Victoria Collins MP: written questions
379 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Agriculture: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46377More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of taxation policies on (a) farm investment and (b) succession planning on domestic food production.
Answer: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inherita...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: InfrastructureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46376More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to permit local planning authorities to commission independent assessments of (a) water and (b) drainage infrastructure capacity.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 45308 on 22 April 2025.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxis: Conditions of EmploymentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46375More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken in response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices to review working practices for (a) taxis and (b) private hire vehicle.
Answer: The Taylor Review was published in 2017 and while it continues to be a valuable contribution to the debate on working practices, this Government is focused on delivering our plan to Make Work Pay.Once implemented, our Plan to Make Work Pay will represent ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordInheritance Tax: Rural Areas and TenantsTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46374More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to inheritance tax on (a) rural communities and (b) low-income tenants.
Answer: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inherita...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFamily Hubs: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46373More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department have to extend the Start for Life programme beyond the 75 upper-tier local authorities that currently receive funding.
Answer: In 2025/26, £57 million will be made available to 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation to provide a range of Start for Life services. Funding for future years is being considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: Community Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46372More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the role of hospices in providing care in communities.
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 r...
Answered 24 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNurseries: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46371More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to improve transparency in (a) fee structures and (b) pricing practices in private nurseries.
Answer: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.This working parent entitlement aims to suppor...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46370More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the £100,000 threshold for entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare on affected families.
Answer: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.This working parent entitlement aims to suppor...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46369More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered introducing a tapered withdrawal of the 30 hours of free childcare entitlement for households earning above £100,000.
Answer: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.This working parent entitlement aims to suppor...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46368More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of uprating the income threshold for the free childcare entitlement in line with inflation.
Answer: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.This working parent entitlement aims to suppor...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46367More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of changes to the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief Scheme on businesses.
Answer: The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. At Autumn Budget 2024, we took the first step with the announcement of permanently lower tax rates for the Re...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSewers and Water: Planning PermissionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46366More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) Thames Water and (b) other water companies provide (i) accurate and (ii) locally verified assessments of (A) wastewater and (B) draina
Answer: As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastr...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Media: FraudDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46365More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure social media companies (a) remove and (b) report (i) illegal counterfeit currency and (ii) fraudulent foreign exchange trading.
Answer: The illegal content duties under the Online Safety Act came into force on 17 March 2025. Social media services must now have systems and processes in place to proactively protect users from illegal fraudulent content. Ofcom’s illegal content Codes of Prac...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46364More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will take steps to prioritise the reform of funding for (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care in the NHS 10-year plan.
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 families receiv...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLondon Northwestern Railway and Thameslink line: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46363More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to enable railcard holders to use their discounts with contactless payments on (a) London Northwestern Railway and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway services.
Answer: Whilst currently you are not able to link railcards to contactless bankcards, we are working with Transport for London on the functionality to use Railcard discounts with Pay As You Go (PAYG) with contactless, and this will follow in due course. Passenge...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBlue Badge Scheme: ApplicationsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46362More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) review and (b) amend the Blue Badge eligibility criteria to accommodate individuals with temporary disabilities.
Answer: The Blue Badge scheme is primarily about helping people with a long-term disability, that affects their capacity to access the goods and services they need to use. The Department for Transport currently has no plans to amend the eligibility criteria. The ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: Skilled WorkersHome OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46361More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas were issued under the digital technology stream of the Global Talent visa in each calendar year since 2020.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas, including Global Talent and Scale-Up Worker visas, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on outcomes of visas (issued, refused, withdrawn, lapsed) are published in table ‘Vi...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: Skilled WorkersHome OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46360More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications were (a) approved and (b) denied under the scale-up worker visa route in each calendar year since 2022; and what the average waiting time was for a decision.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas, including Global Talent and Scale-Up Worker visas, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on outcomes of visas (issued, refused, withdrawn, lapsed) are published in table ‘Vi...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: Skilled WorkersHome OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46359More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applications for Global talent visas were rejected in each year since 2020.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas, including Global Talent and Scale-Up Worker visas, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on outcomes of visas (issued, refused, withdrawn, lapsed) are published in table ‘Vi...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46358More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses on the high street in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: Small businesses across the UK including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted are the beating heart of our high streets and communities. This Government is committed to supporting them through a fairer business rate system. From 2026-27, we’ll introduce lower tax...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPoverty: Chronic IllnessesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46357More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help protect people with (a) multiple mental and physical health disabilities and (b) chronic health conditions from financial hardship.
Answer: The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work. As part of making changes to the rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that the incomes of those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have th...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSewers and Water: Planning PermissionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46356More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure wastewater capacity assessments by (a) Thames water and (b) other water companies account for local environmental pressures.
Answer: As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastr...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal PlansMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46355More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will direct the Planning Inspector to give greater consideration to draft local plans that have met early submission deadlines during the examination stage.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out expectations in relation to the examination of local plans. I also refer the hon. Member to my July 2024 letter to the Planning Inspectorate about the examination of local plans, which remains in force and c...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordImport Duties: USADepartment for Business and TradeTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45310More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized businesses in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, in the context of US tariffs.
Answer: We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses. That’s why the government has been focused on negotiating an economic deal with the US. We will continue to engage with businesses to assess and understand the impact of these tariffs. On 3 April ...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: InfrastructureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45309More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure local planning authorities can independently verify network capacity claims where there is evidence of (a) repeated sewage discharge
Answer: As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastr...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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