James Naish MP: written questions
945 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Empty Property: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending council tax legislation so new owners bringing previously empty properties back into use are not required t
Answer: The government recognises there may be circumstances where it would not be appropriate for a council tax premium to apply. That is why this government introduced a number of exceptions to council tax premiums which came into effect from 1 April 2025. This...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCats: Animal BreedingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Animal Welfare Committee’s December 2024 report recommendation to ban any further delibera
Answer: The Government welcomes the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline breeding practices. We are carefully considering the Committee’s recommendations.
Answered 25 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Associations: Property Management CompaniesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of standardising the contribution that Housing Associations make to estate service management fees.
Answer: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the implications of standardising the contribution that Housing Associations make to estate management fees.
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCompetition and Markets Authority: Public AppointmentsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress has been made on the appointment of a new chair for the Competition and Markets Authority; and when this position is likely to be filled.
Answer: Doug Gurr was appointed Interim Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) on 21 January 2025 for a period of up to 18 months. The Secretary of State is grateful for the leadership Doug Gurr has shown in re-focusing the CMA on growth, investme...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordTelephone Services: Fees and ChargesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to limit phone line rental charges for analogue landlines; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of phone-only line rental charges following the transition to
Answer: The Department does not have plans to limit phone line rental charges for analogue landlines as this is a matter for industry. However, under Ofcom’s telephony universal service conditions, BT and KCOM (in Hull) are required to offer a voice service to ev...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordRented Housing: StudentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to (a) limit and (b) prohibit the use of joint and several liability contracts in student housing.
Answer: The government does not intend to restrict or prohibit the use of joint and several liability contracts in the student housing market. This is a well-established practice in the sector, allowing groups of students to choose to live together with their fri...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordStudents: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45989More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the merits of extending the home fee status for UK citizens living in (a) the EEA and (b) Switzerland beyond 1 January 2028.
Answer: British citizens and their family members living in the EEA or Switzerland at the end of the transition period (31 December 2020) who meet the relevant residency requirements, will generally be eligible for home fee status, tuition fee and maintenance sup...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: InternetDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44630More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that websites such as Checkatrade are vetting tradespeople appropriately to reduce the risk of fraud to platform users.
Answer: Checkatrade is a private company providing a UK-based online platform that connects homeowners with vetted and approved local tradespeople. Government is not directly involved in the vetting process or checks undertaken by Checkatrade. TrustMark is a UK g...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCycling: Protective ClothingDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44629More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to bring forward regulations to require all road cyclists to wear an approved safety helmet.
Answer: The Highway Code recommends that cyclists should wear helmets. The Government encourages cyclists, particularly children, to do so, but has no plans to make this a legal requirement. The safety benefits of mandating helmets would be likely to be outweighe...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: HygieneDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to regulate hygiene standards within the (i) hairdresser, (ii) barber and (iii) beauty industries.
Answer: Businesses in the hair and beauty sector, which includes barber shops, hairdressers and beauty salons are required to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations, which place duties on businesses to assess the risk o...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNicaragua: Human Rights and Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Nicaragua on the suppression of (a) human rights and (b) religious freedoms in that country.
Answer: We share widespread international concern about the relentless suppression of democratic, religious, and other freedoms in Nicaragua. We continue to urge the Nicaraguan authorities to re-establish democratic freedoms in our engagements with the Nicaraguan...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSugar Beet: PricesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43519More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that sugar beet growers receive an adequate price for their product.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of sugar beet farmers who are vital to UK sugar production. Also, that sugar beet itself, used in crop rotations, is beneficial to soil and crop health and allows arable farms a season of “rest” from cereal product...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPrison Officers: Armed Forces and Civil ServiceMinistry of JusticeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41604More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to promote the Advance into Justice scheme; and whether she plans to take steps to establish continuity of service between the armed forces and civil service pension schemes.
Answer: ‘Advance into Justice’ is a Ministry of Justice recruitment initiative aimed at providing a direct recruitment channel for Armed Forces Service Leavers, Veterans and Veterans Spouses into key operational roles across HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS...
Answered 4 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDisabled Facilities GrantsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41128More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to update the Disabled Facilities Grant allocations formula; whether the large and growing older persons populations in rural areas will be carefully con
Answer: The government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. This is why the government has awarded an £86 million in-year uplift to the DFG for 2024-25, ...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment Schemes: CarersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41127More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help full-time carers return to work after a prolonged period of absence.
Answer: Our Get Britain Working plan aims to reduce economic inactivity levels and take the first steps to delivering our long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate. We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive, ...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPrescriptionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41125More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that the Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme and independent prescribing generally will continue to be supported to maximise direct
Answer: The NHS England Pathfinder programme is running across England with the aim of developing a commissioning framework for community pharmacy clinical services with independent prescribing (IP) for National Health Service patients. We are working with integr...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: North SeaDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered limiting the sale of oil and gas from the North Sea to domestic markets.
Answer: The UK government does not own the oil and gas infrastructure in the North Sea and does not dictate where the commodities are sold or the price. Oil and gas are traded on international markets, therefore domestically produced oil and gas does not mean che...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41119More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Independent Sector Providers on ensuring that staff (a) who deliver NHS services and (b) whose contracts do not include automatic pay uplifts receive any agreed
Answer: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not held any discussions with independent providers on this topic.Independent organisations, such as social enterprises and general practices, are free to develop and adapt their own...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37731More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional support for pharmacies to dispense medication in multi-compartment compliance aids to vulnerable patien
Answer: The Equality Act 2010 requires pharmacies to make reasonable adjustments for patients with protected characteristics. Multi-compartment compliance aids are one of many reasonable adjustments available, however, they are not always the most appropriate opt...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEducation: British National (Overseas)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the implementation of the recommendations of the report by British Future entitled Working it Out: Ho
Answer: The government has noted the report. We continue to support Hong Kong British National (Overseas) on these issues through our Welcome Programme, including through specific English language provision, the network of Welcome Hubs and online resources that p...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHong Kong: British National (Overseas)Home OfficeTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to assist the continued freedom of movement of BN(O) visa holders whose passports have been cancelled by Hong Kong authorities.
Answer: Following introduction of the National Security Law, the Hong Kong authorities have cancelled the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passports of some British Nationals (Overseas) (BN(O)), including some currently residing in the UK. Where su...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36165More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has in place to ensure that urgent biosecurity information reaches farmers quickly.
Answer: Biosecurity is a priority for this government. Urgent biosecurity information, such as alerts about animal and plant health disease incidents, any geographic restrictions in place as a result, and signposting to information on what farmers should do to ma...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal and Plant Health Agency: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36164More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Animal and Plant Health Agency has carried out scenario planning for potential (a) outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and (b) other significant biosecurity breaches.
Answer: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) scenario modelling has been completed, and initial outputs received. A report is being drafted with the deadline being end of March. APHA is undertaking assessments in relation to other diseases including ASF. FMD scenario mod...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFoot and Mouth Disease: Veterinary ServicesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36163More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) veterinarians, (b) veterinary technicians and (c) other veterinary experts to manage potential future
Answer: Defra and APHA appreciates the incredibly valuable work completed by veterinarians, technicians, and support staff, recognising their essential roles in achieving our ambitious goals of upholding high standards of animal welfare, supporting trade, and saf...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal and Plant Health Agency: ICTDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36162More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the last time was that Animal and Plant Health Agency IT systems were upgraded.
Answer: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has a wide range of applications and IT systems all of which require maintenance, update, and refresh As these activities are regular and carried out independently per system, each year work is continually underta...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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