Rachael Maskell MP: written questions
708 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Venezuela: Military OperationsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103324More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what intelligence did she receive from UK sources as to the build up of operations by the US ahead of their operation in Venezuela.
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 recordGame: Gun SportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103323More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislation to ban grouse moor shooting practices on the moors to help protect against flooding and fire.
Answer: The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to ban grouse shooting but it is vital that wildlife and habitats are protected and that the law is respected by those involved in the activity. In September 2025, the Government amended the Heather...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103322More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking to encourage planting to manage water in the upper catchments.
Answer: Defra promotes tree planting in upper catchments to enhance the water environment, supported by a suite of targeted grants including the England Woodland Creation Offer, the Environment Agency’s (EA) Natural Flood Management Programme, and wider Environme...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFloods: Fire and Rescue ServicesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103321More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is ensuring that Fire and Rescue services have a statutory duty to support flood events.
Answer: Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. However, we recognise the interest in ...
Answered 9 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordYorkshire WaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103320More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made with Ofwat on helping to ensure that Yorkshire Water provides value to its customers through how it prioritises resources.
Answer: Ofwat, the economic regulator, sets specific performance targets for companies including Yorkshire Water in the five-yearly price review. Where companies fail to meet these targets, they must reimburse customers through lower water bills. As a result, Ofw...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDroughts: North YorkshireDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103319More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking to reduce drought in York and North Yorkshire over the summer season.
Answer: Yorkshire's water resources have fully recovered after a notably wet autumn and early winter. The likelihood of a return to drought conditions in 2026 are now the same as they are in the late winter of any recent year. The Environment Agency, Yorkshire Wa...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: North YorkshireDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103318More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will (a) provide funding for and (b) accelerate upland management schemes to prevent flooding in lower catchment areas in York and North Yorkshire.
Answer: The Government is providing funding for upland and catchment-based management measures that help reduce flood risk in downstream communities, including in York and North Yorkshire. A new 3-year £4.2 billion Flood and Coastal Risk Management Investment Pro...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103317More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will develop a strategy (a) to help tackle surface water flooding and (b) ensure water industry regulatory compliance.
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) has a strategic overview role for all sources of flooding, which includes surface water. This is set out in the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England (FCERM Strategy). The EA has a legal duty t...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: Business PremisesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103316More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost of flood protection measures to businesses which regularly flood in (a) the King's Staith area in York and (b) all other areas.
Answer: The properties along the historic Kings Staith waterfront are the lowest lying properties in the city and have no permanent flood wall defences due to heritage, buildability and economic reasons. Many of these properties now benefit from individual proper...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103315More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that flood protection infrastructure, including the Foss Barrier in York, is regularly inspected and maintained.
Answer: The Environment Agency regularly inspects and reports on the condition of flood risk management assets across England. Environment Agency assets are prioritised for funding as part of the annual allocation process. Where appropriate, third-party asset own...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBabies: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Jan 2026WithdrawnUIN 103314More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England to expand the Start for Life/Healthy Babies programme to every local authority, when York will receive funding to provide these serv
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordChildren: Digital TechnologyDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102803More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to assess the potential impact of screen time on the development of children under 5.
Answer: The department is commissioning a systematic review of evidence that enables causal inference, rather than just correlation, to better understand how screentime impacts children and young people, including under fives. We are planning a further programme ...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren: PovertyDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102802More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how is she supporting (a) babies growing up in poverty and (b) ensuring that early inequalities are addressed.
Answer: The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH) in every local authority to ensure all children and families who need support the most can access it. Backed by over £500 million, the rol...
Answered 28 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102801More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of enabling directors of children's services to commission CAMHS on the holistic provision for (a) children and (b) children with neurodiversity.
Answer: No assessment has been made of the potential impact of enabling directors of children’s services to commission Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services on holistic provision for children, including those with neurodiversity.The Government’s priority is...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordChildren and Young People: Mental Health ServicesDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102800More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on enabling directors of children's services to commission CAMHS services in partnership with mental health trusts.
Answer: The departments are working closely together to ensure every child has the best start in life and to improve access to local mental health support for all children. This includes:A 3-year mental health support pilot to ensure children in care have access ...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFamily Hubs: YorkDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding for a Best Start centre in York.
Answer: The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH) in every local authority to ensure all children and families who need support the most can access it. Backed by over £500 million, the rol...
Answered 28 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBootham Park Hospital: Repairs and Maintenance and SecurityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on Bootham Park Hospital (a) security and (b) maintenance and upkeep since its closure as an NHS facility.
Answer: The former Bootham Park Hospital site was declared surplus to National Health Service requirements in 2016 and has been vacant since 2018. Returning the property to any operational use is considered unviable, with previous estimates indicating that approx...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBootham Park Hospital: Community AssetsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102797More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of Botham Park Hospital being used as an asset for community use.
Answer: The former Bootham Park Hospital site was declared surplus to National Health Service requirements in 2016 and has been vacant since 2018. Returning the property to any operational use is considered unviable, with previous estimates indicating that approx...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPreventive Medicine and Public Health: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102796More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to invest more in prevention and public health.
Answer: For 2025/26, the Government increased the Public Health Grant by £224 million to support local authorities to deliver public health services. The Government will continue to invest in local authorities' vital public health work, providing more than £13.4 ...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102795More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will develop a workforce plan for palliative care with service commissioners.
Answer: We have published our 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and a central part of the plan is our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to ca...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102794More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how does he intend to address the revenue shortfall in palliative care.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102793More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on the work of the Independent Palliative Care Commission to develop the strategy for the delivery of palliative care.
Answer: We welcome the independent scrutiny by the Independent Palliative Care Commission. I met the Hon. Member for York Central and Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to discuss the commission’s first report of three and formally responded to that report last year.The...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what elements of the Adult Social Care strategy does he intend to publish this year as the first phase of the strategy.
Answer: We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on professional experience of those working in adult social care for developing the strategy.
Answer: We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on lived experience in shaping the strategy for adult social care.
Answer: We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →