Lisa Smart MP: written questions 2026
121 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Family Courts: ReformMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to reform the family court system; and whether such reforms will include strengthening enforcement powers where child arrangement orders have been breached.
Answer: This Government is committed to reform of the family court to improve the experiences of, and outcomes for, children and families. Central to this is the expansion of the private law Pathfinder model, which amplifies the voice of the child through a Child...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Licences: HealthDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers are reliant on Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to continue driving while awaiting a medical licensing decision from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased ...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Licences: HealthDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to process medical driving licence applications since the introduction of its new casework syst
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased ...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: Workplace PensionsCabinet OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112319More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mechanisms are in place to help facilitate Parliamentary scrutiny of contracts awarded for the administration of public sector pension schemes; and how value for money and performance are monitored once suc
Answer: Details of Government contracts over £12,000 are published online primarily to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in the expenditure of public money. Ministers and senior officials regularly appear before parliamentary committees as an inte...
Answered 9 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPensions Ombudsman: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112317More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Pensions Ombudsman operating on a voluntary basis, in the context of (a) its statutory responsibilities and (b) its role in resolving pension di
Answer: We have interpreted this question as being about complaints that are resolved through The Pension Ombudsman’s (TPO) Resolution Service (RS). TPO operates independently to deliver its statutory responsibilities. Its RS includes 22 employed pension speciali...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: Workplace PensionsTreasuryTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112315More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the reasons for differences in the speed of implementation of the McCloud remedy across public service pension schemes; and what steps are being taken to ensure consistent and timely
Answer: Scheme managers of the individual public service pension schemes are responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the McCloud delivery to affected members. This is a complex and wide-ranging exercise. The amount of progress that has been made varies...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTreasury: Pensions OmbudsmanTreasuryTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112314More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether officials from HM Treasury who are providing support to the pensions Ombudsman have any involvement in the investigation of complaints concerning pension schemes for which HM Treasury has policy responsibili
Answer: No officials from HM Treasury are currently seconded to The Pensions Ombudsman and therefore there is no involvement of HM Treasury officials in its casework.
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNational Lottery: LicensingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what is her planned timescale for further reviewing reform of annual society lottery licence limits.
Answer: Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations. We want to see them continue to thrive, alongside the National Lottery.On 26 June 2025, the Government announced it w...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordIncome Tax and National InsuranceTreasuryTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112274More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department will asses the impact of changes to income tax and national insurance, monitored through information collected from tax receipts, as referenced in Income Tax: Maintaining the Personal Allowance a
Answer: HMRC monitor the receipts of all taxes monthly through the Tax receipt and National Insurance Contributions publication. Revenue estimates from, and individuals impacted by, maintaining thresholds are set out by the Office for Budget Responsibility in the...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSewage: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112273More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to analyse the forthcoming annual sewage discharge data to identify differences in company performance before and after the Water (Special Measures) Act 2
Answer: Pollution incidents from the activities of the water industry are unacceptable and can have a devastating impact on our environment. The water industry must do more to reduce pollution and protect our rivers, lakes and seas. As part of the Water (Special ...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112272More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of DVLA's new casework system on processing times and the number of cases that have not been processed.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is rolling out a new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated. This will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSpeed LimitsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112271More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has conducted analysis of 20mph zones introduced across different localities in England comparing their impact on number of incidents, serious injuries and fatalities; and whether her Dep
Answer: The Department’s comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits was published on 22 November 2018. It substantially strengthened the evidence base on perceptions, speeds and early outcomes associated with 20mph speed limits....
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSpeed Limits: CamerasDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112270More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she will update Circular 01/2007 on speed camera guidance.
Answer: As outlined in the Road Safety Strategy, the Government will be reviewing and updating its guidance, including Circular 1/007 ‘The use of speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: guidance on deployment, visibility and signing’. The update is u...
