Joe Robertson MP: written questions 2026
371 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: IslandsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department conducted an impact assessment before ending Island Forums.
Answer: We recognise the unique opportunities and challenges faced by island communities, including those on the Isle of Wight, and it is essential that they are still able to raise issues with government. We also recognise that there has been positive and constr...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: IslandsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to discontinue Island Forums on island communities; and whether he plans to introduce alternative mechanisms.
Answer: We recognise the unique opportunities and challenges faced by island communities, including those on the Isle of Wight, and it is essential that they are still able to raise issues with government. We also recognise that there has been positive and constr...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: Waiting ListsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the car practical driving test waiting time was in weeks in each driving test centre in Great Britain in each month since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The attached Excel spreadsheet shows the car practical driving test waiting time in weeks for each driving test centre (DTC) in Great Britain, in each month since July 2024 to January 2026.Please note, some DTCs no longer conduct car tests or have closed....
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSurgery: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113151More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria are used to determine payments for patient pathways removed from the elective waiting list as a result of data validation; and what safeguards his Department has put in place to preve
Answer: Validation is a routine part of providers’ waiting list management which ensures patient records are accurate, that patients are on the best pathway to meet their needs, and that they still need their appointments. There are safeguards in place to ensure ...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) what the failure-to-attend rate for practical car driving tests was in each month since January 2024; and b) whether the Department has assessed the impact on failure-to-attend rates of the change introduced
Answer: The attached Excel spreadsheet shows failure-to-attends (FTA) as a percentage of the total number of bookings for each month since January 2024. DVSA monitors failure to attend rates and consider potential causes of those rates changing, together with pot...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112846More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) how many additional practical car driving tests were delivered by DVSA in each month since July 2024 compared with the same months in the previous year; b) of those additional tests, how many were delivered
Answer: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-test-and-theory-test-data-cars shows the number of car practical driving tests conducted up to February 2026. The spreadsheet attached shows the number of overtime tests for the period July 2023 ...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Civil ServantsDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, since 1 January 2024, how many additional employees have been recruited by DFT Operator Limited (DFTO) on a headcount basis; and what the net change in total employee headcount at DFTO has been in each quarter
Answer: The table below sets out the number of employees recruited from January 2024 and the change to net employee headcount per quarter for DFT Operator Limited (DFTO). The increases in headcount are as a result of the progressive public ownership programme man...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112365More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2026 to Question 108807, what progress her Department has made towards the 2030 public electric vehicle charge point target.
Answer: An estimate of potential future demand for charge points was originally published in the 2022 “Taking Charge: the National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy” and ranged from 280,000 to 720,000 in 2030. This analysis was updated in 2024 to ...
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSodium 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 record
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