Joe Robertson MP: written questions
506 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Sodium Valproate and Surgical Mesh Implants: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112278More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to introduce a redress scheme for women affected by (a) vaginal mesh and (b) sodium valporate.
Answer: The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report. We recognise the importance of these issu...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDentistry: TrainingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of financial pressures on dentistry students’ ability to complete training.
Answer: No such assessment has been made. The Department for Education provides the primary student support package for domestic dental students in higher education through Student Finance England (SFE).From year five of an undergraduate and year two of a graduat...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDentistry: StudentsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of student finance support for dentistry students.
Answer: Students attending undergraduate dentistry courses qualify for support from Student Finance England for the first four years of their course. For the fifth and subsequent years of their courses, they qualify for the NHS Bursary and for reduced rate loans ...
Answered 25 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Emissions Trading Scheme: ShippingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111996More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 109699, what proportion of the estimated revenue from domestic maritime will result in direct emissions abatement within the maritime sec
Answer: The Government’s Impact Assessment estimates that including domestic maritime in the UK ETS will increase allowance purchase revenue by around £1.9 billion over the 20-year appraisal period, averaging roughly £95 million a year. Revenue from the UK ETS is...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: NegligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent clinical negligence costs reaching the currently forecast £4 billion per year by 2029-30.
Answer: The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS fi...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: NegligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Civil Procedure Rules Committee on the implementation of fixed recoverable costs for lower value clinical negligence claims since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS fi...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: NegligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions Minister in his Department have had with Alan Milburn about the costs of clinical negligence since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Details of internal ministerial meetings are not routinely declared.As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: NegligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which external organisations David Lock KC has referenced in advice to Ministers as part of his advice on the costs of clinical negligence.
Answer: As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. He has engaged a number of stakeholders to date and will...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: NegligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which external organisations David Lock KC has spoken to as part of his role advising Ministers on the costs of clinical negligence.
Answer: As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. He has engaged a number of stakeholders to date and will...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: NegligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the proportion of legal costs as a percentage of overall clinical negligence costs.
Answer: The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS fi...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: ClosuresDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111518More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP practices have closed in the last 12 months; and and GPs have (a) resigned and (b) retired in the same period of time.
Answer: Data on GP practices, including closure dates, is published as part of the ‘GP and GP practice related data’ set, available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/services/organisation-data-service/data-search-and-export/csv-downloads/gp-and-gp-prac...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: Employers' ContributionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111517More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions to (a) GP practices, (b) the number of FTE GPs in work and (c) locum GPs.
Answer: We are investing an extra £1.1 billion in general practices (GPs) in 2025/26, the biggest cash increase in a decade. We now have the highest number of fully qualified GPs serving in more than a decade. By boosting the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111516More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve access to GPs and (b) increase the number of FTE GPs (i) in work and (ii) on permanent contracts.
Answer: We are increasing the capacity in general practices by investing £160 million via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to recruit more general practitioners (GPs) to ensure the delivery of more GP appointments. Since October 2024, 3,073 indivi...
Answered 25 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordShipping: Government AssistanceDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 907856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support the maritime sector.
Answer: The Government strongly supports the sector, including £448m of funding for maritime decarbonisation, updating the National Policy Statement for Ports, fostering an environment for port investment, backing maritime skills and seafarers’ rights. We will sh...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111347More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure patients are not wrongly removed from the official NHS waiting list due to administrative issues.
Answer: Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for t...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111346More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the reduction in NHS waiting lists since April 2025 is attributable to patient removals; and if he will publish a breakdown of waiting-list change by treatment status.
Answer: Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for t...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111345More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will report the number of patients removed from waiting lists data and the reasons for their removal.
Answer: Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for t...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111344More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish full, raw NHS waiting-list data including removals and treatment activity on a weekly and monthly basis.
Answer: Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for t...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving: EyesightDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111343More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the optical sector on (a) proposals to modernise driver vision testing and (b) any other proposals to strengthen road safety standards.
Answer: On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Alongside the strategy, we launched five consultations including a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for olde...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving: EyesightDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111342More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support public awareness of the Don’t Swerve a Sight Test campaign.
Answer: We appreciate the work that the Association of Optometrists is doing to highlight the importance of good vision for driving.On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all road u...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving: Older PeopleDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111341More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of increasing the number of vision checks required for drivers aged over 70 on road safety.
Answer: At the age of 70, drivers must renew their entitlement, and at most, every three years after that. This provides a timely reminder to individuals to consider their health in the context of driving. To renew their entitlement, they must make a legal declar...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTaxis: CCTVDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111020More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to require in-vehicle CCTV in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.
Answer: The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill seeks a power for the Secretary of State to set in regulations national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. The power was approved by the House of Commons and the Bill is now...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: Waiting ListsDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110603More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide, for each driving test centre in Great Britain, the car practical driving test waiting time in weeks in January 2026.
Answer: The attached Excel document shows the average waiting time in weeks, in January 2026, for a car practical driving test at all driving test centres (DTC) in Great Britain.
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving LicencesDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110602More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average processing time was for driving licence applications in December 2025.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January to question UIN 103613.
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBus Services: DriversDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110601More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her proposed timeline is for publishing her Department's response to the consultation and evidence-gathering exercise on removing the 50km restriction for 18 to 20-year-old bus and coach drivers.
Answer: In April 2024, the previous government launched a consultation to help support driver recruitment, including a measure to amend licensing restrictions which would enable 18 to 19-year-olds to drive a bus and coach over 50km when driving a regular service,...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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