Rachael Maskell MP: written questions
708 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Prisons: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105868More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to assure the safety of people working in the prison education service.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS has zero tolerance for violence against prison officers and prison staff, including those who work in prison education.The Education Provider is required to abide by all prison risk assessments and safe systems of work pu...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisons: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps is he taking to develop a comprehensive education programme for prisoners.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS are committed to improving the future prospects of prisoners through comprehensive education and skills provision. Last year, a new Prisoner Education Service was launched which is designed to improve the literacy, numera...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisons: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies to be made in the Prison Education Service as a result of the reduction in funding.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice is committed to supporting prisoners’ rehabilitation through educational activities. The national funding for prison education has not been reduced; it increased by 3% this financial year. However, inflationary pressures across edu...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisons: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105865More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of reduced funding for the prison education service on prisoner outcomes.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice is committed to supporting prisoners’ rehabilitation through educational activities. The national funding for prison education has not been reduced; it increased by 3% this financial year. However, inflationary pressures across edu...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisons: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the Prison Education Service on the future prospects of prisoners.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS are committed to improving the future prospects of prisoners through comprehensive education and skills provision. Last year, a new Prisoner Education Service was launched which is designed to improve the literacy, numera...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordKetamineDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105863More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions has he had with the Home Secretary on the reclassification of ketamine as a Class A substance.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care takes seriously addressing harms from ketamine. We are working with partners across Government, including Home Office, to respond to existing and new drug threats and to reduce and prevent the health harms they cau...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: DeathDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105862More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how will he ensure that the number of deaths for alcohol use will reduce in this Parliament.
Answer: The Government is committed to shortening the amount of time spent in ill health and preventing premature deaths by addressing the key preventable drivers of poor health, such as alcohol.Action to prevent harms from alcohol feature in several current stra...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105861More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent consideration has he made of the need for a harm reduction strategy to the use of alcohol.
Answer: The Government is committed to shortening the amount of time spent in ill health and preventing premature deaths by addressing the key preventable drivers of poor health, such as alcohol.Action to prevent harms from alcohol feature in several current stra...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to devise an alcohol strategy which reduces (a) use and (b) harmful use and (c) dependency on alcohol.
Answer: The Government is committed to shortening the amount of time spent in ill health and preventing premature deaths by addressing the key preventable drivers of poor health, such as alcohol.Action to prevent harms from alcohol feature in several current stra...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordGambling and Video Games: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how is she ensuring funding into services for people with gambling and gaming dependencies.
Answer: In April 2025, the statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm. In its first year, the levy has raised just under £120 million, 50% of which is allocated to NHS England and...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSexual and Reproductive Health: YorkDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of funding for sexual health services in York and across the country.
Answer: The Department provides funding for sexual health services through the Public Health Grant, which is allocated to local authorities in England, including in York. Sexual health is one of a number of public health services funded through the Public Health ...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Health: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105857More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the change in the public health grant for 2025/6 and 2026/7 on the shift to prevention in the NHS 10 Year Plan.
Answer: Our 10-Year Health Plan will deliver a shift in the whole health system from sickness to prevention.Over £13.4 billion will be consolidated into the Public Health Grant over the three-year period beginning in 2026/27, a 5.6% total cash increase over the p...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Health: YorkDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he can set out the amount of the public health grant for York for each of the last 10 years.
Answer: The following table shows the amount of core Public Health Grant funding for the City of York Council for each financial year dating back to the last 10 years: Financial yearAmount (£)2016/17£8,433,0002017/18£8,225,0002018/19£8,013,0002019/20£7,801,000202...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHealth Services and Social Services: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he will ensure the integration of health and social care with workforce planning.
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan set out how the Government will shift care from hospitals to the community. While the scope of the 10 Year Workforce Plan is the National Health Service workforce, for this shift to be meaningful, multi-disciplinary working and eff...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105854More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in devising the workforce plan, if he will include palliative care services.
Answer: The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has ...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordKetamine: MisuseHome OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105853More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions about the reclassification of ketamine.
Answer: Ketamine is a dangerous substance, which can cause irreversible bladder damage and in some cases death. We are concerned about the harms ketamine causes and the rise in ketamine use, particularly among young people. In October 2025 the Department for Heal...
Answered 19 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordKetamine: MisuseHome OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what considerations has she made regarding the adequacy of the classification of ketamine as a Class A illicit substance.
Answer: Ketamine is a dangerous substance, which can cause irreversible bladder damage and in some cases death. We are concerned about the harms ketamine causes and the rise in ketamine use, particularly among young people. In October 2025 the Department for Heal...
Answered 19 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUnited Nations: Older PeopleForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the establishment of the UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the response provided on 4 March 2025 to Question 33140.
Answered 9 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed ConflictForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she is taking steps to review mechanisms to (a) de-escalate conflict and (b) provide for international mediation.
Answer: The Government works closely with international partners in support of efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts, and ensure the provision of humanitarian aid in conflict zones.This includes discussing with states and organisations active in mediation how ...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordGaza: Health ServicesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has held with her Israeli counterpart on the need for foreign nationals to provide health care services in Gaza from deregistered organisations.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 5 January.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHumanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of an international treaty on the provision of humanitarian aid in conflict zones.
Answer: The Government works closely with international partners in support of efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts, and ensure the provision of humanitarian aid in conflict zones.This includes discussing with states and organisations active in mediation how ...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordInternational Humanitarian LawForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she is holding with international counterparts on processes to hold countries which are in breach of international humanitarian law to account.
Answer: The UK keeps all such matters under regular review alongside our international partners.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUN Security CouncilForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103327More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions has she had with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of reforming the operations of the UN Security Council when activities and operations concern
Answer: The UK keeps all such matters under regular review alongside our international partners.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUN Security CouncilForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103326More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the effectiveness of the operation of the UN Security Council at being able to hold jurisdictions to account when they are involved in actions
Answer: The UK keeps all such matters under regular review alongside our international partners.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVenezuela: Military OperationsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103325More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions were held with the US Government on Venezuela ahead of their military operation.
Answer: It has been the long-standing policy under successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters. But as the Foreign Secretary made clear in her statement to the House on 5 January, the UK Government had no advance knowledge of the operations to w...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →