Joe Robertson MP: written questions
506 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Colour Vision Deficiency: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118038More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will review the evidential basis for the Colour Assessment Diagnosis test.
Answer: The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) keeps the evidential basis for colour vision testing under regular review. The Colour Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) test, developed with City University London, is currently the only advanced colour vision test accep...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordActive TravelDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118037More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Rule H1 was developed as part of the Government’s active travel or modal shift objectives; and what steps she took to consult motorcyclist and motorist organisations during drafting.
Answer: The previous Government updated the Highway Code in 2022 to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses including the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. This review of the Highway Code was announced as part of the Cycling and...
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordClean Cities CampaignDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) ministers, (b) advisors, and (c) officials in her Department have held conversations with Clean Cities Campaign since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The Department has engaged with Clean Cities Campaign as part of routine stakeholder engagement.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport and EnvironmentDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116078More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) ministers, (b) advisors, and (c) officials in her Department have held conversations with the European Federation for Transport and Environment since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The Department has engaged with Transport and Environment as part of routine stakeholder engagement.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: Industrial DisputesDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of industrial disputes in further education colleges.
Answer: Further education colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating terms and conditions and managing their industrial relations.Based on engagement with the sector, we know colleges affected by recent strikes have generally im...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the further education funding model on workforce planning.
Answer: We use the 16 to 19 funding formula to calculate an allocation of funding to each institution, each academic year for 16-19-year-olds. We calculate the basic funding for institutions using lagged student volumes and funding rates, which depend on the size...
Answered 2 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: PayDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116066More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of pay disparities between mainland further education colleges and those in island communities on staff recruitment and retention.
Answer: The department is taking actions to strengthen the recruitment and retention in further education (FE) colleges across the country, including coastal and island communities, as outlined in the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.Across the spe...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: Labour Turnover and RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116065More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of (a) recruitment and (b) retention in further education colleges in (i) island and (ii) coastal communities.
Answer: The department is taking actions to strengthen the recruitment and retention in further education (FE) colleges across the country, including coastal and island communities, as outlined in the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.Across the spe...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFurther Education: Industrial DisputesDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116064More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support further education colleges that have unresolved industrial disputes.
Answer: Further education colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating terms and conditions and managing their industrial relations.Based on engagement with the sector, we know colleges affected by recent strikes have generally im...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordGreat British Railways: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2026 to Question 108458, whether the £199 million in the Support for Rail Passenger Services budget line in 2028–29 will result in changes to a) service levels, b) fare pol
Answer: The £199 million efficiencies in the Support for Rail Passenger Services line are expected to be delivered mostly from more efficient workforce management, economies of scale as private sector operating companies move into public ownership, and ticketing ...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGreat British Railways: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2026 to Question 108458, what measures within the Support for Rail Passenger Services budget line will generate £199 million; and if she will publish a breakdown of the ind
Answer: The £199 million efficiencies in the support for Rail Passenger Services line are expected to be delivered mostly from more efficient workforce management, economies of scale as private sector operating companies move into public ownership, and ticketing ...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessments her Department has made of the potential impact of wire rope safety barriers on the safety of motorcyclists; and whether any research has been conducted into this area.
Answer: The safety of all road users remains important to the Department, and we work with partners to reduce motorcycle casualties through safer riding, better training and a safer road environment while considering motorcyclists’ needs in improving safety on th...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115276More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Initial Teacher Training equips new teachers with the skills required to deliver adaptive teaching for children with speech and language challenges.
Answer: The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with speech and language needs.Courses must incorporate the minimum entitlement set out in the Init...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115275More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the Teacher Training Core Content Framework includes specific requirements relating to supporting pupils with speech, language and communication needs.
Answer: The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with speech and language needs.Courses must incorporate the minimum entitlement set out in the Init...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115274More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current Initial Teacher Training provision in preparing teachers to support children with speech and language needs.
Answer: The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with speech and language needs.Courses must incorporate the minimum entitlement set out in the Init...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: MaladministrationCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114709More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance exists for Government departments on responding to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's (a) findings of maladministration and (b) recommendations for financial redress.
Answer: Guidance for Government departments on responding to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's findings and recommendations is published on gov.uk (‘Handling of Parliamentary Ombudsman Cases’, Cabinet Office, May 2022). Financial redress is governe...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordProperty Law: Charitable TrustsMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113314More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued to conveyancers, the Land Registry, or other stakeholders on the application of perpetuity rules to commercial land instruments following the enactment of the Perpetuities
Answer: No guidance has been issued by the Ministry of Justice since the Act came into force. The explanatory notes to the legislation set out the effects of the changes to the law: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/18/notes/contents.This is a complex and...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry 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 record
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