Victoria Collins MP: written questions 2024
62 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Supermarkets: Supply ChainsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8962More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Grocery Supply Code of Practice for all (a) upstream and (b) mid-supply chain businesses.
Answer: The Groceries Supply Code of Practice covers direct suppliers to large retailers in the UK and was introduced after a competition investigation into the grocery retail sector. Power imbalances between trading businesses can make smaller parties susceptibl...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHorizon IT System: CompensationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8961More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to speed up compensation payments for sub-postmasters impacted by the Horizon IT System.
Answer: Government is committed to providing redress to individuals affected by the Horizon scandal as quickly as possible. Real progress is being made; as of 30 September 2024, approximately £363 million has been paid to over 2,900 claimants across the available...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHeat Pumps: Energy Performance CertificatesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8960More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of recognising air-to-air heat pumps in energy performance certificates.
Answer: Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are a critical tool in informing consumers about the running costs of their homes, helping them reduce both energy bills and carbon emissions. The EPC model already recognises the performance of air-to-air heat pumps...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCarer's AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8959More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of paying carers at national living wage rates.
Answer: Many people will care for friends or family members at some point in their life, and it is right that we recognise the vitally important role of unpaid carers. That is why we are expecting to spend around £4.2 billion this year to support them through Car...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRespite CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8958More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a statutory guarantee of regular respite breaks for unpaid carers.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. We want to ensure that people who care for family and friends are better able to look after their own health and wellbeing.Local authorities have duties to support peop...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCarer's AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8957More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing the carer's allowance and (b) introducing a taper to ensure unpaid carers are not subject to any removal of benefits.
Answer: The Secretary of State undertakes a statutory annual review of benefit and pensions, and the value of Carer’s Allowance is protected by up-rating it each year in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). This Government will keep eligibility criteria and...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPalliative CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8956More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) integration and (b) coordination of end of life care services.
Answer: The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a b...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: East of EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8955More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Universal Care Plan for London to the East of England.
Answer: The Department is not planning to make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Universal Care Plan, as this would be a decision for local determination by commissioners and their providers.As we work towards a single patient record, we will...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCountryside: AccessDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8954More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a right of responsible access to the countryside.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride, but too many acros...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the accountability of SEND support within schools; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the complaint routes for parents.
Answer: The department welcomes the publication of the response to the Big Listen, which stated that Ofsted will consult on introducing a new inspection judgement area for inclusion across education settings. The department continues to work with Ofsted to consid...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8952More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reform the funding formula used to distribute SEND funds.
Answer: The department is taking time to consider the various funding formulae that the department and local authorities use to allocate funding for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It is important that there is a fair ed...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8728More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of full-time community palliative and end of life care.
Answer: We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance: StudentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8727More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for Carer's Allowance to carers in full-time education.
Answer: This Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by all unpaid carers. We think it is right that people in full-time education should be supported by the educational maintenance system, rather than the social security benefit system....
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCarer's AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8726More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the number of hours of care per week required to qualify for Carer's Allowance.
Answer: It is a long-standing principle, under successive Governments, since Carer’s Allowance was introduced, that the threshold for the number of hours spent caring is 35 hours a week. Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting elderly or disabled relatives ...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: Special Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8725More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to help reduce the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on independent school fees for children at independent schools (a) who need SEND support and (b) do not have an E
Answer: Local authorities fund pupils’ places in private schools where their needs can only be met in a private school. For example, in England, where attendance at a private school is required by a child’s education, health and care plan, local authorities will ...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHoliday Activities and Food ProgrammeDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8724More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) extending the Holiday Activities and Food Programme beyond March 2025 and (b) introducing other measures to help ensure children from low
Answer: The future of the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn and the department will communicate the outcome of that process in due course.
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMaternal Mortality: Ethnic GroupsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8723More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle inequalities in maternal mortality rates for (a) Black women and (b) women from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Answer: It is unacceptable that there are such stark inequalities in maternal outcomes. The Government is committed to closing the black and Asian maternal mortality gap. We are urgently considering the immediate action needed to tackle inequalities for women and...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAnimal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8722More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to (a) reintroduce the Kept Animals Bill and (b) introduce a ban on snares.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South Devon on 11 October 2024, PQ 7135.
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFish Farming: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8721More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward species-specific legislative proposals to ensure farmed fish do not experience avoidable pain and suffering.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Vikki Slade, on 9 October 2024, PQ UIN 7335.
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8569More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the two-child limit in Universal Credit on affected families' long-term (a) health, (b) social and (c) economic outcomes.
Answer: There are no plans to make such an assessment. The Child Poverty Taskforce will explore how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty, including by listening to stakeholders on potential changes, before publishing a strategy in Spring 20...
Answered 17 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7076More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to reduce child poverty in families affected by the two-child limit in Universal Credit claims.
Answer: Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, has started ...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPoverty: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7075More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of children who will be (a) affected by the two-child limit, (b) living in poverty and (c) both affected by the two-child limit and living in poverty in each o
Answer: Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, has started ...
Answered 10 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordAchondroplasia: VosoritideDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason vosoritide is not available for the treatment of achondroplasia in children.
Answer: Voxzogo has not been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Should an application for Voxzogo, or any product containing the active ingredient vosoritide, be received, the MHRA will consider this accordingly, with rega...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help protect rural communities in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency from flooding.
Answer: Protecting all communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. The new Government has established a Floods Resilience Taskforce, a key commitment that marks a new approach to preparing for flooding and...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCancer: ScreeningDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the development of (a) a breath test to identify pancreatic cancer and (b) technologies to aid e
Answer: The project to develop a breath test to identify pancreatic cancer is funded via the NIHR i4i/OLS: Early Cancer Diagnosis Clinical Validation and Evaluation Call. This £11 million programme funds 6 projects that aim to develop technologies to aid early de...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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