Samantha Niblett MP: written questions 2025
153 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Birds: Animal FeedDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95848More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to help ensure farmers are not out of pocket for costs incurred under AB12 supplementary feeding for farmland birds.
Answer: Under the Environmental Land Management Capital Grants scheme, AB12 aims to provide bird feed during the winter period when other food sources are scarce. It pays £732 per tonne for every 2 hectares (ha) of winter bird food and is available under Countrys...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSugar Beet: Import DutiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95819More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on sugar beet producers in England due to the decision to extend tariff-free access for raw cane sugar.
Answer: The UK relies on some imported refined sugar to meet demand, and the Government’s assessment concluded that any additional volume of raw cane imports would largely displace that imported refined sugar rather than impacting domestic production. The increas...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironment Protection: EmploymentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93826More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support jobs in the environmental sector, particularly horticulture.
Answer: The Government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities, industry, further education institutions, and training providers to strengthen skills and support jobs across the farming sector, including the horticulture sector, ensuring bus...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHorticulture and Parks: Skilled WorkersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93825More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate skills in local authorities to develop horticulture and parks.
Answer: The Government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities, industry, further education institutions, and training providers to strengthen skills and support jobs across the farming sector, including the horticulture sector, ensuring bus...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordRecreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93824More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of parks and green spaces on communities.
Answer: Parks and urban green spaces are important for community cohesion, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and civic pride. Responsibility for funding, managing and maintaining them lies mainly with local authorities. The government is committed to suppo...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRecreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93823More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to protect green spaces and parks as part of the local government review.
Answer: Parks and urban green spaces are important for community cohesion, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and civic pride. Responsibility for funding, managing and maintaining them lies mainly with local authorities. The government is committed to suppo...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPet Travel SchemeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93530More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to issue updated guidance on pet passports.
Answer: As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will become easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an animal h...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: Married PeopleHome OfficeTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93519More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that spousal visa applications are processed in line with equality standards, especially where one party has (a) a learning disability and (b) Down's Syndrome.
Answer: The partner route under Appendix FM includes different requirements for those who have a disability in recognition of the Home Office’s equality obligations. For example, where the sponsor is claiming certain health disability allowances the family must m...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternet: OutagesTreasuryTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92928More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Treasury has estimated the economic cost of outages on hyperscale cloud providers, and whether such risks are factored into national digital resilience planning.
Answer: The Government monitors systemic risks to UK critical national infrastructure, including resilience measures and contingency planning, including cloud providers.The Government recognises the importance of robust protections for the services essential to o...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Service ProvidersDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the systemic risks posed to the UK economy and critical services by reliance on two dominant hyperscale cloud providers, following recent outa
Answer: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) continues to monitor systemic risks to UK critical national infrastructure from reliance on cloud providers, including resilience measures and contingency planning following recent service outag...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Service ProvidersDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92926More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure greater competition, interoperability, and diversity in the UK cloud market, in light of successive large-scale outages from Microsoft Azur
Answer: In July, the Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) recommended their board prioritise a future Strategic Market Status investigation into competition in the cloud market. The CMA is independent of Government and any decisions on which markets it inv...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Service Providers: CompetitionDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what actions she will take to address restrictive software licensing practices by dominant cloud providers, as identified by the CMA, to ensure fair competition in the cloud services ma
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting a competitive and innovative digital economy. This is why we prioritised the commencement of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (the CMA) new powers in digital markets. The CMA is independent of Government, a...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Service ProvidersDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Competition and Markets Authority accelerates the Digital Markets Unit strategic market status designation process for cloud serv
Answer: The Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) has completed 3 Strategic Market Status investigations this year. The CMA is independent of the Government and decisions on which markets to investigate is for their Board. The CMA has published guidance on ...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Performance Certificates: Holiday AccommodationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86036More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will confirm that holiday lets will have the same Energy Performance Certificate requirements as (a) Hotels and (b) bed and breakfasts.
Answer: Hotels in the UK require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when they are being sold, leased, or constructed. For short-term holiday lets, an EPC is required if the property is rented for a total of four months or more in a 12-month period. In Decemb...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: DisabilityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84398More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance on the proportion of new build homes that must be fully accessible to (a) people with limited mobility and (b) wheelchair users.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 53184 on 27 May 2025.
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRivers: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83945More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect chalk streams.
Answer: Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams. Chalk streams are embedded in our plan to reform the water industry. The Government has announced an ambitious programme of reforms to clea...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: EU CountriesHome OfficeTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82107More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to harmonise the number of days EU and UK citizens do not require visas for.
Answer: The UK has a generous offer for non-visa nationals (including EU/EEA nationals) to come to the UK for a period of up to 6 months without first applying for a visa. There are no current plans to change the permitted length of stay for visitors. The EU and ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordElectricity: Standing ChargesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the potential impact of changes to electricity standing charges on SMEs.
Answer: Standing charges predominantly recover ‘fixed’ costs that do not vary by energy use. This includes supplier’s operational costs for serving each customer and the cost of essential network maintenance and upgrades, which are necessary to keep all consumers...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordWorkplace PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80062More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to ensure parity in the pension contributions made by employers.
Answer: The Pensions Act 2008 sets out the legal minimum requirements for workplace pension contributions under automatic enrolment (AE). The total minimum level of contributions required is 8% of an eligible employee’s qualifying earnings, of which at least 3% m...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80061More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to support paying parents with intermittent long-term disabilities.
Answer: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring it delivers a safe service which is sensitive to the needs of all customers that use it. In line with the Equality Act 2010, DWP staff from all areas of the department have a legal duty to make ...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80060More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance Service plans to pause (a) enforcement and (b) judicial review while recalculations are made.
Answer: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) enforcement powers are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. There are already some exceptional circumstances where enforceme...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80059More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will issue guidance to the Child Maintenance Service on recognising up to six months of prior payments made by a paying parent to a receiving parent when calculating new payment plans.
Answer: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates through broad rules set out in child support legislation which aim to provide the best overall outcome for all parents who use the CMS. We have to allow for sensible decision-making across a large range of case...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordParish and Town Councils: Personal RecordsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80058More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will amend the Localism Act 2011 to allow parish councillors to withhold personal contact details from open publication without the need to show threat.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 75866 on 16 September 2025. We intend to remove the requirement for home addresses to be published when parliamentary time allows. This would apply to all local government members, not just paris...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordA Shade GreenerDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on seeking seeking redress for affected customers of A Shade Greener.
Answer: Ministers regularly engage with Ofgem on a range of issues covering the full breadth of the energy system.
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordConstruction: Hazardous SubstancesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77289More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on sites intended for building that have previously been used as dumps for fly ash
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that a site is suitable for its proposed use taking account of ground conditions and any risks arising from land instability and contamination. This include...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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