Samantha Niblett MP: written questions 2025
153 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Social Services: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39778More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to ensure a multi-year funding agreement for social care to cover the full cost of care and enable care providers to plan long term.
Answer: From 2026/27, we want to fundamentally improve the way we fund councils and direct funding to where it is most needed through the first multi-year settlement in 10 years. This will provide greater long-term certainty for local authorities and will enable ...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Foreign NationalsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39326More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what circumstances benefits are paid to foreign nationals.
Answer: It is the expectation of the Government that, in general, migrants coming to the UK should be able to maintain and accommodate themselves without recourse to ‘public funds’ (such as Universal Credit). Access to benefits flows from an individual’s immigrat...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMirtazapineDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38245More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to patients where tapering off of Mirtazapine has been unsuccessful and subsequently they find themselves taking a drug that they know is causing them harm.
Answer: NHS England encourages integrated care boards (ICBs) to address inappropriate antidepressant prescribing and to consider commissioning services for patients wishing to reduce or stop prescribed medicines that can cause dependence and withdrawal.In March 2...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to encourage Integrated Care Boards to commission Referral Management Systems to reduce the significant time taken by primary care in chasing secondary care referrals and appointm
Answer: The Government is committed to cutting waiting times for secondary care appointments, which in turn should minimise the time that general practitioners spend chasing referrals. As a first step, we have seen the waiting list reduce by over 190,000 and have...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37822More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the The Getting It Right First Time programme.
Answer: The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is a national NHS England programme designed to improve treatment and care by reviewing health services in England.The GIRFT team is working with systems and regions to help the National Health Service emb...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: Employers' ContributionsDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37421More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to support early years providers with increases in employer National Insurance contributions.
Answer: This government has had to take some tough decisions to get public finances back on track, but we are continuing to invest in the early years sector, supporting the delivery of expanded childcare entitlements and recognising the vital role the sector play...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: EU CountriesHome OfficeTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37420More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to enter a reciprocal agreement with the EU to enable visa-free travel entry for six months to EU Member States for UK citizens.
Answer: Article 492 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement already provides for the UK and the EU provide for visa-free travel for short-term visits in respect of their nationals in accordance with their domestic law.
Answered 14 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTechnology: EqualityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support the technology industry in adopting data-led practices to improve diversity in the sector; and whether the Department plans to support an industry div
Answer: The Government is committed to promoting diversity in the tech sector and is doing so in a number of ways. DSIT is supporting the Tech Future Taskforce on Social Mobility, which includes helping companies to collect and act upon data to promote tech workf...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving under Influence: ReoffendersDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing drink driving laws in ensuring that repeat offenders cannot reoffend.
Answer: There is a High-Risk Offender (HRO) scheme for those who have been disqualified by a Court for 2 or more drink driving offences within a 10 year period. Currently, the practical consequence of becoming a drink drive HRO is that the driver’s licence is not...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance on the adequate travel distance for accessing out of hours pharmacy provision.
Answer: Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment every three years, to assess whether their population is adequately served, and keep these assessments under review. These assessments inform integrated care boards (ICBs) when ...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming Incentive: Legumes and Pulses and SeedsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32420More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to allow payments for farmers to grow home grown (a) pulses and (b) legumes as protein sources as SFI.
Answer: The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers and land managers to carry out actions that support the sustainable production of food and boost farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and enhancing the environment. Within SFI there are ex...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32419More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme Consultation removes the right to choose for families with ADHD.
Answer: The proposed 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme does not remove a patient’s right to choose. The Government is committed to patients having the right to choose their provider when referred to consultant-led treatment, or to a mental health professional, for their...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Feb 2025WithdrawnUIN 29869More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has for the third round of the (a) slurry infrastructure and (b) water management grants.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordWater: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29865More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide grants to farmers for rainwater harvesting.
Answer: We are committed to supporting all farming sectors to increase levels of productivity whilst increasing their sustainability and resilience. We are looking carefully at how to position further investment and support to enable the delivery of this Governme...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGurkhas: PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28865More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on granting retrospective pension arrangements to Gurkha veterans who served in the armed forces.
Answer: The Government greatly values the contribution that Gurkhas make in support of the UK’s security and defence and takes its responsibilities to our Gurkha veterans very seriously. The legal basis for Gurkha pensions has been upheld by three Judicial Review...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28714More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release GP reforms to cut red tape and bring back family doctor, published on 20 December 2024, whether GPs will be able to determine how to spend the addit
Answer: On 20 December 2024, we announced a proposed £889 million uplift for general practice (GP) in 2025/26 and set out the proposed areas of reform which will help us to deliver on our commitments. This is the largest uplift to GP funding in years and means we...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordVaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28712More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 27349 on Vaccination, what steps his Department is taking to ensure contemporaneous vaccine delivery across all regions.
Answer: NHS England is responsible for the operational delivery of the vaccination programmes, including the respiratory syncytial virus programme, in line with recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), and considering local...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: South DerbyshireDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28254More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process Education, Health and Care Plans for children in South Derbyshire constituency.
Answer: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for South Derbyshire, to the answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27930.
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: South DerbyshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28253More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of waiting times for mental health services in South Derbyshire constituency; and what steps he is taking to reduce those times.
Answer: Waiting times for those referred to mental health services are too high all across England, including in the South Derbyshire constituency.Too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix th...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: South DerbyshireDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28252More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much capital funding has been allocated to increase specialist school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in South Derbyshire constituency.
Answer: Since 2022, Derbyshire has received over £27.6 million in high needs capital funding, which it can use to create new places in special schools and support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in a mainstream setting.The department...
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: ICTDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28251More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) modernise NHS IT infrastructure and (b) ensure value for money in upgrading IT systems.
Answer: Through the Frontline Digitisation programme, we will work to level up National Health Service trusts to a baseline level of digital capability. Our investment in digitising the frontline will ensure value for money and that health and care staff have acc...
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDeath CertificatesHome OfficeTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28250More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to release death certificates.
Answer: Since the implementation of the death certification reforms in September 2024, the 5-day statutory time period for an informant to register a death commences when the registrar receives a completed Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) from a Medic...
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: South DerbyshireDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 31 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help support high street businesses to compete with online retailers in South Derbyshire constituency.
Answer: We intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including those on the high street, from 2026-27. This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher rate from 2026-27 on th...
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordNeurodiversity: Labour Turnover and RecruitmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 31 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27933More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide (a) funding and (b) advisory support to employers to help increase the (i) recruitment and (ii) retention of neurodivergent people.
Answer: Neurodivergent people bring many positive benefits to businesses but face particular barriers to employment, which is reflected in a poor overall employment rate. We understand the importance of encouraging employers to adopt neuro-inclusive working pract...
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPrimary Care: South DerbyshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 31 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional (a) funding and (b) other resources his Department plans to provide to primary care providers to support preventative healthcare in South Derbyshire constituency.
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan will describe a shared vision for the health and care system in 2035, drawing directly from the extensive engagement underway with the public, patients, and staff. It will set out how the National Health Service will deliver the sh...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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