Joe Robertson MP: written questions 2025
626 published records · newest first.
Written questions
NHS: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101607More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the month-by-month progress that will be needed to be compliant with the NHS' 92 per cent 18-week target by March 2029; and what progress has been made to date in 202
Answer: We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.NHS England’s 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidan...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101606More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of Activity Management Plans issued by NHS Integrated Care Boards on the commitment made in the NHS/Independent Sector Partnership Agreement signed in Janu
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have existing contractual powers to manage activity by providers, which were enhanced in 2025/26 with central support for setting and managing activity. The NHS Standard Contract includes the ability to set Indicative Activit...
Answered 20 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101605More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish data on how many Activity Management Plans have been issued by NHS Integrated Care Boards to (a) NHS Trusts and (b) independent providers, how many reduced procedures that will c
Answer: The specific information requested is not held by the Department. Activity management plans are contractual mechanisms within the NHS Standard Contract, used by integrated care boards (ICBs) to manage elective activity and financial control. They can be i...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101604More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of Activity Management Plans issued by NHS Integrated Care Boards and their impact on the NHS’ adherence with its constitutional access standards and patient choice rule
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have existing contractual powers to manage activity by providers, which were enhanced in 2025/26 with central support for setting and managing activity. The NHS Standard Contract includes the ability to set Indicative Activit...
Answered 20 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHospitals: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101603More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish data collected by his Department on the use of corridor care.
Answer: The provision of clinical care in corridors is unacceptable, and we are committed to ending its practice in the National Health Service. Furthermore, our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 commits to publishing data on the prevalence of corridor c...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government and Social Care OmbudsmanMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101602More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the level of independence of the complaint review process within the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Answer: The legal powers underpinning the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s investigations are invested in the Ombudsman themselves and they have personal authority in the investigation of complaints. I therefore have no remit to interfere with the Omb...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care Systems: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101601More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of regional variation in access to NICE-approved medicines across Integrated Care Systems.
Answer: No assessment has been made by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on adoption of innovative medicines in local formularies states that once a NICE technol...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101600More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NICE positive recommendations in each year since 2023 were issued as optimised decisions; and what proportion of the eligible patient population was able to access those medicines on the N
Answer: The following table shows the number of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations since 2023 that have been issued as optimised decisions:YearNumberPercentage of all publications excluding terminations2023/243748%2024/253343...
Answered 19 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDrugs and Medical Treatments: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101599More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NICE appraisals were terminated in the five-year period from 2019 to 2024, and how this compares with the preceding five-year period.
Answer: The following table shows the number of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraisals that were terminated between 2019 and 2024, and between 2014 and 2019:PeriodNumber of terminated appraisalsTerminated appraisals as a percentage of...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDrugs and Medical Treatments: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101598More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NICE technology appraisals have been terminated in each year since 2019; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for these terminations.
Answer: The follow table shows the proportion of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals that have been terminated in each year since 2019:YearTerminations as a percentage of each year2019/2017.54%2020/2120.00%2021/2219.39%2...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFamily Hubs: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101597More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on the roll-out of Best Start Family Hubs and wider neighbourhood health integration if local authorities without existing Start for
Answer: Delivering integrated, joined-up health, education, and family support is at the heart of our ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, funding is helping families during the critical 1,001 days,...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBabies: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101596More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the decision to prioritise continuation funding for the existing 75 Start for Life local authority areas aligns with the commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England to expand Start for Li
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda to how we will improve the nation’s health by creating a new model of care that is fit for the future.We recognise that local authorities are ambitious, seeking to deliver universal support to families ...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBabies: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of equity of access to to Start for Life services, including infant feeding, perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support across England.
Answer: Delivering integrated, joined-up health, education, and family support is at the heart of our ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, funding is helping families during the critical 1,001 days,...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBabies: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101594More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government intends to provide Start for Life funding to new local authority areas.
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda to how we will improve the nation’s health by creating a new model of care that is fit for the future.We recognise that local authorities are ambitious, seeking to deliver universal support to families ...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMusic Venues: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101593More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help mitigate the impact of higher business rates bills on grassroots music venues arising from changes to business rates multipliers.
Answer: There are no current plans to extend the 40% film studio relief to grassroots music venues. At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increas...
Answered 8 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMusic Venues: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101592More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the number of grassroots music venues affected by the withdrawal of the 40% business rates relief.
Answer: There are no current plans to extend the 40% film studio relief to grassroots music venues. At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increas...
Answered 8 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMusic Venues: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101591More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of extending the 40% rate tax relief for film studios to grassroots music venues.
Answer: There are no current plans to extend the 40% film studio relief to grassroots music venues. At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increas...
Answered 8 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101590More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of hospice funding for dementia end-of-life care is provided by central government and local authorities; and whether he plans to increase statutory funding for hospices.
Answer: The Department has not had any recent discussions with local authorities about the funding of hospice services.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS ...
Answered 28 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101589More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities about the funding of hospice services, including those providing end-of-life care for dementia patients.
Answer: The Department has not had any recent discussions with local authorities about the funding of hospice services.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS ...
Answered 28 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101588More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department plans to review the level of statutory funding provided to hospices that currently rely heavily on charitable donations to deliver core services.
Answer: Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. T...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUnpaid TaxesTreasuryTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101229More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what measures HMRC has in place to prevent deliberate non-payment of tax by those who are liable but expect not to be pursued.
Answer: HMRC is committed to closing the tax gap further and tackling non-compliant behaviours such as tax evasion, tax avoidance, criminal attacks, error, failure to take reasonable care, hidden economy activity, legal interpretation issues, and non-payment. In ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUnpaid TaxesTreasuryTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101224More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of unpaid tax liabilities is written off each year; and according to what criteria HMRC determines when a tax debt will no longer be pursued.
Answer: HMRC is committed to closing the tax gap further and tackling non-compliant behaviours such as tax evasion, tax avoidance, criminal attacks, error, failure to take reasonable care, hidden economy activity, legal interpretation issues, and non-payment. In ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUnpaid TaxesTreasuryTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101222More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax revenue is currently outstanding from taxpayers known to be liable but not under active enforcement action by HMRC.
Answer: HMRC is committed to closing the tax gap further and tackling non-compliant behaviours such as tax evasion, tax avoidance, criminal attacks, error, failure to take reasonable care, hidden economy activity, legal interpretation issues, and non-payment. In ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUnpaid TaxesTreasuryTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101219More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HMRC has made of the number of individuals and companies that are liable for tax but are not currently being actively pursued for payment.
Answer: HMRC is committed to closing the tax gap further and tackling non-compliant behaviours such as tax evasion, tax avoidance, criminal attacks, error, failure to take reasonable care, hidden economy activity, legal interpretation issues, and non-payment. In ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Emissions Trading Scheme: ShippingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on co-ordination of the UK emissions trading scheme maritime expansion with the delivery of grid infrastructure needed fo
Answer: The UK ETS Authority is made up of the UK Government and the devolved governments. Within the UK Government, my department, the Department for Transport and HM Treasury all work jointly to develop and implement the inclusion of maritime emissions in the U...
Answered 7 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
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