Will Forster MP: written questions
131 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Land: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38319More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of charging Council Tax on properties which have received planning permission but where no construction has commenced a
Answer: Council tax is a tax on domestic properties based on their capital value in 1991. The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for allocating council tax bands in England, and upon completion will assign a band to newly constructed properties. The governmen...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal PlansMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38316More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how new unitary authorities will be required to (a) merge their existing local plans and (b) set new local plans following reorganisation.
Answer: The legal status of local plans is not impacted by local government reorganisation. Where reorganisation occurs new unitary authorities are expected to promptly prepare a local plan covering the whole of their area. Until that new plan is adopted, existin...
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 903213More
Question: What steps she is taking to improve her Department's customer service.
Answer: We are modernising our services, enabling customers to self-serve online, while retaining non-digital channels for those that need them, avoiding digital inclusion and ensuring everyone gets the level of support they need.For example, we are starting to u...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: ConcreteDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37497More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to review her Department's decision to reduce the maximum weight limits for volumetric concrete mobile plants; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of this policy on
Answer: The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be accessed at the following link:gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review.
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOverseas Students: UkraineDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37496More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ukrainian students will be eligible for home fee status from the 2025-26 academic year.
Answer: In the 2022/23 academic year, the Student Support Regulations were amended so that persons granted leave under one of the Ukraine schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine family scheme and Ukraine extension scheme) would qualify for student support and home fe...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOverseas Trade: RussiaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36313More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to support British businesses that lawfully traded with now-sanctioned Russian (a) businesses and (b) people to help them to recover funds lawfully owed to them.
Answer: Our sanctions are designed to minimise impact on the UK and avoid unintended consequences. The Department for Business and Trade has sought to minimise the impact on businesses through implementing appropriate exceptions, specific licences where appropria...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36312More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure community pharmacies receive support to stay open.
Answer: The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.The Government is committe...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDrugs: Health EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35562More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure drug education is delivered effectively in private schools.
Answer: Independent schools have a statutory duty to teach personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, under the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.Independent schools have discretion over how they teach health education, but th...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordLong Covid and ME/CFS: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31706More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to support people with (a) ME and (b) long Covid; what funding has been allocated to Surrey for treatment of such conditions; and what the waiting times are for (i)
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for determining the level of long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), services locally, and are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government ServicesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29806More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the classification of (a) non-statutory and (b) statutory services provided by councils, in the context of the closure of (i) pu
Answer: Good provision of non-statutory services, such as public toilets, is an important issue which local leaders are best placed to make decisions on based on the needs of their communities. The English Devolution White Paper, as well as the recently published...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: ConcreteDepartment for TransportTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29805More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing permanent weight limits of (a) 38.4 tonnes for four-axle rigid Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs) and (b) 44 tonnes for five-axle rigid VCMs,
Answer: The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). Evidence was provided to the Department on both the pros and cons of allowing VCMs to con...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordWorkplace PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29803More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle (a) discrepancies between contribution amounts on pension statements and payslips, (b) lack of online access to manage pensions and (c) ot
Answer: The independent Pensions Regulator (TPR) is responsible for providing detailed guidance to employers on how to meet their automatic enrolment duties. This includes guidance on avoiding common errors, such as incorrect pension contributions, failing to enr...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Living AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29709More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support claimants of disability allowance who (a) have difficulties with oral communication, (b) have deafness, (c) have learning difficulties and (d) do not own a
Answer: For hearing and speech impaired customers:DWP utilise the Video Relay Service (VRS) which enables customers to communicate in real time via a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter using a video connection on an electronic device. There is no need to be ...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordIndia: VisasForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29664More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department (a) monitors and (b) reviews the granting of visa applications to British citizens by the Government of India.
Answer: The UK government does not monitor or review individual visa applications made by British citizens to the Government of India.
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHarassment: InternetDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 30 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) fast track protections for people who experience doxing and (b) help ensure social media platforms (i) act swiftly to remove doxing content an
Answer: DSIT is implementing the Online Safety Act which will bring in a number of protections for online users from the harms associated with doxing. In-scope providers will need to enact measures to take down illegal content and protect children from harmful co...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBuildings: SafetyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effectiveness of (a) compliance by contractors with and (b) enforcement measures by the new Building Safety Regulator with the B
Answer: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) takes action to ensure that applications that do not meet the regulatory standards of building safety are rejected. We understand that the introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor qu...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFlats: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27050More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) tackle fraudulent EWS1 forms and (b) support affected homeowners.
Answer: EWS1s (External Wall System Fire Review) are not a legal or regulatory requirement. Their use is a commercial decision by mortgage lenders and subject to their individual lending criteria. EWS1 forms are completed by competent members of relevant professi...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: ProtectionHome OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27049More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle safeguarding issues relating to (a) children at risk of being removed from the UK in contravention of a court ruling and (b) other children with a foreign
Answer: The statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ 2023 is clear that, if at any time it is considered that a child may be in need or has suffered significant harm or is likely to do so, a referral should be made immediately to a local author...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHarassment: InternetDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Department is taking to tackle doxing; and whether she plans to (a) fast track protections for victims and (b) ensure social media platforms act swiftly to remove content
Answer: DSIT is implementing the Online Safety Act which will bring in a number of protections for online users from the harms associated with doxing. In-scope providers will need to enact measures to take down illegal content and protect children from harmful co...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: DisabilityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the earnings and capital thresholds for disabled adults in receipt of social care support to ensure they are not disadvantaged when saving for (a) a house deposit and (b) other ma
Answer: The current capital thresholds, namely the lower limit of £14,250 and the upper limit of £23,250, ensure that individuals have a minimum amount of capital protected.Where an individual is receiving care in their own home, charging should not reduce an ind...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHeathrow Airport: RailwaysDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to make a decision on the business case for Southern Rail access to Heathrow Airport.
Answer: Whilst discussions with promoters of schemes for a southern rail access route to Heathrow have taken place in recent years, no business case has yet been produced.
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23242More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps to respond to the letter from Liberal Democrat hon. Members on the nationalisation of South Western Railway.
Answer: The Rail Minister replied to this letter on 14th January 2025.
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the English national concessionary scheme to peak travel times.
Answer: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory o...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planned increases to (a) National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on the viability of early years providers; and what
Answer: Since July, this government has had to take some tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, but we are continuing to invest in the early years sector, supporting the delivery of the entitlements and recognising the vital role the sector pla...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve NHS provision of (a) dental care for pregnant women, (b) radiography services for cancer patients, (c) GP access in areas with significant housin
Answer: Pregnant women and new mothers are entitled to free National Health Service dental care. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated ca...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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