Oliver Dowden MP: written questions
181 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Green BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111724More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide the evidence base used to determine that 800m is the appropriate radius for station-based Green Belt release.
Answer: The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The draft NPPF includes policies that would allow for suitable development (includ...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111723More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many "Grey Belt" planning applications have been approved on appeal against the wishes of the local planning authority since the publication of the revised NPPF in December 2
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 and the Green Belt guidance updated on 27 February 2025 do not introduce a definition of large-built up area, town, historic town or village. In the absence of an up-to-date loca...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGreen BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111722More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the potential for "Grey Belt" designations to encourage speculative planning applications on land in an area that does not h
Answer: The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 and the Green Belt guidance updated on 27 February 2025 do not introduce a definition of large-built up area, town, historic town or village. In the absence of an up-to-date loca...
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBrownfield SitesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111721More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes his Department plans to build on brownfield land.
Answer: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84470 on 30 October 2025.
Answered 24 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFreedom of ExpressionHome OfficeTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111720More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect free speech.
Answer: Free speech is a fundamental right and a defining value of our open and diverse society. Our legislation reflects this, enabling individuals to engage in robust debate. However, freedom of speech is a qualified right. It does not extend to language that i...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFreedom of ExpressionHome OfficeTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to promote free speech.
Answer: Free speech is a fundamental right and a defining value of our open and diverse society. Our legislation reflects this, enabling individuals to engage in robust debate. However, freedom of speech is a qualified right. It does not extend to language that i...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordArts: Political ImpartialityDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111718More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance her Department provides to Arts Council England regarding the political neutrality of National Portfolio Organisations.
Answer: The government is committed to freedom of speech, including in the cultural sector, and the Secretary of State has expressed an unequivocal ambition that the era of the government stoking “culture wars” should be over. The government is clear that whilst ...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordArts: Political ImpartialityDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111717More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that arts organisations receiving public funding do not discriminate against events based on the political or philosophical viewpoints of the speaker
Answer: The government is committed to freedom of speech, including in the cultural sector, and the Secretary of State has expressed an unequivocal ambition that the era of the government stoking “culture wars” should be over. The government is clear that whilst ...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFireworks: Anti-social BehaviourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 on tackling the purchase of fireworks for anti-social use.
Answer: There has been no assessment on the impact of the fireworks regulations 2004 on tackling purchase of fireworks for anti-social use.I recognise that people hold a range of views on this issue. On 19th January, MPs debated two e-petitions relating to the sa...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFireworks: HertfordshireDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with local councils to tackle the anti-social use of fireworks in Hertfordshire.
Answer: Local authorities and the police have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by misuse of fireworks. New Respect Orders will empower police and local councils, via court mandates, to impose stringent behavioural restrictions on individuals who repe...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMarine Protected Areas: Bottom TrawlingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109568More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will prohibit bottom-towed fishing gear in all 41 Marine Protected Areas.
Answer: The consultation on the latest round of proposed fisheries byelaws, which proposes further restrictions on bottom trawling in 41 of England’s offshore Marine Protected Areas, closed on 29 September. The Marine Management Organisation is now carefully cons...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBBC: Political ImpartialityDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the BBC on the adequacy of the political impartiality in its news and current affairs output.
Answer: The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Chair of the BBC to discuss a wide range of issues.For any public service broadcaster, accountability and trust are key. It is important that the BBC continues to demonstrate how it is working diligently to ...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHospital BedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to change the current bed capacity in the NHS across England.
Answer: In September, there were an average of 100,615 general and acute beds open across all acute trusts in England, 93,553 of which were occupied, a 93% occupancy rate.Decisions regarding the opening of additional beds to manage pressures are made locally by i...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospital BedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current bed capacity is in the NHS across England.
Answer: In September, there were an average of 100,615 general and acute beds open across all acute trusts in England, 93,553 of which were occupied, a 93% occupancy rate.Decisions regarding the opening of additional beds to manage pressures are made locally by i...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRobotics: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90759More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in robotics.
Answer: Robotics is one of the Department’s 10-Year Health Plan’s five "big bets” and by supporting the innovation pipeline from research through to adoption we aim to stimulate greater innovation and more rapid delivery of these technologies for improved pa...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSurgery: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in nano surgery.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, the Department encourages innovation in the health sector that helps to support the three big shifts in healthcare: moving care from hospitals to communities; transitioning from analogue...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood Tests: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in liquid biopsies.
Answer: The Government is committed to funding innovative technologies, including multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests such as liquid biopsies, to improve early cancer diagnosis rates for cancer patients in the National Health Service. The Office for Life Sciences’...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordGenomics: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in genomics.
Answer: The ambitions set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, together with the 10-Year Health Plan, will enable the United Kingdom to remain firmly at the forefront of the genomics revolution by driving large-scale preventative care and enabling world-class re...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordVirtual WardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90755More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the target number of virtual wards is in the NHS across England.
Answer: In October 2025, there were 12,588 virtual ward beds across England, with 10,049 being occupied by patients.Whilst there is currently no specific national target for the number of virtual ward beds, the NHS England 2025/26 operational planning guidance in...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordVirtual WardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90754More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is a target for the number of virtual wards in the NHS across England.
Answer: In October 2025, there were 12,588 virtual ward beds across England, with 10,049 being occupied by patients.Whilst there is currently no specific national target for the number of virtual ward beds, the NHS England 2025/26 operational planning guidance in...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordVirtual WardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90753More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many virtual wards there are in the NHS across England.
Answer: In October 2025, there were 12,588 virtual ward beds across England, with 10,049 being occupied by patients.Whilst there is currently no specific national target for the number of virtual ward beds, the NHS England 2025/26 operational planning guidance in...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordLicensed Premises: Local PressDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of removing the requirement to advertise new premises licences or variations to existing ones in local newspapers on local transpar
Answer: Following the Licensing taskforce report, the Government published a Call for Evidence on reforming the licensing system on 7 October, which closed on 6 November. The Call for Evidence invited views on the impact of licensing reforms, including in relatio...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Local PressDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90268More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of removing the requirement for local authorities to publish statutory public notices in local newspapers on local transparency in
Answer: Following the Licensing taskforce report, the Government published a Call for Evidence on reforming the licensing system on 7 October, which closed on 6 November. The Call for Evidence invited views on the impact of licensing reforms, including in relatio...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90267More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to continuous glucose monitors for people with diabetes.
Answer: There are currently over 200,000 people living with diabetes in England who benefit from real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) In order to help integrated care boards (ICBs) improve access to CGM to eligible people, data is now collected as part o...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the phased implementation period for access to hybrid closed-loop technology for people with type 1 diabetes.
Answer: NHS England has developed a five-year national strategy with guidance to National Health Service providers on the phased uptake approach of hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems. Rollout started in April 2024 with pregnant women, children, young people, those ...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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