Jo Platt MP: written questions
231 published records · newest first.
Written questions
BiotechnologyDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to create a taskforce to develop a sustainable biomanufacturing strategy.
Answer: DSIT does not currently have plans to create a taskforce to develop a sustainable biomanufacturing strategy. DSIT is considering how Engineering Biology could play a role in driving sustainable growth through the Industrial Strategy, which will be publish...
Answered 31 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLong Covid: ClinicsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for the future of Long Covid clinics.
Answer: Commissioning of post-COVID-19 services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards.At a national level, NHS England is currently undertaking a stocktake, commissioned in September 2024 and due to complete at the end of this month, that will pro...
Answered 23 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: AdvertisingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23430More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to regulate the advertising of vapes in local vape shops on high streets so that they do not appeal to children.
Answer: We know that vapes and other nicotine products are being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children. This must be stopped to protect future generations from being hooked on nicotine. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been introduced to Parliam...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: AbsenteeismDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22673More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) statutory requirements and (b) guidance exist for (i) local authorities and (ii) schools to prevent children with special education needs becoming Children Missing Education.
Answer: The department recognises that barriers to attendance are wide and complex, and this is particularly true for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Addressing these requires a support-first approach and strong relationships betwee...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22672More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to mandate local authorities to collect information on special educational needs disaggregated by primary need.
Answer: Information on the primary and secondary need of pupils in school with both an education, health and care (EHC) plan and who have special educational needs (SEN) support is collected via the school census. The school census is a statutory return and colle...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: AbsenteeismDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22671More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to expand the statutory definition of Children Missing Education to include children with special educational needs not receiving adequate education.
Answer: The department conducted a call for evidence from 18 May to 20 July 2023 on ‘Improving support for children missing education’, to understand the sector’s current approach to identifying and supporting children missing education (CME). The department’s re...
Answered 23 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Markets UnitDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 6 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Digital Markets Unit can make effective market interventions.
Answer: On 1 January the pro-competition regime for digital markets entered into force. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will operate the regime, as the UK’s principal independent competition regulator. The Government has designed and implemented the r...
Answered 10 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordInformation Commissioner's OfficeDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 6 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the enforcement practices of the Information Commissioner's Office cohere with the regulatory duties of that Office.
Answer: Although DSIT acts as the ICO’s sponsor within government, it is an independent regulator and accountable to Parliament. It is not appropriate for Government to comment on how it exercises its regulatory duties.The ICO publishes details of its enforcement...
Answered 14 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDatabases: RegulationDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 6 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22066More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how the Data (Use and Access) Bill will ensure that publishers can access data effectively when ensuring regulatory compliance.
Answer: When processing personal data organisations, including publishers, must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. If publishers are providing online services, then they may also be required to comply with requ...
Answered 14 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: TrappingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21362More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made implications for his policies of the risks to companion animals in England posed by the use of snare traps.
Answer: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the setting of snares in England where they are likely to catch non-target species such as companion animals. Anyone using snares also has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure that th...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHousehold Support FundDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21361More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to monitor the success of the Household Support Fund in reaching (a) unpaid carers and (b) other financially vulnerable households.
Answer: Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions have set out for the fund. This is because they have the ties and the knowledge...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCarers: PovertyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21360More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to assess levels of poverty among unpaid carers; and what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of unpaid carers who live in poverty.
Answer: Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting elderly or disabled relatives or friends. Sometimes unpaid carers will need to turn to the benefit system for financial support, so it is right that we keep Carer’s Allowance under review, to see if it is meet...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCarers: Employers' ContributionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21359More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the rise in employer National Insurance Contributions on (a) local carer support organisations and (b) their ability to provide support to unp
Answer: To enable local authorities to support key services such as adult social care, the Government will make up to £3.7 billion of additional funding available for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care G...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCarersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21358More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to implement the fresh approach to supporting unpaid carers recommended by the Darzi Review.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. We want to ensure that people who care for family and friends are better able to look after their own health and wellbeing.We have already taken action to support unpai...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of local medical committees advising GPs to withdraw from ADHD shared care agreements; and what steps his Department plans
Answer: Shared care arrangements between a specialist service and the patient’s general practice (GP) cover a number of clinical areas. Guidance is in place to help GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities, with further information available at t...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance Service: Telephone ServicesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) reduce the average call waiting time for the Child Maintenance Service helpline.
Answer: The Child Maintenance Service is committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload. We continuously monitor telephony performance and through this we fully recognise that call waiting times are, at times, longe...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordME/CFS: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18390More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of care for people with ME.
Answer: No assessment has been made on the adequacy of the implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance NG206 on myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). NICE guidelines are not mandatory, ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordME/CFS: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18389More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of implementation of NICE guideline NG206 on myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answer: No assessment has been made on the adequacy of the implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance NG206 on myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). NICE guidelines are not mandatory, ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: InternetDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16535More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online risks faced by children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answer: The government is focused on implementing the Online Safety Act as quickly as possible, so children benefit from its wide-ranging protections. The Act will ensure that companies take steps to protect their child users from harm on their platforms, includi...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordTeachers: RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15837More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on recruiting 6,500 teachers.
Answer: The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost life chances for every child. The within-school and college factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s education is high-quality teaching, but this gove...
Answered 2 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEmployment: EqualityWomen and EqualitiesTabled 22 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15657More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Office for Equality and Opportunity is taking steps to measure links between differences in pay and the socioeconomic background of employees.
Answer: We are committed to delivering better life chances for all - breaking the link between background and success. At the Budget, the Chancellor announced increases to both the National Minimum Wage (16.3% for those aged 18-20) and the National Living Wage (6...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Sector: PayWomen and EqualitiesTabled 22 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15656More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department is taking steps to help reduce pay inequalities based on class in the private sector.
Answer: We are committed to delivering better life chances for all - breaking the link between background and success. At the Budget, the Chancellor announced increases to both the National Minimum Wage (16.3% for those aged 18-20) and the National Living Wage (6...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordKinship CareDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help local authorities support kinship carers.
Answer: The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children and the role of local authorities to support them.The government has recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new kinship a...
Answered 22 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPupils: AutismDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that mainstream schools are (a) inclusive and (b) supportive of autistic pupils.
Answer: For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. This government’s...
Answered 25 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAutism: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support Integrated Care Boards to ensure appropriate provision of autism (a) assessment and (b) support services.
Answer: The Department is currently considering next steps to improve diagnostic assessment and support for autistic people. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of the...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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