Lisa Smart MP: written questions 2026
121 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Lord MandelsonCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6984More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department received communications from Ministers (a) regarding representations from Peter Mandelson about policy matters in their departments and (b) expressing concerns about such communications be
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Gove...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLord MandelsonCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6983More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department received communications from Ministers (a) regarding representations from Peter Mandelson about policy matters in their departments and (b) expressing concerns about such communications be
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Gove...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLord MandelsonForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6276More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps were taken to help mitigate potential conflicts of interest arising from Lord Mandelson's commercial interests before she took up the post of Ambassador to the Uni
Answer: As has been made clear in documents that were published in the Government's response to the Humble Address, on 1 June 2026, measures were put in place to manage Peter Mandelson's declared conflicts of interest. As was also made clear in the Chief Secretar...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordBlue Badge SchemeDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5774More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Appendix H of her Department's document entitled Blue Badge scheme local authority guidance (England), updated on 3 June 2025, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the model pr
Answer: The model proforma was last reviewed in 2019 following the changes to the eligibility criteria. The Department works with the Blue Badge Digital Service supplier and with local authorities to help improve the service for all applications from people with ...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordBlue Badge SchemeDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5773More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness the Blue Badge application process for people with non-visible or hidden disabilities, including deafness.
Answer: The model proforma was last reviewed in 2019 following the changes to the eligibility criteria. The Department works with the Blue Badge Digital Service supplier and with local authorities to help improve the service for all applications from people with ...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: PrisonersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4600More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of healthcare provision in the prison estate for prisoners with neuromuscular and other progressive degenerative conditions, including the ti
Answer: NHS England commissions prison health care services into every prison in England to the equivalence of the community, to include range, access and quality of service. Access to specialist consultants and referrals into specialised support is available in ...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordProbate: StandardsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that emergency applications for grants of probate are processed promptly; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of staffing levels at the Probate Servic
Answer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling in order to improve the processing time for applications and to ensure outstanding caseload does not increase. Se...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1768More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that road safety interventions can be targeted at locations with high numbers of damage-only collisions and near-misses before a (a) killed and (b) seriously injure
Answer: Local authorities have a statutory duty under section 39 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions. It is not for the Department to take steps to define local interventions but for local authorities to determine what...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordDisability Living AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) complexity and (b) length of the Disability Living Allowance claim form on claimants; and whether he plans to amend the form.
Answer: The Disability Living Allowance claim form is under regular review to ensure that it is as easy to understand as possible, and that the information collected is complete. Recently, work has been undertaken to improve the legibility of the claim form. This...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPectus Excavatum: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England and relevant Integrated Care Boards on the funding of specialist orthotist posts required to deliver vacuum bell therapy at NHS pectus and c
Answer: The factors that determine whether a service is a prescribed specialised service are: the number of individuals who require the service; the cost of providing the service or facility; and the number of people able to provide the service or facility.Vacuum...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPectus Excavatum: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason NHS England has designated vacuum bell therapy for pectus excavatum as the responsibility of Integrated Care Boards rather than including it within the specialised commissioning arr
Answer: The factors that determine whether a service is a prescribed specialised service are: the number of individuals who require the service; the cost of providing the service or facility; and the number of people able to provide the service or facility.Vacuum...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDefibrillatorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support shops, small businesses and public buildings to host publicly accessible defibrillators.
Answer: The Government’s position is that local communities are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating, and maintaining automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Over 110,000 defibrillators are registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDisability Living AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Disability Living Allowance claim form; and whether he plans to take steps to make the form easier to complete.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRussia: SubversionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 908767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the level of the threat posed by Russia to UK elections.
Answer: The UK electoral system is highly resilient, and to date, we have not seen evidence of successful Russian interference in UK democratic processes. But we know that the Kremlin seeks to sow discord in the West and undermine our institutions. Working closel...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current average time taken is to pay Access to Work suppliers for services delivered; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in paying suppliers.
Answer: Access to Work payment processing is currently at 10 working days for generic payments and 15 days for special aids and equipment. We are upskilling additional staff to deliver payments and reduce processing times.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDisability Living AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126784More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the accessibility of the Disability Living Allowance claim form; and whether he plans to take steps to improve it.
Answer: An accessible online version of a DLA1 (new claim form) is available to download from gov.uk.All other DLA Child forms and letters are available as a reasonable adjustment for customers who require alternative methods to interact with the department. Thes...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance Service: Telephone ServicesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126783More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve training for Child Maintenance Service call handlers on (a) vulnerable people and (b) victims of domestic abuse.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) take the support of vulnerable customers, including victims and survivors of domestic abuse, extremely seriously.All CMS Caseworkers receive comprehensive technical training, inc...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to reduce the processing time of up to 18 weeks to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Answer: UKVI are constantly seeking to improve efficiency and reduce processing times however, we need to clarify that the 18 weeks is a service level agreement (SLA) not the processing time and the majority of applications are processed well within this SLA.
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: RegulationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125024More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of regulatory requirements for barbering businesses in ensuring that practitioners hold relevant qualifications and liability insurance.
Answer: Businesses in the hair and beauty sector including barber shops, hairdressers and beauty salons are required to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations, which place duties on businesses to assess the risk of infe...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFractures: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123537More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned timeline is for publishing a national implementation plan for the rollout of Fracture Liaison Services; and what milestones have been set for achieving nationwide coverage by 2030.
Answer: Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.Offic...
Answered 7 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Written QuestionsCabinet OfficeTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122873More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 112319, tabled on 10 February 2026.
Answer: A response has been issued here.
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoad Works: CompensationDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 908536More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to align compensation available to people affected by roadworks with other forms of transport.
Answer: We are focused on tackling the cause of delays. We have raised fines for overruns to up to £10,000 a day. We have recently approved 7 lane rental schemes to charge those who dig up the busiest roads at the busiest times.
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDental Services: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Golden Hello scheme places were filled at the end of 2024-25; whether he has extended the recruitment period for dentists under that scheme; and when recruitment for dentists under that sc
Answer: Integrated care boards are continuing to recruit dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. The scheme offers a £20,000 recruitment incentive payment to dentists to work in those areas that need them most for three years. The recruitment of dentists in und...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDeath CertificatesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121584More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 29847 on Death Certificates, if he will publish the findings of his Department's monitoring of the impact of the death certification reforms o
Answer: We believe the answer of 17 February 2025 refers to the answer given to Question 29570. The Department’s monitoring of the impact of death certification reforms, including the time to register a death, includes consideration of:the annual report of the Na...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Workers: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of Social Work England's proposals for adjudicator consensual disposal as a means of expediting fitness to practise cases.
Answer: The department is the sponsor department for Social Work England (SWE), the independent regulator, and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis. Funding is provided to SWE annually and is based on the need to deliver against its business plan. SWE r...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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