect from September 2024 assessment suppliers deliver the ‘Health Assessment Advisory Service’ on behalf of the department ...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28603More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of pilot schemes for third party data sharing powers as set out in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.
Answer: The Third Party Data sharing powers were a proposal under the previous government, separate to the measures proposed in this Bill.The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) is significantly different to the previously proposed Third Party Data power. EVM ...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28602More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with financial services sector stakeholders on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.
Answer: DWP continues to seek feedback on the bill through regular engagement with key stakeholders, including the financial services sector, at both official and ministerial level.Where there are particular areas of interest and expertise, detailed working group...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals and Social Services: WeatherDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23395More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to increase (a) hospital and (b) social care capacity for winter 2024-25.
Answer: December 2024 saw record numbers of people attending accident and emergency, a 7.5% increase on December 2023. Despite this, there were 5% fewer delayed discharges than in December 2023.The Government will tackle delayed discharges by developing local par...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: DischargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings the Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care) has had with the National health and social care discharge taskforce.
Answer: Ministers meet regularly with NHS England to discuss discharge and winter performance.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: DischargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23393More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of recent trends in the level the social care capacity available to support discharges from hospitals in the last 12 months.
Answer: Comparing December 2024 to December 2023, there was a 5% decrease in the average number of patients in hospital with delayed discharge at the end of each day. In December 2024, for patients with a length of stay of at least 14 days, an average of 33% of t...
Answered 27 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: DischargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings the Minister for Health (Secondary Care) has attended to review NHS performance on discharging patients from hospital.
Answer: Ministers meet regularly with NHS England to discuss discharge and winter performance.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23391More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings the Minister for Health (Secondary Care) has attended on (a) A&E performance and (b) flow through the emergency care system.
Answer: I have attended regular winter preparedness meetings since 26 September 2024. Urgent and emergency care performance is a standing agenda item within these meetings.In addition, I have meetings most days to discuss the reform and improvement of the health ...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: WeatherDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23390More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he has attended to discuss winter preparedness.
Answer: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has chaired eight meetings on winter preparedness since 2 December 2024.
Answered 31 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: Domestic VisitsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23389More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital visits the Minister for Health (Secondary Care) has made in the last six months; and which hospitals she visited.
Answer: Since 14 July 2024, I have engaged in a total of nine visits, of which the following five were hospitals:Red Kite View;Southmead Hospital;Leeds General Infirmary;Newham Hospital; andMusgrove Park Hospital.
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical Certificates: ReformDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23159More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to publish a summary of findings from the call for evidence on fit note reform.
Answer: The call for evidence was launched under the previous government to seek views on how the current fit note process works and the support required to facilitate meaningful work and health conversations. It closed on the 8 July 2024 and received around 1,90...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22658More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2025 to Question 20687 on Employment, when she expects the Labour Market Advisory Board to finish their work.
Answer: The Labour Market Advisory Board, announced on the 23 July 2024, ensures that we listen and engage with a wide range of external views to design and deliver reforms to help drive the Government’s growth mission. The Board, chaired by Paul Gregg (former Di...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHousehold Support Fund: PensionersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22657More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is collecting data about use of the Household Support Fund to support pensioners who are no longer in receipt of the winter fuel payment.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions publishes management information on the Household Support Fund, including details of the proportion of funding spent on households with pensioners, as well as the proportion spent on energy and water. The latest manage...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment SchemesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22656More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many more people she expects to be in employment as a result of proposals in the Get Britain Working White Paper.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11th December to question number PQ 17573.
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22342More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the next Pension Credit applications and awards dataset will be published.
Answer: The next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025.
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning Permission: AgricultureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21341More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the commitment to safeguard the Best and Most Versatile agricultural land will be applied to planning decisions called in by the Secretary of State .
Answer: The government places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production.The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions. We are maintain...
Answered 10 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: LandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21340More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of the Best and Most Versatile agricultural land are (a) protected, (b) under consideration for development and (c) approved for consent in each (i) local autho
Answer: I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 17576 11 December 2024.
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
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