Lisa Smart MP: written questions
321 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Glass: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44652More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) cost allocation model for glass packaging.
Answer: Defra has engaged with industry and experts to ensure accuracy of the model. This includes consultation with WRAP, the Environmental Services Agency, British Glass and MKD32 on the decision to use volume in the apportionment of kerbside recycling collecti...
Answered 25 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to (a) exempt and (b) reduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees to packaging waste managed through private waste contracts in the hospitality se
Answer: Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. We are continuing to engage with sectors on a way forward...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44650More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee structure accurately reflects the environmental performance of (a) the brewing sector,
Answer: The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). This is a major reform that will be iterated over several years to incentivise...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDiethylstilbestrolDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44649More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 38407 on Diethylstilbestrol, whether he plans to issue an apology to women who (a) experienced long-term health impacts, (b) were compelled to pl
Answer: The government took action regarding Diethylstilbestrol (DES) in the early 1970s. In 1971, it was recognised that DES could cause a distinct type of cancer in the daughters of women who took DES in early pregnancy. Shortly afterwards, its use was contrain...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: InformationTreasuryTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44648More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC plans to improve its (a) telephone and (b) online chat services to ensure that people can receive human assistance when digital systems fail to provide information.
Answer: Once they have submitted an A1 certificate renewal or other time-sensitive application, customers can use the “check when you can expect a reply from HMRC” tool which is available on gov.uk to confirm when they are likely to receive a response. Customers ...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordRevenue and CustomsTreasuryTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44647More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of HMRC's communication channels for people seeking urgent updates on (a) A1 certificate renewals and (b) other time-sensitive applications.
Answer: Once they have submitted an A1 certificate renewal or other time-sensitive application, customers can use the “check when you can expect a reply from HMRC” tool which is available on gov.uk to confirm when they are likely to receive a response. Customers ...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWindrush CommissionerHome OfficeTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44368More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41564, under what circumstances the Windrush Commissioner could move from operating on a non-statutory basis to a statutory basis.
Answer: The Windrush Commissioner will be a public appointee, operating independently of the Home Office to serve as an advocate and trusted voice for victims, families and impacted communities affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal.To maintain momentum, dr...
Answered 14 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: WomenMinistry of JusticeTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44347More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on 11 March 2025 to Question 903119 on Female Offenders, whether that specialised training is available to all staff.
Answer: The Foundation training programme for all new prison officers includes learning in relation to suicide and self-harm. For officers working in the female estate, there is an additional week of Foundation training which gives officers an understanding of t...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice Custody: SuicideHome OfficeTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44346More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the rollout of suicide prevention training on staff in police custody suites.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the response to PQ 38138 published on 20th March 2025.
Answered 14 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFire and Rescue Services: TrainingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44345More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring firefighters receive suicide prevention training.
Answer: Every suicide is a tragedy, and we recognise the valuable role that firefighters play in attending these emergency incidents. As part of the Government’s mission to reduce the lives lost to suicide we are recruiting 8,500 new mental health workers who wil...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFire and Rescue Services: TrainingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44344More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role her Department has in setting (a) standards and (b) contents of training for firefighters.
Answer: It is the responsibility of Fire and Rescue Authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents which they attend. The Government will continue to work closely w...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Custodial TreatmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43698More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England has spent on (a) drug and (b) alcohol treatment in (i) prisons, (ii) young offender institutions, (iii) immigration removal centres and (iv) other secure settings in the last t
Answer: A detailed analysis of NHS England’s spend on drug and alcohol treatment in prisons, young offender institutions (YOIs), immigration removal centres (IRCs), and other secure settings is not available at the level requested. This is because mental health a...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMigraines: ChildrenDepartment for EducationTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43134More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the impact of migraines on children’s education.
Answer: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life. Pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have f...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMigraines: EmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43133More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the impact of migraines in the workplace.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with migraines, with their employment journey. The Disability Confident Scheme e...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHonoursCabinet OfficeTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42632More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the average time taken to process nominations for national honours.
Answer: Processing the large number of nominations for national honours can be lengthy but it is critical to ensure the integrity of national honours is maintained. Verifying information about nominees can take time to ensure the independent process has been comp...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCounselling: RegulationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent people without accreditation from offering paid counselling services.
Answer: There are no current plans to extend statutory regulation to therapists and counsellors, and no recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of the lack of statutory regulation on patient safety.When considering which professions should be prot...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCounselling and Psychiatry: RegulationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42625More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to introduce statutory regulation for (a) counsellors and (b) psychotherapists to help ensure minimum standards of (i) training, (ii) supervision and (iii) professional conduc
Answer: There are no current plans to extend statutory regulation to therapists and counsellors, and no recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of the lack of statutory regulation on patient safety.When considering which professions should be prot...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCounselling and Psychiatry: RegulationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42624More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of levels of statutory regulation of (a) counsellors and (b) psychotherapists on patient safety.
Answer: There are no current plans to extend statutory regulation to therapists and counsellors, and no recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of the lack of statutory regulation on patient safety.When considering which professions should be prot...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpeed Limits: CamerasDepartment for TransportTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42616More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Using speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: deployment, visibility and signing, published on 31 January 2007, what recent assessment her Depar
Answer: The Department for Transport has not made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the criteria for the placement of fixed speed cameras in reducing (a) speeding and (b) road collisions. While the speed camera guidance does include criteria for placeme...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpeed Limits: CamerasDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42355More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to update guidance on the deployment of fixed speed cameras to allow their proactive use.
Answer: Measures to address speeding will be considered for inclusion within the forthcoming road safety strategy. The Department for Transport guidance on ‘Using speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: deployment, visibility and signing’ notes that ...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWindrush CommissionerHome OfficeTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41918More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to mandate the Windrush Commissioner to report regularly to (a) Parliament (b) the Home Affairs Committee.
Answer: The Windrush Commissioner will provide independent scrutiny, challenge and advice to the Home Secretary and Ministers, ensuring the lessons from Windrush are applied across the Home Office and are acted on throughout government.As the Windrush Commissione...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWindrush CommissionerHome OfficeTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41917More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms her Department will put in place to ensure the Windrush Commissioner’s (a) advice and (b) recommendations to the Government are promptly acted upon.
Answer: The Windrush Commissioner will provide independent scrutiny, challenge and advice to the Home Secretary and Ministers, ensuring the lessons from Windrush are applied across the Home Office and are acted on throughout government.As the Windrush Commissione...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Bodies: Disclosure of InformationCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41606More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his planned timetable is to establish a duty of candour for public servants.
Answer: The Government remains committed to implement a ‘Hillsborough Law’ which will place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities. The details of this Bill will be announced in due course.
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41605More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to restore the core schools budget to 2010 in real terms.
Answer: Overall core revenue funding for schools totals almost £61.6 billion for the 2024/25 financial year. The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.2 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total over £64.8 billion.The latest schools funding s...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWindrush CommissionerHome OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41568More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she considered the potential merits of consulting the Windrush scandal's (a) victims and (b) victims' representatives in determining the role specification of the Windrush Commissioner.
Answer: The Windrush Commissioner will be a public appointee, operating independently of the Home Office to serve as an advocate and trusted voice for victims, families and impacted communities affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal. They will provide indep...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →