Mark Sewards MP: written questions 2024
32 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Neurological Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for people with (a) Motor Neurone Disease and (b) other degenerative conditions.
Answer: Patients, including those with motor neurone disease (MND), have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring ...
Answered 23 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordTravel: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20850More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the Overseas Scale Rates.
Answer: As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps flat rate expenses, including Overseas Scale Rates, under review.
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHomicide: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19971More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing sentences for offenders guilty of unlawful act manslaughter.
Answer: Parliament is responsible for setting the overall legal sentencing framework and the maximum penalty for unlawful act manslaughter is life imprisonment.However, sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to imp...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: LeedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with Healthwatch Leeds on the potential merits of implementing their policy on communication, coordination and compassion in other parts of the country.
Answer: While there are no current plans for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to meet with Healthwatch Leeds, he does meet with stakeholders regularly about a range of issues.NHS England has carefully considered the points rai...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Digital TechnologyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people with additional communication needs are able to access (a) online appointment bookings and (b) other digital healthcare services.
Answer: All National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers in England are required to meet the Accessible Information Standard to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. ...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: LeedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the briefing paper by Healthwatch Leeds entitled Communicating change, published in September
Answer: While there are no current plans for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to meet with Healthwatch Leeds, he does meet with stakeholders regularly about a range of issues.NHS England has carefully considered the points rai...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEhlers-Danlos SyndromeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14715More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These include b...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDentistry: StudentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of making tuition free for dental students; and what steps he is taking to ensure that dentists receive adequate fundin
Answer: The Government is determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.The Government will make sure the NHS has the staff it needs to be there for...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCoronavirus: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13321More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allow individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to receive Novavax Covid-19 booster vaccinations.
Answer: Novavax was not purchased for the Autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme, as sufficient pre-procured COVID-19 doses of the Moderna mRNA (Spikevax) and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) vaccines were available.The COVID-19 chapter of the publication Imm...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: Solar PowerMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward regulations to ensure that solar panels fitted to new housing are (a) safe and (b) pose a low fire risk.
Answer: The Building Regulations apply to new building work and are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare. They may apply when somebody is putting up a new building, making material changes to a building, extending an existing building or alteri...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordTransport: Yorkshire and the HumberDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support improvements to (a) local transport links and (b) networks across (i) Yorkshire and (ii) Northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: The Department is committed to improving local transport across the Yorkshire and Humber. The Chancellor announced in the Autumn Statement on 30 October a range of funding to support local transport, including funding that will provide for development of ...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness: North Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and the HumberDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support business investment into (a) Yorkshire and (b) northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: The Department works across the UK, including Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, to showcase strong commercial investment opportunities to potential investors and support business to grow, and provides extensive support to small businesses through the n...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEconomic Growth: Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and the HumberMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps Department is taking to help support economic growth across (a) Yorkshire and (b) northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: This Government is developing a modern industrial strategy to deliver the certainty and stability for business to invest and creating the National Wealth Fund to support its delivery and mobilise billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s growth industr...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEconomic Growth: Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and the HumberTreasuryTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11684More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support economic growth across (a) Yorkshire and (b) northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: At Autumn Budget 24 the government set out the first major steps in our approach to regional growth, through devolution, investment and reform.The Government is investing in total over £2.5 billion over 30 years in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and York...
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCrime: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to allow victims of crime to express impact statements to convicted people directly.
Answer: As set out in the Victims’ Code, victims and survivors have the right to make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS) to explain in their own words how a crime has affected them. The judge or magistrate will decide whether and what sections of a personal statem...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCarbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11119More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to regulate emissions produced by organisations.
Answer: The UK Emissions Trading Scheme is an essential regime to cut emissions and drive green investment. By setting a limit - the cap - on emissions and creating a carbon price for power, industry and aviation, the scheme incentivises investment in clean techn...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCats: Veterinary ServicesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11118More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase the affordability of cat neutering services.
Answer: The Competition and Markets Authority, which is independent from Defra, is currently undertaking a market investigation into veterinary services, which includes the cost of veterinary care. Defra will review any recommendations that are made by the CMA wh...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPets: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the abandonment of domestic animals.
Answer: Defra regularly meets animal welfare stakeholders to understand issues and trends that are affecting the sector, including the impact of the rise in the cost of living on pet keepers and welfare organisations. Defra welcomes the support that the animal se...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10628More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to make electric vehicle owners eligible to pay car tax.
Answer: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), also sometimes referred to as car tax, is a tax on car ownership from which electric vehicles are currently exempt. As announced by the previous Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, electric and hybrid cars, van...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVisas: UkraineHome OfficeTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10396More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to extend the Ukraine Extension Scheme.
Answer: To provide future certainty, Ukrainians who have been provided with sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine schemes will be able to apply for further permission to remain in the UK through a bespoke Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme due to open in e...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrimary CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of (a) GP appointments and (b) other primary care services.
Answer: We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP) and access other primary care services, and we are committed to fixing the crisis in GPs.Our plan to increase the number of GP appointments delivered will require bot...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArriva UK Bus: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9891More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will commission a review into the adequacy of the bus services provided by Arriva.
Answer: At present, decisions such as where to run bus services in England outside London are predominantly a matter for the relevant bus operator. In response to this, the government has set out a plan to improve bus services based on giving local leaders the to...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FranchisesDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9890More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on the roll out of bus franchising.
Answer: On 9 September 2024, the government laid a Statutory Instrument to open up bus franchising to all local transport authorities (LTAs) in England. It also published a consultation on proposed updates to bus franchising guidance, which closed on 7 October 20...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: WakefieldDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9889More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Wakefield Council to improve bus services in Wakefield, in the context of the recent closure of the Wakefield bus depot.
Answer: At present, decisions such as where to run bus services in England outside London are predominantly a matter for the relevant bus operator. In response to this, the government has set out a plan to improve bus services based on giving local leaders the to...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDental ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8562More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure NHS dental practices have the capacity to treat more patients.
Answer: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild ...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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