Rachael Maskell MP: written questions
245 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Higher Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117320More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of tuition fee-based funding model for higher education.
Answer: Around £10.8 billion in tuition fee loans administered by the Student Loans Company were paid directly to higher education providers in the 2024/25 financial year.To provide long-term funding certainty for the sector, so that it can focus on reform, we wi...
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: InvestmentDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117319More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the financial return to the economy of public investment in higher education.
Answer: Research by London Economics estimates that teaching and learning activities provided by the UK higher education (HE) sector generated £94.8 billion, which was equivalent to an average £13 return for every £1 of public investment in 2021/22. The combined ...
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116176More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commit to developing a roadmap for the transition to in-ovo sexing in the UK egg industry.
Answer: As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and we will be working with the UK egg industry to this end. The Government welcomes industry’s interest in the d...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116175More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a consultation on ending the routine culling of male chicks through in-ovo sexing is under consideration.
Answer: As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and we will be working with the UK egg industry to this end. The Government welcomes industry’s interest in the d...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116174More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to publish a formal consultation on how a transition to in-ovo sexing would be implemented.
Answer: As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and we will be working with the UK egg industry to this end. The Government welcomes industry’s interest in the d...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPhysiotherapy: Migrant WorkersHome OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the following key workers will remain eligible for indefinite leave to remain after five years under changes to the migration rules, (a) NHS physiotherapists, (b) NHS therapy support workers,
Answer: The consultation for the earned settlement model, as proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, was open to the public between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. Contributions will now be analysed, and the findings will support the development of t...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113669More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she had made of trends in the number of animals who died or were euthanised following non-compliance incidents as reported in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024.
Answer: Any incident of non‑compliance with the ASPA, including those where animals died or were euthanised following non-compliance, is taken seriously and investigated in line with ASRU’s published compliance framework The framework explains how potential breac...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113668More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the146 cases of non-compliance in British laboratories described in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit A
Answer: All establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act1986 are required to meet standards of animal protections as set out in the Act and in the associated Code of Practice. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) conducts a progr...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAdoption: SchoolsDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111172More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence entitled Adoptee Voices, published on 28 January 2026, if she will take steps to provide (a) a safe space in schoo
Answer: All children and young people should have every opportunity to achieve and thrive, but too many face barriers holding them back. The upcoming Schools White Paper will set out our vision for a system that delivers educational excellence for every child and...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAdoption: SchoolsDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111171More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence entitled Adoptee Voices, published on 28 January 2026, if she will take steps to provide additional support for ad
Answer: All children and young people should have every opportunity to achieve and thrive, but too many face barriers holding them back. The upcoming Schools White Paper will set out our vision for a system that delivers educational excellence for every child and...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAdoption: Mental Health ServicesDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111170More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence entitled Adoptee Voices, published on 28 January 2026, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Heal
Answer: The ‘Adoptee Voices’ publication enabled the department to hear directly from adoptees and about their experience of trauma and mental health provision, such provision must be informed by lived experience as well as clinical evidence. The department recen...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAdoptionDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111169More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence entitled Adoptee Voices, published on 28 January 2026, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of o
Answer: Young people involved in Adoption England’s National Youth Forum and regional adoption agency peer groups have spoken about how these groups have helped them explore and strengthen their identity, as well as to develop friendships with peers who understan...
Answered 16 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAdoptionDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111168More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence entitled Adoptee Voices, published on 28 January 2026, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of e
Answer: Adoption England already has a well-established National Youth Forum. Young people who contributed to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adoption and Permanence’s Adoptee Voices report can join the Forum to share their views and influence the government...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordClimate Change: WildlifeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108680More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of climate change on wildlife.
Answer: Under the UK Climate Change Act 2008, the Government must complete a Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme outlining how identified risks will be addressed. The fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment w...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Work Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments were undertaken in each month since August 2025 for (a) new and (b) existing claimants.
Answer: The number of Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments undertaken in each month from August 2025 to December 2025 for a) new and b) existing claimants can be found in the table below: Aug 25Sep 25Oct 25Nov 25Dec 25(a) New37,00043,00042,00038,00031,0...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Work Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) new and (b) existing claimants were waiting for a Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment in each month since January 2025.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions prioritises assessments for new claims to minimise waiting times and ensure claimants receive the right benefit entitlement as soon as possible. We are working with suppliers to increase capacity for clearing the backl...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Work Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average end-to-end clearance time for a Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment was in each month since January 2025 for (a) new and (b) existing claimants.
Answer: The department regularly publishes Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics and the development of clearance times is detailed in the release strategy for those statistics. Further details on the future publication of clearance times will be...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106166More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to stabilise drug pricing for community pharmacies.
Answer: Pharmacies are an integral part of our communities. They are an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly skilled healthcare professionals. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we want pharmacies to play a bigger r...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106165More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to extend the pharmacy first model.
Answer: Pharmacies are an integral part of our communities. They are an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly skilled healthcare professionals. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we want pharmacies to play a bigger r...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106164More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to build resilience in community pharmacies.
Answer: Pharmacies are an integral part of our communities. They are an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly skilled healthcare professionals. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we want pharmacies to play a bigger r...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106163More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to review the NHS funding formula.
Answer: NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards (ICBs) The process of setting allocations is informed by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), an independent committee that provides a...
Answered 28 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care Boards: ReorganisationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106162More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to measure the effectiveness of the reorganisation of ICBs at delivering service transformation.
Answer: The NHS Oversight Framework provides a consistent and transparent approach to assessing integrated care boards (ICBs) and National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs....
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care Boards: ReorganisationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ICB centralisation on health and care service transformation.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the focus of integrated care boards will be the strategic commissioning of health and care services working across larger footprints to drive improvements in services and improve population health. Further informatio...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: YorkDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106160More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of York Frailty Hub on his Department's screening and prevention agenda.
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee has not been asked to look at frailty as a screening programme and no specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of York Frailty Hub on the Department's screening and prevention agenda.The provision of fr...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: YorkDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106159More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of York Frailty Hub for enabling people to access palliative care.
Answer: While no formal national evaluation of the York Community Frailty Hub’s specific impact on palliative care access has been undertaken, the evidence set out in our 10-Year Health Plan shows that the hub is an effective model for improving timely and approp...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
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