Steve Darling MP: written questions 2024
137 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Pigs: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to support indoor pig farmers to adopt free farrowing systems.
Answer: We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway supports farmers to improve their animals’ health and welfare through fun...
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPigs: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21099More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 6270 on Poultry and Pigs: Animal Welfare, if he will publish a public consultation on the use of farrowing crates for pigs.
Answer: We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: AppealsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20805More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of support available to people going through tribunals for claiming (a) Universal Credit and (b) other benefits.
Answer: Appeals are lodged directly with, and administered by, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). At the First-tier Tribunal, proceedings are designed to be straightforward and accessible to all. The tribunal panel is trained and experienced in dealing with...
Answered 23 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPet Travel Scheme: CatsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20056More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cats travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme via (a) sea, (b) tunnel and (c) air in 2023 and 2024.
Answer: Means of TransportJanuary - December 2023January - October 2024Air8,7867,712Sea 16,2378,137Tunnel13,26011,087Grand Total38,28326,936 The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checke...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPet Travel Scheme: CatsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20055More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cats travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme in each month of (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.
Answer: Month20232024Jan2,7503,207Feb1,7771,860Mar2,0242,357Apr2,2192,700May2,7622,029Jun5,6383,015Jul2,6182,692Aug3,9743,828Sep7,6342,094Oct7593,154Nov2,314 Dec3,814 Total38,28326,936 The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain an...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPet Travel Scheme: DogsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme in each month of 2023.
Answer: MonthTotalJanuary18,840February14,838March15,790April24,722May20,738June21,633July31,068August51,913September29,096October6,581November16,779December36,711Total288,709 The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is base...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCats: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cats were imported under the Balai Directive in each month of (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.
Answer: Balai Cat Imports EU: Month20232024Jan216253Feb310267Mar270256Apr179224May164165Jun170196Jul194166Aug197222Sep253287Oct282290Nov261 Dec287 Total2,7832,326 Balai Cat Imports ROW: Month20232024Jan306254Feb304292Mar372251Apr331279May321346Jun377314Jul278332A...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRailways: South WestDepartment for TransportTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20052More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what projects the full-time equivalent civil servants working on rail projects in the South West are working on; and what proportion of their time is spent on each project.
Answer: Civil servants working on rail projects in the South West are predominantly focused on supporting the South West Rail Resilience Programme, Mid-Cornwall Metro, Wellington and Cullompton stations, MetroWest Phase 1b, also known as the Portishead line, and ...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: Bank ServicesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19893More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enhancing the banking offer within Post Offices.
Answer: Post Office continues to provide vital banking services through the Banking Framework to communities and businesses alike and protect access to cash for those who choose to use it. Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communiti...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPet Travel Scheme: DogsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme by (a) sea, (b) tunnel and (c) air in each of the last 12 months.
Answer: Means of TransportNovember - December 2023January – October 2024Air213113662Sea12097105568Tunnel39262160014Total53490279244The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information received to date, provided b...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help young universal credit claimants into work.
Answer: Our plan to go further, as laid out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, is critical to growing the economy. This includes implementing a new national jobs and career service to help get more people into work alongside a Youth Guarantee, meaning more q...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care Boards: Primary CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19483More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue guidance to integrated care boards on representation for NHS Primary Care stakeholders.
Answer: The Health and Care Act 2022 sets out the legislative minimum integrated care board (ICB) membership requirement, with a mandated partner member nominated for primary medical services, along with nominated partner members from the National Health Service ...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDisposable Wipes: PlasticsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce legislative proposals to ban wet wipes containing plastic.
Answer: The Government is working together with the devolved Governments to understand the issue, with a view to legislate to ban wet wipes containing plastic across the UK.
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: AgeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19105More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff are currently working on her Department's response to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on
Answer: In responding to the Ombudsman’s report work was undertaken by civil servants across grades who worked both full and part-time. The Ombudsman’s report was detailed and complex. It took around 6 years to complete and the issues it considered spanned a peri...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18711More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of mandatory reconsiderations of work capability assessment decisions have resulted in a different decision in each of the last three years.
Answer: Statistics on mandatory reconsiderations of work capability assessment decisions for Employment and Support Allowance can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/web...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of trialling the provision of a copy assessment report when informing claimants of a decision on a benefit claim under the Health Transformation Pr
Answer: The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising benefit services to improve customer experience, build trust in our services and create a more efficient service. As we develop these services, we are exploring a range of ideas to establish what wo...
Answered 13 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18709More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of trialling automated recording of health assessment information under the Health Transformation Programme.
Answer: The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising benefit services to improve customer experience, build trust in our services and create a more efficient service. As we develop these services, we are exploring a range of ideas to establish what wo...
Answered 13 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Cost of LivingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of universal credit payment levels in the context of (a) food costs, (b) bills and (c) other essential costs.
Answer: No assessment has been made. Benefits increased by 6.7% in April 2024, in line with inflation. The Basic and New State Pensions were also uprated by 8.5% in line with earnings, as part of the ‘triple lock.’ We have recently announced a Fair Repayment Rate...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRented Housing: RegistrationDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 5 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18244More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many full-time-equivalent civil servants are working on the short-term let registration scheme.
Answer: Four, plus a percentage of time from senior colleagues who provide oversight, and from analytical, legal, and digital specialists.
Answered 13 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRailways: DawlishDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18243More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent civil servants are working on the Dawlish Rail resilience programme.
Answer: There are four full-time equivalent civil servants working on rail projects in the South West, including the South West Rail Resilience Programme.
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18242More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to announce the allocation by local authority for the £740 million of SEND funding.
Answer: The department allocates capital funding to local authorities to support them to meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision. Earlie...
Answered 11 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAcademies: BuildingsDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to sixth form academies on securing capital funding for new school buildings when existing buildings are no longer fit for purpose.
Answer: Ensuring schools, including sixth form college academies, have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life.Responsibility for keep...
Answered 11 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordVisual Impairment: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the provision of vision rehabilitation support in England.
Answer: The Department does not collect or hold this information.
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRehabilitation and Victim Support Schemes: TorbayMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much base funding she plans to provide for (a) domestic abuse and sexual violence and (b) drugs and alcohol services in Torbay constituency.
Answer: In 2024/25, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) allocated Torbay, as a Tier One authority, £321,538 to commission support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation locally.On 28 November, the ...
Answered 11 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordGreat Western Railway: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on helping to improve Great Western Railway services on Sundays.
Answer: The recent performance of Great Western Railway (GWR) services on Sundays has not been good enough. Whilst many factors impact performance the recent increase in cancellations has been driven by the availability of traincrew. Officials are actively workin...
Answered 11 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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