Matt Vickers MP: written questions
783 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Crimes of ViolenceHome OfficeTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9389More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential cumulative impact of reductions to (a) prevention funding, (b) victim services funding and (c) hotspot policing grants on levels of violent cri
Answer: This government is committed to halving knife crime within a decade, and in April 2026 published a Plan to Halve Knife Crime. This included Home Office investment of over £130m in knife crime programmes including sustained funding of over £66 million for ...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: Young OffendersAttorney GeneralTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9388More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme in cases involving rape and serious sexual offences committed by youth offenders.
Answer: During 2025, my office reviewed more than 1,000 sentences. Of these, 14 featured youth sentences imposed for sexual offences. So far during the first half of 2026, my office has already reviewed 9 youth sentences for sexual offences, and we are set to exc...
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9387More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of youth custody reduction targets on sentencing outcomes for serious sexual offences.
Answer: Protecting the public is the Government’s main priority. Custody will continue to be available for the most serious offences and offenders, and the reforms set out in the Youth Justice White Paper do not alter that. The policies in the White Paper will re...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that sentences for rape and serious sexual offences committed by offenders under the age of 18 reflect the seriousness of those crimes and command public confidence.
Answer: Rape and serious sexual offences should always be met with a strong response from the criminal justice system, one which reflects the seriousness of the harm caused to victims and the need to protect the public.Individual sentencing decisions are for the ...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: SubversionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9385More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of existing political finance rules in preventing foreign interference and improper influence in UK elections.
Answer: The threat of foreign interference is evolving, while the current UK rules are no longer sufficient to address these risks. Our Representation of the People Bill introduces tougher rules on political donations to protect UK elections. Legislation will req...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government and Social Care Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken for the allocation and investigation of complaints by the Local Government and Social Care Ombud
Answer: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. The Department does not routinely collect performance inf...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government and Social Care Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9110More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many complaints were awaiting allocation for assessment by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman on the latest date for which figures are available.
Answer: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. The Department does not routinely collect performance inf...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government and Social Care Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9109More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the longest period was that a complaint had been awaiting allocation for assessment by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman on the latest date for which figures ar
Answer: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. The Department does not routinely collect performance inf...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government and Social Care Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many complaints submitted to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman were awaiting allocation for assessment for more than six months on the latest date for which figu
Answer: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. The Department does not routinely collect performance inf...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government and Social Care Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9107More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department collects data on the length of time complainants wait before a complaint is first considered by a caseworker at the Local Government and Social Care Ombuds
Answer: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is operationally independent of central government, and the Ombudsman is accountable directly to Parliament for the use of their investigatory powers. The Department does not routinely collect performance inf...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater: SafetyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7601More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her department plans to place water safety campaigns on TikTok, YouTube and other social media platforms popular with young people.
Answer: Water safety is a shared responsibility across Government, arm's length bodies, and specialist organisations. All organisations are encouraged to use their social channels in the most effective way. Platform use and advertising spend varies between organi...
Answered 11 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordFunerals: RegulationMinistry of JusticeTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7555More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Business on the regulation of the funeral sector.
Answer: The death management process, including the care of the deceased through to burial or cremation, engages the policy and/or operational responsibilities of a number of Departments and arm’s length bodies. This includes the Department of Health and Social C...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHuman Remains and FuneralsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7554More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has any plans to provide for single oversight of the funeral industry and the handling of bodies and funerals.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care is leading on co-ordinating cross-Government work to consider options for raising standards in relation to the care and treatment of the deceased in all settings, including the funeral sector, supported by the Depa...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHuman Remains: Burial and CremationMinistry of JusticeTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7553More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that funeral directors carry out the lawful burial or cremation of bodies following the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
Answer: The death management process, including the care of the deceased through to burial or cremation, engages the policy and/or operational responsibilities of a number of Departments and arm’s length bodies. This includes the Department of Health and Social C...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHuman Remains: FuneralsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures his Department is considering to protect the dignity of human bodies in the context of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care is leading on co-ordinating cross-Government work to consider options for raising standards in relation to the care and treatment of the deceased in all settings, including the funeral sector, supported by the Depa...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHuman Remains: Burial and CremationMinistry of JusticeTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which Government departments and agencies are responsible for bodies of the departed from death through to (a) burial and (b) cremation.
Answer: The death management process, including the care of the deceased through to burial or cremation, engages the policy and/or operational responsibilities of a number of Departments and arm’s length bodies. This includes the Department of Health and Social C...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: BullyingDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7505More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of anti-bullying programmes in reducing mental health problems among school-age children.
Answer: All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment and are held to account by Ofsted.The departme...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: ExpenditureDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7504More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of total NHS spending has been allocated to mental health services in each year since 2019.
Answer: The proportion of total National Health Service spending allocated to mental health services was 8.05% in 2018/19, 8.45% in 2019/20, 8.51% in 2020/21, 8.73% in 2021/22, 8.87% in 2022/23, 9.05% in 2023/24, 8.78% in 2024/25, and 8.68% in 2025/26.Within the ...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: SchoolsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of schools currently have access to a Mental Health Support Team; and what the timetable is for further rollout.
Answer: Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) continue to play a key role in providing early intervention and support for children and young people’s mental health in education settings.As at March 2026, 5.8 million pupils and learners were covered by an MHST, equa...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7502More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made towards recruiting the additional mental health workforce.
Answer: As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, in February, the Government delivered on its commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers this Parliament, three...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: Young PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7501More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for children and young people to access NHS mental health services in each Integrated Care Board area.
Answer: The following table shows the median waiting time, in days, for children and young people, those aged under 18 years old, to access National Health Service mental health services in each integrated care board (ICB), based on those still waiting for a firs...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal BroadcastingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6297More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of Local Democracy Reporting Service funded reporter posts are currently hosted by Reach plc publications.
Answer: The Local Democracy Reporting Scheme currently provides 165 journalists in local news rooms across the country.The BBC publishes a full list of the allocated LDRS contracts and reporters which is available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/lnp/documents/reporter_c...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal BroadcastingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6295More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference the Government's December 2025 BBC Charter Review Green Paper proposing the expansion of the Local Democracy Reporting Service, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that i
Answer: The content produced by Local Democracy Reporting Service journalists is made freely available to the BBC and partners to the BBC’s Local News Partnerships scheme. The BBC is operationally independent of the government and the process for determining Part...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal BroadcastingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6286More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the value for money of the Local Democracy Reporting Service; and whether future funding for the Local Democracy Reporting Service will be conditional o
Answer: The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a wide range of issues.The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government. The BBC’s Principles of Operation for the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) set out that t...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal BroadcastingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6285More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of safeguards to ensure that BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporters produce balanced and impartial coverage when their reports are supplied t
Answer: The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a wide range of issues.The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government. The BBC’s Principles of Operation for the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) set out that t...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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