Mark Pritchard MP: written questions
202 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Tyres: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4343More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps with car manufacturers to agree a minimum stopping safety requirement for car tyres which are (a) manufactured in the UK and (b) imported.
Answer: All new tyres, both UK made and imported, require GB type approval before they are permitted for sale. To gain approval, manufacturers must demonstrate that they achieve a range of technical performance requirements. This includes a minimum wet grip perfo...
Answered 11 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordHomicide: ChildrenHome OfficeTabled 3 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 3953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish data on the number of deaths of children through (a) murder and (b) manslaughter in England in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.
Answer: The Home Office Homicide Index holds information on the age of victims and whether the offence was initially classified as murder or manslaughter. The data are given in the table.Table 1: Offences currently recorded as homicide by initial classification o...
Answered 11 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordNational Wildlife Crime Unit: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 3689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will increase his Department's funding to the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Answer: The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Defr...
Answered 10 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordProstate Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 3688More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve early detection of prostate cancer through screening.
Answer: Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm men as some...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordProstate Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 3687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the UK National Screening Committee to conclude the prostate cancer screening evidence review it commissioned in November 2023.
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) evidence review for prostate cancer screening is already underway and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan. The evidence review includes modelling the clinical cost effectiveness of severa...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordHoliday Accommodation: FarmsTreasuryTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2789More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to support farm owners to (a) diversify their businesses and (b) improve their financial security by providing accommodation for furnished holiday lettings on their farms.
Answer: The Government is supporting farmers and land managers to adapt their business models and access tailored support to do so through the agricultural transition, including through diversification. For example, farmers can access free business advice through...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordBrain: InjuriesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help (a) raise awareness of the symptoms of brain aneurysms and (b) improve training for GPs to recognise those symptoms.
Answer: Through neurosurgery networks, NHS England will engage with referring clinicians to ensure that patients receive appropriate assessments, diagnostics, and referral pathways to a neuroscience centre when required.Moreover, the standard of medical training ...
Answered 11 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: Armed ConflictForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help improve access to (a) clean drinking water and (b) sanitation in fragile and conflict affected states and regions.
Answer: The UK is committed to improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for people in the developing world. The FCDO WASH programmes that are in fragile and conflict affected states including in Chad, DRC, Ethiopia and Mozambique. One example is t...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordEnergy: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will commission research into reducing consumer energy prices through locational energy consumption.
Answer: Through the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements, we are exploring several ways to reduce energy bills by making more efficient use of the energy infrastructure we are building. As part of this we are considering zonal pricing, alongside options for ...
Answered 6 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordAbkhazia: RussiaForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will join his EU counterparts in making representations to the Russian Federation over the construction of a naval base in Abkhazia.
Answer: We have repeatedly condemned Russia's illegal military presence and the Russification of Abkhazia, including through the proposed Russian naval base at Ochamchire, most recently in a UN Security Council Statement on the 16th Anniversary of Russia's invasi...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordAsian Longhorned TickDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2784More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect (a) the food supply chain, (b) livestock and (c) public health from the Asian longhorned tick.
Answer: The UKHSA has been running a tick surveillance scheme (TSS) since 2004 which encourages people to send in ticks for identification. The Animal and Plant Health Agency and our veterinary investigation centres are part of this scheme, particularly through o...
Answered 12 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care Boards: General PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2783More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will put in place oversight of integrated care boards that frequently commission services from GP practices that regularly underperform in patient satisfaction surveys.
Answer: We recognise that despite the hard work of general practice teams, patients are still struggling to access care from general practitioners (GPs). We know that GPs are delivering record numbers of appointments, however, patient satisfaction has dropped nat...
Answered 10 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: DrowningsDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2782More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish an action plan to reduce deaths of minors from drowning.
