Mark Hendrick MP: written questions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extreme weather changes on food availability, flooding and fires; and what measures her Department will take to ensure that the

Answer: The Government assesses climate risks through the Climate Change Risk Assessment process. Climate change is expected to result in warmer and wetter winters, hotter and drier summers, and more frequent and intense weather patterns. Our diverse and resilien...

Answered 4 Sept 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what process Child Maintenance Service uses to verify reports by constituents that incorrect or unverified information has been used in maintenance assessments.

Answer: The primary goal of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is to ensure that children receive the financial support they are entitled to. To achieve this, the CMS collaborates with HMRC and Benefit systems to accurately calculate maintenance payments. This c...

Answered 14 Jul 2026

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether alignment of EU and UK clean technology standards are a subject of discussion of the EU-UK Reset negotiations.

Answer: The UK and EU are working together to support the development of clean energy technologies; the Electricity Agreement will cover the promotion of renewables, and the May 2025 Common Understanding welcomed continued technical and regulatory exchanges on ne...

Answered 15 Jul 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of data from ADR UK on multiple temporary exclusions of pupils and the criminal justice system, published in April 2026.

Answer: We recognise the disproportionate impact repeated, preventable exclusion can have on pupils’ education and life chances. The findings published by ADR UK in April 2026 underline the importance of tackling repeat suspensions and ensuring vulnerable pupils ...

Answered 15 Jul 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the recent heatwave on the punctuality of trains across the national rail network; and what steps she has taken to ensure passengers receive timely delay compensati

Answer: Network Rail uses a combination of proactive monitoring and investment in smart technologies to protect critical infrastructure and keep the railway running during periods of hot weather. For safety reasons, during periods of extreme weather, trains opera...

Answered 15 Jul 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to ensure that the planned social media ban for under-16s will have robust blocks in place to avoid circumvention.

Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that the new social media restrictions are effective in practice and deliver meaningful protections for children. Through the ‘Growing up in the Online World’ consultation, the government sought views and evidence o...

Answered 15 Jul 2026

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with advanced and terminal illnesses receive the Civil Service Pensions in a timely manner.

Answer: The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to ...

Answered 7 Jul 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that automated and remote recruitment processes do not act as a barrier to entry-level employment for young people with no prior work

Answer: Most AI systems are already regulated at the point of use by our existing expert regulators. The ICO has recently closed a consultation on their draft guidance about automated decision-making, including profiling. Government has previously published Respo...

Answered 15 Jun 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of mental health provision for young people and (b) the potential impact of rates of anxiety, depression, autism and ADHD on youth economic inactivit

Answer: The Government is committed to improving access to mental health services for children and young people, and to ensuring a system that is simpler, faster, and stronger at every stage. Access to support is expanding, but services remain under pressure, and...

Answered 8 Jul 2026

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to align Government policy with the EU’s higher air quality standards as part of the European Partnership Bill.

Answer: The European Partnership Bill will provide the necessary powers to deliver treaties with the European Union now and in the future. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill when it is introduced to Parliament in the usual way.

Answered 12 Jun 2026

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the European Partnership Bill will include provisions on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards.

Answer: The European Partnership Bill will provide the necessary powers to deliver treaties with the European Union now and in the future. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill when it is introduced to Parliament in the usual way.

Answered 12 Jun 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce the Stockholm3 test for prostate cancer within the NHS.

Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Ceredigion Preseli on 26 May 2026 to Question 1677.

Answered 9 Jun 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of rollout of heat pumps by boiler manufacturers.

Answer: UK heat pump sales hit a record high in 2025, and the government expects to see continued growth over the coming years. Manufacturers of a range of heating technologies, including fossil fuel boilers, are among the leading players in this growing market. ...

Answered 28 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen regulations on biomass energy production and waste incineration companies, including to ensure the sector takes responsibility for reducing i

Answer: Biomass electricity generators receiving support must comply with strict sustainability criteria covering supply chain greenhouse gas emissions. The government is developing a cross-sector biomass sustainability framework to further strengthen these requi...

Answered 28 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to expedite the processing of asylum claims of Afghan nationals who (a) served with and (b) assisted British troops in the Afghanistan war.

Answer: Every asylum claim admitted to the UK asylum system is carefully considered on its individual merits, in line with published policies. There are clear processes in place for prioritising asylum claims on the basis of vulnerability in line with our publish...

Answered 28 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking steps to prevent and restrict social media sites from being used for child sex trafficking activity.

Answer: Child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) is an abhorrent and serious crime and tackling it online is an absolute priority for this Government. The Online Safety Act places its strongest protections around children, imposing robust legal duties on online...

Answered 28 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to minimise the risk of racial bias found in AI powered Live Facial Recognition systems.

Answer: Police forces using facial recognition must comply with existing legal obligations, including the Human Rights Act 1998, Equality Act 2010 and Data Protection Act 2018.Facial recognition algorithms provided by or procured with Home Office funding for poli...

Answered 20 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the impact of rising energy prices on the AI sector in the United Kingdom.

