Mary Kelly Foy MP: written questions 2025
99 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Higher Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47317More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an alternative to the fee-based funding model for higher education.
Answer: The higher education (HE) sector needs a secure financial footing to face the challenges of the next decade and to ensure that all students can be confident they will receive the world-class HE experience they deserve. This is why, after seven years of fr...
Answered 2 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: Entry ClearancesDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47316More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of visa restrictions on revenue streams in the Higher Education sector.
Answer: There are many factors that influence international students when they choose to study abroad. These include the range and quality of available courses, the visa rules that apply in countries they are considering, and the appeal of living and studying in ...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47315More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the stability of higher education finances.
Answer: The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of English higher education (HE) providers, collects and analyses providers’ financial data to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.The OfS’ May 2024 repo...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46817More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of higher education (a) funding and (b) governance.
Answer: Education is a devolved matter and as such issues relating to higher education (HE) in the devolved nations is a matter for the relevant government.The HE sector needs a secure financial footing to face the challenges of the next decade, and to ensure tha...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: Crimes of ViolenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of (a) harassment and (b) abuse of NHS staff.
Answer: There is no national mechanism at present to capture and report incidents of harassment and abuse. Data is held at a local level. The NHS Staff Survey captures data on self-reported incidents. Results from the 2024 NHS Staff Survey showed that 25.08% of s...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordTurkey: Politics and GovernmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44549More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect democratic processes in Turkey.
Answer: As a close friend and ally of Turkey, the Government is closely monitoring the situation and expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law. We regularly engage with the Turkish Government and the Foreign Secretary spoke with T...
Answered 25 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxis: LicensingDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reforming the regulation of cross-border taxi hiring.
Answer: Legislation allows taxis and private hire vehicles to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed. Taxis can only ply for hire (pick up passengers at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street) in the area in which they are licensed. Pre-booked work...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43515More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing (a) car and (b) other vehicle taxes to ensure non-emission producing vehicles are not charged higher rates than emission producing vehicle
Answer: The Government uses the tax system to support a variety of objectives including our legally binding climate targets and the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). From 1 April 2017, a reformed Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) system was introduced for new cars. ...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCitizenship: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43497More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing the provision and (b) improving civic education.
Answer: Civic education is already taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. This covers parliamentary democracy, the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, the power of government and how citizens and Parliame...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness and Social Enterprises: DurhamDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43496More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing support for (a) growth in the social enterprise sector and (b) businesses that add general social value in Durham.
Answer: The Government recognises the social enterprise sector’s valuable contribution to local communities and society at large. This diverse sector is helping to meet some of the toughest challenges facing our society through delivering both social and economic...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChemical EngineeringDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43495More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department plans to take to engage with chemical engineers on ensuring the future of chemical engineering is sustainable.
Answer: The government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy and has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. ‘Chemicals and plastics’ is one of the five priority sectors, and the Taskforce...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChemistry: Education and ResearchDepartment for EducationTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43166More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the sustainability of high-quality chemistry (a) teaching and (b) research.
Answer: High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The government recognises that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subject...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: EU CountriesCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43104More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve visa requirements for UK citizens with homes in both the UK and in a country in the Schengen Area.
Answer: The UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the EU allows for travel within the Sche...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEU Countries: British Nationals AbroadCabinet OfficeTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42730More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is having discussions with counterparts in the EU on the impact of the Withdrawal Agreement on UK citizens with homes in both the UK and Schengen Area.
Answer: UK nationals lawfully resident in the EU prior to 31 December 2020 are protected under the Withdrawal Agreement and enjoy certain rights, including the right of residence in their host state provided that they maintain continuity of residence. The Governm...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: EU CountriesCabinet OfficeTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42729More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve mobility arrangements for UK citizens within the Schengen Zone.
Answer: The UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the EU allows for travel within the Sche...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAutism: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39967More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of autism assessments.
Answer: It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnosis, in line with relevant National Institute for Hea...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordWeedkillers: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39966More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prohibiting the use of weed killers such as glyphosate.
Answer: The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides, including weed killers, is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. Pesticides are only authorised following a thorough scientific risk assessment th...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordData Centres: County DurhamDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39965More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answers of 6 March 2025 to Question 36136 on Geothermal Power: County Durham and to Question 36137 on Data Centres: Energy, if he will make an assessment of the potentia
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of continued innovation and improvements in the efficiency of AI.AI Growth Zones will help shift energy demand to areas with more capacity, reducing pressure on congested parts of the grid. DSIT are working closely...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFunerals: Codes of Practice and InspectionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39964More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) a legal code of conduct for and (b) mandatory inspections of the premises of funeral directors.
Answer: The Government is thoroughly evaluating all potential next steps to ensure that the high standards upheld by many within the funeral director sector are consistently reflected throughout the entire industry. This includes assessing the potential merits of...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordArts: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39566More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing musical and wider cultural education alongside the child poverty reduction strategy.
Answer: Participation in the arts can bring a range of benefits for children and young people, over and above its intrinsic value, including a positive impact on academic outcomes in other curriculum areas, as well as benefits to children’s wellbeing and attitude...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice Custody: SuicideHome OfficeTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38138More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of suicide prevention training for staff in police custody suites.
Answer: The Government is committed to preventing deaths in or following police custody, including suicides both in custody and following release.The College of Policing’s 'Vulnerability in Custody' training package, launched in 2022, seeks to improve the consist...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons and Probation: SuicideMinistry of JusticeTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38137More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of suicide prevention training provided to (a) prison and (b) probation staff.
Answer: All new members of prison staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention, and all staff who undertake key roles relating to risk assessment and case management also receive specific training relating to those roles. This ...
Answered 20 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDebtsTreasuryTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37282More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) impact of (i) banks, (ii) finance and (iii) debt collection companies' practices on consumers and (b) merits of bringing forward regulation to prevent overcharging
Answer: The Government expects fair treatment of individuals in debt and recognises the important role of responsible practices for debt recovery. We likewise recognise the negative impact that aggressive pursuit of debt can have on individuals.For financial serv...
Answered 14 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Supply: Rural AreasDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36751More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made with Ofgem of the potential merits of allocating more funding to local power grids to help ensure the reliability of levels of power supplied to rural
Answer: The Government is engaging with Ofgem to ensure that the distribution price control enable the required local infrastructure to power local communities. The current electricity distribution price control (RIIO-ED2 2023-2028) has allowed £22.2bn for upfron...
Answered 14 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHorizon IT System: CompensationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36447More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to tackle compensation delays for people impacted by the Horizon Post Office scandal; what steps he is taking to (a) close the loophole that allows the Post Office to reset the
Answer: The Government is doing all it can to increase the pace of redress across all four Horizon compensation schemes. We are making upfront fixed offers and making interim and partial payments where possible. We continue to seek options to speed up redress in ...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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