Joe Robertson MP: written questions 2025
626 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Railways: PassengersDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rail passenger journeys were made in Great Britain in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.
Answer: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish statistics on rail passenger journeys on a quarterly basis on their data portal: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/.This information is not available monthly.The latest available information on passenger journeys in G...
Answered 8 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of potholes filled by local authorities in England in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.
Answer: Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess whic...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpirits: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95349More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of spirits duty on the viability of pub in coastal communities.
Answer: Alcohol duty is paid by producers, and is therefore not typically paid directly by pubs. Further, according to estimates derived from sales data collected on behalf of the Office for National Statistics, only around 15% of spirits are consumed on-trade. A...
Answered 3 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpirits: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95348More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of RPI-linked duty increases on consumer prices for spirits in pubs versus supermarkets.
Answer: Alcohol duty is paid by producers, and is therefore not typically paid directly by pubs. Further, according to estimates derived from sales data collected on behalf of the Office for National Statistics, only around 15% of spirits are consumed on-trade. A...
Answered 3 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase funding for community pharmacies; and whether there are plans for a long-term, inflation-linked funding settlement for the sector.
Answer: I am grateful to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy for its report. I agree that pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system and recognise the challenges the sector faces. The Department will consider the recommendations set out by th...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations in the APPG on Pharmacy’s report entitled The Future of Community Pharmacy in England, published
Answer: I am grateful to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy for its report. I agree that pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system and recognise the challenges the sector faces. The Department will consider the recommendations set out by th...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSmokingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94810More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of banning cigarette filters on smoking prevalence.
Answer: We are not aware of clear evidence to show that a ban on filters would lead to reductions in smoking rates. We are confident the best way to protect people’s health is to reduce the prevalence of smoking. That is why we are taking decisive action through ...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpirits: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94397More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will conduct a review of the potential impact of spirits duty policy on the on-trade sector.
Answer: At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact to GDP, nor competition between the on and off tra...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpirits: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94396More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made on the potential impact of a complete spirits duty freeze for the on-trade on revenue.
Answer: Alcohol duty is paid at the point of production or import, before it is diverted to either the on-trade or the off-trade. It is therefore not possible to freeze duty rates exclusively for the on-trade. HMRC’s latest published estimate on the effect of a 1...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpirits: National IncomeTreasuryTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94395More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the contribution of on-trade sale of UK spirits to GDP.
Answer: At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact to GDP, nor competition between the on and off tra...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpirits: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94394More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of spirits duty on the ability of pubs to compete with off-trade retailers.
Answer: At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact to GDP, nor competition between the on and off tra...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordTennis: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94050More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department plans to provide to (a) tennis and (b) padel in each year until 2028.
Answer: The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We a...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTransport: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's document entitled Transport for City Regions funding allocations, published on 4 June 2025, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the (a) decarbonising
Answer: The devolved (TCR) programme will enable Mayors in recipient areas to deliver schemes that align with the aforementioned objectives at a local level. The cost is reflected in the capital and resource funding allocated through these settlements and will co...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94046More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85905 on Roads: Repairs and Maintenance, whether she plans to introduce a Live Labs 3 programme.
Answer: Live Labs 2 is a three-year, £30 million programme designed to support the local highways sector to adopt innovation and reduce its carbon impacts. The government will continue to support innovation in the highways sector following the conclusion of the L...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: Civil LiabilityDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the policy rationale is for clause 31(7) of the Railways Bill, which provides that the obligation to provide or secure the provision of designated railway passenger services does not give rise to civil lia
Answer: Clause 31(7) of the Bill makes it clear that the Secretary of State, Scottish Ministers or Welsh Ministers cannot be found liable for breach of statutory duty (which allows a person to claim damages in tort) when they provide or secure designated railway ...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: GrantsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92915More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Electric Car Grant criteria will change when the new science based targets come into place.
Answer: All vehicle grants are regularly reviewed to ensure they continue to achieve their objectives and deliver value for taxpayer's money. This includes the eligibility criteria for the Electric Car Grant.
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of recruitment and retention challenges in the driving instructor and driving examiner workforce; and what steps she plans to take to raise entry standards, including English
Answer: Since July last year, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners who are now in post and delivering driving tests. DVSA has had difficulty in retaining experienced driving examiners, some of whom retire ...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Under Influence: ScotlandDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2025, to Question 77642, on Driving under Influence: Scotland, whether research has been commissioned or produced on the effect of drink driving limits on the economic viabi
Answer: The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for 10 years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, suc...
Answered 28 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving under Influence: DrugsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2025, to Question 77644, on THINK! Campaign, what is the budgeted spending on publicity on drug driving in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26, and whether such expenditure has been
Answer: The budgeted spend on publicity on drug driving is below: Total spend to dateTotal budgeted spendFY 2024/25£35,000£35,000FY 2025/26£486,724.76£1,830,000 The increased expenditure for 2025/26 reflects the launch of a new THINK! marketing campaign to raise...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRestoring Your Railway FundDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2025, to Question 82997, on Restoring Your Railway Fund, how much central government money was written off as a consequence of the decision to cancel the fund.
Answer: The Chancellor’s 29 July 2024 announcement confirmed that the Restoring Your Railway programme would be brought to a close, as one of the steps she was taking to address the pressures on the public finances created by unfunded policy announcements made by...
Answered 28 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordKent County Council: Electric VehiclesDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether changes are being made to the eligibility for central government funding for Kent County Council, in the context of plans not to switch its fleet of vehicles to electric vehicles.
Answer: Local authorities have access to a range of central Government funding to support residents to transition to zero emission vehicles. Kent County Council remains eligible for their allocated £13.2 million capital and resource funding through the Local Elec...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving under InfluenceDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92908More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the press release, Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, of 26 July 2025, whether the Department for Transport has conducted or is planning to conduct a review of changes t
Answer: The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, su...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92906More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department will put in place constitutional standards for hospital discharges.
Answer: There are no immediate plans to introduce additional constitutional standards at this time, including for the timeliness of discharge from hospital.However, the Urgent and Emergency Care plan for 2025/26 set as a priority that hospitals should tackle the ...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHospital BedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92905More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his department is making available for trusts to help reduce bed occupancy to the RCEM recommended level of 85% occupancy.
Answer: As part of our winter preparations, we are asking trusts to place a special focus on reducing bed occupancy ahead of Christmas, creating additional capacity and improving patient flow.The Urgent and Emergency Care plan, published in July, focuses on those...
Answered 28 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92904More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the latest report on Corridor Care from the APPG on Emergency Care, what plans his department has to tackle delayed discharges.
Answer: The Government recognises that delayed discharges contribute to shortages of hospital beds and is committed to reducing delayed discharges to free up beds for those who need them.The 2025/26 Urgent and Emergency Care plan prioritises reducing hospital dis...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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