Steve Darling MP: written questions 2025
347 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Access to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average savings per claimant to his Department from passing costs previously covered by Access to Work to employers.
Answer: No such transfer has been made. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation on the Pathways to Work Green Pa...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to convene a roundtable with animal protection groups prior to the publication of the alternative methods to animal testing strategy.
Answer: The government has engaged with animal welfare organisations in developing a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, which will be published by the end of the year. The Government hosted a roundtable on 14 May wi...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her planned strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of non-animal methods will contain a timeline to phase out animal experimentation.
Answer: The Government is committed to reducing the use of animals in scientific research and is developing a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. At present, the strategy does not include a fixed timeline for the com...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to (a) set a goal for phasing out animal experiments in medical research over the next decade and (b) wo
Answer: The legal framework in the UK already requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no validated alternatives available. The government currently has no plans to legislate further on this matter. The Government is working in close pa...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79007More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the higher business rates multiplier for larger premises on the (a) prices of essential goods, (b) shop closures, (c) regional employment leve
Answer: The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospital...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: PricesTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79006More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps she is taking to help support businesses affected by food inflation.
Answer: The Government prioritises sound public finances, which are essential to economic and financial stability, and delivering economic growth. We are living within our means, reducing our levels of borrowing in the years ahead and supporting the Bank of Engla...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency DepartmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79005More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national A&E Appreciation Week.
Answer: The Government highly values hardworking National Health Service staff who go above and beyond to provide rapid and critical care. Local NHS trusts have in place their own approaches to recognising and rewarding staff, supported by advice and guidance set...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency DepartmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) level and (b) nature of the challenges faced by A&E staff; and what additional support he is providing to boost A&E staff morale.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including those working in accident and em...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance Overpayments Independent ReviewDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79003More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Independent Review of Carer's Allowance overpayments will be published.
Answer: The Government is carefully considering the recommendations of the Independent Review, conducted by Liz Sayce, into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance (CA). The review investigated how overpayments of CA related to earnings occurred, how we can best suppor...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAmusement ArcadesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 16 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the maximum value of (a) prizes and (b) stakes in arcades in line with inflation.
Answer: The Government intends to consult on changes to maximum stakes and prizes for Category D gaming machines, to understand if this would be an appropriate way to support the family entertainment centre sector while maintaining protections for children and yo...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMortgagesTreasuryTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77232More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations of the report by the London School of Economics entitled Releasing the Mortgage Prisoners, published in F
Answer: The Government takes the issue of mortgage prisoners seriously. We understand the challenges that this cohort of borrowers faces and will work with regulators and the industry to ensure that this problem is properly considered.
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordTorre Station: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77231More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve accessibility at Torre railway station; and whether she plans to prioritise that station for accessibility funding.
Answer: This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. Under the previous government, nominations were sought for funding through the Access for All programme ...
Answered 14 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordLumo: TorbayDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77230More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in her Department are working on the open access applicaiton from FirstGroup for Lumo services between London Paddington and Paignton.
Answer: Access to the rail network including decisions on Open Access applications is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). When DfT provides views on individual applications as a key stakeholder, it does so with input from rail analytical and operation...
Answered 14 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFreezing of Assets: RussiaTreasuryTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77229More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with his European Union counterparts on (a) seeking to increase the level of profits from frozen Russian assets and (b) sharing the legal risks of doing taking such an approach.
Answer: The Chancellor is actively engaging with our EU partners, including recently at ECOFIN, and through regular discussions with G7 finance ministers to explore all viable legal avenues to make use of Russia’s sovereign assets for the benefit of Ukraine, in l...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAquariums and Zoos: Government AssistanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of holding a summit to support the zoos and aquarium industry.
Answer: Defra is responsible for ensuring zoos and aquariums provide the highest levels of welfare for the animals they keep, as well as delivering conservation and education. The Government published new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain on 24 M...
Answered 8 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVoluntary ContributionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the April 2025 deadline for backdated voluntary National Insurance Contributions, how many requests for callbacks were logged by his Department before 6 April 2025; how many callbacks
Answer: In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.Stage 1 was to gather per...
Answered 18 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordVoluntary ContributionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the April 2025 deadline for backdated voluntary National Insurance Contributions how many requests for callbacks were logged by HMRC before 6 April 2025; how many callbacks have so far
Answer: In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.Stage 1 was to gather per...
Answered 18 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPedestrian Areas: Visual ImpairmentDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76373More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress her Department has made on improving the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of streets for blind and partially sighted pedestrians.
Answer: Local authorities have a legal responsibility to manage their roads and public spaces in a way that meets the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010. It is for them to ensure that their streets are designed and maintained in a way ...
Answered 18 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS Trusts: Public AppointmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76372More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on (a) the appointment of a single Chair for two different NHS Trusts and (b) ensuring that the effectiveness of those Trusts' (i) governance, (ii) acco
Answer: The Government and NHS England support and expect collaboration between National Health Service trusts. Shared leadership, including having a shared chair, is one way which trusts can collaborate to address the issues they are facing.With any governance m...
Answered 18 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice and Crime Commissioners: Police and Crime PanelsHome OfficeTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74777More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Police and Crime Commissioners are held accountable to their respective Police and Crime Panels.
Answer: The Home Office provides funding through a dedicated annual grant to host local authorities to support the activity of Police and Crime Panels, who have a wide range of powers and responsibilities to scrutinise the actions and decisions of Police and Crim...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGaming Machines: Payment MethodsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73167More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to update regulations on payment methods for amusement machines.
Answer: Direct use of debit cards and credit cards is currently prohibited on all gaming machines in Great Britain. The previous Government’s 2023 gambling white paper proposed removing the prohibition on the direct use of debit cards on gaming machines, subject ...
Answered 25 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGaming Machines: Coastal AreasDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73165More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reforming (a) stake and (b) prize limits for Category D machines on the economies of coastal towns.
Answer: Government recognises the important contributions family entertainment centres make to local communities, particularly seaside towns. However, this sector has seen a number of closures in recent years. We intend to consult on changes to stakes and prizes ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Living Allowance: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72418More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people under 16 are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance where the primary medical condition is a neurodevelopmental disorder; and how many people in that category subsequently (a) make cl
Answer: As of February 2025, 703,120 claimants with a neurodevelopmental condition are receiving Disability Living Allowance for children (DLAc), in England and Wales. It is not possible to determine how many of these claimants will go on to claim, and receive, P...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72008More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a compensation scheme for people for whom the resale value of their electric vehicle was affected by changes to the level of taxation for ele
Answer: There are no current plans to introduce a compensation scheme of this design. Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads and is designed to ensure all road users pay a fair contribution. Revenue from motoring taxes helps t...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMarine Conservation Zones: TorbayDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72007More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect the Torbay Marine Conservation Zone, in the context of climate change.
Answer: Torbay Marine Protected Area (MPA) was designated in 2013 to protect a range of features and species including native oysters, seagrass beds, and long – snouted seahorse. These features are protected through a mobile fishing gear permit byelaw that prohib...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →