Rebecca Smith MP: written questions 2026
171 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Department for Transport: AviationDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Jordan; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and
Answer: The Department for Transport (DfT) works with international partners to support the strengthening of aviation security standards with last points of departure to the UK. This engagement includes technical cooperation and in‑country visits where necessary ...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the announcement of 25 March 2026 entitled £1 billion to cut costs for businesses, drive growth and clean up UK roads, a) how much funding has been allocated to the Depot Charging Scheme in each fin
Answer: £171 million has been allocated to the Depot Charging Scheme for financial year 2026/27 out to Financial Year 2029/30, with £28 million confirmed for the 2026/27 Financial Year and £38 million for 2027/28. Grant rates and future application windows will b...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: PricesDepartment for TransportTabled 13 May 2026AnsweredUIN 910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2026 to Question 127583 on Electric Vehicles: Prices, (a) whether her Department has a projected date by which zero emission vehicles will reach purchase price parity wi
Answer: DfT continues to monitor evidence on prices and projections. Prices for electric vehicles have fallen over the last few years, but there is substantial uncertainty around precisely when the average new zero emission car may reach price parity with an aver...
Answered 20 May 2026
Original Parliament recordRescue ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129929More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on volunteer mountain rescue teams; and if he will introduce an exemption
Answer: Registration is only required where the service is providing the regulated activity of Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury by, or under the supervision of, specified healthcare professionals. Organisations providing exclusively first aid may be out o...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: AdoptionDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve (a) access to, and (b) outcomes in, higher education for adopted children.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: AdoptionDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that adopted children receive appropriate pastoral support in schools.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Migrant WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127749More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on improving the recognition of overseas qualifications and reducing barriers to employment in the NHS.
Answer: The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.The UK’s healthcare professional ...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127748More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of regulatory and accreditation barriers on the level of NHS workforce.
Answer: The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.The UK’s healthcare professional ...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordActive Travel: LightingDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Nationwide plans announced to design safer streets as 9 in 10 women report feeling unsafe walking at night, published 25 March 2026, what assessment she
Answer: Barriers to the installation of appropriate lighting include a lack of energy infrastructure, higher scheme cost for upfront work, the impact on nature and wildlife, the long-term revenue budget required for the ongoing maintenance of lighting installatio...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWarshipsMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to HMS Dragon's deployment to the eastern Mediterranean and the planned retirement of Type 23 frigates before the Type 26 and Type 31 replacements enter service, what steps he has taken to mitigate
Answer: Type 26 frigates are expected to begin entering service from 2028, and all Type 31s are expected to be in service by the early 2030s. This is part of a carefully managed modernisation programme, which will see these new highly capable Frigates enter servi...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125945More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish figures for the percentage of Universal Credit claimants who are working, broken down by hourly increments, in each of the past five years.
Answer: Statistics on the number of people on Universal Credit are regularly published on Stat-Xplore, with the latest statistics by employment status available to February 2026. As there is no limit to how many hours a person can work and still get Universal Cre...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total value of public funding committed to electric vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure is across all schemes since 2024.
Answer: Since 2024, the Government has allocated the following funding to electric vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure:Autumn Budget 2024: £0.3 billionSpending review 2025: £1.8 billionAutumn Budget 2025: £1.5 billionTotal: £3.6 billion funding out to 2030...
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment: RefugeesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123442More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of levels of underemployment among refugees with a right to work; and what steps his Department is taking to improve skills recognitio
Answer: The government agrees that we need to make full use of the skills and qualifications of refugees. We want everyone who can to succeed in work, contribute to economic growth and have roles which align with their potential. That is why DWP work coaches are ...
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDoctors: Migrant WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123441More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to overseas-qualified doctors who have the right to work in the UK but do not currently meet the requirements to practice in the NHS; and whether he plans to review pathwa
Answer: Overseas‑qualified doctors must meet General Medical Council (GMC) registration and licensing requirements before practising in the National Health Service. A range of information and guidance is available through the GMC website to support doctors throug...
Answered 7 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMigrant WorkersDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to access employment in their qualified profession due to regulatory or accreditation ba
Answer: Decisions regarding an individual's professional recognition are made and recorded by independent regulators. Data related to the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to due to regulatory or accreditation barrier...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122445More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has set any key performance indicators for recruitment campaigns for driving examiner roles.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaignsaverage times between advert and job o...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122414More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which month will the first East West Rail services operate from Winslow to Bletchley.
Answer: The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been m...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail Line: Rolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121672More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the paragraph entitled East West Rail lease write-offs on page 9 of the National Audit Office’s Department for Transport Overview 2024–25, which states that £2.6 million in lease costs for Eas
Answer: The published Department for Transport annual report and accounts 2024/2025 included the £2.6m lease cost write-off. The breakdown comprised of approximately £900k in 2023/2024 and approximately £1.7m in 2024/2025. The costs were for rolling stock contrac...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBahrain: NavyMinistry of DefenceTabled 2 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Royal Navy personnel currently deployed to Bahrain for the decommissioning of HMS Lancaster will be withdrawn for the duration of the current conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
Answer: The United Kingdom remains concerned over the indiscriminate attacks from Iran across the region, which are putting British nationals at risk. The safety of British personnel and citizens will always be the government's top priority, and we have therefore...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFree School MealsDepartment for EducationTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116393More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 106805, what steps her department is taking to ensure that all local authorities give serious consideration to implementing auto-enrolment for free school m
Answer: This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We want to make sure that every family that needs support can access it.Local authorities are responsible for managing their own processes for identifying ch...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Excise DutiesScotland OfficeTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 908006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussion he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the proposed application of electric vehicle pay-per-mile taxation on people living in rural communities in Scotland.
Answer: At the Budget, the Chancellor confirmed the introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty from April 2028 - recognising that electric vehicles contribute to congestion and wear-and-tear on our roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. While those living in...
Answered 25 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Skilled WorkersDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration her Department has given to the potential impact of wage inflation on the availability of skilled labour in rail infrastructure, maintenance, and engineering roles.
Answer: The railway depends on a thriving and competitive supply chain that supports economic growth and invests in its workforce and the skills required to enable a functioning railway. The Department for Transport monitors capacity within the rail sector throug...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailway InspectorateDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of returning the Railway Inspectorate to the Health and Safety Executive.
Answer: His Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) was transferred from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in 2006 to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of railway safety regulation. Housing HMRI within ORR allows safety...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of emergency track and asset renewals on the rail network over the last ten years.
Answer: Analysis of trends in asset failures form part of Network Rail’s assurance processes. Whilst it has identified that track asset ‘used life’ has been increasing over ten years, its data shows that the ‘performance risk’ for rail and track geometry defects ...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 113404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of rail decarbonisation policies on costs to consumers.
Answer: The impact of rail decarbonisation policies on consumers is very minimal, as measures such as electrification of track and train are implemented over multi-year infrastructure investment cycles, and are not passed through to consumers in full via ticket p...
Answered 26 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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