Answer: Swimming and water safety is a vital life skill and that is why pupils are taught how to swim and be safe in and around water at primary school. Swimming and water safety are compulsory elements of the Physical Education (PE) National Curriculum at Key St...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordUndocumented MigrantsHome OfficeTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2781More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the activities of hostile states on levels of illegal immigration.
Answer: The Government’s first duty is to protect our national security and keep our country safe. We keep potential threats to the UK under constant review and, where necessary, we use all the tools at our disposal to mitigate these threats including at the bord...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Media: ViolenceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2780More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce fines for social media companies for failure to remove online material which incites violence.
Answer: The Online Safety Act 2023 places duties on user to user services to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share illegal content. This includes content that incites violence and content which stirs up religi...
Answered 9 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: CompensationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will end the treatment of military compensation as income for the purpose of welfare benefit means tests.
Answer: I refer the honourable member to the answer to question UIN 500, given on the 25 July 2024.
Answered 2 Aug 2024
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: NursesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of neonatal nurses in (a) England and (b) Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin integrated care system.
Answer: NHS England is establishing over 550 new neonatal nurse posts across England, including in the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System (ICS), since publishing Implementing the Recommendations of the Neonatal Critical Care Transformation Revi...
Answered 6 Aug 2024
Original Parliament recordPancreatic Enzyme Replacement TherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate supplies of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy medication.
Answer: The Department has been working with suppliers to address current supply issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), including Creon, used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis and certain cancers, including pancreatic cancer. The supply issue...
Answered 5 Aug 2024
Original Parliament recordPancreatic Cancer: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1908More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the early (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Answer: NHS England is delivering a range of interventions that are expected to improve early diagnosis and treatment for patients with suspected and diagnosed pancreatic cancer. For early diagnosis, this includes providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveill...
Answered 1 Aug 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: SafetyDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1648More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure Ofsted includes the adequacy of the physical security of school buildings in their inspection reports.
Answer: Ofsted’s overall role is to make sure that schools provide high and rising standards for every child through its inspection and reporting process. The School Inspection Handbook does not set any specific expectations for schools regarding site security. H...
Answered 1 Aug 2024
Original Parliament recordElectric Bicycles and Electric Scooters: ImportsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 25 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1647More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to prohibit the importing of (a) electric scooters and (b) electric bikes from countries that do not comply with UK safety standards.
Answer: UK product safety legislation requires manufacturers or importers placing products on the UK market, including e-bikes and e-scooters, to ensure those products are safe. Regulators have powers to require that unsafe products are removed from sale.We will ...
Answered 31 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSoft Drinks: PricesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 1646More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with (a) manufacturers and (b) importers on the public health benefits of making non-alcoholic (i) beer, (ii) lager, (iii) spirits and (iv) wine products lower cost than
Answer: The Government has set out its ambition to create a National Health Service fit for the future, which includes prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Government will continue to consider how...
Answered 1 Aug 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: SanctionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 38More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to increase the sanctions for flying over (a) military establishments, (b) facilities providing (i) equipment, (ii) goods and (iii) services to the armed forces and (c) other restricted area
Answer: The National Security Act 2023 introduced new and specific sanctions in relation to unauthorised overflying of Defence sites by both conventional and unmanned aircraft. The sanctions range from those applicable to a summary offence for simple, unauthorise...
Answered 25 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordVehicles: ContractsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 37More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of ensuring that companies that sub-contract vehicles to (a) delivery, (b) utility and (c) construction companies display the livery of (i) their organisat
Answer: There are no requirements in the goods vehicle operator licensing regime for vehicles used by delivery companies, utility companies, or construction companies to have livery displaying the details of the owning business, and the company using the vehicles...
Answered 22 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordSudan: FamineForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 36More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce famine in Sudan.
Answer: The conflict in Sudan has created a manmade humanitarian disaster with 8.5 million people facing emergency or famine conditions, more than Gaza, South Sudan, Mali, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan combined. This financial year, UK bilateral ODA to Sudan will i...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament record
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