Oliver Dowden MP: written questions
181 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Drax GroupTreasuryTabled 30 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14371More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will ask the Financial Conduct Authority to set out the timeline of its enquiries into Drax Group plc from August 2024 to the closure of its investigation, including the date on which the decision to tak
Answer: The FCA is an independent regulator, and this independence is vital to its role. While the Government is responsible for the overall framework for financial services regulation, it cannot intervene in the FCA's operational decision-making, including its i...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax GroupTreasuryTabled 30 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14370More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any Minister or special adviser has had any communication with the Financial Conduct Authority on its investigation into Drax Group plc since August 2025.
Answer: The FCA is an independent regulator, and this independence is vital to its role. While the Government is responsible for the overall framework for financial services regulation, it cannot intervene in the FCA's operational decision-making, including its i...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax GroupDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14369More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he or any official or special adviser acting on his behalf has had any communication with the Financial Conduct Authority since 1 May 2026 on its investigation into Drax Group plc.
Answer: Neither the Secretary of State nor Special advisers have had any communications with the Financial Conduct Authority on this matter. On 18 June, the Financial Conduct Authority provided my departmental officials with a link to the FCA’s publicly available...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRecreation Spaces: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to Local Planning Authorities to ensure that green infrastructure delivered via developer contributions satisfies local requirements for spa
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in December 2024, sets out that access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity are important for the health and well-being of communities, and can deliver wider...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRecreation Spaces: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13851More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms exist within national planning policy to enable developers to secure long-term legal protection for newly created public green spaces within major housing allocat
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in December 2024, sets out that access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity are important for the health and well-being of communities, and can deliver wider...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRecreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the number of new parks required by 2033 to maintain present levels of provision per person; and what steps his Department is taking to support the
Answer: The Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of additional parks required by 2033 to maintain current provision per head. MHCLG is supporting the creation of green and recreational spaces through the planning system. Planning policies sho...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRecreation Spaces: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed planning reforms on green space accessibility in lower-income socio-economic areas.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in December 2024, sets out that access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity are important for the health and well-being of communities, and can deliver wider...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordPlaying Fields: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13848More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to address local authority playing field accessibility.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in December 2024, sets out that access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity are important for the health and well-being of communities, and can deliver wider...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordPlanning: SportsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of technical capacity and specialist resources within Local Planning Authorities to evaluate the potential impact of reduced spo
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026 and UIN 119470 on 23 March 2026.
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSport England: Recreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13846More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of trends in the number of recreational spaces that fall outside Sport England's statutory remit, with reference to data compiled by
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in December 2024, sets out that access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity are important for the health and well-being of communities, and can deliver wider...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordPlanning: SportsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13845More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that planning reforms do not lead to a reduction in local sports provisions.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026 and UIN 119470 on 23 March 2026.
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCommunity AssetsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13844More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department plans to use to define a 'subset of high-impact cases' under the proposals in the 'Reforms to the statutory consultee system' consultation; and what
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026 and UIN 119470 on 23 March 2026.
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCommunity Assets: SportsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13843More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the formal consultation responses submitted to the 'Reforms to the statutor
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026 and UIN 119470 on 23 March 2026.
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSport England: Public ConsultationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13842More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many of the consultation responses received by his Department regarding the proposal to remove Sport England as a statutory consultee, as set out in the November 2025 consult
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026 and UIN 119470 on 23 March 2026.
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13841More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department issues sentences for trial of the facts cases involving sexual offences.
Answer: In any case, including those involving alleged sexual offences, where a defendant is found unfit to plead, the ordinary criminal trial does not proceed in the usual way. Instead, the jury determines whether the defendant did the act or made the omission c...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to review the sentencing guidelines for under-16s year olds found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
Answer: Sentencing guidelines are produced by the independent Sentencing Council, established by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so.
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13839More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to expedite rape and sexual violence cases so that victim do not wait more than six months for their case to be heard in court.
Answer: The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record number of cases awaiting trial in the Crown Court. Victims are facing an unacceptably long wait for justice and without action, the situation will continue to spiral.The Courts and Tribuna...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13838More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce court delays for victims of sexual violence.
Answer: The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record number of cases awaiting trial in the Crown Court. Victims are facing an unacceptably long wait for justice and without action, the situation will continue to spiral.The Courts and Tribuna...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13837More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of court delays on the mental wellbeing of victims of sexual violence in Hertsmere constituency.
Answer: The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record number of cases awaiting trial in the Crown Court. Victims are facing an unacceptably long wait for justice and without action, the situation will continue to spiral.The Courts and Tribuna...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMentally Disordered Offenders: TrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to protect the public from a person if they are found unfit to stand trial but was found to have done the act in a trial of the facts.
Answer: In any case, including those involving alleged sexual offences, where a defendant is found unfit to plead, the ordinary criminal trial does not proceed in the usual way. Instead, the jury determines whether the defendant did the act or made the omission c...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMentally Disordered Offenders: TrialsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been found unfit to stand trial in each year since 2015.
Answer: In any case, including those involving alleged sexual offences, where a defendant is found unfit to plead, the ordinary criminal trial does not proceed in the usual way. Instead, the jury determines whether the defendant did the act or made the omission c...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual OffencesHome OfficeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13834More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help the police handle sexual offence cases.
Answer: We are funding the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection to improve the national police response to VAWG. Their work includes supporting forces to implement Operation Soteria, which consists of guidance and tool...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual OffencesHome OfficeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidelines the police have for handling sexual offence cases.
Answer: We are funding the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection to improve the national police response to VAWG. Their work includes supporting forces to implement Operation Soteria, which consists of guidance and tool...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors: TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on an independent assessment process for trainee solicitors.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice regularly engages with the SRA on the effective operation of the legal services regulatory framework. This has included engagement with the SRA regarding the training and qualification requirements for solicitors and how these requ...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSolicitors: TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on the support available for trainee solicitors experiencing issues with their training providers.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice regularly engages with the SRA on the effective operation of the legal services regulatory framework. This has included engagement with the SRA regarding the training and qualification requirements for solicitors and how these requ...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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