Will Forster MP: written questions
417 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Long Covid: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether future NHS planning guidance will require Integrated Care Boards to provide dedicated long covid pathways.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are allocated funding by the National Health Service based on a statistical formula which takes into account population size and needs, so that funding distribution is fair and objective. Further details on ICB funding alloca...
Answered 6 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordLong Covid: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109915More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that patients with long covid receive condition specific care.
Answer: Long COVID, or post-COVID, services are commissioned by integrated care boards. These services should comprise of an integrated pathway of assessment, medical treatment, and multifaceted rehabilitation, with direct access to required diagnostics. Referral...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordLong Covid: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated to each Integrated Care Board in England for long covid services in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are allocated funding by the National Health Service based on a statistical formula which takes into account population size and needs, so that funding distribution is fair and objective. Further details on ICB funding alloca...
Answered 6 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving TestsDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of closing DVSA testing centres on driving standards.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to providing an effective and efficient driving test service for its customers and keeps its estate under continual review. DVSA strongly encourages learners to drive on a variety of different ro...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Media: ChildrenDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 907722More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of social media use on children’s mental health.
Answer: I share the worries of parents and many of those in the medical profession; the question is not whether the government will act, but how. These are nuanced issues on which there are a diverse range of views; that is why we are launching a consultation and...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFamily ProceedingsMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 907700More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Attorney General’s Office on ending the presumption of parental contact in family court cases.
Answer: The Government announced on 22 October 2025 that it will repeal the presumption of parental involvement when Parliamentary time allows.Prior to this announcement, a Parliamentary write-round was undertaken which included consideration by the Attorney Gene...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSchools: TransportDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109000More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to local Government on safeguarding procedures for drivers transporting pupils to and from school.
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home-to-school travel for eligible children. The department publishes statutory guidance to assist local authorities in meeting their duties.The statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities mus...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGurkhas: Workplace PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of not providing Gurkha veterans with equal pension benefits to those of other British Army veterans on those veterans.
Answer: The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For tho...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGurkhas: Workplace PensionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108502More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to provide Gurkha veterans with pension benefits equivalent to those of their British Army counterparts.
Answer: The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For tho...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: International CooperationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108501More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether the Government is on track to meet its international commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Answer: The Government will submit the UK Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity by the deadline of 28 February 2026, setting out our progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTaxis: Greater LondonDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108500More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the average time taken by Transport for London to process and issue private hire vehicle driver licences.
Answer: The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which local licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades but ultimately the licensing process is left at the discretion of local a...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChild Benefit: National Insurance CreditsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 22 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 107921More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of requiring parents to apply for Child Benefit on their eligibility to qualify for National Insurance credits.
Answer: DWP has not conducted such an assessment. Child Benefit is a benefit administered by HMRC.
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChild Benefit: National Insurance CreditsTreasuryTabled 22 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 107920More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people do not receive National Insurance credits through not applying for Child Benefit.
Answer: It is estimated that 214 thousand people who qualified for Child Benefit in 2024-25 were not claiming it and missed out on National Insurance credits. This estimate excludes those who paid National Insurance contributions or who received credits via anoth...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: ApplicationsHome OfficeTabled 21 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 107620More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many priority service applications for visas are processed within 5 working days; and how many super priority service applications are processed by the end of the next working day.
Answer: This information is published in table VSI_02 (column L) of the UK Visa & Immigration Transparency Data. This shows the proportion of applications processed in line with the 5 working days service standard for priority application, and next working da...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: Business RatesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 107288More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of business rate increases on the community pharmacy network.
Answer: In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion suppor...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: ContractsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 107287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) review and (b) reform the current community pharmacy contract.
Answer: In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion suppor...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVoluntary Contributions: British Nationals AbroadTreasuryTabled 20 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 107286More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her department will release further information on the Voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad.
Answer: The previous rules around voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) allowed those with a limited connection to the UK to build UK State Pension entitlement at a very cheap rate. At Budget 2025 the Government took two immediate steps to fix the mos...
Answered 27 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: TreatiesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 19 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106829More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what formal international defence treaties the UK has outside of NATO.
Answer: Details of how to search for UK treaties can be found via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's dedicated treaty unit at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-treaties
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordGreenland: Armed ForcesMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106828More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what conversations he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential for sending UK troops to Greenland.
Answer: The Defence Secretary speaks to his colleagues on a range of issues affecting our national and international security, including the High North. As noted by the Defence Secretary last week, one UK military officer joined a reconnaissance visit to Greenlan...
Answered 27 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: Health EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106226More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help raise awareness of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases through the UK Rare Diseases Framework. One of the priorities of the Framework is improving awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, including 22q11.2...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDisability Aids: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105942More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department hols on the longest time that someone has had to wait to obtain a wheelchair or walker on the NHS.
Answer: The information requested is not held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services, based on the needs of their local population.NHS England supports ICBs to reduce variation in ...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDisability Aids: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for someone to obtain a wheelchair or walker on the NHS.
Answer: The information requested is not held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services, based on the needs of their local population.NHS England supports ICBs to reduce variation in ...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: WokingDepartment for TransportTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of transport connections at Worplesdon station in Woking constituency.
Answer: No assessment has been undertaken, as Worplesdon is a lightly used local station. Passengers tend to use Guildford or Woking stations for wider travel. Under public ownership, Southwestern Railway will be undertaking a complete redesign of its timetable, ...
Answered 26 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPlanning Permission: Railway StationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how distances from train stations are calculated for the purposes of a planning application receiving a default yes.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 102319 on 12 January 2026.
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPlanning Permission: Railway StationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 105930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to assess whether a train station is well-connected for the purposes of a planning application receiving a default yes.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 102319 on 12 January 2026.
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →