Sonia Kumar MP: written questions 2025
47 published records · newest first.
Written questions
UK Emissions Trading Scheme: ConstructionDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 27 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63357More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the emissions trading scheme on the clay brick and rooftile industry.
Answer: UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) participants, including the clay brick and rooftile sector, are provided with free allocations, reducing their exposure to the carbon price and mitigating their risk of carbon leakage whilst continuing to provide an in...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63355More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of funding for EHCP plans in (a) the UK, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Dudley constituency.
Answer: The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, following the Autumn Budget 2024. This brings total high needs funding for children and young people with special educational needs and...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: BricksMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions has she had with brick manufacturers on meeting the demand for new homes.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60503 on 25 June 2025.
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHousehold Support FundDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to review guidance on the application process of the Household Support Fund.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions have no plans to review the guidance on the application process for this iteration of the Household Support Fund, having reviewed and updated the guidance to launch the scheme on 1 April 2025. Local Authorities have th...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLand BankingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63256More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has taken to help tackle land banking.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60243 on 24 June 2025.
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: Repairs and MaintenanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63255More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help support councils to require developers to (a) complete and (b) refurbish (i) building sites and (ii) existing empty buildings.
Answer: The Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) for 2021-26 allows a proportion of programme delivery to come from new build and second-hand home acquisitions and funding replacement homes on regeneration schemes where there is a positive impact on overall housing s...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMedicine: Postgraduate EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63254More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take in the context of trends in the level of competition for training places in postgraduate medical training.
Answer: We are aware that competition ratios for speciality training have grown in recent years, and that this is causing concern across the medical profession.As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan published on 3 July, we will work across Government to prioritise...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63253More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase funding for mental health services for children.
Answer: The Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services, including support for children. The 2025 Spending Review confirmed that we will fulfil our commitment to provide access to mental health support within school...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Health Services: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63252More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 10-year health plan will include policies on (a) community equipment services and (b) the timely provision of community care equipment.
Answer: The Government will deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, creating a truly modern health service designed to meet the changing needs of our changing population. Moving care from hospitals into the community and putting the building blocks ...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63250More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools that are experiencing an increase in pupils with an EHCP.
Answer: This government wants all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive. We will set out our plans for SEND and alternative provision (AP) reform in a Schools White Paper this autumn.We are increasi...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: QualificationsDepartment for EducationTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63249More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure awarding bodies for hair and beauty qualifications update their (a) guidance and (b) training to promote inclusivity for all (i) hair and (ii) skin types.
Answer: This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to my hon. Friend, the member for Dudley directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries ...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: QualificationsDepartment for EducationTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she considered the potential merits of providing a higher level of funding to help support the implementation of the updated National Occupational Standards for hair and beauty qualifications.
Answer: It is appreciated that over time National Occupational Standards change. The department expects providers to use the available funding to undertake any changes required.The department uses the 16 to 19 funding formula to calculate the funding to instituti...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63247More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department provides for the provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages courses in the West Midlands Combined Authority area.
Answer: The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year to ensure that adult learners can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work. The AS...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordUK Emissions Trading SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 6 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58126More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department will publish the response to the consultation entitled Extending the UK Emissions Trading Scheme cap beyond 2030.
Answer: The UK ETS Authority, the joint governance body comprising of the UK Government, Welsh Government, Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, is grateful for the range of stakeholder responses to the Extending the UK ETS cap beyond 2030 consu...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Agreements: IndiaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55988More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-India trade deal on ceramics manufacturers.
Answer: The Department recognises the significant challenges faced by energy-intensive industries like ceramics, including rising global energy costs, unfair trading practices, and carbon leakage. We are taking firm action to protect these industries, including t...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Workers: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55980More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that social workers are trained to deal with (a) domestic violence and (b) the alienation of family members.
Answer: The regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England (SWE), sets the professional standards which all social workers must meet throughout their careers. Standard 6 refers to ‘Promote ethical practice and report concerns’ with paragraph 6.1 sp...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGambling: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether residential treatment for severe gambling addiction will (a) continue to be funded by his Department after commissioning for treatment services is moved to the NHS and (b) be funded through
Answer: In April 2025, the new statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect to fund the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities continue to work closely together to de...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Homes: Fees and ChargesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44343More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered increasing the threshold from which people must pay for their own care.
Answer: The capital limits and the social care allowance rates are reviewed annually and the rates for 2025/26 were published in the Local Authority Circular in February 2025.We are launching an independent commission into adult social care later this month as pa...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNurseriesDepartment for EducationTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42985More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) keeping records of all incidents in nurseries and (b) making these statistics publicly available.
Answer: This government’s priority is to grow high-quality, affordable and flexible education and care for children, whilst ensuring their safety, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.The department is responsible for se...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSTEM Subjects: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated for STEM professional development from April 2025; and how teachers will access this funding.
Answer: The following programmes are delivering teacher professional development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the 2024/25 academic year.The Maths Hub Programme, which is supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teach...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAllied Health Professions: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35523More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the allied health professional workforce.
Answer: The refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan, which will be published in summer 2025, will deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, including allied health ...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Medical TreatmentsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 902819More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the establishment of a medical evacuation scheme for children in Gaza requiring urgent treatment.
Answer: We have announced £1 million for the Egyptian Ministry of Health, delivered through World Health Organisation (WHO) Egypt, to support medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. Israel must ensure sustained passage through the now open Rafah crossing, for...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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