Kerry McCarthy MP: written questions 2025
31 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Agriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the EU legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme on UK growers, fresh food supply chains and consumers; and what plan
Answer: The Government is committed to our horticulture sector and its role in providing fresh home-grown produce that helps to feed the nation. The EU Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme was limited to Producer Organisations, with only about 20% of the sector benefit...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBreasts: Plastic SurgeryDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women in the Bristol East constituency have been affected by faulty PIP breast implants.
Answer: The role of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is to monitor all incidents that are reported to us, making sure that these incidents are investigated fully and that any necessary action is taken. The poly implant prothèse (PIP)...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHate CrimeHome OfficeTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97115More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish a new national Hate Crime Action Plan.
Answer: The Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime wherever in the country it occurs, and whoever is responsible for committing it. We expect the police to fully investigate these appalling offences and work with the Crown Prosecution Service ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHuntingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92522More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that trail hunting is not used as a cover for the illegal hunting of wild mammals with dogs.
Answer: This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and we will consult on how to deliver a ban in the new year.
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHunting Act 2004Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92521More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has received recent representations on breaches of the Hunting Act 2004.
Answer: Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. Those found guilty under the Act are subject to the full force of the law.
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordOpioids: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91918More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand substitution therapy interventions for those with opioid dependency.
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need, and this includes the provision of opioid substitution treatment such as methadone and both oral and long-acting injectable buprenorphine.On 2...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDrugs: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91917More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand access to drug detoxification services for people with substance abuse problems.
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services according to local need as part of their public health responsibilities, and this includes the provision of drug detoxification services.In line with recommendations i...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordFungi: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on supporting the Fungal Conservation Pledge since the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in 2024.
Answer: To deliver against the statutory targets for biodiversity, in England, we are taking action at scale to create, restore, manage, and protect wildlife-rich habitats, reduce pressures on biodiversity, and take targeted action for species. This includes acti...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones and Social Media: ChildrenDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to establish a (a) social media curfew and (b) cap on smartphone screen time fo
Answer: It is important that children can seize the opportunities that being online offers whilst being safe. The Online Safety Act provides protections for children from illegal and harmful content onlineWe continue to explore evidence around the impact of socia...
Answered 20 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: PensionersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making pensioners who live with a partner below State Pension age eligible to receive age-appropriate welfare benefits.
Answer: We have no current plans to do so. Ensuring that individuals, including those below State Pension age, can get into and stay in work is important for individuals in helping them to continue saving for their own retirement and contributes to the wider econ...
Answered 20 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHome Education: RegistrationDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90675More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to send information to home educating parents on the registration measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answer: Following the Bill’s attainment of Royal Assent, the department intends to make regulations and publish statutory guidance outlining how local authorities must publicise the registers and the duties of parents in relation to the registers.We will consult ...
Answered 20 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Transgender PeopleWomen and EqualitiesTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90152More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will ensure that any forthcoming code of practice for (a) services, (b) public functions and (c) associations contains practical guidance on how small businesses can be inclusive towards transgender cus
Answer: The Equality and Human Rights Commission - as the independent regulator - has submitted a draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations. This will provide guidance to relevant duty bearers on how they should comply with the Equali...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordGynaecological Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90151More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage (a) breast cancer screening and (b) cervical screening programmes to raise awareness of other gynaecological cancers.
Answer: NHS England works to ensure that core public information on screening is easily accessible and understandable to the public, and it regularly and systematically reviews this information.For example, earlier this year, NHS England updated its cervical scre...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDental ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90150More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of trends in NHS dental costs and average wages in England.
Answer: No direct assessment has been made, however any decision to uplift dental patient charges is accompanied by an equalities impact assessment and informed by patient demographic data from the NHS Annual Dental Statistics and the GP Patient Survey NHS dentis...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit: Single PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90149More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 68072 on Housing Benefit: Supported Housing, what further discussions he has had with stakeholders on proposals to increase the Housing Benefit disrega
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation. A wide range of customers currently receive rent...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing BenefitDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90148More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 Question 76922 on Housing Benefit: Supported Housing, what further discussions he has had with stakeholders on proposals to decrease the Housing Benefit taper
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation. A wide range of customers currently receive rent...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordFlats: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 71739 on Flats: Fire Prevention, when he plans to publish the eligibility criteria.
Answer: The Department intends to provide further information on cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPostgraduate Education: ChildcareDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88614More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of extending the Childcare Grant to postgraduate students.
Answer: The government introduced new support packages for students starting postgraduate master’s degree courses from the 2016/17 academic year onwards and postgraduate doctoral degree courses from 2018/19 onwards. These loans are not based on income and are int...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: Advisory ServicesMinistry of JusticeTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate access to free immigration advice in (a) Bristol and (b) the South West.
Answer: We are committed to making sure timely advice is there for those who need it, and this sits right at the heart of our vision for a better, more effective justice system.We have confirmed we will be uplifting housing and immigration legal aid fees. This re...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBone Cancer: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88210More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure early diagnosis of primary bone cancer is included in the National Cancer Plan.
Answer: Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including primary bone cancer and other rare cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRenters' Rights Act 2025Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88209More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness among renters about the provisions of the Renters’ Rights Act ahead of its implementation date.
Answer: The government intends to set out detailed implementation plans for the Renters’ Rights Act in the near future. As part of those plans, we will support all stakeholders through detailed guidance and communications.
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRenters' Rights Act 2025Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88208More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department's timetable is for implementing the Renters’ Rights Act (2025).
Answer: The government intends to set out detailed implementation plans for the Renters’ Rights Act in the near future. As part of those plans, we will support all stakeholders through detailed guidance and communications.
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Advisory ServicesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88207More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure the availability of housing-related advice services in Bristol.
Answer: I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78811 on 15 October 2025.
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87252More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 78048 on General Practitioners: Recruitment, whether he plans to recruit more experienced GPs whose Certificate of Completion of Training Date
Answer: As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is for general practices (GPs) to determine how they run their operations, including recruitment decisions.We are investing an additional £1.1 billion into GPs to reinforce the front door of ...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInfected Blood Compensation Scheme: Medical RecordsCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87251More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that the Infected Blood Compensation Authority claims process is accessible to people whose historic NHS records are difficult to locate.
Answer: Given the historic nature of the infected blood scandal, the Government recognises that not all medical records will still be available. The Compensation Scheme has been designed to minimise as far as possible the burden on those applying, and eligibility...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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