Laura Kyrke-Smith MP: written questions
78 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Armed Conflict: PolioForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7357More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure access to (a) safe and (b) effective polio vaccines in conflict-affected areas.
Answer: The UK is proud to be a longstanding supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having contributed £1.4 billion since 1995. The UK continues to be a supportive partner to the GPEI and will take every opportunity to ensure every child eve...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPolio: Disease ControlForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7356More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with (a) the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and (b) other multilateral organisations to help eradicate polio.
Answer: The UK is proud to be a longstanding supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having contributed £1.4 billion since 1995. The UK continues to be a supportive partner to the GPEI and will take every opportunity to ensure every child eve...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPalestinians: PolioForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7355More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that all children in (a) Palestine and (b) Gaza have access to polio vaccination.
Answer: The UK convened the August 2024 emergency session of the UN Security Council to drive urgent action to address the risk of a polio outbreak in Gaza. We are supporting delivery through our funding to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), alongsid...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: DisabilityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7354More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of disability-accessible housing in Aylesbury constituency; and what steps she is taking to increase the proportion of s
Answer: The data requested is not held centrally although the English Housing Survey does collect data on accessibility and adaptations within the home. Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities, everyone deserves to live in a decent home, in which they ...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordChiltern Railways: Rolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7353More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of Chiltern Railways' proposals to bring in (a) replacement and (b) additional carriages to improve capacity on their existing routes.
Answer: The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways to support the delivery of its long-term fleet strategy and has recently approved Chiltern Railways’ Mk3 fleet replacement Outline Business Case (OBC). Chiltern now needs to produce the Final...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: Victim Support SchemesMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund will be extended beyond March 2025.
Answer: This Government is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse have the information and support they need. On 1 October 2024, I wrote to recipients of the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund to confirm that HM Treasury hav...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHorse Riding: SafetyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of commissioning a review of horse rider safety standards; and whether he plans to legislate to strengthen those standards for solo
Answer: Anyone in the business of hiring out horses is required to have a licence under the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals (LAIA) Regulations 2018. It is a condition, under schedule 5 of the 2018 regulations, that all equipment provided to riders is in...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWaiting Lists: AylesburyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5726More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to reduce NHS waiting lists in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. Equality of both access to care and outcomes will be at the heart of building an NHS that is fit for ...
Answered 8 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: TransportDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of recent trends in the amount of time taken for transport to be arranged for SEND pupils; and what steps she is taking to ensure that
Answer: The department’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department’s home to school travel policy ...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVocational Education: AylesburyDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5492More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking help improve technical skill development in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: High quality technical education is a priority for this government in order to boost opportunity for individuals and tackle skills gaps which are essential for driving economic growth. The department has established Skills England is central to the govern...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDisabled Facilities GrantsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5209More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Disabled Facilities Grant scheme, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the Test of Resources in order to ensure working people with disabiliti
Answer: We recognise how important the right housing arrangements are in enabling people to live independently, and the need to support people to live in their own home wherever possible. In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilitie...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: AylesburyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4947More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle waiting lists for mental health services in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: People with mental health issues in the Aylesbury constituency and across the country are not getting the support or care they deserve, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physic...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordYoung Futures Hubs: BuckinghamshireHome OfficeTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4944More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to roll out open access young futures hubs for (a) children and (b) young people in (i) Aylesbury constituency and (ii) Buckinghamshire.
Answer: The Government is committed to rolling out a Young Futures programme which will bring together local services to improve the delivery of support for young people at risk of being drawn into crime .The HO has already set up a YF delivery unit to make progr...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordNon-teaching Staff: AylesburyDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4897More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of school support staff in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: The full-time equivalent (FTE) of support staff has increased since 2019/20, rising to 510,400 in 2023/24. This is an increase of 4,800 (0.9%) since last year. Support staff roles include teaching assistants, administrative staff, auxiliary staff, technic...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordNon-teaching Staff: Labour Turnover and RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of trends in (a) recruitment and (b) retention of school support staff in (i) Aylesbury constituency and (ii) England in the last five years.
Answer: The full-time equivalent (FTE) of support staff has increased since 2019/20, rising to 510,400 in 2023/24. This is an increase of 4,800 (0.9%) since last year. Support staff roles include teaching assistants, administrative staff, auxiliary staff, technic...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTeachers: AylesburyDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4895More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but the government must do more to ensure it has the workforce needed to ...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPensioners: AylesburyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support pensioners with increases in the cost of living in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: The State Pension is the foundation of income in retirement and will remain so, protecting 12 million pensioners through the triple lock. Based on current forecasts, the full rate of the new state pension is set to increase by £1,700 over the course of th...
Answered 17 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: AylesburyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4579More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of pensioners eligible for Pension Credit in Aylesbury constituency; and what steps she is taking to encourage the take-up of Pension Credit in that const
Answer: The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics, which includes estimates of the number of households eligible for but not claiming Pension Credit, cover the financial year 2021 to 2022 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of ta...
Answered 12 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordIsrael: PalestiniansForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4515More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will raise the case of Alice Kisiya with his Israeli counterpart; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect land rights of Palestinians.
Answer: The UK's position is clear. Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We recognise settlements have reached record levels in the past year and have been acco...
Answered 13 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordWest Bank: ViolenceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4514More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the reported (a) use of violence and (b) detention of Palestinian land owners in the West Bank
Answer: The UK's position is clear. Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We recognise settlements have reached record levels in the past year and there has been...
Answered 13 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordIsraeli SettlementsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4513More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the increase in Israeli settlement expansion and the depopulation of Palestinian
Answer: The UK's position is clear. Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We recognise settlements have reached record levels in the past year and there has been...
Answered 13 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordIsraeli SettlementsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4512More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on recent Israeli settlements in the Al Makhrour area of Beit Jala in the occupied West Bank.
Answer: The Foreign Secretary has raised the UK's concerns about settlement expansion and settlers with Israeli Ministers. The UK's position is clear. Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viabili...
Answered 13 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordVisas: Married PeopleHome OfficeTabled 3 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4150More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of linking the minimum income requirement for spousal visa applications to the National Living Wage.
Answer: The financial requirements for the Family Immigration Rules include the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) which is currently set at £29,000 and is intended to maintain the economic wellbeing of the UK whilst respecting family life.The Home Secretary has an...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordGaza: IsraelForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to assess Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Answer: We are clear that International Humanitarian Law must be upheld, and we are following the necessary processes.As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he tasked officials with a comprehensive review of Israel's compliance with International Humanitar...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic Libraries: AylesburyDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 23 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1413More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to protect library services in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.DCMS is aware of the current consult...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament record
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