Steve Darling MP: written questions 2025
347 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Resettlement: AfghanistanHome OfficeTabled 31 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 87123More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to expedite delayed biometric processing in Islamabad, Pakistan, for family members of people who assisted UK military operations in Afghanistan; and whether her
Answer: The Home Office does not hold this information.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPathways to WorkDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51603, if he will provide an update on when the Pathways to Work White Paper will be published.
Answer: We have already put in place the equivalent of over 1000 full-time Pathways to Work advisers across Britain to support disabled people into work. We have also launched the Timms Review to ensure PIP is fair and fit for the future and are increasing the nu...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85960More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider extending access to cardiac screening to people aged 14 to 35 who participate in sport.
Answer: In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all f...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82424 on Animal Experiments, which experiments does the alternative methods strategy include timelines for phasing out.
Answer: The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAmbulance ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85382More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Wait 45 policy on (a) ambulance release times and (b) levels of corridor care in hospitals.
Answer: The Department has not made a specific assessment. However, ambulance handover delays have improved since last year, and monthly average national handover times have been under 30 minutes since May 2025.As part of the preparations for winter, the Departme...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Technology: StandardsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84529More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what quality assurance is in place to ensure that when a licence is issued for small-scale digital deployment, the coverage delivered aligns with the planned coverage; and how her Depar
Answer: Localised networks, such as private mobile networks, are delivered by a wide range of providers to support connectivity for particular users, for example, for business and organisations in sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare. This is different fr...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordTelecommunications: South WestDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84528More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on ensuring that there is adequate telecommunications coverage across the South West region.
Answer: Ofcom publishes figures on mobile and fixed broadband coverage across the UK twice a year in their Connected Nations report. The full report for 2025 is expected to be published by the end of this year.Ofcom does not publish aggregate coverage figures at ...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFoster CareDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that independent fostering agencies receive adequate support to provide high-quality fostering services.
Answer: The department’s priority is to recruit and retain more foster carers so there is a choice of stable, loving foster homes for children in care.The government is committed to ensuring a fostering system that meets the needs of children and young people and...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment Schemes: CarersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers have been supported into work through his Department's employment support programmes in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income. The information requested is currently...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment Schemes: CarersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing specialist support measures to support unpaid carers into employment.
Answer: Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and...
Answered 28 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCarers: EmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of supporting unpaid carers into employment on the economy.
Answer: Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCarers: EmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support unpaid carers into paid employment.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income. Support includes identifying skills ga...
Answered 28 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Authority Housing FundMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83403More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce the prospectus for round 4 of the local authority housing fund.
Answer: We aim to publish the prospectus for Round 4 by the end of this year, to allow local authorities sufficient time to prepare for delivery to begin in April 2026.The £950 million fourth round of Local Authority Housing Fund will primarily support local auth...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83038More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential number of redundancies as a result of changes in the level of funding for the International Baccalaureate in the state sector.
Answer: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities....
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83037More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding for the International Baccalaureate on (a) school culture and (b) the retention of teaching staff.
Answer: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities....
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83036More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding of the International Baccalaureate on (a) staffing levels and (b) curriculum breadth in state schools.
Answer: The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards ke...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83035More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered the potential impact for reducing funding for the International Baccalaureate on (a) the number of university admissions and (b) the representation of state-educated studen
Answer: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities....
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83034More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with the International Baccalaureate Organisation on the withdrawal of state funding support.
Answer: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities....
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83033More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding for the International Baccalaureate on the number of students learning foreign languages in state schools.
Answer: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities....
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83032More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for International Baccalaureate qualifications on trends in the difference in academic results between state and private schoo
Answer: The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards ke...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83031More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for International Baccalaureate qualifications on social mobility for (a) students in state schools seeking (i) international
Answer: The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards ke...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83030More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to issue guidance to affected schools on managing the planned reduction in funding for the International Baccalaureate.
Answer: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities....
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the average reduction in funding to each state school affected by the planned reduction in funding for the International Baccalaureate.
Answer: The department has made very significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% on last year. We must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards key priorities....
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Baccalaureate: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83028More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason it is her policy to reduce state school funding for the International Baccalaureate from 2026.
Answer: The department has made significant investments into 16 to 19 education funding. The base rate of funding per student has increased to £5,105 in 2025/26, up over 5% in comparison to last year. But we must make this funding work hard, tilting it towards ke...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish all changes to guidance for civil servants issuing Access to Work grants issued since 2020.
Answer: Minor changes to guidance have been made to increase readability and operational understanding for civil servants issuing Access to Work grants. More significantly, existing guidance has been applied more consistently. No changes have been made to Access ...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →