Peter Bedford MP: written questions
225 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Work 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 recordInternet: Data ProtectionDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to review the requirement for platforms to implement client-side scanning and other automated content analysis tools under the Online Safety Act 2023 in the
Answer: The Online Safety Act does not require platforms to implement client-side scanning or other automated content analysis tools on content communicated privately. The Act states that Ofcom may not recommend the use of proactive technology, such as client-sid...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordWater SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Department has made of the potential regulatory implications of treating water stress and water efficiency as separate classifications; and whether her Department p
Answer: Defra has not made any assessment of the regulatory implications of treating water stress and water efficiency as separate classifications. The department defines serious water stress as ‘the current household demand for water is a high proportion of the ...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS procedures have been conducted in private hospitals in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answer: Improving elective performance and cutting waiting lists is a priority for the Government. We have made significant progress with patients being seen faster, and November saw the second biggest drop in the waiting list for 15 years outside of the early da...
Answered 21 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce NHS waiting lists in Leicestershire.
Answer: Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029.We ar...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Migrants: OffendersHome OfficeTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her department holds an estimate of the number of criminals in the UK that arrived in the country by irregular means.
Answer: The information you have requested regarding the number of foreign criminals in the UK who arrived by irregular means is not available from published statistics.However, foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforce...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordGambling: TaxationTreasuryTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100716More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to betting and gaming levies on illegal gambling operations in the UK.
Answer: Estimates suggest the illegal market is relatively small in the UK, between 2 – 9% of legal online market stakes. The Gambling Commission is already tackling this risk and protecting consumers, but we recognise that modern technology makes it easier for i...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: TaxationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100709More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the agricultural sector on the potential impact of proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Re
Answer: The Government regularly and actively engages with representatives from the farming industry through regular meetings and discussions, ensuring we listen to their views, understand their concerns, and take their feedback into account. At the November 2025...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
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