Lisa Smart MP: written questions
321 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Multiple BirthsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the mental health of parents of (a) twin and (b) multiples.
Answer: Support is already available for parents, including those of twins and multiples, who experience mental health difficulties during the perinatal period. Perinatal mental health services are available in all 42 integrated care system areas of England, and ...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMultiple BirthsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39160More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the health risks for mothers giving birth to (a) twins and (b) multiples.
Answer: The Government is determined to ensure that all women receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care and continues to work with the National Health Service as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to achieve this.The latest data shows...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: Skilled WorkersDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39159More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support workers in the North Sea Oil and Gas industry in the transition towards net zero.
Answer: The consultation on ‘Building the North Sea’s energy future’ sets out the Government’s plans for accelerating investment in net zero, creating high-quality jobs for oil and gas workers. It seeks views on how to best support workers and communities through...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordListed Places of Worship Grant SchemeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on levels of economic growth.
Answer: DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impacts of various options to scale the scheme. We believe that the changes announced will continue the widest distribution of...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordListed Places of Worship Grant SchemeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39157More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department produced an impact assessment prior to the announcement of changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Answer: DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme including careful consideration of the impacts of the changes.
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordListed Places of Worship Grant SchemeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to enable the completion of projects (a) partly and (b) fully funded through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme that are (i) soon-to-start and (ii) p
Answer: The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme gives grants covering VAT costs only on repairs of over £1,000 to listed buildings used as places of worship.Guidance has now been published on changes to the Scheme from 1 April 2025.Listed places of worship with...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39155More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the potential implications of changes to disability benefits on health and social care services.
Answer: We are investing almost £26 billion of extra funding for the Health and Social Care System so people can get the treatment they need to get back to work instead of being stuck on waiting lists, delivering over 2 million extra appointments 7 months ahead o...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39154More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing disability benefit on the health of people with long term and fluctuating conditions.
Answer: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course. An important consideration in the case for abolishing the Work Capability Assessment is the inappropriateness of its binary distinction between “capable of wor...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMultiple SclerosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39153More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide symptom management treatments to support people with multiple sclerosis to (a) manage their condition and (b) remain in employment.
Answer: The majority of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of MS care that patients may receive from 27 neurology centres across England. With...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSuicideDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38706More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of closing the Suicide Prevention Grant Fund on organisations engaged in suicide prevention activities.
Answer: The Suicide Prevention Grant Fund came to an end on 31 March 2025, as planned from the outset of the grant. There are currently no plans to run another grant fund.Voluntary and community sector organisations play a valuable role in suicide prevention, inc...
Answered 16 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFire and Rescue Services: SuicideHome OfficeTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38415More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of contacts that UK Fire and Rescue Services have had with (a) people experiencing suicidal ideation and (b) where a suicide is in progress; and if
Answer: The Home Office collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) through the Incident Recording System (IRS), with this including non-fire incidents such as suicide / attempts. This data is published available here: https://www.gov.u...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDriver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38414More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce safeguards to help tackle (a) errors and (b) delayed updates by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in (i) cases where initial penalty charge notices are issued and
Answer: It is a legal requirement for the keeper of a vehicle to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of any changes to details on the vehicle record including a change of address or when someone has bought or sold a vehicle. This can be done by ...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFoster CareDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38413More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered broadening the range of foster care representative bodies it engages with on policy development.
Answer: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is keen to ensure that the department meets with stakeholders from across the fostering sector, so that a variety of voices are heard. Departmental officials meet with foster carers and young peop...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFoster Care: Registration and RegulationDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered alternative models for the (a) oversight and (b) registration of foster carers; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of alternative models on the adeq
Answer: The department is considering the merits of a national register of foster carers. We will continue to review the costs and benefits of a national register versus our other investments into foster care.We recognise that some stakeholders are in favour of a...
Answered 29 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Leavers: HousingDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38411More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support care leavers after the age of 21 to help ensure that they have stable living arrangements.
Answer: Supporting care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this government.Housing and concerns about accommodation rank as one of the highest worries for care leavers, and for professionals trying to support them....
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFoster Care: PaymentsDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) weekly minimum payments and (b) other financial support provided to foster carers.
Answer: The ‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’ set out the expectations that are placed on foster carers and their agencies at standard 28. The department is clear that no one should be financially disadvantaged because of their fostering role, and ...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordBank Services: Direct DebitsTreasuryTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38409More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2024 to Question 20062 on Bank Services: Direct Debits, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that organisations receiving payments via Direct Debit are held accountable
Answer: Direct Debits are subject to rules made by Pay.UK, a private sector payment system operator that is regulated by the Bank of England and Payment Systems Regulator. In order to receive Direct Debit payments, businesses and other organisations must be ‘spon...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrivate Rented Housing: DisabilityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38408More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support disabled people living in private rented accommodation to secure adaptations to make their homes (a) safe and (b) suitable for thei
Answer: Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. People of all ages and tenures, including in the private rented sector, can apply to their local ...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDiethylstilbestrolDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to support people who have reported (a) long-term health and (b) personal impacts due to being prescribed Diethylstilbestrol (DES) between 1950 and 1980.
Answer: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines supplied in the United Kingdom. Our activity spans the whole of a medicine’s lifecycle. Diethylstilboestrol (DES) is an oestrogenic hormone formerly used in the treatment o...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: BillingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the Energy Ombudsman on (a) trends in the number of billing inaccuracies and (b) the impact of billing inaccuracies on customers.
Answer: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: BillingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on improving oversight of energy suppliers’ billing practices to help prevent inaccurate estimated billing after actual meter readings have
Answer: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: BillingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37749More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether their Department has made an assessment of the impact of energy suppliers incorrectly reporting missed payments to credit reference agencies based on erroneous estimated bills on cons
Answer: While this is a commercial matter between suppliers and credit reference agencies, the Government takes the issue of accurate billing very seriously.All suppliers must take the required steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent ...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: BillingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37748More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure energy suppliers issue accurate bills based on customer-submitted meter readings rather than estimated usage.
Answer: The Government takes the issue of accurate billing very seriously. All suppliers must take the required steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers. This is laid out in Ofgem licence conditions. All energy suppliers m...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: WarrantiesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37747More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of developers (a) failing to rectify defects within the statutory period and (b) those defects being exclude
Answer: The Building Safety Act ensures that those who built defective buildings take responsibility for remedying them. The Building Safety Act extended the limitation period under section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972, which imposes a duty on a person pr...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: WarrantiesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37746More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent developers from deliberately delaying defect rectification until after the statutory liability period has expired.
Answer: The Building Safety Act ensures that those who built defective buildings take responsibility for remedying them. The Building Safety Act extended the limitation period under section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972, which imposes a duty on a person pr...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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