Laura Kyrke-Smith MP: written questions
62 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Animal Experiments: Animal BreedingHome OfficeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14182More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of 16 September 2025 to UIN 74237 on Animal Experiments: Animal Breeding, whether she plans to report, in the forthcoming publication of the statistics of scientific proce
Answer: The Home Office will resume the collection and annual publication of additional statistics relating to animals used in science. The first publication is planned for 2028 and will report on data collected during 2027.The additional statistics will include:...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordYouth Services: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when guidance on eligibility criteria and application processes for the next phase of the Better Youth Spaces Fund will be published.
Answer: We have been focused on how we can streamline our departmental funding to ensure young people are shaping our priorities and decisions. With this in mind, we are currently merging our major youth funds which includes Better Youth Spaces and Richer Young L...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordYouth Services: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to prepare for the launch of applications to the next phase of the Better Youth Spaces Fund, and when those applications are expected to open.
Answer: We have been focused on how we can streamline our departmental funding to ensure young people are shaping our priorities and decisions. With this in mind, we are currently merging our major youth funds which includes Better Youth Spaces and Richer Young L...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDogs: Animal WelfareHome OfficeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 5088More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of welfare conditions for dogs bred at establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Answer: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides robust protections for animals, including dogs, bred for use in scientific procedures. Establishments licensed under ASPA must comply with the Act and the Code of Practice for the Housing and Ca...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Breeding: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 5087More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has conducted a recent review of licensing conditions applied to commercial breeders of animals for use in scientific procedures.
Answer: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides robust protections for animals, including dogs, bred for use in scientific procedures. Establishments licensed under ASPA must comply with the Act and the Code of Practice for the Housing and Ca...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: CCTVDepartment for TransportTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 5040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of variations in CCTV quality, coverage and functionality across train operating companies and rail infrastructure providers.
Answer: The railway is a CCTV-rich environment, with over 125,000 cameras across the network. CCTV systems are owned and managed by individual train operating companies and Network Rail, and the Department does not hold a centralised dataset on variations in qual...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: CCTVDepartment for TransportTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 5039More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what proportion of rail-related criminal investigations CCTV footage was requested but could not be used due to issues including image quality, equipment failure and insufficient coverage.
Answer: The British Transport Police made 9,986 requests to rail operators for CCTV in 2025/26 but they are unable to provide a breakdown of whether the footage was usable or not as it would require extensive manual searching of data records and could only be pro...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordApprentices: FinanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3129More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from certain Level 6 apprenticeships, such as the Level 6 Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, on employers’ ability to dev
Answer: Over the past decade we’ve seen apprenticeship starts by those aged 16-24, fall by 40%. At the same time, last year, the government spent 100% of its multi-billion pound apprenticeship budget. This Government wants to reverse that decline and support 50,0...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCarer's AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3021More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Carer’s Allowance eligibility and conditionality on families where a child is unable to attend school for medical and special educational reasons
Answer: Carer’s Allowance is payable to those who meet the eligibility criteria. In these circumstances, the key elements would be that (i) the child being cared for qualifies for the middle or higher rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance and ...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: MenopauseDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1517More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of women leaving the workforce due to menopause-related health issues.
Answer: The government is committed to tackling the challenges women face in the labour market at every stage of life, and with the right menopause workplace support, we can help unlock the full talent and creativity of women across the country. As part of the Em...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordApprentices: PayDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee’s Occasional Paper 27 entitled The influence of the social security system on educational and vocational decision-making at age 16, what steps he
Answer: The Government is determined to reverse the 40% drop in young people starting apprenticeships, and so we welcome the Social Security Advisory Committee’s insight into this important area. We are carefully considering the report's recommendations and will ...
Answered 21 May 2026
Original Parliament recordOrganised Crime: TobaccoTreasuryTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 633More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of data generated by the tobacco track-and-trace system on police investigations into organised crime; and what steps she is taking to maximise the operational va
Answer: The government is committed to reducing the amount of illicit tobacco and vaping products on sale nationally. Tobacco Track and Trace data is used extensively alongside a range of other data and tools to tackle organised crime throughout the supply chain....
