Sorcha Eastwood MP: written questions
136 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Medical Treatments: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the EQ-5D-5L quality of life value set will be adopted in NICE technology appraisals.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is planning to adopt the EQ-5D-5L value set and has recently consulted on proposed changes to its guidance development manuals. NICE is now considering the responses to the consultation and expe...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordGender Based Violence: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 30 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 900852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on tackling violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland.
Answer: I speak regularly to colleagues across this House, across Government and across the Northern Ireland Executive, raising the issue of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland.Making progress on this matters enormously to me and to Government. P...
Answered 8 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordParental LeaveDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure parity of baseline parental leave rights, including the standard two-week entitlement, for parents regardless of their partner’s leave arrangements.
Answer: The Government is undertaking a Review of Parental Leave and Pay, which provides an important opportunity to consider whether the current system meets the needs of modern working families, including those who are self-employed.The Review will conclude in ...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordParental LeaveDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of parental leave entitlements, particularly in cases where one parent receives extended employer-supported paternity leave while the other parent is (a) inel
Answer: The Government is undertaking a Review of Parental Leave and Pay, which provides an important opportunity to consider whether the current system meets the needs of modern working families, including those who are self-employed.The Review will conclude in ...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMileage Allowances: Northern IrelandTreasuryTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6953More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her officials have had discussions with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office on the adequacy of the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rate of 45 pence per mile.
Answer: Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee's expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. The AMAP rate is advisory, so employers can choose to pay more or less than the advisory rate. Employees r...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMileage AllowancesTreasuryTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6923More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rate on small and medium-sized enterprises and mobile workers in rural regions, including in Northern Ireland.
Answer: Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee's expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. The AMAP rate is advisory, so employers can choose to pay more or less than the advisory rate. Employees r...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMileage AllowancesTreasuryTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6922More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to introduce an indexation mechanism linking the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rate to (a) inflation and (b) motoring cost indices.
Answer: Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee's expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. The AMAP rate is advisory, so employers can choose to pay more or less than the advisory rate. Employees r...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMileage AllowancesTreasuryTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6921More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rate.
Answer: Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee's expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. The AMAP rate is advisory, so employers can choose to pay more or less than the advisory rate. Employees r...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAllergies: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NICE on the introduction of EURneffy for use in the emergency treatment of serious allergies.
Answer: Following the approval of an adrenaline nasal spray by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in July 2025, the Government is considering whether any amendments to Schedule 17 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 are appropriate...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3499More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the eligibility criteria for the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme as it applies to PhD students whose stipends are not classifie
Answer: Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is designed to help parents cover childcare costs so they can enter work, stay in employment, or increase their working hours. As a result, eligibility is based on income from paid work: each parent is generally expected to earn a...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3497More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of excluding postgraduate stipends from the definition of qualifying income for Tax-Free Childcare on families where one parent is undertaking doctoral research funded by a
Answer: Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is designed to help parents cover childcare costs so they can enter work, stay in employment, or increase their working hours. As a result, eligibility is based on income from paid work: each parent is generally expected to earn a...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic ExpenditureTreasuryTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128318More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential Barnett consequences arising from the proposed expansion of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.
Answer: The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme is being delivered in England, Wales and Scotland. Responsibility for energy policy in Northern Ireland sits with the Northern Ireland Executive. However, the UK Government will provide funding for the Norther...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: InsuranceDepartment for TransportTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on the agreed actions in the Motor Insurance Taskforce: Final Report and Actions, published in December 2025.
Answer: The taskforce worked across government, bringing together departments and independent regulators to understand the complexities of the market and to agree a set of actions. Government departments and regulators are acting to address the broader factors th...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMotor Insurance TaskforceTreasuryTabled 20 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122579More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made on the agreed actions in the Motor Insurance Taskforce: Final Report and Actions, published in December 2025.
Answer: The final report of the cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce sets out the actions being taken by government, regulators and industry to help reduce premium costs. Departments, regulators and industry are now taking forward the relevant actions.
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFuel Oil: Northern IrelandTreasuryTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121145More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason Northern Ireland has been allocated £17 million of the £53 million home heating oil support package announced on 16 March 2026; and if she will publish the methodology used to determine that figure.
Answer: The government has acted quickly to provide timely, targeted support to low-income households struggling with the rising price of heating oils, based on the latest census data. This means the funding is distributed in line with where the most vulnerable o...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120723More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on whether additional regulatory powers are required to enforce Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation.
Answer: Ministers have regular discussions with Ofcom. The government does not have a role in Ofcom’s individual regulatory decisions. I met Ofcom on 11 March. They confirmed that they are monitoring Quality of Service data closely and will take regulatory action...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120722More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether the current ownership structure of Royal Mail is compatible with the effective delivery of the Universal Service Obligation.
Answer: The universal service obligation is a statutory requirement placed on the designated universal service provider and applies irrespective of the company’s ownership structure.Royal Mail has been a fully independent business since its privatisation was comp...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120721More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on its planned timeline for publishing the improvement plan requested by Ofcom.
Answer: Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible after its discussions with the Communication Workers Union conclude.
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFireworks: NoiseDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of (a) pets and (b) vulnerable adults.
Answer: There has been no assessment of the effectiveness of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 on preventing anti-social use of fireworks or the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of pets or vulnerable adults.I recognise that people hold a range of v...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFireworks: Antisocial BehaviourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will review the effectiveness of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 to help prevent the antisocial use of fireworks.
Answer: There has been no assessment of the effectiveness of the Fireworks Regulations 2004 on preventing anti-social use of fireworks or the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of pets or vulnerable adults.I recognise that people hold a range of v...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMigrant Workers: Skilled WorkersHome OfficeTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111959More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's open consultation on Earned Settlement, due to close on 12 February 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing transitional arra
Answer: The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, has been subject to a public consultation which ran until 12 February 2026.The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a ...
Answered 17 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDelivery Services: Northern IrelandDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110555More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of postal deliveries across Northern Ireland.
Answer: Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. Earlier this month, I met the CEO of Royal Mail, Alistair Cochrane, to press him on Royal Mail’s progress in improving quality o...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRoyal Mail: Lagan ValleyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110554More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with Royal Mail to encourage timely deliveries in Lagan Valley.
Answer: Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. Earlier this month, I met the CEO of Royal Mail, Alistair Cochrane, to press him on Royal Mail’s progress in improving quality o...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110553More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Health and the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that families of children and young people with cancer in Northern Ireland ca
Answer: The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families across the United Kingdom.Through the National Cancer Plan, the Government is committing up to £10 million a year to a new fund open to al...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Expenditure: Northern IrelandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110552More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what Barnett consequentials arise for Northern Ireland as a result of the £10 million per year funding announced to cover travel costs for children and young people with cancer in England.
Answer: The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families across the United Kingdom.Through the National Cancer Plan, the Government is committing up to £10 million a year to a new fund open to al...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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