Ian Lavery MP: written questions 2026
81 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Climate Change and Energy Supply: National SecurityDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122506More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of climate-driven global crop failures, droughts and energy system strain on UK national security.
Answer: On 20 January, the Government published the Nature Security Assessment, which found that severe degradation or collapse of critical global ecosystems would be highly likely to result in impacts such as water insecurity and reduced crop yields. These findi...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood: TransportDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122505More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing food mile targets in food networks.
Answer: An assessment of the potential merits of food mile targets has not been made. The Good Food Cycle highlighted the importance of strong and resilient local food systems. It is important to note that ‘food miles’ alone are not a reliable measure of a produc...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122504More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support controlled-environment agriculture, regenerative farming and other sustainable methods.
Answer: The Government has allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Defra is targeting public money where it delivers most value, supporting farmers and land managers to help restore nature and boost farm product...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordIndustry and Small Businesses: Supply ChainsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support (a) SMEs and (b) strategic industries in the context of reducing dependence on global supply chains.
Answer: We are establishing a new Supply Chain Centre within the Department for Business and Trade which will lead the government's efforts to strengthen the resilience of supply chains critical to the UK's security and prosperity. The Supply Chain Centre will co...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordManufacturing IndustriesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122502More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase domestic manufacturing capacity in (a) grid components, (b) pharmaceuticals, (c) advanced materials and (d) other essential sectors.
Answer: Last year this government published our 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy, setting out our long-term approach to strengthening domestic capability across strategically important sectors. Alongside it we published several sector plans. The Advanced Manufa...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNational Security: InfrastructureCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122501More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to update national resilience standards for (a) transport, (b) water, (c) energy and (d) digital infrastructure.
Answer: Responsibility for updating standards for individual infrastructure sectors sits with the Lead Government Departments for those sectors. In the 2025 Resilience Action Plan, the Cabinet Office committed to mapping the standards that apply to Critical Natio...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNational SecurityCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122490More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of UK's protection against simultaneous events such as extreme weather, cyber-attack and global supply chain disruption.
Answer: The Government assesses the UK’s resilience through the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA). Both the NSRA and the publicly available version, the National Risk Register (NRR), are kept under continual review to reflect the changing risk landscape. D...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMinerals: RecyclingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps are being taken to develop domestic processing and recycling of critical minerals.
Answer: The Government’s 2025 Critical Minerals Strategy sets out clear steps to expand domestic processing and recycling. We are harnessing UK strengths in midstream processing and advanced recycling, supported by strong research institutions and government-back...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMinerals: ImportsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the UK’s level of reliance on imported critical minerals essential for battery production, semiconductors and renewable energy technologies.
Answer: The 2025 Critical Minerals Strategy sets out the UK’s vision for securing the critical minerals that are essential for our advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence, and digital and technology sectors. In 2025, the UK imported £13.4 billion of critica...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122487More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the UK’s preparedness for medicine shortages caused by future pandemics or international disruptions.
Answer: The resilience of United Kingdom supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to b...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Drugs and Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS medicines and medical devices depend on overseas supply chains, and what action is being taken to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity.
Answer: Given the complexity and global nature of medical supply chains, the Department does not collect definitive data on the proportions of products dependent on overseas supply chains. Many products rely on components sourced from overseas. For example many a...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRenewable EnergyDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to accelerate domestic renewable generation, including offshore wind, tidal energy, green hydrogen and geothermal.
Answer: Accelerating renewable generation is one of this Government’s missions and that’s why we published the Clean Power Action Plan. There are a range of interventions this Government made since coming to power, including lifting the onshore wind ban in Englan...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEnergy: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of UK energy resilience to disruption to global gas or electricity markets.
Answer: The UK benefits from a strong and diverse security of supply and we continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East closely. The Government works with Ofgem, the National Energy System Operator and the Gas and Electricity System Operators to monitor ...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFood: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122483More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evaluation her Department has made of levels of reliance on climate-vulnerable food imports and the risks posed by extreme weather events overseas.
Answer: The UK has a resilient food system producing around 65% of all the food eaten in the country. Through international trade, the UK has access to food products that cannot be produced here, which supplements domestic production and ensures that any disrupti...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the UK’s overall level of food self-sufficiency, and what steps are being taken to increase domestic production of key staples.
Answer: UK self-sufficiency has remained broadly stable for several decades. In 2024, the UK was 65% self-sufficient for all food; 77% for food that can be produced here. In most scenarios, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120343More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to (a) NHS trusts and (b) GP practices on the use of alternative communication methods in areas affected by Royal Mail delays; and what assessment he has made of its eff
Answer: The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers. Data is not held centrally on the reasons why an appointment is registered as a ‘did not attend’. This incl...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120342More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of postal delays on patients who rely on written communication from the NHS, including (a) older people, (b) disabled people and (c) patients wit
Answer: No assessment has been made of the potential impact of postal delays on patients who rely on written communication from the National Health Service, including older people, disabled people, and patients without access to digital services.The NHS is shifti...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120341More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who have experienced disruption to repeat prescriptions as a result of postal delays.
Answer: The Department does not collect data on the number of patients who have experienced a delay in receiving a prescription.Pharmacy contractors in England are required by the NHS Terms of Service to dispense medicines and appliances ordered on National Healt...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120340More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of postal delays on the timely delivery of referral letters between primary and secondary care.
Answer: The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers. Data is not held centrally on the reasons why an appointment is registered as a ‘did not attend’. This incl...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120339More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to mitigate patient safety risks arising from delayed delivery of NHS clinical correspondence through the postal system.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of timely delivery of National Health Service clinical correspondence and the risks to patient safety because of delayed or lost correspondence.The monitoring of patient correspondence is the responsibility of indi...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120338More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of postal delays on national screening programmes, including bowel, cervical and breast cancer screening.
Answer: Our National Health Service screening programmes reduce mortality and morbidity from cancer and other conditions in the population who appear healthy and have no symptoms, by detecting conditions at an earlier, more treatable stage.Bowel cancer screening ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120337More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of repeat appointments, replacement sample kits and additional clinical activity caused by postal delays.
Answer: The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers. Data is not held centrally on the reasons why an appointment is registered as a ‘did not attend’. This incl...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120336More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patient samples sent via Royal Mail have been rendered unusable due to late arrival at laboratories in each of the last five years.
Answer: The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers. Data is not held centrally on the reasons why an appointment is registered as a ‘did not attend’. This incl...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120335More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of routine cases becoming urgent as a result of appointment letters being delayed in the post on the NHS.
Answer: The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers. Data is not held centrally on the reasons why an appointment is registered as a ‘did not attend’. This incl...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Postal ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120334More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of NHS appointments missed as a result of delays in the delivery of appointment letters by Royal Mail in the last 12 months.
Answer: The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers. Data is not held centrally on the reasons why an appointment is registered as a ‘did not attend’. This incl...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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