Lisa Smart MP: written questions
321 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Community Ownership FundMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46018More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to reopen the Community Ownership Fund.
Answer: On 23 December 2024, we announced that the Community Ownership Fund (COF) is now closed and that there will be no further application windows. We took this difficult decision due to the challenging inheritance left by the previous government. COF’s purpos...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Assets: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46017More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the closing of the Community Ownership Fund on local assets that previously received funding.
Answer: On 23 December 2024, we announced that the Community Ownership Fund (COF) is now closed and that there will be no further application windows. We took this difficult decision due to the challenging inheritance left by the previous government. COF’s purpos...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46016More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review Shared Care arrangements to ensure they are delivering effective outcomes for patients.
Answer: There are currently no plans to review shared care agreements.General practices (GPs) are independent contractors that provide National Health Services. Shared care agreements between a GP and a specialist are voluntary and are not part of the GP Contract...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMusic: StockportDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46015More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support young people in the music industry in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.
Answer: The government is committed to extending music opportunities for young people across the UK. As part of this, in March, we launched a National Music Education Network to promote arts opportunities to children and young people, support excellent teacher tr...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46014More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of classifying income from pensions payments as unearned income for the purposes of Universal Credit assessments on people who are unable to wo
Answer: No assessment has been made. There are no plans to change the way that income from pensions is treated under Universal Credit.
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordInflammatory Bowel DiseaseDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46013More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital admissions were recorded for inflammatory bowel disease in the Hospital Episode Statistics dataset in (a) Hazel Grove constituency and (b) England in each of the last five years.
Answer: The following table shows the annual number of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis recorded for inflammatory bowel disease in England, in each of the last five years:YearFinished admission episodes2023/24358,0632022/23327,6932021/22308,52...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Performance Certificates: Private Rented HousingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46012More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of private landlords who will sell their properties as a result of the proposed change in Energy Performance Certificate standards.
Answer: The Government is consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation includes proposals for rented homes to achieve EPC C or equivalent by 2030, unless a valid exemption applies, and is acc...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Performance Certificates: Private Rented HousingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46011More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Energy Performance Certificate requirements on trends in the level of privately rented housing stock
Answer: The Government is consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation includes proposals for rented homes to achieve EPC C or equivalent by 2030, unless a valid exemption applies, and is acc...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpeed LimitsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review speed limits on non-residential roads.
Answer: Traffic authorities (including National Highways for the Strategic Road Network) have the power to set local speed limits on the roads for which they are responsible where they consider that the national speed limit is not right for the road. The Departme...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCrimes of Violence: WomenMinistry of JusticeTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 903776More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to tackle the backlog of court cases involving violence against women and girls.
Answer: The judiciary prioritises cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which includes victims of violence against women and girls.We have increased Crown Court funding, bringing courts to their highest capacity in almost a decade.We look forward to S...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordA6Department for TransportTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45182More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will support the development of a new bypass to link the A6 at Hazel Grove with the M60 at Bredbury.
Answer: This Government is committed to renewing national infrastructure, improving England’s road network and driving growth as part of its Plan for Change. It has been clear that any funding decisions will be part of a long-term infrastructure strategy for this...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordA6Department for TransportTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45181More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) current and (b) projected future capacity of the A6 road corridor between Hazel Grove and Whaley Bridge.
Answer: This Government is committed to renewing national infrastructure, improving England’s road network and driving growth as part of its Plan for Change. It has been clear that any funding decisions will be part of a long-term infrastructure strategy for thi...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Government: FraudDepartment for TransportTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45180More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the National Cyber Security Centre on (a) preventing and (b) removing scam or impersonation websites that mimic (a) the DVLA and (b) government services.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) advises customers to use GOV.UK as the official and only website when seeking information or completing applications. All DVLA literature directs customers to the official GOV.UK website. The DVLA also uses i...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: FraudDepartment for TransportTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45179More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to prevent third-party websites from misleading members of the public by imitating the DVLA online services.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) advises customers to use GOV.UK as the official and only website when seeking information or completing applications. All DVLA literature directs customers to the official GOV.UK website. The DVLA also uses i...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Telephone ServicesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45178More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce call waiting times on the PIP helpline.
Answer: Telephony is our customers’ primary channel to contact us. We continually assess the number of calls we are receiving and the associated waiting times. Where we have been seeing higher call volumes, we have been deploying more of our available resource on...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordParking: Fees and ChargesDepartment for TransportTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45177More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to increase the £2.50 fee charged by private parking companies for each V888/3 application to access vehicle keeper data from the DVLA to use in issuing parking charge notices.
Answer: The £2.50 fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information and ensures that the cost is borne by the requester, not passed on to the taxpayer. In line with Managing Public Money, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency reviews its fees regularl...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCarersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44661More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help ensure that carers are (a) involved in patient care decisions and (b) given appropriate access to medical (i) records and (ii) updates during hospital stays in cases w
Answer: The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced significant measures for people caring for their family and friends, as well as the people they are caring for. These include:provisions for integrated care boards to promote the involvement of patients and their ca...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood Tests: VitaminsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44660More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding standard NHS blood tests to routinely include (a) B12, (b) B6, (c) folate, (d) vitamin C and (e) vitamin D.
Answer: The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of expanding standard National Health Service blood tests to routinely include B12, B6, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin D. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which prov...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVitamin B12Department of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency and reduce the number of cases misdiagnosed as (a) dementia, (b) chronic fatigue syndrome and (c) psychiatric
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in March 2024 on the diagnosis and management of vitamin B12 deficiency in over 16 year olds. The guidance is available at the following link:http://nice.org.uk/guidance/ng239...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVitamin B12Department of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44658More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to raise the minimum reference range for vitamin B12 serum levels to 500 pmol/L.
Answer: The assessment and clinical management of vitamin B12 falls under the remit of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In March 2024, the NICE published the guidance, Vitamin B12 deficiency in over 16s: diagnosis and management, whic...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVitamin B12Department of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44657More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing over-the-counter sales of vitamin B12 injections in the UK.
Answer: The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised several medicines for use in different circumstances associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. The legal status assigned to medicines is dependent on an assessment of the product a...
Answered 25 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFinance: DocumentsTreasuryTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44656More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with UK banks on the provision of (a) bank statements and (b) other financial documents in accessible formats for customers with visual impairments.
Answer: The Government works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the UK’s financial services sector, to ensure that all customers get the right support with their financial products and services. FCA guidance highlight...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: PublicationsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44655More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS documents are available in (a) large print, (b) braille and (c) other accessible formats for patients with visual impairments.
Answer: Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are exp...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments: PayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44654More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the level of staff overtime pay rates in emergency departments on (a) the quality of patient care and (b) the ret
Answer: The Department has not made this specific assessment. Where national rates for overtime are applicable in England, these are set out in the national terms and conditions, and no recent changes have been made to these provisions, nor are there planned to b...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44653More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the economic impact of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation on (a) small manuf
Answer: The Government has listened to feedback from small businesses and introduced support measures to help compliance with EPR, including: exemptions from fee obligations for producers with annual turnover below £2 million and packaging tonnage below 50 tonnes...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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