Sojan Joseph MP: written questions
77 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Inland Waterways: AshfordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12894More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to clear up water ways in Ashford constituency.
Answer: The Government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill will the first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector, reducing pollution and cleaning up our waterways. The Government has also launched an Independent Commission int...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: DyslexiaDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11534More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support children diagnosed with dyslexia in Ashford constituency.
Answer: The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions.Early identification of need and support is critical...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBalochistan: Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11144More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the human rights situation in Balochistan.
Answer: The UK is deeply concerned about reports of human rights abuses and violations in Pakistan, including in Balochistan province. The British High Commission regularly raises these issues with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. The UK will continu...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDental Services: AshfordDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to dental services in Ashford constituency.
Answer: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild den...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: AshfordDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10897More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Ashford constituency.
Answer: Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In perf...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: AshfordDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to enable GP surgeries to provide additional services in Ashford constituency.
Answer: Practices are able to provide additional services by opting in and will receive payment for these services separately to global sum payments. As commissioners of primary care, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning additional serv...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: AshfordDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10895More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce GP waiting times in Ashford constituency.
Answer: We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to fixing the the crisis in GPs to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service. Ashford sits within the Kent and Medway ...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordKent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust: Labour Turnover and RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10894More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
Answer: To fix the chronic workforce shortages in the mental health workforce we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers, across both child and adult mental health services, to reduce waiting times and provide faster treatment across all areas o...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: KentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10613More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions her Department has held with Natural England on the effect of nutrient neutrality rules on new housebuilding projects in the River Stour catchment area in
Answer: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 3644 on 9 September 2024.
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCourts: KentMinistry of JusticeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10583More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the backlog of court cases in Kent.
Answer: We have taken your question to mean what steps are being taken to tackle the outstanding caseload across all jurisdictions. We are pursuing a number of measures at a national level that will contribute to the reduction of cases in Kent.Criminal Courts Mor...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Policing: KentHome OfficeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10581More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of neighbourhood policing in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent.
Answer: The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Kent Police’s funding will be up to £431.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has bee...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCrime Prevention: KentHome OfficeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) funding her Department is providing and (b) steps her Department is taking to help prevent crime in (i) Ashford constituency and (ii) Kent.
Answer: The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Kent Police’s funding will be up to £431.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has bee...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGender Based Violence: KentHome OfficeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10579More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle street crime against women and girls in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent.
Answer: The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Kent Police’s funding will be up to £431.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has bee...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordShingles: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10273More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring that people aged between 65 and 70 who turned 65 before 1 September 2023 can access the shingles vaccine as soon as possi
Answer: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 26 July 2024 to Question 1397.
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPoverty: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10256More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce levels of child poverty in Ashford constituency.
Answer: Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish the child poverty strategy in the Spring. Our publication on 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Dev...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10255More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with local authorities on tackling youth unemployment in Ashford constituency.
Answer: The forthcoming Youth Guarantee is testament to our commitment to do more to help young people achieve their potential and how we intend to maximise the role of as wide a range of local partners as possible in helping us to achieve this goal. Ashford Jobc...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: Rural AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve bus services for rural communities in Kent.
Answer: Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into th...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: AshfordDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9886More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce driving test waiting times in Ashford constituency.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. DVSA continues to take measures to increase test availability. These include the recruitment of...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: AshfordDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the provision of SEND services in Ashford constituency.
Answer: Following the inspection of Kent’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January 2019, inspectors reported nine significant areas of weakness, requiring the local area to produce a Wr...
Answered 23 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRoads: AshfordDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9381More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that potholes are fixed promptly in Ashford constituency.
Answer: The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network. Kent County Council is the local highway authority for the Ashford constituency, and it is therefore responsible for the ...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAnti-social Behaviour: Electric Bicycles and Electric ScootersHome OfficeTabled 15 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9323More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle anti-social behaviour associated with the use of electric bikes and scooters in Ashford constituency.
Answer: Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets. The Government will give police the powers they need to take illegal, dangerous and antisocial vehicles off the str...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordElectric Bicycles and Electric ScootersHome OfficeTabled 15 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9322More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with police forces on the enforcement of the law governing the use of electric bikes and scooters.
Answer: Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets. The Government will give police the powers they need to take illegal, dangerous and antisocial vehicles off the str...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordVideo GamesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 7 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7669More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 for gaming services.
Answer: The Online Safety Act has been designed to be technology neutral and applies to all services which support user-to-user interactions online, including game services. Where gaming services fall in scope, they will need to take appropriate measures to prote...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRoads: FreightDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 900488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the EU Entry/Exit System on road haulage.
Answer: Department for Transport Ministers and officials regularly meet colleagues from the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and FCDO to discuss the impacts of the EU Entry/Exit System on travel between the UK and the Schengen Area, including the impacts on freigh...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Weed ControlDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 4503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that thistles and ragwort are removed from land owned by her Department between the village of Mersham and the Sevington inland border facility.
Answer: I can confirm that a cut of the field to remove the thistles and ragwort was completed by Sunday 8th September. The cut was started following an ecological walkover visit on Monday 2nd September to ensure that the works could go ahead without impacting ne...
Answered 11 Sept 2024
Original Parliament record
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