Shivani Raja MP: written questions
312 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Bail: Young OffendersMinistry of JusticeTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128774More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of bail conditions in reducing reoffending and protecting the public in cases involving persons under the age of 18 accused of violent offences.
Answer: The Government is clear that when the courts are considering bail for children charged with violent offences, public protection should always be the foremost priority, alongside reducing the risk of offending. For children, there is the option of imposing...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRobbery: Young PeopleHome OfficeTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128773More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of violent robbery offences committed by persons under the age of 18; and what steps she is taking to tackle those trends.
Answer: This Government established a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce in October 2024 to respond to surges of 14% of this violent form of robbery in the year before the General Election, a significant proportion of which involves young people. We brought together...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: DisadvantagedDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128764More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to raise attainment levels for disadvantaged students in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.
Answer: The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience. When children born under this government finish se...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128763More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support neurodivergent and SEND pupils with their studies in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: East MidlandsDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of driving test appointment capacity in (a) Leicester, (b) Leicestershire and (c) the East Midlands; and what steps she is taking to reduce waiting
Answer: The table below shows the March 2026 average waiting time for a car practical driving test. This data is based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available. The table also shows the number of tests booke...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordKnives: SalesHome OfficeTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enforce age restrictions on the (a) online and (b) offline sale of knives to persons under the age of 18.
Answer: On 7 April 2026 the Government published ‘Protecting Lives, Building Hope: A Plan to Halve Knife Crime’, which sets out how the Government is aiming to halve knife crime in the decade to 2034. We have been taking action in the Crime and Policing Bill, whi...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPupils: Mental HealthDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of school workload on student mental health.
Answer: This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity, and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.The government is providing access to speci...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSchool Leaving: EmploymentDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128759More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to support school leavers to access (a) further education opportunities and (b) work placements; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those steps i
Answer: The department is taking a range of steps to support school leavers to access further education (FE) opportunities and work placements.The government is improving careers advice in schools so that all young people understand the full range of pathways ava...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordConstruction: FraudDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to protect consumers from rogue builders.
Answer: This Government is working to ensure we have a high-quality and professional construction industry, with consumer protection at the heart of this. TrustMark, sponsored by the Department and licenced by the Government, is the Government Endorsed Quality Sc...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness and Financial Services: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide (a) financial and (b) business education to (i) secondary school students and (ii) further education students.
Answer: The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report in November 2025. The department is enga...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: StudentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the interaction between Universal Credit and student finance results in appropriate support for eligible students.
Answer: Students are generally expected to access support for tuition fees and living costs through the student support system. This means most full‑time students are not usually eligible for Universal Credit, unless they fall into specified exception groups (e.g...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) short-notice and (b) late cancellations of driving tests there have been since 4 July 2024; what proportion of available test slots were unused in each month; and what the overall utilisation rate
Answer: From 8 April 2025, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) required learner drivers to give 10 full working days’ notice to change or cancel their car driving test without losing the test fee. The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00066786) shows how many ...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: Planning PermissionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date her Department first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement; w
Answer: The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Go...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: Manufacturing IndustriesMinistry of DefenceTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127252More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that defence manufacturers receive business support to (a) promote job growth and (b) enhance defence capabilities.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting defence manufacturers through targeted business support programmes, including funding, innovation grants, and skills development initiatives. We will work closely with industry partners to promote job growth and e...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127219More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122594, when she expects trains for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes to have been sufficiently fully tested for passenger services to c
Answer: Chiltern subleases the trains that will be used on East West Rail from West Midlands Trains. The operator continues to work jointly with the train owner and the industry supply chain on the schedule for the final modifications which are expected to be del...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: British Virgin IslandsDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127218More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the flights listed to the British Virgin Islands in WPQ 120039, a) what the purpose was of each such visit; b) which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit; c) how many officials tr
Answer: The Department for Transport (DfT) has a statutory requirement under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code to monitor port security in the British Overseas Territories. Both visits in 2025 were security assessments of 13 port facil...
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support is available to businesses affected by disruption arising from maintenance works on the strategic road network.
Answer: National Highways has a duty to maintain highways under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. It is a publicly funded body and is not obliged or required to pay compensation for disruption, inconvenience, costs or loss of business caused by roadworks. Nati...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125228More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) affordability of at home EV charging.
Answer: The Government continues to offer grant funding for those living in flats and rented accommodation, with up to £500 per charge point socket.The Government is also continuing to support drivers to access cheaper, flexible charging tariffs, both at home and...
Answered 17 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPolice: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Department intends to review transparency requirements for nationally operating police-associated units funded by private industry bodies.
Answer: Transparency requirements, including in relation to funding, for national policing units is the responsibility of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, or relevant agency which has responsibility for oversight and governance of that unit.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124893More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122543, what assessment the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has made of the adequacy of conversion rates from application to appointment for driving exami
Answer: As with any recruitment in the Civil Service, all applications must be made through Civil Service Jobs. There are several stages candidates must progress through before being offered employment, and consequently there will be candidates unsuccessful at va...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124892More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122526, what data limitations prevent the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency from tracking the conversion of recruitment campaign click-throughs into complet
Answer: As with any job advertisement on Civil Service Jobs, candidates must have registered an account with the site to apply for a vacancy. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is not responsible for this site. The only data DVSA can directly extract ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles and Vans: Carbon EmissionsDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123775More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what average grant value per vehicle has been assumed in modelling the Zero Emission Truck and Van funding package.
Answer: Based on historic splits between higher and lower value awards, we estimate that the average grant value for vans in the 2026/27 financial year will be approximately £3,500. For trucks, the estimated average grant value is approximately £50,000 in 2026/27...
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDigital Service Providers: Data ProtectionDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123384More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the extent to which foreign-owned technology platforms operating in the UK may be compelled by overseas governments to share user data; and what steps sh
Answer: All organisations processing personal data in the UK must comply with the UK’s data protection framework. The UK has strong safeguards to ensure that data is collected and handled responsibly and securely. Companies registered in the UK are subject to our...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDigital Service Providers: Data ProtectionDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of foreign-owned technology platforms being subject to overseas jurisdictions on levels of UK data sovereignty; and what safeguards
Answer: All organisations processing personal data in the UK must comply with the UK’s data protection framework, including the UK GDPR, regardless of where they are headquartered. This includes requirements that apply when personal data is transferred overseas, ...
Answered 2 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDfT OperatorDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 120647, what estimate she has made of the net saving once the costs of expanding DfT Operator Limited, including staffing and administrative overheads, are ac
Answer: Scaling up DFTO staffing in anticipation of establishing GBR is critical to building DFTO’s present capability to manage its growing number of operators and allow DFTO to maximise efficiencies during the transition to GBR. We expect the costs associated w...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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