Answer: We are focused on continuing to create the right conditions for investment in the UK’s AI and data centre infrastructure.Through the AI Energy Council, we are already bringing together energy system bodies and leading technology companies, including NESO,...

Answered 20 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the increasing use of artificial intelligence by criminals in conducting cyberattacks.

Answer: As the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Security Minister set out in their letter to businesses on 15 April 2026, the cyber threat continues to change. A new generation of AI models are becoming increasingly capable at an ...

Answered 21 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the proportion of companies paying ransoms to hackers following cyber-attacks; and what steps her Department is taking to improve cybersecurit

Answer: The government considers ransomware a serious threat to the UK’s national security and economic prosperity. The Home Office recently consulted on a package of proposals to reduce the threat ransomware poses to the UK economy and will continue to develop t...

Answered 23 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that the green workforce is expanding at a pace sufficient to meet the growing demands of an accelerated energy transition.

Answer: In October 2025, the Government published the Clean Energy Jobs Plan (CEJP). The CEJP sets out the workforce needed to deliver our clean energy superpower mission, and how the government will work in partnership with industry and trade unions to deliver i...

Answered 20 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to (a) expand and (b) ensure resiliency of the UK’s gas (i) infrastructure and storage systems and (ii) reserves.

Answer: Government works continuously with industry to improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure to a range of evolving risks and future system changes. In 2026, DESNZ will publish an Energy Resilience Strategy to set out Governmen...

Answered 20 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) condition and (b) availability of outdoor basketball courts; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate funding

Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. This means delivering a range of facilities across the country based on what each lo...

Answered 20 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle illegal online sport gambling sites that do not hold a licence to operate in the UK.

Answer: Since April 2024, the Gambling Commission has significantly increased its disruption activity and has focused on finding innovative ways to tackle the illegal market. The Crime and Policing Bill, once passed, will give the Gambling Commission greater powe...

Answered 20 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle inflation in the cost of produce caused by increased energy costs due to the conflict in Iran.

Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Answered 29 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to mobilise private finance for the development of defence technology, a) in the start-up sector and b) from European investors.

Answer: The Strategic Defence Review 2025 set out Defence’s role in seeding innovation and growth to keep the Integrated Force at the forefront of warfare. To deliver this, we established the UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) with a £400M ring-fenced annual budget to ...

Answered 18 Mar 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent the loss of UK moth species.

Answer: Defra is committed to delivering legally binding biodiversity targets including halting the decline in species abundance by 2030, reversing declines by at least 10% by 2042 compared with 2030, and reducing risk of national species extinction by 2042. The ...

Answered 16 Mar 2026

Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her department has made of the impact of increasing oil and gas prices on fixed-rate mortgages in light of the conflict in Iran; and what steps her department will take to support homeowners affected

Answer: The government does not comment on specific market movements. It is normal for sterling markets to vary in response to global developments. Mortgage rates, which are influenced by a range of factors, are a commercial matter for lenders in which the Govern...

Answered 17 Mar 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that inward investment agreements for new datacentres include binding requirements on energy efficiency, renewable power sourcing and heat-

Answer: The government is committed to ensuring that new data centres and AI infrastructure are developed responsibly, with due consideration of environmental impacts.UK data and AI infrastructure is subject to the UK’s environmental and planning frameworks, whic...

Answered 19 Mar 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people identified as Not in Education, Employment or Training.

Answer: Building on the December Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy announcement, the Government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £...

Answered 24 Mar 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what capital and revenue funding allocations have been made to local authorities in Lancashire for a) primary schools, b) secondary schools and c) specialist school places over the next 2 years.

Answer: Revenue funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for Lancashire in 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years are presented in the table below. Funding for 2027/28 will be confirmed later this year.Lancashire School FundingFinancial Year2025/262026/27Ov...

Answered 8 Apr 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental appointments have been a) delivered and b) cancelled in i) Preston and ii) Lancashire in the last 3 years.

Answer: The following table shows the number of National Health Service dental treatments delivered in the first seven months of the 2025/26 financial year, in the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, which includes Preston and Lancashire: Financia...

Answered 5 Mar 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to genomic testing in Lancashire for the (a) 2026-27 (b) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29 financial years.

Answer: NHS England is responsible for commissioning the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) for patients in the National Health Service in England. Genomic testing is currently delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (...

Answered 27 Jan 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to (a) encourage cyclists to comply with the legal requirement to use appropriate lights and (b) promote the use of (i) reflective and (ii) high-visibility clothing.

Answer: On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Rule 60 of The Highway Code states that cycles must be fitted with a rear reflector and must have front and rear lights lit at nig...

Answered 20 Jan 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of car sharing clubs on her (a) decongestion and (b) decarbonisation targets.

Answer: Government understands the value of car sharing as a sustainable travel option that can offer a flexible, cost effective alternative to private car ownership for drivers. Alongside our actions to deliver excellent public transport, promote active travel a...

Answered 9 Jan 2026

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department plans to lay the Kensington Treaty before Parliament for ratification.

Answer: The Treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Federal Republic of Germany on Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny shortly after the Christmas recess.

