Shivani Raja MP: written questions
312 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Railways: FinanceTreasuryTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108856More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria were applied in the Spending Review for assessing proposed rail infrastructure projects.
Answer: Rail infrastructure projects are carefully considered to assess their value for money. This includes consideration of strategic, economic, social and environmental factors, the local context and regional distribution of projects, as well as affordability ...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: East MidlandsDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of diesel operation on the Midland Main Line north of Leicester on emissions and air quality in a) Leicester and b) the East Midlands.
Answer: Prior to the decision being made to pause the Midland Main Line Electrification programme as part of Spending Review 2025, the benefits of the scheme were being assessed. The benefits of fully electrifying the Midland Main Line (MML) are predominately tho...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: East MidlandsDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108854More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department considers the level of rail infrastructure investment in (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands to be proportionate to its population.
Answer: Decisions made by the Government on investment in rail infrastructure are taken to ensure that the railways are funded to operate safely and efficiently and in line with our strategic goals.The funding identified for rail infrastructure enhancements as pa...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108853More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of levels of unemployment and underemployment among qualified teachers; and what steps she is taking to help improve increase retention and re-entry levels.
Answer: In the government’s Plan for Change, the department committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges, over the course of this Parliament. Delivery is already underway: retaining more skille...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to expand or reform teacher training programmes to help improve access to the teaching profession.
Answer: This government is committed to putting education back at the forefront of national life. The aim is to deliver better life chances for all, through a system which works for all.In September 2025 we introduced the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE). ...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTeachers: recruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108851More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the number of teachers in England.
Answer: The latest school workforce census reported that the workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools. This year has one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,700 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTechnology: East MidlandsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands benefit from national investment in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence a
Answer: The Government is putting technology at the heart of our mission to grow the UK economy.We are launching a £250 million procurement to expand the AI Research Resource, giving UK researchers and businesses free access to cutting‑edge compute so every regio...
Answered 12 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDefibrillators: Public BodiesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to require publicly funded bodies to ensure defibrillators are accessible to the public on a 24-hour basis.
Answer: It is for individual publicly funded bodies to determine appropriate arrangements for the defibrillators they maintain, taking account of relevant factors such as building operating hours and security. More broadly, local communities themselves are best p...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSchools: DefibrillatorsDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108848More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered requiring state-funded schools with defibrillators to make those devices publicly accessible where it is safe and practicable to do so.
Answer: The department’s defibrillator programme provided over 20,000 defibrillators to state-funded schools in England, ensuring that all schools have access to a device.Schools are best placed to make decisions on community access based on their individual circ...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105842More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of reducing NHS-funded activity delivered by independent sector providers on local waiting times in (a) Leicester, (b) The East Midla
Answer: Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Since the Government came into office, ...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local NHS commissioning decisions use spare capacity in the independent sector to reduce NHS waiting lists.
Answer: Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Since the Government came into office, ...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS England: ReformDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, i) what metrics his Department will use, and ii) over what timeframe, to judge whether the reforms to NHS England deliver (a) improved productivity, (b) reduced bureaucracy, and (c) better patient
Answer: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has set out his objectives for the wider health and care system through the 10-Year Health Plan which sets ambitious targets for the wider health and care sector to deliver the three bi...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS England: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the savings generated by reductions in NHS England staffing; and how are those savings being redirected into frontline patient care.
Answer: Creating a new joint organisation will streamline decision-making, reduce bureaucracy, and improve accountability. These changes are expected to generate significant efficiencies over time.The Department’s initial modelling demonstrate that the up-front i...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS England: ReformDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105834More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has completed an impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis of the proposed reforms to NHS England; and if so, when it will be published.
Answer: Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions and responsibilities.It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefull...
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: Commissioning Support UnitsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking following the closure of NHS Commissioning Support Units to (a) support staff affected, and (b) ensure that functions previously delivered by those units continu
Answer: As integrated care boards (ICBs) develop their strategic commissioning role and skills, commissioning support functions will be rationalised. This will result in commissioning support units (CSUs) being closed.Given wider changes in the system, including ...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAssaults on PoliceHome OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105832More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect police officers from being attacked whilst on duty in a) Leicester, b) The East Midlands, and c) the UK.
Answer: Assaults on emergency workers are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Our police officers and staff perform vital roles in serving and protecting the public, often under challenging and dangerous circumstances and they should be protected in return.Th...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99296More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the average waiting time for SEND assessments in each local authority in England.
Answer: Information on the number and percentage of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued within the statutory 20 week deadline, with and without statutory exceptions to that deadline applying, is part of the latest statistical release published on 26 Jun...
Answered 19 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99295More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to i) support local authorities in managing temporary accommodation costs and ii) ensure value for money in capital investment programmes.
Answer: The government has increased funding for homelessness services to over £1 billion, including a £50 million top up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant announced in December 2025. We are also investing £3.5 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping servic...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99294More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of local authorities projecting significant drawdowns from reserves within the next three years.
Answer: The government considers reserves to be an important part of the resources available to local authorities.We encourage local authorities to consider how they can use their reserves to maintain services in the face of pressures, taking account, of course, ...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99293More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of above inflation council tax increases on the delivery of local public services in a) England and b) Leicester.
Answer: The Department has not made specific assessments on the impacts of council tax increases on the delivery of local public services. It is for individual councils to set their own level of council tax. The government intends to maintain a core 3% referendum...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98972More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Basic Payment Scheme 2023 claimants have accessed support through the Farming Resilience Fund since October 2021.
Answer: We do not hold the information in a form that allows us to identify Basic Payment Scheme 2023 claimants specifically. However, the scale-up phase of the Farming Resilience Fund ran from late 2022 to early 2025. During this phase, over 17,000 beneficiaries...
Answered 6 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTaxis: LicensingDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authority taxi and private hire licensing enforcement policies are brought into line with the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards.
Answer: We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance issued by the Department on actions they should take on licensing matters including safety. Where key safety recommendations from the guidance are not being followed, lice...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: SexDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to review NHS communications to ensure that language on (a) pregnancy and (b) breast feeding reflects biological sexes.
Answer: We are committed to working with NHS England to ensure health communications are as clear as possible and appropriately reflect sex as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. This includes communications about pregnancy and breast feeding. In...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood: DonorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87962More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS Blood and Transplant donor exclusion policies (a) reflect up-to-date medical evidence and (b) do not unnecessarily restrict donor participatio
Answer: NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT) donor selection criteria are based on advice provided by the Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services’ Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC). JPAC regularly reviews its guidelines ...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood: DonorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87961More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed NHS Blood and Transplant’s donor eligibility policy on the use of unlicensed injectable substances.
Answer: The safety of blood is of the upmost importance. The Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 mandate permanent deferral from blood donation for anyone with a history of non-prescribed intravenous or intramuscular drug use, with further information avail...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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