Steve Darling MP: written questions
356 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61303More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of incorporating targeted cattle-based testing, enhanced slurry management, and wildlife vaccination from the Gatcomb project into its T
Answer: Work is underway on a comprehensive new bovine tuberculosis eradication strategy, and findings from local initiatives such as the Gatcombe farm project will be considered as part of its development.
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61270More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who are (a) incapable of ever working and (b) will no longer have Universal Credit reassessments.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions has not made a formal estimate of the number of people who are incapable of ever working. However, we recognise that a proportion of claimants receiving health-related benefits have severe or lifelong conditions that s...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department plans to use to determine when to end Universal Credit reassessments for people who are incapable of ever working.
Answer: Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill legislates that those who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) will not be called for reassessment for Universal Credit (UC). The Severe Conditions Criteri...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will provide an estimate of the number of people eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment in 2025-26 who did not receive it in 2024-25, broken down by constituency.
Answer: The next release of Official Winter Fuel Payment statistics will cover this period and will be published on 16 September 2025. The majority of pensioners in England and Wales – around 9 million individuals – will now benefit from Winter Fuel Payments, mak...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: HomelessnessDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60944More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help prevent homelessness among people that receive Personal Independence Payment.
Answer: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is there to help people, now and into the future, with the extra costs of living with a disability.PIP is not intended to cover housing costs, which are paid through Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, but my departmen...
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: Written QuestionsDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 58706, tabled on 10 June 2025.
Answer: The response to Written Parliamentary Question 58706 was published on 20 June 2025.
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: South WestDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60538More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department is providing to enhance internet connectivity in the West of England for passengers on railways.
Answer: The Department expects operators to make operational decisions regarding onboard Wi-Fi within current annual budgets. While there is no specific funding set aside for improved Wi-Fi in the West of England, Peninsula Transport is working with Great Western...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSouth West Main Line: DawlishDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60537More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of funding the South West Rail Resilience Programme Phase 5 at Dawlish during the Spending Review 2025.
Answer: Following the Chancellors’s statement on 11 June we are now working to confirm our wider portfolio of rail enhancements, which will be published as part of the Government’s commitment to set out its overall infrastructure pipeline.
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60536More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment on the number of job vacancies in each constituency.
Answer: The Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out our plans for reform to stop people from falling into inactivity, restore trust and fairness in the system and protect disabled people.We do not hold the data to assess the impact of the proposed changes to PIP el...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCombe Pafford School: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60234More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with Torbay Unitary Authority on enabling Combe Pafford School Torquay to admit pupils directly from Devon County Council where appropriate.
Answer: The department’s officials have not had discussions with Torbay Council on enabling Combe Pafford School to admit pupils directly from Devon County Council, but we would be happy to discuss this with the local authority. Funding provided directly by the d...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Hearing ImpairmentDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60195More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department consulted with relevant stakeholders on the closure of the hearing units at (a) St Margaret's Primary School and (b) Spires College in Torbay.
Answer: There are separate processes for removing special educational needs (SEN) units or resourced provision at academies and maintained schools, which we expect the relevant accountable bodies to follow.In maintained schools, such as Spires College, where a lo...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVacanciesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60194More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of job vacancies there are in each constituency.
Answer: There are no published statistics on the number of job vacancies by constituency. However, the number of online job adverts by local authorities can be found here: Labour demand volumes by Standard Occupation Classification (SOC 2020), UK - Office for Nat...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Mental IllnessDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to provide support for people with mental health problems who need to (a) stop and (b) reduce spending on (i) therapy, (ii) counselling, (iii) personal care and (iv) other s
Answer: PIP provides a cash contribution to support people with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability. Claimants have freedom and choice to spend their PIP as they see fit and the Secretary of State has been clear this should b...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Mental IllnessDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60192More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) carers and (b) family members of people with (i) mental health problems and (ii) psychiatric disorders are supported, in the context of propos
Answer: We will consider potential impacts of our reforms on people with all health conditions, including mental health conditions, as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation and as we develop our detailed proposals for change. This inclu...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Mental IllnessDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take to help support people with (a) mental health problems and (b) psychiatric disorders following the implementation of her proposed reforms to eligibility for the P
Answer: PIP provides a cash contribution to support people with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability. Claimants have freedom and choice to spend their PIP as they see fit and the Secretary of State has been clear this should b...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel PaymentTreasuryTabled 13 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59920More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners who will exceed the £35,000 income threshold for receiving the Winter Fuel Payment, in each year from 2025 to 2030; and what estimate she has made of the annual
Answer: On 9 June the Government announced that, from this winter 2025-26, Winter Fuel Payment eligibility will be expanded in England and Wales. Pensioners with incomes below or equal to £35,000 will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment. This will mean that the va...
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterinary Services: Recruitment and Labour TurnoverDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of recent trends in levels of (a) abuse and (b) harassment in the veterinary sector levels on recruitment and retention
Answer: The Government is aware of the high demand for veterinary capacity across the UK and is taking action to support the industry. Defra is exploring various avenues to improve both short- and long-term capacity issues. We will continue to support the vital w...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterinary Services: HarassmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) help tackle the abuse and harassment of veterinary professionals.
Answer: We value the vital work of the veterinary profession and the commitment and dedication of the veterinary workforce towards animal health and welfare. Abuse towards the veterinary sector is taken very seriously; monitoring of this is conducted by the Royal...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterinary ServicesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) tackle threats and abuse faced by and (b) promote respectful behaviour towards veterinary professionals.
Answer: We value the vital work of the veterinary profession and the commitment and dedication of the veterinary workforce towards animal health and welfare. Abuse towards the veterinary sector is taken very seriously; monitoring of this is conducted by the Royal...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: Written QuestionsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58706More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer named day Questions (a) 56436 and (b) 56437, tabled on 2 June 2025.
Answer: The responses to Written Parliamentary Questions 56436 and 56437 were published on 20 June 2025.
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAutism and Learning Disability: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57433More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the findings of the 2023-24 Learning from Lives and Deaths – People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People report.
Answer: NHS England commissions Kings College London and its partners to analyse data from the Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) reports. The annual LeDeR report is published by Kings College London, wh...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAutism and Learning Disability: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many civil servants in his Department are working on the (a) findings and (b) implementation of recommendations from the 2023 Learning from Lives and Deaths – People with a Learning Disability
Answer: We recognise that the Learning from Lives and Deaths (LeDeR) programme as a crucial source of evidence that helps to identify the key improvements needed to tackle health disparities and to prevent the avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56438More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that place funding for special school pupils is increased in line with (a) inflation and (b) special educational requirements.
Answer: Special schools receive £10,000 per place, alongside high needs top-up funding, which is paid directly by local authorities to the schools in which their placements are made. It is the top-up funding which is intended to reflect the cost of special educat...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSt Michael's Church of England Academy Paignton: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timeline is for the completion of the rebuild of St Michael’s Church of England School in Paignton.
Answer: We are aiming to enter contract later this year and are currently on track. The current planned timescale is for pupils to be in the permanent accommodation from September 2026. This is also on track, but we will need to continue to monitor this as normal...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSt Michael's Church of England Academy Paignton: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to appoint a contractor to undertake works at St Michael’s Church of England School in Paignton.
Answer: We are aiming to enter contract later this year and are currently on track. The current planned timescale is for pupils to be in the permanent accommodation from September 2026. This is also on track, but we will need to continue to monitor this as normal...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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