Steve Darling MP: written questions 2026
167 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Elections: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 16633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the mean cost to the public purse was of a parliamentary by-election since 2024.
Answer: The estimated cost of the Clacton by-election is set out in The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers’ Charges) Order 2024. The average (mean) cost of a UK parliamentary by-election between 2021 and 2025 was approximately £343,768, including candida...
Answered 14 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: OfficesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 30 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14495More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out on the closure of his Department's Service and Support Centre (SSC) at Cotswald House Torquay.
Answer: An Equality Analysis has been completed for the closure of Torquay Cotswold House, which considers the impact on colleagues with protected characteristics. The Department is of the opinion that any potential impacts can be mitigated effectively by its exi...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 30 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14494More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for Torbay at Work and Pensions Oral Questions on 29 June 2026, Official Report, Column 605, when the offer of a meeting was made;
Answer: I wrote to the honourable Member for Torbay on 25 June, explaining the rationale for the consolidation of the DWP estate and offering a meeting to discuss the implications for the site in his constituency. A meeting can be scheduled when availability is c...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceHome OfficeTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will respond to the letter dated of 20 May 2026, my reference SD17565, your reference MPAM/1511614/26.
Answer: The Home Office replied to the Hon. Member on 11 June 2026. This reply was resent on 30 June 2026.
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordWomen's Health Hubs: DevonDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11815More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women's health hubs have been established in NHS Devon ICB; and what services they provide.
Answer: NHS Devon Integrated Care Board developed a variation of the women’s health hub model, focused on virtual and system-wide provision for local women. More information about this is available on the One Devon website at the following link:https://onedevon.o...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCats: Animal BreedingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published on 22 December 2025, what her Department's planned timetable is for conducting a
Answer: In the Animal Welfare Strategy, we have committed to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare prac...
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDogs: Animal BreedingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 11211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published on 22 December 2025, what her Department's planned timetable is for launching th
Answer: This Government is committed to ending puppy farming and the low welfare breeding of dogs. As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, this Government has committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. Next steps will be announced in due course.
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordTelevision LicencesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10839More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will consider the potential merits of extending the period of validity of a declaration of "No License Needed" to TV Licensing, when a person wants to declare that they do not need a TV li
Answer: The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations including decisions regarding the period of validity of a ‘No Licence Needed’ declaration. However, the Gover...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordKinship Care: Leave and PayDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9441More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking as part of the Parental Leave and Pay Review to enable kinship carers to access leave and pay entitlements.
Answer: The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms. In addition to considering all current parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering ...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordKinship Care: LeaveDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress he has made through the parental leave and pay review in assessing the potential merits of introducing a statutory entitlement to paid leave for kinship carers comparable to entitl
Answer: The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms. In addition to considering all current parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering ...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordFishing Vessels: MonitoringDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8887More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to mandate remote electronic monitoring on fishing boats in UK waters.
Answer: Defra is committed to expanding the use of remote electronic monitoring in English waters. We are taking a targeted approach and have said that we will implement remote electronic monitoring in priority fisheries, working first with volunteers before movi...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordFishing CatchesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8886More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to publish Bycatch Action Plans for seabirds, cetaceans, seals, elasmobranches and protected fish species.
Answer: Defra are developing a Seabird Bycatch Action Plan for England in collaboration with stakeholders including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the fishing industry and academic researchers. The plan will set out steps to address seabird bycatc...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDangerous Dogs: ChildrenDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take legislative steps before the school summer holidays 2026 to increase protections for children against dangerous dogs.
Answer: From 1 November 2026, it will be an offence to leave a child under the age of 12 in close proximity with a banned breed dog, in a home or garden without adult supervision. This measure is intended to strengthen safeguards for children, where evidence indi...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDangerous Dogs: ChildrenDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take legislative steps to prohibit leaving children under the age of 12 unsupervised with dogs of any breed.
Answer: From 1 November, it will be an offence to leave a child under the age of 12 in close proximity with a banned breed dog, in a home or garden without adult supervision. This measure is intended to strengthen safeguards for children, where evidence indicates...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDangerous Dogs: ChildrenDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8736More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the prohibition on children being left unsupervised with banned breeds will be enforced; and what will the consequences of enforcement.
Answer: Enforcement of the Dangerous Dogs Act is a matter for the police, who have existing powers to take action where necessary. If non-compliance with the condition is identified, they can take enforcement action in line with those powers. This could include s...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDangerous Dogs: InsuranceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of re-issuing exemption certificates.
Answer: A one-off cost to Government is expected, estimated to be between approximately £66,000 and £80,000. This includes staff time and the cost of issuing physical certificates, responding to related correspondence and printing and postage costs. There will be...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDogs: InsuranceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8734More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandatory third-party liability insurance for all dog owners.
Answer: Defra recognises the importance of public safety and responsible dog ownership. The provision of insurance is a commercial decision for insurers and there is currently very limited coverage available for certain types of dogs. This Government does not cur...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDangerous Dogs: InsuranceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8733More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidence base was for requiring third-party liability insurance for banned breeds; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing the requirement.
Answer: From 1 July 2026 it will no longer be a requirement for banned breed dogs to have third party public liability insurance. Insurance formed part of the safeguards attached to Certificates of Exemption, providing financial protection for dog owners in the e...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordBrain: InjuriesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8308More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the acquired brain injury action plan.
Answer: The Government recognises the significant and often life‑changing impact that acquired brain injury (ABI) can have on individuals and their families.The Department is currently working with NHS England and a range of stakeholders, including other Governme...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordBrain: InjuriesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8307More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend Oliver McGowan training to include acquired brain injury.
Answer: The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism has been developed with a specific and defined focus on learning disability and autism, and there are no plans to extend its scope to other conditions. Oliver’s Training has been desi...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6891More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which (a) external stakeholders and (b) disabled people’s organisations, have been consulted on the Transform Decision Making programme.
Answer: DWP is running a small-scale trial of a transformed decision-making approach within the Health Transformation Programme's new Health Assessment Service. The Health Transformation Programme regularly engages with a wide range of external stakeholders. The ...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6890More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what governance arrangements are in place for oversight of the Transform Decision Making programme.
Answer: We began testing a transformed decision making approach on 16 March 2026 in postcodes comprising around 1% of all national PIP assessment volume. On 1 June 2026 we expanded this to around 4% of all PIP assessment volume. This is an operational change, whi...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6889More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment (PIP) claimants are included in the Transform Decision Making pilot, expressed as both a percentage and number.
Answer: DWP is running a small-scale trial of a transformed decision making approach within the Health Transformation Programme's new Health Assessment Service, and we will evaluate the impacts. The initial phase of testing involved around 1% of PIP assessments f...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Transform Decision Making programme was initiated.
Answer: We began testing a transformed decision making approach on 16 March 2026 in postcodes comprising around 1% of all national PIP assessment volume. On 1 June 2026 we expanded this to around 4% of all PIP assessment volume. This is an operational change, whi...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPhysician and Anaesthesia Associate Professions Independent ReviewDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6642More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of implementing the recommendations of the Leng Review on working relationships between doctors and (a) physician and (b) anaesthesia associates.
Answer: The independent Leng Review involved the College of Medical Associate Professionals, the United Medical Associate Professionals, and the Association of Anaesthesia Associates, as well as professional bodies representing doctors, in the development of its ...
Answered 8 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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