Michael Wheeler MP: written questions
145 published records · newest first.
Written questions
DisabilityWomen and EqualitiesTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123538More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the avenues available to disabled persons to (a) access and (b) enforce their rights as prescribed by the Equality Act 2010.
Answer: The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) protects people who have a long-term physical or mental impairment that substantially affects their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The Act provides a range of protection for disabled people in a range of...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has considered the potential merits of creating a dedicated disability rights enforcement body.
Answer: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) holds the role of enforcing equality legislation as part of its statutory obligations, including protection from disability discrimination. The EHRC is an independent Non Departmental Public Body and Great B...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: Salford and WiganMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122009More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan were assessed as owed homelessness duty, broken down into (i) prevention duty, (ii) relief duty and (iii) main duty in each year
Answer: The government collects data on the number of people in temporary accommodation as a quarterly snapshot. To compare the number of people in temporary accommodation in Salford and Wigan year-on-year, you can compare the latest data from 30 September 2025 h...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTemporary Accommodation: Salford and WiganMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121177More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households were living in temporary accommodation in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan in each year since 2020.
Answer: The government collects data on the number of people in temporary accommodation as a quarterly snapshot. To compare the number of people in temporary accommodation in Salford and Wigan year-on-year, you can compare the latest data from 30 September 2025 h...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPrivate Rented Housing: Salford and WiganMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121176More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of dwellings in the private rented sector in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan in each year since 2020.
Answer: The Office for National Statistics publishes annual estimates of private rented sector dwellings in each local authority. These estimates can be found on gov.uk here.
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Redundancy PayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115765More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of giving the NHS Staff Council a mandate to negotiate NHS partial retirement and statutory redundancy payments with trade unio
Answer: This specific assessment has not been made.Partial retirement does not mean that National Health Service staff are ineligible for redundancy payments. However, taking partial retirement may change the way in which contractual redundancy payments are calcu...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWorkplace Pensions: Index LinkingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing measures outside of the Pension Schemes Bill to protect the real terms value of pre-1997 defined benefit pension schemes.
Answer: We recognise that the absence of indexation on pension rights accrued before April 1997 can erode the value of pensions over time and affect members who rely on these benefits in retirement. The reforms we have introduced through the Pension Schemes Bill ...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordIdiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115271More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 110592, whether his Department has made an estimate of the earliest date nerandomilist could become available to patients after NICE publishes
Answer: Subject to licensing, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) currently expects to publish final guidance on nerandomilast in September 2026. In formulating its recommendations, NICE's independent Appraisal Committee expects to hold i...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPride in Place Programme: Worsley and EcclesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 907916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that communities are consulted on the use of Pride in Place funding in Worsley and Eccles constituency.
Answer: The community will decide how to invest £20m of Pride in Place Funding in Peel Green. A Neighbourhood Board led by an Independent Chair and made up of local people will come up with a plan for this investment and they must engage their wider community. We...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the RPI plus 3 per cent interest rate on Plan 2 student loan debt on the ability of graduates earning the UK median wage to begin to pay down t
Answer: Plan 2 interest rates vary with income when the borrower has left study and is in repayment. The lower interest threshold, below which borrowers are charged an interest rate of RPI+0%, is currently £28,470. Interest then increases on a sliding scale to RP...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordStudents: LoansDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110594More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of outstanding Plan 2 student loan debt in the year the first loans become eligible to be written off; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of that debt
Answer: The oldest Plan 2 loans will become eligible for cancellation in 2046. For the England-domiciled 2012/13 cohort, the first to receive Plan 2 loans, we forecast a total of £17,036 million in loan balances (including interest) will be cancelled at the end o...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordIdiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110593More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered the implications of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal for the potential approval of Jascayd (nerandomilast).
Answer: No specific consideration of the implications of the United Kingdom and United States’ Economic Prosperity Deal for the approval of Jascayd (nernadomilast) has been made. The changes that we are making to the way in which the National Institute for Health...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordIdiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has an estimate of the earliest possible date Jascayd (nerandomilast) could be available to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.
Answer: Nerandomilast does not currently have a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is currently being evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which makes recommend...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMidwives and Nurses: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109381More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England to include graduates who qualified prio
Answer: No assessment has been made. There are no plans to extend the Graduate Guarantee to include graduates who qualified prior to 2024.
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMidwives and Nurses: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109380More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the eligibility criteria for the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England was determined.
Answer: The Graduate Guarantee is a workforce measure aimed at improving the access and transition into employment for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England.It is aimed at ensuring that the 2025 cohort has opportunities to apply for roles across the heal...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPost Office: Bank ServicesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109379More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of the Post Office network hosting community banking representatives to provide in-person access to more complex banking services.
Answer: As set out in the Government’s Green Paper, the role of Post Office is changing, fuelled by significant changes in Post Office’s markets. Government will continue facilitating discussions around the future of cash and banking services, as demonstrated by ...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPost Office: Public ServicesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109378More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has undertaken work to identify which additional public services could be delivered face to face through the Post Office network; and whether he has discussed the potential expan
Answer: As set out in the Government’s Green Paper, the role of Post Office is changing, fuelled by significant changes in Post Office’s markets. Government will continue facilitating discussions around the future of cash and banking services, as demonstrated by ...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordExports: EU LawDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99284More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework on the competitiveness of UK manufacturers exporting to the EU.
Answer: As with other relevant EU regulations, the Department for Business and Trade is monitoring the EU’s Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF) and its impact on British businesses including UK manufacturers exporting to the EU. The government is using T...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: PlasticsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99280More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether companies in the UK plastics manufacturing sector will be eligible for inclusion in the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.
Answer: As set out in the Industrial Strategy, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will support eligible manufacturing frontier industries within ‘IS-8’ manufacturing sectors and manufacturing foundational industries that provide key inputs to those fro...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Industrial Competitiveness SchemeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99279More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish the methodology for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.
Answer: The Department of Business and Trade recently launched a consultation on the proposed approach to eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme. The final approach to eligibility will be published in due course following the consultation’s...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 1
Answer: The Strategy uses a ‘baskets’ approach to group animal tests according to how ready they are for replacement, based on the maturity of potential alternative methods. These initial baskets are not exhaustive and will be reviewed and refined in consultation...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93879More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 1
Answer: The Strategy uses a ‘baskets’ approach to group animal tests according to how ready they are for replacement, based on the maturity of potential alternative methods. These initial baskets are not exhaustive and will be reviewed and refined in consultation...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88521More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October 2025, what assessment she has made of
Answer: In 2024, there were 2.64 million regulated scientific procedures carried out in Great Britain involving living animals. This is a decrease of 1% on the previous year, and the lowest number since 2001.The trends in the number of animals and types of proced...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: PrimatesHome OfficeTabled 29 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86519More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October 2025, what assessment she has made of
Answer: The requirements for regulatory testing are set by regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK.The use of non-human primates continue...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 29 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86518More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October 2025, what assessment she has made of
Answer: The Lethal Dose 50 and Lethal Concentration 50 procedures are subject to strict regulations under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This legal framework requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no alternatives, where...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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