Matt Bishop MP: written questions
108 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Energy Intensive Industries: HorticultureDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31361More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of classifying horticulture as an Energy Intensive Industry.
Answer: Defra recognises certain horticultural growing methods are energy intensive and energy security is critical for these growers. We are working in collaboration across Government departments, including DESNZ, to ensure eligible horticultural businesses are ...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment and Apprentices: Forest of DeanDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31338More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve (a) employment and (b) apprenticeship opportunities for young people in Forest of Dean constituency.
Answer: As part of the Get Britain Working White Paper the government announced that we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they have access to further learning, help to get a job or an apprenticeship.The De...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPoverty: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of children in poverty in Forest of Dean constituency.
Answer: Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change. The Strategy will look at levers across ...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEducation: Forest of DeanDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve educational opportunities for young people in the Forest of Dean.
Answer: All young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they’re from. Through our work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, the department will improve opportunities and life chances across the country, including for youn...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHomelessnessMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30498More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has plans to amend the Homelessness Code of Guidance to clarify the obligations of local authorities at the (a) presentation, (b) initial interview and (c) assessment
Answer: Our Homelessness Code of Guidance provides a summary of the homelessness legislation duties, powers and obligations on housing authorities and others towards people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.We keep the Homelessness Code of Guidance...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFirearms: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30492More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the efficiency of firearms licensing authorities.
Answer: The Firearms Act 1968 gives responsibility for the issuing of firearms licences to Chief Officers of Police.Since November 2021, however, the Statutory Guidance issued by the Secretary of State requires forces to make certain checks on the suitability of ...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFirearms: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her Department’s policy to create a unified national firearms licensing authority.
Answer: The Firearms Act 1968 gives responsibility for the issuing of firearms licences to Chief Officers of Police.Since November 2021, however, the Statutory Guidance issued by the Secretary of State requires forces to make certain checks on the suitability of ...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: GloucestershireDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the condition of roads in (a) Forest of Dean constituency and (b) Gloucestershire.
Answer: This Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and renewing their local highway networks. Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, Gloucestershire County Council ...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Forest of DeanDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29722More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the maintenance of roads in the Forest of Dean constituency.
Answer: This Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and renewing their local highway networks. Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, Gloucestershire County Council ...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBirds of Prey: Forest of DeanDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of birds of prey in the Forest of Dean.
Answer: While Defra has not implemented any protections specific to the Forest of Dean, all birds of prey are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an offence to kill or injure or take any wild bird; take, damage or destroy the nest of any ...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDefibrillatorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29209More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing a national strategy to place defibrillators in high need areas.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in in September 2023,...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEarned Income and State Retirement Pensions: TaxationTreasuryTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29131More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) self-employed people and (b) employees are not subject to higher taxation on both their earnings and state pension.
Answer: At Autumn Budget 2024 we made no changes to the rates of income tax, which means employed and self-employed people will see no increase in the rate of income tax that apply to their earnings or state pension income.
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordShopliftingHome OfficeTabled 30 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle retail crime.
Answer: In the last year of the previous government shoplifting soared to a twenty-year high, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.This Government will...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFirearms: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 30 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if will make an assessment of the potential merits of a national firearms application process.
Answer: The Firearms Act 1968 gives responsibility for the issuing of firearms licences to Chief Officers of Police. Since November 2021, however, the Statutory Guidance issued by the Secretary of State requires forces to make certain checks on the suitability of...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordEyesight: TestingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26630More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the NHS sight test fee; and if he will take steps to increase that fee.
Answer: The level of the National Health Service sight test fee is considered annually and takes into account discussions with the Optical Fee Negotiating Committee, consideration of patient access to sight testing services, which continue to be widely available,...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordShared Rural Network: Forest of DeanDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26620More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress has been made on the rollout of the shared rural network in the Forest of Dean constituency.
Answer: There have already been improvements via the Shared Rural Network in the Forest of Dean since the programme began in 2020. I have raised my concerns about the reporting of mobile connectivity with Ofcom, but according to Ofcom’s Connected Nations reports,...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Libraries: Primary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding mechanisms she is considering to support primary schools in (a) installing and (b) maintaining library facilities.
Answer: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Forest of Dean to the answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21170.
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: ReadingDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage reading for pleasure by (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils.
Answer: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Forest of Dean to the answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19139.
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: Workplace PensionsHome OfficeTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25571More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Police Federation's press release entitled Pensions update from the Police Federation of England and Wales, published on 3 December 2024, what steps her Department is taking to t
Answer: There are many differences between the 2015 CARE police pension scheme and the legacy police pension schemes, including the age at which benefits can normally be drawn. The main public service pension schemes – including the police pension schemes – were ...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAutomatic Number Plate Recognition: Rural AreasHome OfficeTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25570More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to roll out automatic number plate recognition cameras in (a) Forest of Dean and (b) other rural constituencies.
Answer: The National ANPR infrastructure is governed by national standards which are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-anpr-standards. Prior to the deployment of ANPR cameras an assessment must identify a need, which could include...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordShops: MusicDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25569More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the impact of music in shops on people with sensory sensitivities.
Answer: The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This is so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantia...
Answered 27 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPostal Services: StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25125More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure more (a) reliable and (b) timely delivery of first-class mail in rural areas.
Answer: The government is committed to a sustainable universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and ...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPostal Services: StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25124More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) cases where first-class mail sent from (i) the Forest of Dean and (ii) other rural constituencies fails to arrive in a timely manner and (b) other dela
Answer: The government is committed to a sustainable universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and ...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFractures: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24610More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on acute hospital bed usage of universal access to Fracture Liaison Services.
Answer: The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is committed to rolling out Fra...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFractures: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24609More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on health outcomes of universal access to Fracture Liaison Services.
Answer: The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. According to the Fracture Liaison Service Database 2022, at least 60 trusts in England had access to...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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