Lewis Cocking MP: written questions 2025
184 published records · newest first.
Written questions
FlagsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78938More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) Brighton and Hove council, (b) Tower Hamlets council and (c) Birmingham City Council on the taking down of St George’s flags.
Answer: The Prime Minister has been clear that he supports the flying of flags across the country. Flags should be an embodiment of bringing our country and our communities together. Decisions about whether flags should be removed are devolved to local authoritie...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordIslamophobiaMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions the Government had with the US Government on the definition of Islamophobia.
Answer: The government does not have an official definition of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia and so it has not engaged with any foreign government on this. However, we have established a working group to advise government on a definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/I...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78936More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the (a) use of Special Development Orders to obtain planning approval, (b) planning application call-in and (c) planning appeal recovery for asylum seeker a
Answer: The Secretary of State’s powers relating to Special Development Orders are set out in section 60 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Policies on calling in planning applications and recovering appeals are set out in the Written Ministerial Statemen...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBlue Badge Scheme: ChildrenDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the separate eligibility criteria for children under three for the Blue Badge scheme.
Answer: Since 17 June 2011, children under the age of three have been eligible for a Blue Badge if they fall under either or both of the following criteria: (a) a child who, because of a condition, must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which canno...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMayor of London: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75354More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 38045 on Councillors: Planning, if she will make it her policy to require the Mayor of London to undertake the same compulsory
Answer: As set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, it is the intention that mayors will be required to undertake mandatory training.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMigrant Workers: VisasHome OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75353More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the correspondence of July 2025 from the Leader of Kent County Council on visas for social care workers from overseas, if she will publish her Department's response to Kent County Co
Answer: The Government does not routinely publish Ministerial correspondence.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: BroxbourneHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are being housed in homes of multiple occupation in Broxbourne constituency.
Answer: The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated by local authority area, not constituency. These statistics can be found in the Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of asylum seeker hotels on (a) local crime rates and (b) police resource allocation.
Answer: The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully man...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLegal Aid Scheme: AsylumMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was of providing legal aid to asylum seekers charged with criminal offences in the UK in the last year.
Answer: Expenditure data for asylum seekers across all legal aid schemes is not held centrally.
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: DeportationHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals have avoided deportation following criminal convictions due to the absence of a removal agreement with their country of origin.
Answer: The specific information requested is not readily available from published statistics and could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost. However, this government has already removed almost 5,200 foreign nation...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: WomenHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of asylum accommodation on women's safety in those communities.
Answer: The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully man...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of accommodating asylum seekers with unknown or unverifiable criminal histories on public safety.
Answer: The Home Office has a legal obligation to accommodate asylum seekers where they would otherwise be destitute. All asylum seekers undergo checks against policing and immigration databases.Decisions on allocation of asylum seekers to accommodation are made ...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: ReoffendersHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department records the number of repeat offenders within the asylum seeker population.
Answer: The information you have requested is not available from published statistics.The UK will always offer protection to those in genuine need, but we will not allow our asylum system to be exploited by those who commit crimes or endanger our communities.Any ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: DeportationMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72784More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the deterrent effect of immediate deportation for foreign nationals convicted of criminal offences.
Answer: The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a priority of this Government, which is why we are introducing new measures to enable the earlier removal of determinate sentenced FNOs as soon after sentencing as possible.Deportation is a significant p...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: AsylumMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many asylum seekers have been prosecuted for sexual offences in the last year; and what proportion were housed in government-funded accommodation at the time.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of defendants prosecuted for sexual offences. This can be obtained in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration is being given to the needs of older people in the implementation of digital-only ticketing systems for public transport.
Answer: The Government is not responsible for all digital ticketing. However, when implementing any Government policy, due regard is given to the Public Sector Equality Duty and to protected characteristics, such as age, across all modes of public transport.For t...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Digital TechnologyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of digital exclusion on older people’s ability to access NHS services.
Answer: People unable to access the NHS App or online services, or visit their general practice (GP) in person, can ask for a feature called proxy access available through the NHS App. This function allows a trusted relative or carer to act on the patient’s behal...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Technology: Older PeopleDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71675More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of digital exclusion on the quality of life for older people.
Answer: Those who cannot use digital technologies are likely to pay more for certain transactions, have worse health outcomes, and find it more difficult to manage their finance. That’s why tackling digital exclusion, which disproportionately impacts certain demo...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Older PeopleDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71674More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the proportion of households with occupants over the age of 75 that do not have access to reliable broadband.
Answer: Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, estimates that there are 48,000 premises without access to decent broadband – i.e. at least 10Mbit/s download and 1Mbit/s upload speed - in the UK. We do not have sufficient data to estimate how many...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71673More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure the availability of reliable broadband in rural areas to support access to essential services.
Answer: Through Project Gigabit, we are delivering future-proofed, gigabit-capable connections nationwide, to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans, including to premises in rural areas.
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBanking HubsTreasuryTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71672More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with LINK on the potential for widening the criteria for establishing additional banking hubs across the UK.
Answer: The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll o...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBank Services: InternetTreasuryTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71671More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support (a) older people and (b) people who are not digitally confident in accessing online banking services.
Answer: The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll o...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: Driving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71670More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many holders of a compulsory basic training certificate do not complete a (a) moped and (b) motorcycle test within two years.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not hold precise data on the proportion of riders who complete CBT and subsequently progress to a full motorcycle license within the two-year validity period of their CBT certificate. In the financial ye...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorcycles: Driving InstructionDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71669More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to enforce the requirement that riders of (a) motorcycles and (b) mopeds hold a valid compulsory basic training certificate.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not hold precise data on the proportion of riders who complete CBT and subsequently progress to a full motorcycle license within the two-year validity period of their CBT certificate. In the financial ye...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Seized ArticlesHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71668More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Regulations 2023 on people who have had their vehicle stolen.
Answer: Following the introduction of The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Regulations 2023, there has been no assessment of the potential impact on those who have had their vehicle stolen. The Government’s role is limited to setting th...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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