Steve Darling MP: written questions
51 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Diseases: Children and Young PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 30105More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the "Improving affordable access to essential medicines, diagnostics and health technologies for children a
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordDental Services: South WestDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 30092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to increase the number of dentists in a) Torbay and b) the South West.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordDentistry: Higher EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 30091More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to increase the number of undergraduate dentistry places.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordElectric BicyclesDepartment for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeTabled 15 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 30090More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using the Product Safety and Metrology Act to deem products unsafe, in particular kits to adapt e-bikes into ille
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordWater: StandardsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 30087More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of sewage discharges such as those affecting Torbay on recreational water users, including paddlers; and what steps she is taking t
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordInland Waterways: AccessDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 30086More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the Access to Nature Green Paper includes provisions for increased public access to unregulated inland waterways.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordMarine Environment: Offshore IndustryDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 30085More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026 to question 26686, when the planned end of the research and development programme on Marine Net Gain is.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordWater: StandardsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28080More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the risks posed to recreational water users, including paddlers, by sewage discharges such as those affecting Torbay; and what steps she is taking to en
Answer: Public health is being prioritised. The Clean Water Bill will deliver cleaner rivers, lakes, and seas, including by providing the legislative tools to ensure targets are ambitious and enabling pre-pipe solutions to reduce sewage spills. The Environment Ag...
Answered 15 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMarine Environment: Offshore IndustryDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to introduce marine net gain as part of offshore developments.
Answer: The timing for any future marine net gain scheme will depend on its scope. Our current priority is building the evidence base for marine recovery more broadly, which we are doing through our research and development programme.
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the average repair costs for potholes in England, and what plans she has to reduce those costs.
Answer: Industry estimates indicate that the average cost of repairing a pothole is around £80, although costs can vary significantly depending on the size and location of the defect and the repair method used.The Government is supporting local highway authoritie...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPovertyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he has assessed how far back in time it is possible to produce an adjusted poverty estimate of Households Below Average Income (HBAI); and if his Department will commit to going back as far as they c
Answer: The latest Households Below Average Income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2025 release, published in March 2026, used an improved approach that uses linked administrative data in place of survey responses for the major state benefits and tax credits....
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: TaxationTreasuryTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22330More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has worked with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on commissioning a comprehensive assessment of cumulative ta
Answer: Strategic authorities will decide whether a levy is right for their areas and, if so, consult on specific proposals. This will help them to find an appropriate balance between supporting local economic priorities, ensuring a levy is affordable, and provid...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: VATTreasuryTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22329More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Treasury alongside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have explored (a) the potential merits of VAT reform for the hospitality sector to match European countries that use a visitor levy
Answer: The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the ...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAdult Education: RegulationDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what oversight and regulation is in place for private adult skills education providers in England.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22327More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when her Department plans to reply to the correspondence of 26 June 2026 from the hon. Member for Torbay.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordShared Housing: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22326More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Shared Housing Rate on the ability of under 35s to secure homes.
Answer: The Secretary of State reviewed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, including the shared accommodation rate, at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, including rent le...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Housing Allowance: UpratingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22325More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he was made of the potential impact of the decision not to uprate Local Housing Allowance in the Autumn 2025 Budget on (a) families, (b) older renters, and (c) people with disabilities.
Answer: The Secretary of State reviewed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, including the shared accommodation rate, at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, including rent le...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Housing Allowance: UpratingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22324More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of not uprating Local Housing Allowance in-line with inflation at the Autumn 2025 Budget on levels of homelessness among Universal Credit claimants in
Answer: The Secretary of State reviewed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, including the shared accommodation rate, at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, including rent le...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Housing AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22323More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of Local Housing Allowance on the use of temporary accommodation in England.
Answer: The Secretary of State reviewed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, including the shared accommodation rate, at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, including rent le...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22322More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide an update on his Department's work to abolish the Work Capability Assessment as outlined in the 'Pathways to Work' Green Paper 2025.
Answer: The Pathways to Work Green Paper outlined our plan to end the link between capacity to work and additional financial support and the binary categorisation of claimants as “can or can’t work” by abolishing the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). Instead, any...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government and Social Care OmbudsmanMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22321More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate resources for the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to handle caseloads and help resolve issues.
Answer: The Department maintains a sponsorship relationship with the Ombudsman, through which matters such as finances and casework are regularly discussed. The Ombudsman’s funding is set through the Department’s annual Business Planning processes. The Ombudsman ...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordSchools: LeadDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19157More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who is the responsible body for ensuring lead testing happens in school buildings.
Answer: Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of school buildings, including ensuring the quality of drinking water, rests with the responsible body for the school. For maintained schools this is usually the local authority or governing body, and for acad...
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Torbay sent on 22 and 27 April, reference SD16253.
Answer: I responded to the hon. Member’s correspondence on 15 July 2026 (our reference MC2026/11359) and to his further correspondence of 15 July 2026, in relation to the same case, on 12 August 2026 (our reference MC2026/15006).
Answered 2 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGaming Machines: Payment MethodsDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and SportTabled 14 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the adult gaming centre sector on enabling cashless payment systems; and whether she plans to bring forward related regula
Answer: The government has been clear that it will not look to make additional deregulatory changes to the adult gaming sector until further improvements are made on customer protections. Government officials meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and repres...
Answered 22 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordGaming Machines: PrizesDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and SportTabled 14 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18768More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with the adult gaming centre sector on raising the stakes and prizes cap; and what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of
Answer: The government has been clear that it will not look to make additional deregulatory changes to the adult gaming sector until further improvements are made on customer protections. Government officials meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and repres...
Answered 22 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
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