Ian Byrne MP: written questions 2024
50 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Further Education: PayDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of pay for further education teachers.
Answer: This government recognises the vital role that further education (FE) teachers and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills that they need to succeed in their education and throughout life.That is why this government is commi...
Answered 10 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordReligious BuildingsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21530More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support religious buildings of historic importance.
Answer: There is a range of support available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies for listed places of worship. These include the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; the National Lottery Heritage Fund's £15m Heritage in Need: Places of Worship in...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEpilepsy and Parkinson's Disease: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21522More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of supplies of (a) epilepsy and (b) Parkinson's medication.
Answer: The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, some issues, including with s...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordReligious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21415More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote freedom of religion and belief internationally.
Answer: The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: FoodDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21414More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating school food standards to promote (a) healthier and (b) more sustainable diets.
Answer: The department is committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. The school food standards regulate the food and drink provided throughout the school day. They aim to ensure that the right foods are available for children. For example, one or more p...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMusic Venues: LiverpoolDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20044More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support grassroots live music venues in Liverpool.
Answer: Following the Autumn Budget, we are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) successful Supporting Grassroots Music Fund which provides grants to grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals across England. ACE has provi...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: Children's RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19947More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the rights of children in countries most impacted by climate change.
Answer: This Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights. We know that children are disproportionately at risk from the effects of climate change, and children and young people will be at the forefront of shaping a re...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: DisadvantagedDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19905More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reintroducing maintenance grants on widening access to higher education.
Answer: The department is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, universities and students, and the government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go t...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMigrants: DetaineesHome OfficeTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a maximum 28 days statutory time limit for immigration detention.
Answer: I would like to refer the Honourable Member to the written answer I gave to the Honourable Member for Stroud on 29 November 2024 (UIN 15894).
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit: Social Rented HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment has she made of the potential impact of the under occupancy charge on rates of poverty.
Answer: The Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS), sometimes referred to as the underoccupancy charge, applies to claims for housing support - either Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit - where the claimant is living in the social rented...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEnergy: Standing ChargesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19845More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of standing charges issued by energy suppliers on low and middle-income households.
Answer: Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers and are regulated by Ofgem under the price cap, the Government knows that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. Ofgem’s recently published update regarding reforming standing ...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHunting Act 2004Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18671More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004.
Answer: Defra holds no data on the adequacy of the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004 as the enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police.
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordVisual Impairment: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17901More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of vision rehabilitation.
Answer: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes supporting people with sight loss to develop practical skills and strategies to maintain independen...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPupils: EpilepsyDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17264More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of provision of support for children with epilepsy in schools.
Answer: Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Some children with medical conditions may be considered to be dis...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordGreyhound Racing: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17263More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the impact of greyhound racing on animal welfare.
Answer: The welfare of greyhounds in England is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal’s welfare needs. This includes where greyhounds are...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: WomenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15872More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024, whether sh
Answer: Ministers will comply with requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 for decisions in relation to the Ombudsman’s report.
Answered 3 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCarbon Capture and StorageDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the report entitled Kind of Blue, published by the Carbon Tracker Initiative in June 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of upstream emissions of carbo
Answer: As highlighted in the Climate Change Committee's CB6 report, CCUS enabled technologies, including Power, will be essential to achieving net zero. By capturing and storing carbon dioxide, CCUS significantly reduces overall emissions. Emissions from the pro...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSovereign GrantTreasuryTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14798More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending the Sovereign Grant and redirecting those funds to help tackle increases in the cost-of-living for low income households.
Answer: Under the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the Sovereign Grant is determined in accordance with a formula. That formula operates with a reference to a percentage of The Crown Estate’s profits two financial years previously. The percentage is currently set at 12 ...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCataracts: SurgeryDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research other than by his Department has been carried out on the potential impact of the use of the independent sector to deliver cataract surgery on waiting times for (a) cataract patients a
Answer: Getting waiting lists down is a key priority for the Government. Independent sector providers have a role to play in supporting the National Health Service to do this by using additional capacity to tackle the backlog, whilst still delivering value for mo...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCataracts: SurgeryDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of the independent sector to deliver cataract surgery on waiting times for (a) cataract patients and (b) patients waiting for other op
Answer: Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. This includes ensuring that patients waiting for cataract and ophthalmology services are seen on time...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress NHS England has made on developing a mechanism to track, monitor and evaluate independent sector’s impact on the long-term NHS capacity landscape in accordance with the Elective Recov
Answer: NHS England is working closely with the Independent Healthcare Providers Network and the wider sector to ensure we have appropriate mechanisms to track and monitor the independent sector’s impact on the long-term National Health Service capacity landscape...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordOphthalmology: TrainingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many training places there were for ophthalmology in the NHS in each of the last five years.
Answer: The following table shows the number of doctors in training in the ophthalmology specialty in England, in each of the last five years:YearNumbers of doctors in training in the ophthalmology specialty group201955820205632021563202258320235922024610Source: ...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordVisual Impairment: BabiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14125More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of new born babies losing their sight in one eye as a result of insufficient staffing levels at the hospital where they were born in each of the last five ye
Answer: There has been no specific estimate made regarding the number of newborn babies losing their sight in one eye due to insufficient staffing levels. As per the National Health Service newborn and infant physical examination (NIPE) screening programme, the v...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordVisual ImpairmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14124More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have lost their sight due to insufficient staffing levels after presenting at an Accident and Emergency department in each of the last five yea
Answer: This information is not held centrally. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce, and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, a...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGlaucoma and Macular Degeneration: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14123More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment for (a) wet macular degeneration and (b) glaucoma in (i) England, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) Liverpool.
Answer: The classification codes required to identify pathways where patients may have glaucoma or macular degeneration do not allow for distinction between the two conditions.The following table provides an estimate of the number of patients who have been waitin...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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