Answered 18 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 112269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Dft 1-985, what progress she has made towards implementation of targets for Road Safety and the methods for monitoring of these targets in the long-term.
Answer: In November 2025, we published research and analysis on “Effectiveness of targets for road safety” which can be found here: Effectiveness of targets for road safety - GOV.UK. The evidence suggests that targets play a role in reducing fatalities, but their...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments: Crimes of ViolenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of violence prevention measures in accident and emergency departments; and what steps she is taking to help improve the safety of NHS staff working in A
Answer: Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work, including those working in accident and emergency settings providing rapid and critical care.Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of thei...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTelemedicine: ComplaintsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111919More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides on the complaints and redress routes available to vulnerable patients who have concerns about the contractual terms of telecare services to which they are refe
Answer: By law, all health and social care services must have a procedure for dealing efficiently with complaints, and anyone who has seen or experienced poor-quality care has the right to complain to the organisation that provided or paid for the care.Telecare i...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTelemedicineDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111918More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that contracts drawn up by telecare services provided by local authority-connected bodies comply with consumer protection legislation, data protection
Answer: Telecare is not a mandatory service for local authorities, but many choose to provide a telecare service due to its benefits. Local authorities are responsible for the contractual terms of telecare services that they provide. All public authorities are re...
Answered 18 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordReport Fraud: StandardsHome OfficeTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111917More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the performance of the Report Fraud service since its launch in December 2025 including of the (a) average response times to fraud reports, (b) proportion of reports re
Answer: Report Fraud is the new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cybercrime which replaced the previous Action Fraud service on 4 December 2025.Report Fraud uses the latest technology to enhance the reporting experience and report upda...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPay Television and Telecommunications: Fees and ChargesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of consumer protections for customers from price rises from telecommunications and subscription television providers; and what steps she is
Answer: The Government supports Ofcom’s strengthened transparency rules, which came into force in January 2025, to ensure consumers know clearly how and when any price changes will occur. These rules require telecoms and Pay TV providers to set out in pounds and ...
Answered 18 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving LicencesDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111915More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of seasonal trends in licence processing through the DVLA including the number and type of decisions, length of time to respond and delays in decision-making; wheth
Answer: No assessment of seasonal or non-seasonal trends of variations in driving licence applications has been made. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. Customers should re...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: HospitalsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of complaints received by NHS Trusts relating to end of life care priorities in hospitals; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a)
Answer: The Department does not hold central estimates of the number of complaints National Health Service trusts receive specifically relating to end‑of‑life care priorities in hospitals. Complaints are managed locally by NHS organisations in line with the Local...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: StockportDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108870More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the West Coast Main Line at Stockport; and what steps she is taking to ensure that local rail services are not adversely impacted by th
Answer: We recognise there are capacity constraints on the West Coast Mainline at Stockport. The Rail Minister has asked officials to work with Network Rail and the wider industry to explore options to address this and meet future demand.
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordWest Coast Main Line: TrainsDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108869More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of non-tilting HS2-compatible trains on West Coast Main Line capacity.
Answer: We anticipate the use of non-tilting trains to have no impact on the capacity of the West Coast Mainline. We are currently developing the timetable for when HS2 opens and decisions will made closer to the start of services and will be subject to consultat...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHigh Speed 2 Line: Compulsory PurchaseDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108868More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to extend land powers for the HS2 route between Birmingham and Crewe beyond 10 February 2025; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those powers lapsing on future norther
Answer: The Northern Growth Strategy set out the Government’s intention to ultimately deliver a full North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester. As part of this announcement, the Government confirmed that its existing land holdings between the West Mi...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordInjuries: SurgeryDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will review information on the NHS website regarding hamstring injuries to ensure it adequately reflects the potential severity of hamstring avulsion injuries and the possible nee
Answer: Decisions on the need for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in the case of hamstring avulsion injuries are clinically led. The Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the relevant guidance.The hamstring injury page on the NHS.UK webs...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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