Sarah Bool MP: written questions
134 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Food: Import ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47160More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) airports and (b) ports are announcing the ban on personal imports of (i) meat and (ii) dairy products to travellers from EU countries
Answer: The Government has been engaging with airports, ports and travel operators to communicate the ban on personal imports of meats and dairy products from EU countries, introduced on 12 April 2025.
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordIndustry: VATTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46664More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will conduct a review of the VAT system as it applies to (a) the hair and beauty sector and (b) other labour-intensive industries.
Answer: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is also the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public ser...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: VATTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46663More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report entitled Avoiding the Cliff Edge: Considering possible options for a VAT threshold smoothing mechanism, published on 9 January 2024.
Answer: The Government will continue to bear in mind businesses’ views of this threshold. At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT a...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: VATTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46662More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing VAT rate on hair and beauty salons.
Answer: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is also the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public ser...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: VATTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46661More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of VAT on the financial sustainability of hair and beauty salons.
Answer: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is also the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public ser...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: Seized ArticlesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46660More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what tonnage of meat was seized by Dover Port Health Authority between January and March in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
Answer: Seizure reports provided by Dover Port Health Authority are as follows:(a)Jan-March 2023: 7.1 tonnes(b)Jan-March 2024: 16.7 tonnes(c)Jan-March 2025: 61.1 tonnes Total is 84.94 tonnes (Rounded to 1 decimal place)
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDover Port Health Authority: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the funding for Dover Port Health Authority 2025-26 will be paid in instalments.
Answer: The funding for Dover Port Health Authority for 2025-26 has been allocated. Discussions with Dover Port Health Authority on the detailed use of funding are ongoing.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDover Port Health Authority: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46658More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the funding for the Dover Port Health Authority 2025-26 covers the cost of vets.
Answer: The funding allocated to Dover Port Health Authority for 2025-26 does not cover the costs of Official Veterinarians.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDover Port Health Authority: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46657More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the funding for the Dover Port Health Authority 2025-26 will be spent.
Answer: The funding for Dover Port Health Authority for 2025-26 has been allocated. Discussions with Dover Port Health Authority on the detailed use of funding are ongoing.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigrationHome OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 903521More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory cap on levels of migration.
Answer: This Government recognises and values the contribution that legal migration makes to the UK.This Government is clear that net migration must come down from the record highs that were reached under the previous government.Under the previous Government, bet...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordArchitecture: ComplaintsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40933More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to take steps to monitor the adequacy of the professional indemnity insurance required for architects; and what steps her Department is taking to hel
Answer: It is important for all architects to maintain appropriate financial protection against liability so that clients and building users have a route to redress in the event of a negligence claim. The independent regulator, the Architects Registration Board (...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordArchitects Registration Board: ComplaintsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department takes to monitor the response times of complaints made against registered architects to the Architects Registration Board.
Answer: The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is an independent regulator. As the sponsoring department, MHCLG regularly engages with the ARB to stay abreast of its activities. This includes consideration of performance figures, which the ARB publishes quarterl...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for ADHD services.
Answer: The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the hea...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37044More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent regional variations in ADHD (a) assessment and (b) treatment times.
Answer: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADH...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS England engages directly with ADHD (a) charities and (b) clinicians before finalising the NHS Payment Scheme structure.
Answer: NHS England is following standard procedure in its consultation on the NHS Payment Scheme. NHS England consults on changes to the payment scheme each year, as it is required to by law. While the legal requirement is just for NHS England to consult commiss...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) prevent Integrated Care Boards from deprioritising ADHD assessments due to funding limits and (b) ensure that patients’ rights are upheld if funding li
Answer: Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how loca...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37041More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the NHS Payment Scheme on waiting times for ADHD assessments.
Answer: As required by law, NHS England has assessed the impact of the proposed NHS Payment Scheme. This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-26-NHSPS-Consultation-notice-C-impact-assessment.pdfThis impact as...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTeachers: Parental LeaveDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31227More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued on the use of Shared Parental Leave by teachers in maintained schools to extend their paid leave entitlement by returning to work during school holidays; and if she will
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for the overall policy on shared parental leave, but how it applies in schools specifically is covered by the Burgundy Book, a national agreement negotiated with employers by the six teachers’ organisat...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAfrican Swine Fever: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29821More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a permanent personal imports policy for travellers entering the UK from the EU in the context of African swine fev
Answer: Preventing an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK is one of Defra’s key biosecurity priorities. The department keeps policy on personal imports under constant review and works closely with the devolved Governments on contingency planning and prevent...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood Cancer: Advanced Therapy Medicinal ProductsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29224More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the NHS has the (a) ability and (b) resource to roll out (i) CAR-T therapies and (ii) other Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products for blood cancer.
Answer: The National Health Service in England is required to fund medicines and treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NHS England has undertaken considerabl...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood Cancer: Gene TherapiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29222More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will review the medicines and treatment appraisal system to assess its readiness for evaluating cell and gene-based blood cancer treatments.
Answer: The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood CancerDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29221More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of blood cancer outcomes in (a) the UK and (b) international comparator countries for the four most common cancers.
Answer: The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of blood cancer outcomes in the United Kingdom and international comparators for the four most common cancers. As noted by Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the National Health Service, the r...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordThatched RoofingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing water reed to be used as an alternative to thatching straw for protected thatched roofs.
Answer: My Department has no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing water reed as an alternative thatching material for historic buildings.Any works to demolish any part of a listed building or to alter or extend it in a way that affects ...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: VeteransDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of excluding military compensation from income calculation when determining eligibility for (a) Universal Credit and (b) sickness benefits.
Answer: War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Payments are not taken into account in Universal Credit. Guaranteed Income Payments, Service Attributable Pensions and service-attributable, non-taxable Service Invalidity Pensions are also not taken into account...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordCarpets: WasteDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25141More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Environment Agency to prevent companies from importing waste carpet from the EU.
Answer: Waste is a commodity, and there is a legitimate global market for secondary materials. The transfrontier shipment of waste, including waste carpet, is subject to strict controls that are set out in the UK’s legislation. All waste shipments from the EU to ...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
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