Sorcha Eastwood MP: written questions
136 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Data Protection: Age of ConsentDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77807More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to hold a public consultation on her Department's proposed changes to the digital age of consent.
Answer: In December 2024 DSIT commissioned a feasibility study into research to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children. The report will be published in due course.The government keeps all legislation under review and engages regularly w...
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones and Social Media: ChildrenDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77806More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when her Department plans to complete the feasibility study on the potential impact of (a) smartphone and (b) social media use on children’s wellbeing.
Answer: In December 2024 DSIT commissioned a feasibility study into research to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children. The report will be published in due course.The government keeps all legislation under review and engages regularly w...
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77805More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will hold discussions with Centrepoint on taking steps to help tackle youth homelessness.
Answer: Ending all forms of homelessness is a priority for this Government, and we are committed to tackling youth homelessness. My department plays a key role and works closely with homelessness stakeholders including Centrepoint, who provide invaluable support ...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSupported Housing: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77804More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential savings to the public purse of enabling young people in supported accommodation to increase their working hours without losing access to affordable ho
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit. Curre...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSupported Housing: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77803More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential fiscal impact of (a) increasing the Housing Benefit earnings disregard from £5 to £57 and (b) reducing the taper rate from 65 per cent to 5
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit. Curre...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSupported Housing: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77802More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on supporting young people in supported accommodation as part of preparations for the Autumn Budget.
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit. Curre...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit: Supported HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77801More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the Housing Benefit taper rate from 65 per cent to 55 per cent on young people living in supported accommodation.
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit. Curre...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit: Supported HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77800More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the Housing Benefit earnings disregard from £5 to £57 for young people living in supported accommodation on youth employment.
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit. Curre...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit and Universal Credit: Supported HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of the Housing Benefit and Universal Credit interaction on young people in supported accommodation who move into work.
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit. Curre...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit and Universal Credit: Supported HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the interaction between Housing Benefit and Universal Credit on the ability of young people living in supported accommodation to increase their wo
Answer: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for young people living in supported and temporary accommodation, including the different income tapers used by each benefit. Curre...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Insurance TaskforceDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77797More
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 again on 28 April 2025 and most recently met on 21 July 2025. The taskforce is expected to publish its final report in the autumn.
Answered 14 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: IrelandHome OfficeTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77796More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking discussions with her Irish counterpart on establishing an all-island work visa for the island of Ireland.
Answer: The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security which is underpinned by our joint commitment to protecting the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the ri...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: IrelandHome OfficeTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77795More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with his Irish counterpart on the potential merits of creating an all-island working visa.
Answer: The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security which is underpinned by our joint commitment to protecting the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the ri...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: IrelandHome OfficeTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77794More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an all-island working visa for the island of Ireland.
Answer: The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security which is underpinned by our joint commitment to protecting the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the ri...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordJournalism: Northern IrelandHome OfficeTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77793More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission a judge-led public inquiry into the surveillance of journalists in Northern Ireland by MI5.
Answer: MI5’s use of covert investigatory powers is subject to strong safeguards under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and their related statutory Codes of Practice.Robust independent oversight of these powers i...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: Genocide ConventionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she plans to take in response to the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory's report entitled Legal analysis of t
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 September to question 72500.
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: Genocide ConventionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory's
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 September to question 72500.
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSelf-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 record
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