Answered 19 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that people with convictions for any sexual offences should be prevented from serving in the police forces.

Answer: One of the Government’s key priorities is to restore public confidence in policing. To achieve this, we must ensure that those who enter policing are vetted in line with standards the public would expect.That is why, in alignment with our manifesto commit...

Answered 23 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with AI companies on ensuring that AI chatbots do not promote or encourage self-harming behaviour.

Answer: I meet regularly with civil society, industry and Ofcom to discuss online safety, including the risks of AI chatbots.AI services allowing users to share content with one another or that search the live web are covered under the Online Safety Act and have ...

Answered 24 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of North West Ambulance Service personnel in the context of a trends in the number of violent and abusive incidents directed at frontline NHS staff.

Answer: Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work, including those in the ambulance setting. Trends in violence towards NHS staff have generally stayed at the same levels in recent years and there is in place a zer...

Answered 22 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data her Department holds on gender disparities in access to youth sports training facilities; and what steps she is taking to decrease those disparities.

Answer: The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding project...

Answered 8 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that access to information about the contribution of good eye care is readily available.

Answer: The NHS.UK website sets out the importance of regular sight tests whilst also providing information about entitlement to free National Health Service sight tests. The Department also looks for opportunities to promote the importance of NHS sight tests, su...

Answered 4 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provisions he is making in the National Health Service to ensure that patients with long term eye conditions receive adequate practical and emotional support.

Answer: We recognise the importance of practical and emotional support for people living with long term eye conditions. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting t...

Answered 4 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her department is taking to make transports systems more easily accessible for people with sight loss, to allow them to travel independently and spontaneously.

Answer: The government is committed to improving transport services so they are more inclusive and enable people with sight loss to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise tha...

Answered 4 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many BSL-interpreters were provided at the outset for patients seeking healthcare treatment in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) England over the last 12 months.

Answer: The information requested is not held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population, which includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British S...

Answered 1 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the RNID report entitled Still Ignored: the fight for accessible healthcare; what steps his Department plans to take to ensure

Answer: Under the 2010 Equality Act, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. This includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language in...

Answered 1 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place to ensure that the medical records of deaf and hearing-impaired patients are appropriately marked prior to the introduction of the Single Patient Record in 2028.

Answer: The Reasonable Adjustment flag is part of the NHS Spine, and professionals and their administrative staff can work with an individual to create the flag using the National Care Records Service, to ensure that an individual’s needs for reasonable adjustmen...

Answered 2 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce mandatory visual display screens in (a) GP practices and (b) medical waiting rooms to ensure (i) deaf and (ii) hearing impaired patients are made aware of

Answer: The Department has no plans to mandate screens in general practices. However, a revised Accessible Information Standard (AIS) was published on 30 June 2025, to ensure that people who have a disability, impairment, or sensory loss can access and understand...

Answered 2 Dec 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medical appointments were missed by (a) deaf and (b) hearing impaired people due to a lack of information support (i) at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, (ii) in the North West and (c) in En

Answer: The Department does not hold data on medical appointments missed in the format requested. Our Elective Reform Plan sets out the focussed action we are taking to reduce missed appointments, as part of delivering the Government’s commitment to return to the...

Answered 27 Nov 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a timeline for when the NHS app will be made British Sign Language accessible.

Answer: The Government has set out a commitment to make the NHS App British Sign Language (BSL) accessible in the 10-Year Health Plan, which covers the period to 2035. Currently, there is no timeline for when the NHS App will be made BSL accessible. The NHS App r...

Answered 28 Nov 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to routinely monitor and report miscarriage rate trends; and what steps he has taken to reduce the rate of miscarriages.

Answer: The risk of miscarriage is estimated at 15%, or approximately 100,000-150,000 miscarriages per year in the United Kingdom. However, due to lack of data on the earliest losses, the true figure could be higher at approximately 250,000 a year. An update to d...

Answered 20 Oct 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to improve access to interpreters for pregnant women and their families who are receiving maternity and neonatal care; and whether he plans to introduce national guid

Answer: Community language translation and interpretation services are crucial for patient safety. The responsibility to commission these services sits with integrated care boards and National Health Service providers as they are better placed to make decisions a...

Answered 20 Oct 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of average (a) stillbirth and (b) neonatal mortality rates among (i) Black and Asian babies and (ii) babies born to mother

Answer: The Department recognises that there are stark inequalities for women and babies, and that they should receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location or ethnicity.A number of interventions specifically aimed at addres...

Answered 20 Oct 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to introduce a mandatory ID submission for people creating online accounts on anonymous websites.

Answer: The Government has no plans to mandate the new digital ID for creating online accounts on anonymous websites. We will be consulting on other ways people might want to use this ID by the end of the year, such as when verifying their age for accessing certa...

Answered 21 Oct 2025

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all police forces have mandatory training to support victims of online harassment and stalking.

Answer: It is vital that the police and other frontline professionals have the right framework to follow when supporting victims of stalking, both online and offline. That is why the Government is legislating in the Crime and Policing Bill to introduce multi-agen...

Answered 20 Oct 2025