Shivani Raja MP: written questions
312 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Blood: DonorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87960More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the permanent exclusion of people who have used tanning injections is consistent with the current evidence base on the persistence of bloodborne infection risks.
Answer: The safety of blood is of the utmost importance. Donor exclusion policies are in place to maintain safety and are mandated in the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005: The Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005, which are available at the followin...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood: DonorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87959More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the lifetime blood donation deferral for people who have used tanning injections with a fixed-term exclusion period similar to tho
Answer: There are no plans to update the deferral policy for tanning injections. Unlike tattooing and piercing, tanning injections are not well regulated. Given injectable tanning products work internally, they do not meet the definition of a cosmetic product and...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood: DonorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87958More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS Blood and Transplant has made an assessment of the potential impact of the use of tanning injections more than (a) 12 months (b) three months prior to donating on blood safety.
Answer: The safety of blood is of the upmost importance. Patients that receive blood donations can be particularly vulnerable to infections. In the United Kingdom, the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 mandate permanent deferral from blood donation for an...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood: DonorsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87957More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason people who have used tanning injections are permanently unable to donate blood.
Answer: The safety of blood is of the upmost importance. Patients that receive blood donations can be particularly vulnerable to infections. In the United Kingdom, the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 mandate permanent deferral from blood donation for an...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordOverseas Students: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87956More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed international students levy on economic growth in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) the United Kingdom; and if she will ensure the
Answer: The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students to break down barriers to opportunity through our Plan for Change.This will help support more students from the lowest income households ...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordOverseas Students: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87955More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed international students levy on the competitiveness of UK universities.
Answer: The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students to break down barriers to opportunity through our Plan for Change.This will help support more students from the lowest income households ...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: SexDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86802More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of not referencing biological sexes in some maternity care guidance on the safeguarding of patients.
Answer: The Department’s longstanding position is that health information should be as clear as possible and language should be used that appropriately reflects sex as defined in the Equality Act 2010.National maternity guidance and key documents, such as the Thr...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordVaccination: Integrated Care BoardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86801More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to delegate the commissioning of vaccination and immunisation services to integrated care boards from April 2026.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 September 2025 to Question PQ76374.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCulture: East MidlandsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of national cultural funding for (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands compared with other regions.
Answer: The Department has carried out internal policy work to ensure there is a clear understanding of the publicly funded arts, culture and heritage sectors, including looking at national and local government funding. This work ensures future policy development...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCulture: Festivals and Special OccasionsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82766More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a breakdown of departmental funding allocated to major cultural festivals in the last five years.
Answer: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provided funding for some cultural festivals and events. For example, Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 received £18.41 million of support, and Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 received £15 million. Many o...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFaith Schools: InspectionsDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82765More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing the subsidy for Ofsted inspections on independent religious schools in (a) Leicester and (b) England.
Answer: The department launched an eight-week consultation on 25 September 2025 on the subject of reducing the subsidy for Ofsted inspection fees. The consultation document is publicly available and sets out how Ofsted-inspected private schools will be affected b...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: InspectionsDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82764More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of removing the subsidy for Ofsted inspections on (a) small and (b) specialist independent schools.
Answer: The department launched an eight-week consultation on 25 September 2025 on the subject of reducing the subsidy for Ofsted inspection fees. The consultation document is publicly available and sets out how Ofsted-inspected private schools will be affected b...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBreastfeedingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82763More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has allocated funding to (a) initiatives and (b) organisations that promote the use of the term chestfeeding.
Answer: The Department funds infant feeding services and support through the National Health Service, local authorities, and the National Breastfeeding Helpline.We want all families to be able to achieve their infant feeding goals, regardless of their circumstanc...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79012More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to reduce the variation in integrated care board (ICB) funding for children's hospices; and if he will commit to holding ICBs to account for the way in which they (a) commission c
Answer: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To sup...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79011More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Together for Short Lives’ report entitled Overstretched and Underfunded: The State of Children’s Hospice Funding in 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of cu
Answer: Children and young people’s hospices do incredible work to support seriously ill children and their families and loved ones when they need it most, and we recognise the incredibly tough pressures they are facing.We are providing £26 million in revenue fun...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Agreements: South AmericaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his policy is on seeking a UK-Mercosur free trade agreement.
Answer: Mercosur countries are important partners for the UK and I am personally committed to strengthening our bilateral trading relationships to remove barriers to trade and help grow UK exports. I recently visited Brazil, where I signed agreements on customs, ...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Racial DiscriminationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79009More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle racial discrimination within local authorities.
Answer: Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces. The Government is clear that racial discrimination has no place in our society and remains committed to promoting equality, fairness, and respect for all c...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Employment Tribunals ServiceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79008More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the value for money of local authorities pursuing repeated appeals against employment tribunal decisions.
Answer: The Department does not collect this information. Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces, including on whether to appeal against employment tribunals. It is the responsibility of...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVaccination: DisinformationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76375More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps (a) his Department and (b) the NHS are taking to counter (i) misinformation and (ii) disinformation about vaccines.
Answer: The Government is committed to tackling vaccine misinformation, and we have highlighted our focus on this within the 10-Year Health Plan where we have committed to working with local government, civil society, voluntary organisations and community groups ...
Answered 29 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordVaccination: Integrated Care BoardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76374More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the readiness of integrated care boards to assume responsibility for commissioning vaccination and immunisation services from April 2026.
Answer: The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan reaffirmed the importance of work to establish integrated care boards (ICBs) as ‘strategic commissioners of local health services, responsible for all but the most specialised commissioning’.In preparation for this, th...
Answered 29 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76075More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to issue guidance to local authorities on the discretionary provision of concessionary bus passes for carers of disabled people.
Answer: The Department does not have any plans to provide advice on offering a discretionary concession to carers of disabled people, as offering this is a choice for the individual local authority to make.In the year ending March 2025, 66% of Travel Concession A...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRecreation Spaces and Sports: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing Sport England’s role as a statutory planning consultee under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on t
Answer: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill contains no provisions relating to the role of Sports England in the planning system. The government is committed to reviewing the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s am...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the level of variation between local authorities in the discretionary provision of free bus passes for carers of disabled people; and what steps she is taking to ensure a consist
Answer: The Department does not have any plans to provide advice on offering a discretionary concession to carers of disabled people, as offering this is a choice for the individual local authority to make.In the year ending March 2025, 66% of Travel Concession A...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the Schedule documents associated with the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts were removed from public view on the Contracts Finder website; and if she will take steps
Answer: We confirm the award notices Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts are already published and available on Contracts Finder as follows:Wales AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)South ...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSickle Cell Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68078More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Sickle Cell Disease Quality Improvement Programme will continue when the Department of Health and Social Care takes over the responsibilities of NHS England.
Answer: The Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Quality Improvement Programme remains committed to improving outcomes and quality of life for people living with sickle cell and thalassaemia. The programme is taking targeted action to align to the commitments within the ...
Answered 5 Aug 2025
Original Parliament record
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