Sorcha Eastwood MP: written questions 2025
154 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Self-employed: VettingHome OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75453More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enable (a) private coaches, (b) education tutors and (c) other self-employed people to apply for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate with the
Answer: On 9 April 2025, the Government published an update on its work to tackle child sexual abuse, available on GOV.UK: Tackling Child Sexual Abuse. As part of this, by the end of 2025, we will introduce secondary legislation to create the ability for self-emp...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordVettingHome OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75452More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to introduce a legal requirement for people undertaking regulated activity to obtain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate with a barred list check.
Answer: Outside of specific sectors such as health and education, where Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are mandated, the decision to carry out DBS checks lies with the employer. DBS checks apply in England and Wales; other parts of the UK have their ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood Cancer: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to engaging with the blood cancer community to agree on an appropriate measure for early diagnosis in blood cancer.
Answer: The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recogni...
Answered 29 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood Cancer: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent engagement he has had with the blood cancer community on the significance of implementing a proxy measure for early diagnosis in blood cancer.
Answer: The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recogni...
Answered 29 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Department of Health on the (a) operation of the Foundation Programme allocation process and (b) its potential impact on applica
Answer: The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) manages the national application process for the UK Foundation Programme, issues guidance on foundation training, and promotes the consistent delivery of the Foundation Programme across the United Kingdom, includ...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make changes to the Foundation Programme allocation process, following the most recent application round.
Answer: NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders, including the British Medical Association, on how they can input in due course.As set out in our 10-Y...
Answered 8 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the (a) fairness and (b effectiveness of the Foundation Programme allocation process.
Answer: NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders, including the British Medical Association, on how they can input in due course.As set out in our 10-Y...
Answered 8 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67625More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will support the British Medical Association's Foundation Programme Recruitment Campaign.
Answer: NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders, including the British Medical Association, on how they can input in due course.As set out in our 10-Y...
Answered 8 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision Licences: Payment MethodsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67199More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that the TV licence payment structures are (a) transparent, (b) proportionate and (c) accessible to people who cannot afford to pay the licence fee in one lump su
Answer: Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision Licences: Payment MethodsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67198More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of advance payment requirements for TV licences on low-income households.
Answer: Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision Licences: Direct DebitsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67197More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with the BBC on the rationale for requiring new Direct Debit customers to pay six months of licence fees in advance.
Answer: Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTelevision Licences: Direct DebitsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 11 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67196More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has held discussions with the BBC on requiring new Direct Debit customers to pay six months of licence fees in advance.
Answer: Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMotorcyclesDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67195More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether motorcycling will be part of an integrated national transport strategy.
Answer: The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year and set the long-term vision for transport across England. As the strategy continues to develop, we are looking at all modes to understand how transport should be better designed...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66752More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming national cancer plan will introduce new targets for reducing late-diagnosis of cancer.
Answer: Reducing late diagnosis of cancer is a priority for the Department. As a first step, the National Health Service is now delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to support early diagnosis and faster treatment.NHS England i...
Answered 18 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: TrainingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps following receipt of the BMA letter dated 4 April 2025 requesting review of the Foundation Programme allocations.
Answer: NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process to make sure it works well for applicants. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders how they can input in due course.
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionTreasuryTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65996More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Minister for Finance for Northern Ireland on the ability of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to borrow to start to build homes.
Answer: As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, I am in regular contact with the Northern Ireland Minister of Finance on matters relating to Northern Ireland Executive funding, including the request for enhanced borrowing powers for the Northern Ireland Housing Execu...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Disclosure of InformationMinistry of DefenceTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on introducing duty of candour legislation.
Answer: The Government remains committed to implementing a ‘Hillsborough Law’ which will place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities, and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply in certain circumstances. The Cabinet Office and Minis...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChinook Helicopters: AccidentsMinistry of DefenceTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria was used to determine the 100-year classification of documents on the Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash in 1994; and whether a review of that classification has been held in the last five years.
Answer: For personal information and information linked to identifiable living individuals, The National Archives and the Advisory Council for National Records and Archives advocate a closure period of the ‘lifetime’ of the data subject. This assumes a lifetime o...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChinook Helicopters: AccidentsMinistry of DefenceTabled 8 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to meet with bereaved families associated with the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 53163 on 3 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens (Dave Doogan).
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Insurance TaskforceDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62894More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings of the Motor Insurance Taskforce have taken place; and when the next meeting will take place.
Answer: The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024. It met most recently on 28 April 2025 and further meetings are being planned.
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice and Prison Officers: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61704More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to provide support to former Northern Ireland (a) prison officers and (b) police to maintain security at their homes.
Answer: The Northern Ireland Office Home Protection Scheme is in place to provide protective security measures to those in certain occupations who are assessed to be under significant threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism. Serving and former prison and p...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: AllergiesDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many allergy 'near miss' incidents took place in schools in England in each year since 2016.
Answer: The information requested is not held centrally.
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Expenditure: Northern IrelandTreasuryTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57798More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 June 2025, HCWS682, on School Food, what estimate she has made of the potential Barnett consequentials for Northern Ireland following the expansion of free school meals t
Answer: The Barnett formula is applied when departmental budgets change – not when departments announce how they are spending their budgets.When changes to the Department for Education’s budget were confirmed at Spending Review 2025 on 11 June, the Barnett formul...
Answered 13 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordData Protection: Age of ConsentDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what his planned timetable is for his Department's examination of the digital age of consent.
Answer: We have added measures to the Data (Use and Access) Bill to strengthen data protection standards for children. Any changes to the age of digital consent would require public consultation.We continue to consider further options for protecting children onli...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordData Protection: Age of ConsentDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Medical Officer on the potential merits of raising the digital age of consent.
Answer: Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of experts and stakeholders on issues relating to children’s online safety and wellbeing. While there have been no recent formal discussions with the Chief Medical Officer specifically on the digital a...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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