Shivani Raja MP: written questions
312 published records · newest first.
Written questions
DfT Operator: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122872More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120878, whether those efficiencies will contribute to a reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy in 2026–27.
Answer: The Government expects efficiencies made through public ownership to contribute to a reduction in the rail passenger services subsidy during the Spending Review period of 2026-27 to 2028-29, inclusive. This includes £395m of efficiencies from corporate in...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Instruction: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122320More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has considered introducing additional tracking mechanisms to identify which recruitment channels gener
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) uses the Civil Service recruitment service for all of its recruitment. For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows...
Answered 27 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: VacanciesDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122319More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, how much the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent on advertising driving examiner vacancies in each of the last three years.
Answer: The table below shows the driver recruitment campaigns that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent advertising on, in each of the last three financial years to date. Financial YearSpend (£)Number of Campaigns2023/2419,675.0542024/2530,903.89320...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Greenhouse Gas EmissionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122303More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which body has overall responsibility for consolidating greenhouse gas emissions data across the central government office estate; and what estimate has been made of the total cost acr
Answer: Defra consolidates greenhouse gas emissions. This is published in GGC annual reports. The last published report for 2021 to 2024 published here Greening Government Commitments April 2021 to March 2024 report - GOV.UK estimates in year 3, the Government’s ...
Answered 31 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Hire ServicesDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122273More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of electric vehicles in short-term hire fleets used by Government departments.
Answer: Data on vehicles used by Government departments are collected as part of the Government Fleet Commitment. This includes vehicles hired for 6 days or more. The Government Fleet Commitment data are fed into the Greening Government Commitments, and the most ...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordExploitation: ChildrenHome OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support children and families who have been victims of child exploitation by organised crime.
Answer: This Government is committed to tackling child criminal exploitation and going after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. That is why we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and new civil preventative or...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current sentencing guidelines for individuals convicted of grooming and coercing children as part of criminal drug activities.
Answer: Sentencing guidelines are developed by the Sentencing Council, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so. In 2021, the Council issued a comprehensive package of revised sentencing guidelines for drugs offences. The guidelines include an aggravating fac...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordExploitation: ChildrenHome OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122052More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a national register for people found guilty of exploiting children for criminal activity.
Answer: This Government is committed to tackling child criminal exploitation and going after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. That is why we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and new civil preventative or...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: ApplicationsHome OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122051More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve her Department's decision time on visa applications.
Answer: UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards and continue to prioritise urgent compelling or compassionate cases across all workstreams.Where applications are ...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPorts: Energy SupplyDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122036More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the availability of shore power and alternative fuel infrastructure for ferry operators serving the Isle of Wight.
Answer: The policies set out in the Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy will encourage more shore power or alternative fuel availability for ferry operators, by incentivising investment in maritime decarbonisation across the UK and in our ports. This G...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Emissions Trading Scheme: ShippingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121902More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the relative costs to Northern Ireland of a) inclusion of maritime emissions in the UK ETS and (b) potential exposure to the EU Carbon Border Adjust
Answer: The published Impact Assessment found the inclusion of maritime activities in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to have a positive net present social value for the UK.Independent analysis by Frontier Economics identified no material risk of carbon leakage, ...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDrugs: Organised CrimeHome OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121832More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent children from being exploited by drug gangs in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) the UK.
Answer: This Government is committed to tackling child criminal exploitation and going after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. That is why we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and new civil preventative or...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: Single PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121831More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the equity of the current single person council tax discount given the relative burden on single-occupancy households.
Answer: A full council tax bill assumes that there are at least two adults living in a dwelling. Where there is only one liable adult resident in a property, the bill is reduced by 25%. This is effectively a 50% reduction in the personal element of the bill. The ...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFuels: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121830More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of postponing the proposed increase in fuel duty, given the current situation in the Middle East.
Answer: The Government is already taking action to ensure that fuel at the pump remains affordable. At Budget 2025, the Government extended the 5p-per-litre cut for a further five months, until the end of August this year. The Government has also cancelled the in...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordOutdoor Recreation: Urban AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121829More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help increase access to nature for people living in urban areas.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space. Currently 80% of people are within this range, with this figure at 78% in urban areas. We have set out how we will make access more equitable and remo...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCash Dispensing: Fees and ChargesTreasuryTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121651More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to protect consumers from being charged additional fees for withdrawing cash from ATMs.
Answer: The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. Under the Financial Services and Markets Act ...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121648More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of Personal Independence Payment claimants who have been in receipt of the benefit for more than a) two years b) three years and c) five years without reassessmen
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStreaming: Television LicencesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121647More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to prevent subscription-based streaming services from being brought within the scope of the TV licence fee.
Answer: A TV licence is currently required to watch live TV, and to watch or download any BBC programme on iPlayer. Households are therefore already required to hold a TV licence to watch live TV on a subscription-based streaming service.The Government launched t...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: MotabilityDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121646More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children receiving SEND transport support where the responsible adult has access to a vehicle through the Motability Scheme.
Answer: The Education Act 1996 requires local authorities to arrange free home-to-school travel for eligible children. A child’s eligibility is not affected by any further benefits or allowances they or their parents may receive.The department does not collect or...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordVeterans: East MidlandsMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121645More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support given to veterans in a) Leicester and b) the East Midlands.
Answer: This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans and their families are easily able to access support in Leicester, the East Midlands and across the country, when and where it is needed. Late last year we launched a new Veterans Strategy which recog...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: ApprenticesMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121644More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of defence orientated apprenticeships and skills placements in a) Leicester and b) the East Midlands.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence already supports over 460,000 jobs and 25,000 apprenticeships across all parts of the UK, providing sustainable, high-quality, well-paying jobs. In 2023-24, this included 7,500 jobs in the East Midlands. As part of the Defence Indu...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGender Based ViolenceHome OfficeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121640More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what metrics are being used to measure progress on reducing violence against women and girls.
Answer: We will measure progress against our ambition to halve VAWG is through a headline metric of the combined prevalence estimate of the proportion of people (aged 16 and over) who experienced any of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking in the previous ...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordGender Based ViolenceHome OfficeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121639More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made towards meeting the Government’s target to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade.
Answer: “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls” was published on 18th December 2025 and sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, a...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: Foreign NationalsMinistry of JusticeTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121638More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the prison population is made up of foreign national offenders; and how many foreign national offenders have been removed from the UK in the last 12 months.
Answer: As of 31 December 2025, Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) made up 12% of the prison population of England and Wales. This is the latest available published data and can be found at Table 1_Q_11 in the attached link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121490More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of converting productive agricultural land to solar farms on food security.
Answer: The Government does not believe that the accelerated roll-out of solar generation poses a threat to food security. The total area used by solar farms is very small. Even in the most ambitious scenarios, we only expect up to 0.4% of total UK land to be occ...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
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