Sojan Joseph MP: written questions
119 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Housing: 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 recordADHD: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 519More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to improve the availability of (a) methylphenidate and (b) other ADHD medication.
Answer: The Department has been working hard with industry to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of our intensive...
Answered 31 Jul 2024
Original Parliament recordHospitals: ParkingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jul 2024AnsweredUIN 507More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to abolish parking charges for NHS staff.
Answer: There are no plans to abolish parking charges for National Health Service staff.All trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking to ‘in-need groups’, which include NHS staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders, disabled pe...
Answered 26 Jul 2024
Original Parliament record
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