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordTrading StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 632More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the capacity of local authority Trading Standards services to proactively prevent rogue trading activity; and what steps he is taking to ensure those services have the (a
Answer: Trading Standards are provided by local authorities who operate independently from central government, so local authorities make decisions according to their individual needs.The final 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £78 billio...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCrime Prevention: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 631More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the treatment of crime-prevention measures, including CCTV systems, within business rates valuations on levels of business investment in security; and whether
Answer: Please refer to the previous answers to UIN 84492 and UIN 49676.The Call for Evidence published at Budget sought further evidence on the role business rates and reliefs play in investment, including Improvement Relief. Transforming the business rates syst...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordLeukaemia: Blood TestsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's NG12 guideline document entitled Suspected cancer: recognition and referral, updated on 15 April 2026, what steps he is tak
Answer: The National Cancer Plan for England, published on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment. The Government is committed to helping NHS England detect cancers, including blood...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordLeukaemiaDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 571More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve timely access to haematology specialists for patients with (a) suspected and (b) diagnosed leukaemia.
Answer: The National Cancer Plan for England, released on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment.The Government is committed to helping the NHS England detect cancers, including blo...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: Retail TradeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 570More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce regulations under the Tobacco and Vapes Act to require vaping products in retail premises to be stored (a) out of sight, (b) behind the counter, (c) in closed or lock
Answer: The Tobacco and Vapes Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Act contains powers to introduce future regulations on where and how vapes and nicotine products can be displayed within shops.There is evidence that display has played a role in the gr...
Answered 18 May 2026
Original Parliament recordHydrocortisoneDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128616More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to licence ACT-O-VIAL containing 100mg hydrocortisone sodium succinate (powder) and 2ml of water (diluent), in the context of the discontinuation of the liquid form of hy
Answer: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recognises the concerns raised about the withdrawal of the previously marketed liquid hydrocortisone injection. Following a review of our current regulatory position, we can confirm that any m...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: ApprenticesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128020More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to encourage small and medium sized businesses to retain apprentices once they complete their apprenticeship.
Answer: Apprenticeships help give small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) the skills they need to grow, enabling them to fill vacancies, train their workforces and fill skills gaps. Retaining apprentices after completion enables smaller employers to maximise the...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to (a) improve self sufficiency in food production and (b) create a framework that (i) makes resilience progress visible, (ii) builds trust and (iii) supports
Answer: UK self-sufficiency has remained broadly stable for several decades. In 2024, the UK was 65% self-sufficient for all food; 77% for food that can be produced here. In most scenarios, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Red DieselTreasuryTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119768More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to (a) support farmers with the cost of red diesel and (b) improve transparency and competitiveness in the red diesel market.
Answer: Farmers retained the entitlement to use red diesel for agricultural machinery after it was withdrawn from most sectors in 2022. Red diesel used in agriculture is subject to fuel duty at just 10.18p per litre compared to 52.95p for diesel used on roads, re...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFuel Oil: CompetitionDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, (i) what steps he is taking to improve transparency and competitiveness in the heating oil market, and (ii) what protections and monitoring he is putting in place for consumers that use the h
Answer: Heating oil customers are not tied to a single supplier and can shop around for the best price, supported by commercial price comparison websites. Unlike gas and electricity, heating oil is bought on the spot market, making it more exposed to short‑term v...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment Assessment ReviewDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 908164More
Question: What recent progress the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment has made.
Answer: Following expressions of interest, the steering group was recruited to oversee co-production of the Timms Review.The group have met and discussed principles of working and areas of focus and will meet regularly to determine the Review’s strategic directio...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that there is the right level of electric vehicle maintenance and repair skills to support the projected increase in electric vehicle adoption.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring the UK has the skills needed to support the growing number of zero emission electric vehicles. According to the Institute of the Motor Industry, around 71,942 technicians (26% of the UK’s total) are qualified to wor...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren: Care HomesDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112971More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with Ofsted on reducing the time taken to licence people who are in charge of children's homes.
Answer: The department is already taking steps to support Ofsted with effective prioritisation of registrations for new children’s social care provision. To address registration delays, we have supported Ofsted to update their registration prioritisation criteria...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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