Rachel Gilmour MP: written questions
161 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Heat PumpsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the use of heat pumps in (a) uninsulated and (b) improperly insulated homes.
Answer: Evidence shows that heat pumps are suitable for a diverse range of housing archetypes in the UK and the clear majority of properties. Modern heat pumps, capable of running efficiently at similar temperatures to an existing boiler, can increasingly be used...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing Associations: Tenancy TransfersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of regulation on the duty of care transfer of vulnerable tenants from housing associations to village agents.
Answer: Registered providers of social housing must ensure that the safety of tenants is considered in the design and delivery of landlord services and take reasonable steps to mitigate any identified risks to tenants. In addition, registered providers must take ...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented Housing: Heat PumpsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of mechanical failure of Magna Air Source heat pumps in social housing on tenants.
Answer: Heat Pumps are often a highly effective low carbon alternative to a traditional gas boiler and can save families around £100 a year compared to a gas boiler through the effective use of a smart tariff. However, as with any repair, social housing providers...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.19 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, if she will allocate funding to rebuild the B3191 between Watchet and Blue Anchor.
Answer: At the Budget on 30 October, the Chancellor announced £1.6 billion of capital funding for English local highway authorities for highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of £500 million or nearly 50% compared to the current financial...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: RegulationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17403More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of further regulating social care micro-providers.
Answer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The CQC has powers under the Health and Care Act 2008 to regulate adult social care services, to make sure they provide safe, effective, compassionate, an...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSea Bass: QuotasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17402More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of regulations on the fishing of bass by charter boats which are also commercially-registered fishing vessels and (b) potential merits
Answer: The Bass Fisheries Management Plan published in December 2023 sets out a number goals and measures to deliver long-term sustainable management of bass fisheries in English and Welsh waters. This includes working with the newly established bass management ...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15129More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Alcohol Duty uprating, published on 30 October 2024, if she will publish an estimate of the future administrative and operational costs to businesses associat
Answer: At the recent Budget, the Chancellor confirmed that the current temporary wine easement will end as planned from 1 February 2025. By this time, the wine industry will have had over two years to adapt to the strength-based alcohol duty system. The summary ...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15128More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts of long-term alcohol consumption trends; and what assessment she has made of the potential im
Answer: The OBR recently reviewed its forecasts of tax receipts from alcohol duty and commented on this in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in October. Its updated forecast reflects lower-than-anticipated alcohol consumption in 2024-25, and a reduction ...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMissing PersonsHome OfficeTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15122More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a cross-Departmental body with responsibility for missing person investigations, in the context of the multi-agency responsibilit
Answer: The Government recognises the need for an effective multi-agency response to missing person investigations.The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice (APP), issued by the College of Policing, sets out best practice guidance for all missing perso...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Missing PersonsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15121More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been reported missing from (a) hospitals and (b) other health care settings in each of the last four years for which data is available.
Answer: The following table shows a count of patient safety incidents, reported as occurring where the incident category is absconder or missing patient, broken down by care setting, each year from 2020/21 to 2023/24:Care setting of occurrence2020/212021/222022/2...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14228More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to support rural households in Tiverton and Minehead constituency with gaining broadband connections, in the context of (a) Connecting Devon and Somerset and
Answer: We are considering how Project Gigabit can support the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to premises that have been descoped from Airband’s contracts with Connecting Devon and Somerset. This may include bringing more premises into the scope of Project G...
Answered 22 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13976More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the council tax levy for second homes on the chalet industry; and whether chalets will qualify as second homes
Answer: From April 2025 councils will have the power to charge a discretionary premium of up to 100% on dwellings which are unoccupied and substantially furnished. The Government recognises there may be circumstances where it may not be appropriate for a premium ...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet Protocol: Tiverton and MineheadDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of transitioning from analogue landline systems to a digitised service on (a) Tiverton and Minehead constituency and (b)
Answer: The industry-led migration from analogue to digital landlines (“the PSTN migration”) poses some specific risks for rural constituencies, for instance where areas may be more prone to power outages or lack mobile coverage. The Department is working with co...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHospices: Community Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for the role hospices will play in shifting care into the community.
Answer: We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver an National Health Service fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with pa...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEnergy: MetersDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13865More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) PeakSave and (b) other energy tariff rates for communities without the signal needed to install a smart meter.
Answer: The Government has made no such specific assessment, as tariffs and energy contracts are a commercial matter for suppliers. However, the Government does want consumers to have access to a range of tariffs, so they can choose the contract that best suits t...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEpilepsy: ResearchDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13728More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase funding for epilepsy research and (b) improve treatment options for patients with epilepsy.
Answer: The Department funds research into epilepsy via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR spent almost £19 million on 46 epilepsy research projects in the five years from April 2019 to March 2024. Additionally, over this period,...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordService ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13711More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislation to (a) standardise service charge (i) item descriptions and (ii) terminology used and (b) include references to (A) Schedule of Rates codes
Answer: The Government recognises that Non-Disclosure Agreements are sometimes used for out of court settlements between leaseholders and their managing agent or landlord. It considers that in the vast majority of cases these should be unnecessary and only be use...
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLeasehold: Service ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will bring forward legislation to prohibit the imposition of non-disclosure agreements on people who (a) successfully challenge (i) landlords and (ii) managing
Answer: The Government recognises that Non-Disclosure Agreements are sometimes used for out of court settlements between leaseholders and their managing agent or landlord. It considers that in the vast majority of cases these should be unnecessary and only be use...
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Mental HealthDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13359More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the journal system for Universal Credit on the mental health of applicants and users.
Answer: DWP are committed to providing the best possible support for all our customers, including the most vulnerable in society. Within Universal Credit, we recognise that customers have individual needs and different barriers, so we train and support all our wo...
Answered 15 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordExtracurricular ActivitiesDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13358More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the restriction of school and extra curricular options through repayment deadlines within the UK Benefits System on parents and students.
Answer: The department has no plans to undertake this specific assessment, but we have evaluated the impact of poverty on educational outcomes. Evidence shows that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra ...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCoastal AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the University of Exeter's report entitled Resilience of Coastal Communities, Work Package 1: Responding
Answer: Defra welcomes the publication of the report, which is an output of work funded by UK Research and Innovation. We consider a number of policy initiatives already align with many of the work’s findings, and will continue to consider their implications in t...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAbduction: ChildrenForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12877More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead to discuss a case of international child abduction.
Answer: The Government takes International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) very seriously. When a British child has been abducted, the FCDO's consular staff provide empathetic and practical support to those affected, including to signpost them to relevant partner...
Answered 12 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordNature Conservation: CrimeMinistry of JusticeTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will (a) hold discussions with the Sentencing Council on the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for people who have been convicted of wildlife crimes and (b) make an assessment of the potential implications
Answer: Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so, and the Council regularly assesses their effectiveness. It would not be appropriate for the Government to requir...
Answered 12 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 1 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to roll out NHS-funded Hybrid Close Loop technology to all Type 1 Diabetics in the UK.
Answer: In December 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published the Technology Appraisal guidance, and recommended that the National Health Service in England makes Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) systems available to eligible adults, and all c...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordFarmers: Tiverton and MineheadDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11673More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead on the (a) Exmoor Farmers' Network and (b) farming community in Tiverton and Minehead constituency.
Answer: My Defra private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →