Richard Foord MP: written questions 2024
20 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Separated People: Domestic AbuseHome OfficeTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19862More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle post-separation economic abuse.
Answer: I recognise the devastating impact financial and economic abuse can have on victims, even after they have separated from an abusive partner. We continue to work closely with and fund Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), which supports victims of economic and f...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCoronavirus: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17284More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing carers to receive covid-19 vaccinations on the NHS.
Answer: The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccinatio...
Answered 11 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel Payment: Terminal IllnessesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15290More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making people with less than 12 months to live to automatically eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.
Answer: This Government remains completely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.Linking Winter Fuel eligibility to Pension Credit and other means tested benefits for pensioners, ensures the least w...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to determine which Personal Independence Payment recipients need to have a regular work capability assessment.
Answer: Personal Independence Payment is available to people with a long-term health condition or disability regardless of whether they are in work, training or education or not. As such, the PIP assessment looks at an individual’s ability to carry out a series o...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Military AidMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 901265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has with international allies on the provision of arms and resources to Ukraine.
Answer: The Secretary of State for Defence regularly holds discussions with international partners on how to best support Ukraine, including at the recent NATO Defence Ministers meeting. This includes regular discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart. At the las...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordClimate Change: ChildrenDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13569More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the vulnerabilities that children experience in relation to climate change are (a) acknowledged and (b) addressed in Nationally Determined Contribu
Answer: The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable, including children, who are experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis, and working together with partners to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. For example, through UK support to the ND...
Answered 15 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that mobile network providers maintain (a) reliable coverage and (b) service quality in rural areas.
Answer: Government wants all areas of the UK to benefit from reliable and good quality mobile coverage. That is why our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural areas, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and to increase 4G coverage to 95% of...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: NeurodiversityDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a mental health absence code for children with (a) autism and (b) other neurodivergent conditions who are unable to attend school due to ment
Answer: Tackling absence is at the heart of the department’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. Poor mental health and inadequate access to support are real challenges facing children today and have a detrimental impact on their school attendance,...
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordWritten question 900990Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 900990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support businesses in rural areas.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. Rural Rate Relief aims to ensure that key amenities are available, and ...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWines: ImportsTreasuryTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10185More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support wine importers with additional administrative requirements following the ending of the temporary easement to the implementation of the new alcohol dut
Answer: In August 2023 the Government introduced reforms to alcohol duty so that products are taxed in proportion to their alcoholic strength, not volume. To help the wine industry adapt to the new duty system, the current, temporary duty easement was introduced ...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordUniversal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9970More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that people with incomes (a) that fluctuate and (b) from multiple sources are accurately assessed for Universal Credit; and if she will make an assessment of the potenti
Answer: Wherever possible, employed earnings are received through the Real Time Information (RTI) system used by employers to report Pay As You Earn (PAYE) data to HMRC (His Majesty s Revenue and Customs). RTI enables a customer’s Universal Credit award to be aut...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDisability: Human RightsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9581More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with the reference to the UN Inquiry into the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the UK, published in October 2016, what steps she is taking to help protect the human rights of disabled people.
Answer: This government is committed to boosting opportunity and protecting the rights of disabled people. We will work closely with disabled people and their representative organisations to ensure that their needs and voices are at the heart of everything we do....
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet ProtocolDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the planned switch from the Public Switched Telephone Network to Voice over Internet Protocol does not compromise (a) national security and (b
Answer: Since the general election I have worked with other departments and industry in an effort to ensure that the industry’s necessary retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network does not compromise national security, and that vulnerable people and oth...
Answered 25 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordOral CancerDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of access to NHS dentistry on diagnosis rates of routine mouth cancers.
Answer: No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the level of access to National Health Service dentistry on the diagnosis rates of routine mouth cancers. Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the so...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDental Services: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9105More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria are used to prioritise patients on NHS dental waiting lists; and whether older people are given priority.
Answer: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.Patients in ...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFood: LabellingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9103More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of calorie labelling on menus on (a) obesity, (b) the prevalence of eating disorders and (c) other issues.
Answer: Legislation requiring large businesses in England, those with 250 or more employees, to display calorie information on non-prepacked food and soft drinks came into force in 2022. It aims to support consumers to make healthier choices for themselves and th...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHospitals: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 900637More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the condition of NHS hospital equipment.
Answer: The Darzi review made it clear that the NHS has been starved of capital, with outdated scanners and is 15 years behind the independent sector in its use of technology.We will make the NHS fit for the future, replacing outdated equipment and providing hosp...
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFuneralsMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Association of Funeral Directors report entitled Picking up the pieces, published in April 2023, if she will (a) make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of
Answer: Death management is a complex and sensitive area, spanning the work of multiple government departments. Whilst the Government does not have operational responsibility for the provision of funeral services, we are aware of funeral delays in some areas and ...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness: Rural AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 900191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses in rural areas.
Answer: Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. Over half a million business are registered in rural areas, with the rural economy contributing over £315 billion a year to England alone. The Government is committed to im...
Answered 17 Sept 2024
Original Parliament recordSchool Rebuilding ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 2564More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for delivery of the fourth wave of the School Rebuilding Programme.
Answer: The department has selected 513 schools for the School Rebuilding Programme. Several rebuilding projects have been completed under the programme, with many more at various stages of delivery. Where schools have not yet started a feasibility study, start d...
Answered 3 Sept 2024
Original Parliament record
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