Peter Bedford MP: written questions 2026
155 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Armed Forces: AgeMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119763More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the age for deployable service-personnel to 16.
Answer: All recruitment into the UK military is voluntary and no young person under the age of 18 years may join our Armed Forces unless their application is accompanied by the formal written consent of their parent or guardian. We take the duty of care towards a...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSmoking: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of lowering the age of smoking and vaping to 16 year olds on the impact of 16 year olds.
Answer: Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health. It claims the lives of approximately 80,000 people a year in the United Kingdom and kills up to two-thirds of its long-term users.Three quarters of smokers wish they had nev...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Licences: Young PeopleDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of lowering the age of driving to 16.
Answer: The Department is not considering lowering the driving age to 16. Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy and that is especially the case for young people who are disproportionately involved in road collisions. That is why the Road Safety Strategy focus...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPet Travel SchemeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether UK pets that have an EU pet passport will continue to be able to travel to the EU under that passport, and not require an Animal Health Certificate to do so after 22 April 2026
Answer: Pets leaving Great Britain must comply with the relevant requirements as determined by the country of destination. Defra always advises pet owners to consult with the relevant authorities in the country of destination if any pet travel requirements for mo...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGambling: TaxationDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the potential impact of budget changes to betting and gaming levies on the viability of British sports.
Answer: The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing and other sports make to the nation’s economy and sporting landscape. DCMS and HMT Ministers have regular engagement on betting and gaming levies.
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Work Capability Assessments were (a) curtailed and (b) closed early in the last year for which data is available.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold or publish statistics on the number of Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) that have been curtailed or closed early, either over the last five years or in the most recent year for which data is available. ...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117590More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Work Capability Assessments received Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, Limited Capability for Work and Fit for Work awards in the last five years.
Answer: The department regularly publishes Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment (UC WCA) statistics, with monthly UC WCA decision outcomes, currently available from April 2019 to August 2025, shown in Table 6 of the latest data tables and on Stat-Xplore in...
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117589More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions in the last five years Work Capability Assessors have exceeded minimum daily assessment requirements.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions has not set a specified number of Work Capability Assessments that health professionals (HP) are expected to complete per day. The number of assessments completed can vary depending on the type of assessment (telephone...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117588More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to review his decision as outlined in his answer to me within UIN 110638.
Answer: As outlined in the previous answer, there are no plans to abolish the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117102More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor about the trends in youth unemployment since July 2024.
Answer: This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in educatio...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUnemploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect to trends in unemployment since July 2024.
Answer: Since November 2024, employment is up by over 454,000, youth employment by 126,000, and the ethnic minority employment rate has risen to 69.9%. The UK’s employment rate has remained stable at 75% over the past year and we’ve seen other positive labour mar...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Migrants: English ChannelHome OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether anyone that has been removed from the UK in 2026 has subsequently re-entered the country via small boat.
Answer: This specific information is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant date could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Statistics on daily small boat arrivals to the UK...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115749More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department incentivises private contractors to increase face-to-face assessments.
Answer: Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts set clear targets that incentivise delivery of all assessments. Contracts also include a requirement for the delivery of face to face assessments.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115748More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when are the private contracts for PIP assessments reviewed; and what ongoing scrutiny does his Department carry out on these contractors.
Answer: The Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts (which include the PIP assessment service) are reviewed on an ongoing basis as part of comprehensive contract and performance management undertaken by the Department, ensuring contractors are held to accou...
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115747More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what key performance indicators are used to monitor private contractors providing PIP assessments.
Answer: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hold Personal Independence Payment assessment suppliers to a robust set of contractual performance measures to ensure that assessments are delivered to a high standard. Under the Functional Assessment Services (FAS) ...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115746More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unannounced visits his Department conducted to PIP face-to-face assessment centres in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answer: The department undertakes visits to Personal Independence Payment assessment centres for a range of reasons, including performance and operational oversight, contractual assurance activity, and estates‑related checks.The department does not centrally reco...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBetting: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115690More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential impact of raising betting duty on Greyhound Racing alongside general sports duty in 2027; and what assessment she
Answer: At Budget 2025, the government announced a package of changes to gambling duties which will raise over £1 billion per year to support the public finances and forms part of our ambition to create a fair, modern and sustainable tax system. As part of this p...
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordOffice for Budget ResponsibilityTreasuryTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110640More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of abolishing the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Answer: The Chancellor and the Government are committed to the independence of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and to its role at the heart of economic and fiscal policy making.
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110639More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the number of arms-length bodies across Government departments has increased since July 2024.
Answer: Since July 2024, 10 Arms Length Bodies have been announced to deliver the manifesto the Government was elected on. In conjunction with this, the government is conducting a comprehensive review of the entire ALB landscape, as announced on 6 April 2025, thi...
Answered 25 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110638More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of abolishing the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Answer: There are no plans to abolish the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPhysiotherapy: EmploymentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110637More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase physiotherapy employment opportunities for the cohort graduating in 2026.
Answer: Decisions on the employment of newly qualified physiotherapists are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPhysiotherapy: EmploymentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110636More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support physiotherapists that qualified last year into employment.
Answer: Decisions on the employment of newly qualified physiotherapists are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPhysiotherapy: EmploymentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of availability of entry-level physiotherapy roles on musculoskeletal waiting lists.
Answer: Decisions on the recruitment of physiotherapists are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe a...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPhysiotherapy: EmploymentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that newly qualified physiotherapists are able to access Band 5 employment opportunities within the NHS, in the context of recruitment freezes and rece
Answer: Decisions on the recruitment and employment of newly qualified physiotherapists are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the rig...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 30 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that organisations that hold licenses to use animals in science provide those animals with access to food and water; and if she will make an assessment of the potent
Answer: All licensed establishments must fully uphold the required standards for animal welfare as set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) and the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Pu...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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