Al Pinkerton MP: written questions
1209 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Roads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109411More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has undertaken of the effectiveness of local authority trials of innovative road surfacing materials intended to improve durability and reduce maintenance requirements.
Answer: The Government welcomes innovations that can help local highway authorities maintain their roads more effectively and efficiently. The Department for Transport has provided £30 million to the ADEPT ‘Live Labs 2’ research programme, enabling local authorit...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCrimes of Violence: SchoolsDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available to schools following serious violent incidents affecting pupils in their local area.
Answer: Following a serious violent incident, the department works closely with the police, other government departments and local authorities to ensure schools and trusts receive appropriate support.Although such incidents are rare, the department places high im...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordKnives: SurreyHome OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109409More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure neighbourhood policing teams have sufficient resources to carry out preventative work to deter knife carrying in Surrey.
Answer: The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordKnives: SurreyHome OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109408More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional operational support has been provided to Surrey Police to respond to knife crime incidents involving under-18s.
Answer: The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordKnives: SurreyHome OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of knife-enabled crime in Surrey Police’s force area over the last five years.
Answer: The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of legislating for enhanced financial oversight mechanisms for newly established unitary authorities following Loc
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for their own financial management, and Local Government Reorganisation does not change this. We monitor the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engage...
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCarsCabinet OfficeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108999More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department will publish updated data on the number of cars per household by UK parliamentary constituency.
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 27th January is attached.
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFreight: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108998More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of the average administrative cost per cross-border haulage journey arising from (a) certification and (b) documentation requirements into the European Union.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade has not undertaken an assessment of the administrative costs incurred by UK haulage operators. However, we continue to engage with businesses to understand and resolve the barriers they face in trading with the EU. We...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFreight: InsolvencyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of how recent levels of insolvencies in the UK road haulage sector compare with those during the 2008 financial crisis.
Answer: There has been a change to industry classifications between these two periods, but the statistics are broadly comparable. Estimated numbers of companies with the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2003 code 49410 (Freight transport by road) and SIC ...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFreight: InsolvencyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108996More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate has been made of the number of business insolvencies in the UK road haulage sector in each of the past 10 years.
Answer: Estimated numbers of companies with the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code 49410 (Freight transport by road) that entered insolvency in the UK in each calendar year between 2016 and 2025 are presented in the table below.Calendar Year49410 – Fre...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Products: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce reliance on physical paperwork in sanitary and phytosanitary processes for trade with the European Union.
Answer: The Government is currently negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. Routine SPS border checks will be elimi...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFreight: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment has been made of the economic costs arising from paper-based certification requirements for UK haulage operators trading with the European Union.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade has not undertaken an assessment of the administrative costs incurred by UK haulage operators. However, we continue to engage with businesses to understand and resolve the barriers they face in trading with the EU. We...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: SurreyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Written Question 106268, if his Department will publish its economic modelling of the potential cost-savings arising from the creation of unitary authorities in Surre
Answer: As set out in UIN 99016, councils are responsible for working through the implications of local government reorganisation, including the assessment of cost and merits.
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: SurreyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Question 10626, whether his Department has conducted its own modelling of potential cost-savings arising from the creation of unitary authorities in Surrey.
Answer: As set out in UIN 99016, councils are responsible for working through the implications of local government reorganisation, including the assessment of cost and merits.
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Flood ControlDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve flood resilience on (a) key arterial roads and (b) motorways in (i) Surrey and (ii) the South East.
Answer: National Highways manages the risk and impacts of flooding across England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN). It has a range of proactive controls and response measures, including a programme of targeted interventions for flood risk sites across the network, ...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRailways: LandslipsDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of landslips affecting railway infrastructure in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: Network Rail, as the owner and operator of Britain’s railway infrastructure, is responsible for managing geotechnical risks and ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the network, including in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency. It undertakes c...
Answered 10 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCrime: Surrey HeathHome OfficeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108989More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the rollout of facial recognition technology on levels of crime in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: No assessment has been made for the impact of the rollout of facial recognition technology on crime levels specifically within Surrey Heath constituency.However, a national evaluation is in progress to understand the impact of police use of facial recogni...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPolice: SurreyHome OfficeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108988More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to reduce larger policing bodies on (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: This Government published its Police Reform White Paper on 26 January 2026. It set out an ambitious package of reform, including an ambition to significantly reduce the number of police forces across England and Wales.We will shortly launch an Independent...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordCertification and TestingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108987More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the long-term sustainability of the testing and accreditation sector.
Answer: The UK Government recognises the important role of the testing and accreditation sector in ensuring products are safe and comply with relevant regulation. The sector supports UK businesses to sell products in the UK and export to other countries, alongsid...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Trade with EU: Certification and TestingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108986More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Union on reducing barriers related to product testing and certification.
Answer: The government remains committed to tackling barriers to trade, including through implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), to bring benefits to businesses and achieve economic growth. DBT holds regular engagement with the EU, including...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Trade with EU: Certification and TestingDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108985More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of Government support for accreditation and conformity assessment on businesses’ access to international markets.
Answer: The UK Government continues to support British businesses through free trade and mutual recognition agreements, in line with the Trade Strategy. These agreements typically include provisions that support the accreditation and conformity assessment sectors...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSchools: TransportDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108984More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of eligibility criteria for free school transport on young children who are advised to walk to school in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for eligible children. A child is eligible if they are of...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDomestic Abuse: Family CourtsMinistry of JusticeTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108494More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether recommendations arising from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s 2025 report will inform the handling of domestic abuse cases within the family justice system.
Answer: This Government recognises the impact that family court proceedings have on children and adult survivors of domestic abuse, which is why we are prioritising strong safeguarding and specialist support for those navigating the system.The Government acknowle...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDomestic Abuse: Family CourtsMinistry of JusticeTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108493More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of increasing funding for support services available to families navigating family court proceedings in cases involving domestic abuse.
Answer: This Government recognises the significant impact of domestic abuse on children and adult victims involved in family court proceedings, which is why we are committed to reforms that improve multi-agency working and provide better support.Central to these ...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDomestic Abuse: Family CourtsMinistry of JusticeTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108492More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the psychological impact of contact arrangements on children is considered in cases involving domestic abuse.
Answer: This Government recognises the impact that family court proceedings have on children and adult survivors of domestic abuse, which is why we are prioritising strong safeguarding and specialist support for those navigating the system.The Government acknowle...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →