Oliver Dowden MP: written questions
123 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Hertsmere Borough Council: Green BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58232More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Hertsmere Borough Council on protecting the green belt.
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework was published on 12 December 2024, following extensive consultation, including with local planning authorities.I otherwise refer the hon. Members to the answers given to questions UIN 26508 on 5 February 2025...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHertsmere Borough Council: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58231More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Hertsmere Borough Council on the application of the Golden Rules in local planning decisions.
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt. The NPPF must be taken ...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHertsmere Borough Council: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58230More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Hertsmere Borough Council on local planning decisions.
Answer: Officials from my Department have had recent discussions with Hertsmere Borough Council regarding the fact it did not meet the required performance threshold for decision-making quality during the assessment period from April 2022 to March 2024, including...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58229More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will bring in further guidance on how local authorities can uphold the Golden Rules in local planning decisions.
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt. The NPPF must be taken ...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58228More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take if local authorities do not comply with the (a) Golden Rules and (b) revised NPPF in local planning decisions.
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt. The NPPF must be taken ...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58227More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on applying the Golden Rules in local planning decisions.
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt. The NPPF must be taken ...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58226More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the revised NPPF.
Answer: MHCLG Ministers and officials engage regularly with local planning authorities to ensure the government’s priorities are understood.
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58225More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of local authorities in upholding the Golden Rules under the revised NPPF.
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt. The NPPF must be taken ...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Media: HarassmentHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54861More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests were made of for online malicious communications in Hertfordshire in 2024.
Answer: The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHertfordshire Constabulary: Social MediaHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are dedicated solely to monitoring social media for malicious communications in Hertfordshire Constabulary.
Answer: The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Media: HarassmentHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests were made for online malicious communications in 2024.
Answer: The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: Social MediaHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost was of police initiatives to monitor social media for malicious communications in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answer: The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: Social MediaHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54857More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police staff are dedicated solely to monitoring social media.
Answer: The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: Social MediaHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police forces have dedicated teams for monitoring social media for malicious communications.
Answer: The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: Social MediaHome OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police staff regularly monitor social media for malicious communications.
Answer: The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment SchemesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51868More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of lessons from (a) the JobsPlus and (b) other pilot programmes in informing the development of Local Get Britain Working plans.
Answer: The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models m...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment SchemesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that Local Get Britain Working plans (a) are designed in partnership with community-led housing organisations and (b) reflect local labour market needs.
Answer: The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models m...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment SchemesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to support the national rollout of (a) JobsPlus and (b) other community-led employment programmes following the conclusion of the pilot phase.
Answer: The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models m...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Proceedings: FinanceMinistry of JusticeTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to increase levels of transparency in litigation funding.
Answer: The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in ensuring access to justice.Following the PACCAR judgment, concerns have been raised about the need for greater regulation of the litigation funding market, including the p...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Homes: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) tackle, (b) prevent and (c) monitor poor quality care in council-commissioned care homes.
Answer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services, including council-commissioned care homes, to make sure they meet fundamental stand...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: Off-payroll WorkingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and HMRC of the number of people currently practicing in the hair and beauty sector using disguised employment practices.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. However, we are clear that disguised employment practices such as false self-employment are unacceptable. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid th...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: TaxationTreasuryTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33929More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to tackle disguised employment practices in the hair and beauty sector.
Answer: HMRC is committed to ensuring that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently and creates a level playing field for compliant businesses. Most businesses pay what they owe but a minority fail to register with HMRC or only declare a portion of their ea...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployers' Contributions: Personal Care ServicesTreasuryTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33928More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on hair and beauty sector.
Answer: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, the impacts on individu...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: VATTreasuryTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33927More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the British Hair Consortium's report entitled Securing the future of UK hairdressing and beauty: the economic, fiscal and s
Answer: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: ApprenticesCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33926More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many apprentices are working in the hair and beauty sector.
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 26th February is attached.
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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