Will Forster MP: written questions 2025
198 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Sewage: DorsetDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55893More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sewage discharges there have been into the (a) River Bourne, (b) River Wey and (c) Hoe Stream in the last five years.
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) has reviewed its records of sewage related pollution incidents in the Woking constituency in the last five years. This shows the Addlestone Bourne has had two incidents, the River Wey/Navigation has had one incident, and the Ho...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDedicated Schools Grant: SurreyDepartment for EducationTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55892More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to consider Surrey County Council's request to extend the deadline for balancing the Dedicated Schools Grant by 2026-27.
Answer: The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDedicated Schools Grant: SurreyDepartment for EducationTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55891More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that Surrey County Council meets its Safety Valve support package conditions.
Answer: The department is continuing to work with Surrey County Council to deliver their safety valve plan, including ongoing support from both financial and special educational needs and disabilities advisers. We regularly review the implementation of all safety...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Agreements: USADepartment for Business and TradeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55890More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) businesses and (b) people in Woking that will benefit from the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal.
Answer: The Economic Prosperity Deal is a unique deal that ensures the most important UK industries are protected. This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ around 29,000 people across ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Agreements: IndiaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55887More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) businesses and (b) people in Woking that will benefit from the UK-India Free Trade Agreement.
Answer: This comprehensive agreement is estimated to increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion and boost wages by £2.2 billion each and every year in the long run. This deal will unlock new opportunities for businesses and consume...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: InsulationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent leaseholders from absorbing the cost of increases in insurance premiums for buildings undergoing remediation works for flammable cl
Answer: Leaseholders are usually responsible for paying for buildings insurance, according to the terms of their lease. Buildings insurance premiums for all buildings have risen considerably since the Grenfell tragedy; some leaseholders in buildings with fire saf...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the length of time for which a driving theory test certificate is valid.
Answer: It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time. The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is i...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRenewable Energy: National GridDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52797More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many renewable energy projects are waiting to be connected to the National Grid.
Answer: Data from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) shows there were 1759 renewable energy projects in the transmission queue at the end of March 2025.
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Post-traumatic Stress DisorderDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52796More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) support, (b) benefits and (c) resources her Department provides to (i) humanitarian and (ii) healthcare workers with PTSD who have worked in warzones and are unable to return to work.
Answer: For all Universal Credit (UC) customers with health conditions and disabilities additional support is based on the outcome of a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The outcome may be that they are found to have Limited Capability for Work (LCW), Limited Cap...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTomography: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52527More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered providing dedicated capital funding for new (a) MRI and (b) CT scanners for radiotherapy departments.
Answer: The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the reforms needed to return to the 18-week Referral to Treatment (RTT) constitutional standard by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This will inc...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRadiotherapy: ProcurementDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52526More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the use of block contracts for radiotherapy services, in the context of (a) recent trends in levels of patient numbers and (b) Lord Darzi's Independent Investigation of t
Answer: NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that the healthcare needs of local communities are met. These responsibilities include ensuring adequate healthcare provision, care, and wider support for local populations, including...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Professions: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52525More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of (a) clinical oncologists, (b) therapeutic radiographers, (c) medical physicists and (d) engineers as part of the NHS 10 year plan.
Answer: A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, and how we ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordIndia: PakistanForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support people affected by political persecution in the India- Pakistan conflict.
Answer: The agreement to cease further military action reached on 10 May is a hugely welcome development. The UK's long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHeat Networks: RegulationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 14 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52523More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to extend Ofgem’s regulatory powers to include heat networks.
Answer: DESNZ is introducing heat network regulation which aims to provide consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations. This new regulatory framework was signed into law earlier this year, establishing Ofgem as the market reg...
Answered 20 May 2025
Original Parliament recordReservoirs: ConstructionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52155More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) water companies and (b) local authorities on building new reservoirs to ensure water security.
Answer: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including water companies and local authorities, on many issues related to the water sector. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for custo...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on ensuring the provision of community pharmacies in new housing developments.
Answer: Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies. Legislation requires PNAs to include consideration of the future need for ph...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging on local authorities in the (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27 and (c) 2027-28 fin
Answer: In October 2024, this Government published an updated impact assessment for the introduction of Extended Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR), which includes an assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on Local Authorities at an aggregate le...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPensions Ombudsman: StandardsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of waiting times for cases to be allocated to a Resolution Specialist at The Pensions Ombudsman.
Answer: The Pension Ombudsman (TPO) has experienced a significant increase in complaints over the past several years, and this trend is continuing. This has impacted on waiting times for cases to be allocated to a resolution specialist. In response to this pressu...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to support community pharmacies.
Answer: For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26.There is also...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50403More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of pharmacy provision in (a) England and (b) Scotland.
Answer: As is custom and practice when considering policy development for England, we regularly examine and consider the services that are commissioned from pharmacies in a range of other jurisdictions. This includes regular liaison with Wales, Scotland, and Nort...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordUkraine: RefugeesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47132More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to seize Russian oligarchs’ UK homes to house Ukrainian refugees.
Answer: Since the launch of the UK's Ukraine schemes, 219,400 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK as of December 2024, in part thanks to the immense generosity of the British public.Designated individuals and entities do not forfeit ownership of assets frozen in th...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordTax Evasion: ProsecutionsTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46574More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of tax evasion.
Answer: HMRC is not a prosecuting authority, however they have a strong and effective working relationship with their prosecuting partners – the Crown Prosecution Service, Public Prosecution Service, and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. HMRC works clos...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: HomelessnessDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with local authorities to ensure that homeless children receive additional (a) educational and (b) pastoral support in schools.
Answer: Too often, opportunity for children and young people is defined by their background. Children whose families are experiencing homelessness face barriers to education and this is not acceptable. The Opportunity Mission will break the link between young peo...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Performance Certificates: IndustryDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of EPC rating requirements for industrial buildings; and what steps he is taking to support small manufacturers in meeting
Answer: Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) regulations consider the energy efficiency of buildings to ensure they are futureproofed for any usage, irrespective of the occupant. MHCLG also recently published a consultation on EPC reform to ensure they are a...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordApprenticeship LevyDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46571More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend the eligibility of the Apprenticeship Levy to include (a) pre-employment and (b) employability schemes.
Answer: The government’s new levy-funded growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, aligned with the government’s industrial strategy. This will i...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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