Victoria Collins MP: written questions 2025
508 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Nurseries and Schools: SurveysDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82496More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to require (a) schools and (b) nurseries to publish information on how they respond to feedback from (i) pupils and (ii) parents in inclusion-related surveys.
Answer: This government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools to break down barriers to education, alongside ensuring that special schools are able to support children with the most complex needs. The Expert Advisory Group for ...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain Cancer: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82495More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad includes clinical trials for brain cancer.
Answer: The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. The CVLP has been instrumental in accelerating tria...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain Cancer: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82494More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, (b) NHS England, (c) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, (d) the National Institu
Answer: The Department recognises that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and the significant impact that rarer forms of cancer can have on patients, carers, and their families. That is w...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: Disclosure of InformationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the steps taken by NHS England to ensure (a) transparency when maternal and neonatal care goes wrong and (b) that bereaved parents receive
Answer: In June 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced measures to hold National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to greater account and improve transparency. This included the introduction of a new early warning system, p...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: SafetyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to renew the National Maternity Safety Ambition at the end of 2025.
Answer: Our commitment to set an explicit target to close the black and Asian maternal mortality gaps has not wavered. Addressing the shocking inequalities that exist across maternity and neonatal services is fundamental to ensuring that all women and babies rece...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: SafetyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will consider adopting new National Maternity Safety Ambitions to eliminate inequalities in maternal and neonatal outcomes based on ethnicity and deprivation.
Answer: Our commitment to set an explicit target to close the black and Asian maternal mortality gaps has not wavered. Addressing the shocking inequalities that exist across maternity and neonatal services is fundamental to ensuring that all women and babies rece...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: DefibrillatorsDepartment for TransportTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81625More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) taxis, (b) buses, (c) hire cars and (d) other vehicles used for (i) public and (ii) quasi-public purposes to carry automate
Answer: The Department has not assessed mandating these vehicles to carry defibrillators. In England outside London, commercial bus operators provide the majority of bus services and have responsibility for managing their fleets. Any decision on whether to fit bu...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMiscarriageDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80322More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to establish routine data collection on miscarriages.
Answer: An update to digital record standards on maternity means that the National Health Service is now able to record the pregnancy outcome for any woman, including miscarriage, where they have been in contact with NHS maternity services.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInfant MortalityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80321More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of neonatal death rates in (a) the UK and (b) other European countries in the last ten years.
Answer: The United Kingdom neonatal mortality rate for babies after at least 24 weeks of pregnancy decreased between 2013 and 2020, before rising in 2021 and 2022 and falling slightly in 2023.This is similar to the trend across Europe, where rates generally decre...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInfant Mortality: Bereavement CounsellingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80320More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to specialist psychological support for parents following pregnancy or baby loss in each region; and what steps his Department is taking to ens
Answer: The Government is determined to ensure all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location or ethnicity. That is why the Secretary of State has set up a rapid, national, independent Investigation into ...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInfant Mortality: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80319More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support families who have experienced baby loss in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust and West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust all provide seven-day maternity bereavement care, meaning women and families can access support from a maternity professi...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGluten-free Foods: PrescriptionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80318More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to update information on the commissioning framework within the NHS England guidance entitled Prescribing Gluten Free Foods in Primary Care: Guidance for CCGs, publishe
Answer: No recent assessment has been made by the Department. However, a review was undertaken in 2019, which confirmed that the position in England remains that gluten free (GF) bread and mixes can be provided to all eligible coeliac patients on a National Healt...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Insurance Contributions: ExemptionsTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80317More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered extending National Insurance Contribution exemptions; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on levels of recruitment in the hospitality sector.
Answer: Businesses can claim a number of employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers will pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270. There are a wide range ...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80316More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing business rates for hospitality venues on high street regeneration in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
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 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80315More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support hospitality businesses at risk of closure in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: The Government recognises the vital role of hospitality businesses in our communities and economy, including those in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and that’s why we’re taking targeted action to support them with the pressures they face. In April, we launche...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPolioDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80314More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent (a) disability benefit and (b) social care policy changes on (i) polio survivors and (ii) people with post-polio syndrome.
Answer: Any changes to Personal Independence Payment eligibility will come after the Timms Review, an ambitious and inclusive review that aims to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater i...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain Cancer: Clinical TrialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80313More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the level of funding for the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector for clinical trials to (a) optimise existing treatments and (b)
Answer: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology invests approximately £200 million into cancer research annually via UK Research and Innovation. In parallel, the Department of Health and Social Care funds cancer research via the National Institute f...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Terminal IllnessesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80312More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hospice and End of Life Care’s report entitled Inquiry into the fina
Answer: The Department supports people nearing the end of life through the Special Rules for End of Life. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment o...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Terminal IllnessesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80311More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help improve the financial security of people with a terminal diagnosis.
Answer: This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it. The primary way the Department supports people nearing the end of life is through special benefit rules which are known as the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). Th...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Terminal IllnessesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80310More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government intends to review the effectiveness of the special rules for end of life.
Answer: The primary way the Department supports people nearing the end of life is through special benefit rules which are known as the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: Terminal IllnessesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80309More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will ask the Pensions Commission to consider the potential merits of allowing people of working age living with a terminal illness to claim state pension.
Answer: The government recognises the importance of ensuring that individuals who are terminally ill are treated with compassion and dignity. The Terms of Reference for the Pensions Commission, which set out the scope for the Commission, were published on the 21s...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordProbateMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80308More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of delays in the probate system; and what steps are being taken to reduce waiting times for bereaved families to obtain probate in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constitu
Answer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff, alongside system and process improvements to reduce and maintain lower processing times during the last year.The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness in our regular ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool MealsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80307More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that SEND reforms under development (a) take account of the needs of children with (i) coeliac disease and (ii) other medical conditions and (b) ensure that pupils
Answer: The government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards. Headteachers, governors, and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies that take into account local circumstances and ...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80306More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the processing times for disability benefit (a) applications, (b) reviews and (c) mandatory reconsideration requests.
Answer: Managing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department and we are working constantly to improve our service.Our aim is to make an award decision, including on an award review decision, as quickly as possible, taking into accoun...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRoad Works: UtilitiesDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80305More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will consider making amendments to section 81 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 to enable local authorities to levy fines on utility companies that fail to maintain street apparatus or to rectif
Answer: Utility companies already have a duty to maintain their apparatus in the street to the reasonable satisfaction of the highway authority. Where an authority becomes aware of defective apparatus they should notify the owner of the apparatus requiring the ut...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →