Lee Dillon MP: written questions
171 published records · newest first.
Written questions
NewtsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of planning developments on habitats for great crested newts; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing lo
Answer: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Protected species are afforded legal protection in England due to their conservation status. A mitigation licence is required for developers to carry out various ty...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSewage: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10247More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of replacing Ofwat with a clean water authority on sewage dumping.
Answer: The Government and regulators work together to drive improvements that benefit both customers and the environment and hold water companies to account where necessary through strong enforcement action. We have set clear expectations of the sector, includin...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: VATTreasuryTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10246More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of adding VAT to schools fees on special schools.
Answer: Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October and set out its assessment of relevant expected impacts in a Tax Info...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEducation: FinanceTreasuryTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10245More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the proportion of the UK's national income spent on education.
Answer: The government recognises the importance of education and is committed to transforming the education system so that young people get the opportunity they deserve. At the Spending Audit in July, DfE received an additional £2.1 billion in 2024-25, including...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordNeurodiversity: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10244More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of long waiting times for an assessment of neurodevelopmental conditions on children.
Answer: The NHS England national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standard for autism, set out that diagnostic assessments should happen as soon as possible...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCarer's AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9555More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the claim career allowance eligibility rules on individuals already receiving existing benefits.
Answer: Carer’s Allowance cannot normally be paid with another income replacement benefit. It has been a long-held feature of the GB benefit system, under successive Governments, that where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 900706More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rural broadband coverage.
Answer: It is inadequate, but we are working on it. According to figures published by Ofcom earlier this year, 88% of premises in rural areas can get superfast broadband speeds, and 47% have access to a gigabit-capable connection.Under Project Gigabit, almost £2 ...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Work: NewburyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8607More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of social work vacancy rates in Newbury.
Answer: We do not hold information for specific localities, and therefore no assessments have been made. We are committed to the recruitment and retention of social workers, through our existing initiatives like bursaries and the Assessed and Support Year in Empl...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8606More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to increase hospice funding.
Answer: We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their fami...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRailways: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8605More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a discounted railcard for people aged 30 to 60 years old who earn below the average.
Answer: There are several Railcards that people aged 30 to 60 are eligible to hold, including the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card that offers 50 per cent off selected rail fares. Affordability of rail travel is one of our key objectives. However, any concessi...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFire and Rescue Services: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8604More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding on Fire and Rescue services; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional
Answer: MHCLG published the final Local Government Settlement on 5 February 2024 setting out the referendum principles for Local Authorities in 2024/25. All standalone FRAs will be able to increase their council tax by the core referendum limit of 3%. Standalone ...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAnimals: ExportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8390More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce a ban on all live animal exports.
Answer: The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 came into force on 22 July 2024. The Act bans the export of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses for fattening or slaughter from Great Britain, stopping stress, exhaustion and injury caused by this unnecess...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8389More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of the homes her Department aims to build during this Parliament will be affordable; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that these homes meet
Answer: The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and we will update Parliament on our progress. Our proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework aim to ensure that decisio...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVisas: ApplicationsHome OfficeTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8388More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to improve the (a) cost, (b) accessibility and (c) appeal process of visa applications.
Answer: The Government regularly reviews the cost and accessibility of visas and process of appeals to ensure that public services are efficient and provide value for money to the taxpayer.
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLightingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8387More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to prohibit light bulbs with an energy efficiency below 45 watts; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of this ban on animals that requir
Answer: The previous Government consulted on new minimum energy performance standards for lighting products, which would ban the most inefficient lighting products from being sold on the GB market. Officials are analysing the feedback received including, for exam...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: SafetyDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7272More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to promote the safe use of artificial intelligence.
Answer: The Government wants to see AI adopted widely to realise its potential productivity benefits, and regulatory clarity will help drive this adoption. That is why we committed in our manifesto to introduce binding regulations on the handful of companies deve...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGeneral ElectionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7271More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help improve voter turnout in national elections; and what assessment she has made of the impact of voter ID on the 2024 general election.
Answer: To encourage participation in our democracy, the Government will improve voter registration and address the inconsistencies in voter ID rules. We will be bringing forward firm proposals in due course.In September the Electoral Commission published its int...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLevel CrossingsDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7270More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department issues on the amount of time a level crossing may be down each day; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays caused by crossings being down on (a) commuter
Answer: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its capacity as the independent safety regulator for Britain’s railways, works closely with the rail industry to improve level crossing safety, including by issuing guidance on managing level crossings and minimising ...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordJobseeker's Allowance: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of changes in the number of 18-24 year olds claiming jobseeker’s allowance in Newbury constituency; and what steps she plans to take to
Answer: Our plan to get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support. This will sit alongside; a new public employment and car...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: InternetDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 3624More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to stop automated systems from booking driving test slots for financial gain.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. To increase the number of available test slots, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, inclu...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 3623More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) reduce waiting times for driving tests and (b) ensure people can take their driving test locally.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. To increase the number of available test slots, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, inclu...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →