Simon Opher MP: written questions
340 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Adoption and Social ServicesDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68038More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) foster carers, (b) kinship carers and (c) adoptive parents.
Answer: The Transformation Fund, announced in the spring, builds on the £15 million investment for foster care in the Budget. The department will provide an additional £25 million over two years, beginning in the 2026/27 financial year.Foster carers receive the n...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68037More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of information provided on (a) choice over pregnancy, (b) menopause care and (c) the availability of free contraceptive pills at pharmacies.
Answer: It is important that women are provided with accurate information that enables them to make informed choices about their care, including contraceptive choices and menopause.Pharmacies are well placed to advise patients on the options available to them whe...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability: Voluntary WorkDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68036More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase volunteering opportunities for disabled people.
Answer: The Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in March, highlights the value of volunteering in the transition from inactivity to employment. The Department’s Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) has worked closely with the Shaping the Future with Volunteering...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Home Discount SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67800More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which organisations received funding through the Industry Initiative component of the Warm Home Discount scheme in the last 12 months; and how much each organisation received.
Answer: The Department sets the overall policy and spending targets for the scheme but the financial responsibility for delivering these initiatives lies with energy suppliers. For more detailed information on the latest assessment of WHD delivery (2023/24), incl...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBitcoin: Proceeds of CrimeHome OfficeTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67525More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has for Bitcoin seized from criminal activity.
Answer: The Home Office is responsible for the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).POCA equips law enforcement agencies with a range of powers to deprive criminals of their money, or other property connected to criminal activity, and recover the proceeds of crime, ...
Answered 17 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a legal duty on councils to (a) meet climate targets and (b) tackle the loss of wildlife.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of local places in driving net zero action. Local government has autonomy and flexibility in how they deliver net zero, according to each local area’s varying needs and opportunities. DESNZ regularly engages with l...
Answered 17 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Home Discount SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66683More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which services accessed funding through the Industry Initiative component of the Warm Home Discount scheme in the most recent year where data is available; how much funding was received by ea
Answer: Ofgem administer the Warm Home Discount Scheme Industry Initiatives of behalf of the Department. Their most recent assessment was for winter 2023/24 where Industry Initiatives delivered £76.4 million in support (£65.5 million in England & Wales and £1...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Home Discount SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66682More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the value of support accessed through the Industry Initiative component of the Warm Home Discount scheme in the most recent year where data is available.
Answer: Ofgem administer the Warm Home Discount Scheme Industry Initiatives of behalf of the Department. Their most recent assessment was for winter 2023/24 where Industry Initiatives delivered £76.4 million in support (£65.5 million in England & Wales and £1...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Home Discount SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Industry Initiative component of the Warm Home Discount scheme.
Answer: Ofgem administer the Warm Home Discount Scheme Industry Initiatives of behalf of the Department. Their most recent assessment was for winter 2023/24 where Industry Initiatives delivered £76.4 million in support (£65.5 million in England & Wales and £1...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordForests: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66680More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing the tax exemption from woodlands.
Answer: Income Tax and Corporation Tax do not apply to woodlands managed on a commercial basis and with a view to making profits. This treatment was introduced in 1988 to prevent high-income individuals sheltering other income from tax by setting it against expen...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: FamiliesHome OfficeTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66308More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has not published service standards for the time taken for applications for Family visas made on the basis of a person’s private life to be considered.
Answer: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, including service standards for processing visa applications.
Answered 24 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHypertension: Kidney DiseasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65924More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase (a) referral to and (b) uptake of testing for chronic kidney disease among people diagnosed with hypertension through the NHS Health Check programme.
Answer: Individuals who have a high blood pressure reading during their NHS Health Check are referred to their general practice for further clinical investigation, and subsequent diagnosis of hypertension and management where appropriate.In 2024, NHS England inco...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHypertension: Kidney DiseasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people diagnosed with hypertension through the NHS Health Check programme were subsequently tested for chronic kidney disease in each of the last five years.
Answer: Blood pressure is one of seven risk factors for cardiovascular disease assessed in the NHS Health Check, and it is also a risk factor for chronic kidney disease. Individuals who have a high blood pressure reading during their NHS Health Check are referred...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMidwivesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives were working in the NHS in England at the most-recent point for which figures are available; how many of those qualified (a) in the UK and (b) outside of the UK, by country; and w
Answer: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This covers staff working for hospital trusts and in integrated care in England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEducation: MathmaticsDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64586More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) dyscalculic learners and(b) learners with maths learning difficulties.
Answer: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including dyscalculia, receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department funds t...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: Take-upDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64136More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to raise awareness of the availability of Pension Credit this winter.
Answer: The Government wants all pensioners to get the support to which they are entitled. That is why since Autumn 2024 we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign. The Department’s campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit has cont...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordArmy: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to review the criteria for which applications to join the British Army are rejected on medical grounds.
Answer: This Government inherited a recruitment crisis, with targets being missed every year for the past 14 years, and is taking decisive action to get recruitment back on track. This has included the largest pay rise to personnel in decades and scrapping 100 ou...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: FamiliesHome OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64118More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason there are currently no service standards in place for Family route visa applications.
Answer: Family visa applications have a service standard of 12 weeks. Further information on our Family visa service standards can be found here: Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordOrdnance Survey: SubscriptionsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information his Department holds on the amount of income generated by the Ordnance Survey from public subscriptions in the last five years.
Answer: Since 2022-23, Ordnance Survey has published the revenue from paying subscribers to the OS Maps platform and app in its Annual Report and Accounts, and these are set out below.2022/23: £8.4m2023/24: £9.5mThe Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25 will be ...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordOrdnance Survey: SoftwareDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64091More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will hold discussions with Ordance Survey on the potential merits of making the Ordnance Survey Maps Premium (a) service and (b) app available to the public for free.
Answer: Ordnance Survey is a public corporation, operating on a commercial basis. Ministers meet regularly with the leadership of Ordnance Survey to discuss how the company can support the Government’s priorities.Ordnance Survey makes its authoritative geospatial...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordYoung People: Politics and GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 25 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62724More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase political engagement amongst young people.
Answer: The government, in its manifesto, committed to increasing the engagement of young people in our democracy, by giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections. The government believes that enabling 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in all UK e...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: AdvertisingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban advertising of unhealthy foods at sports events.
Answer: The Government is taking bold action to tackle the childhood obesity crisis and raise the healthiest generation of children ever.We are progressing with the implementation of the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink products on televisi...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: AdvertisingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62382More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban sponsorship of sports events by unhealthy food brands.
Answer: The Government is taking bold action to tackle the childhood obesity crisis and raise the healthiest generation of children ever.We are progressing with the implementation of the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink products on televisi...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEpilepsy: DeathDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61340More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
Answer: At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transfor...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEpilepsy: DeathDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the occurrences of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
Answer: At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, and the Neurology Transfor...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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