Al Pinkerton MP: written questions
1577 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Accident and Emergency Departments: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109903More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate has been made of the number of patients waiting for extended periods in corridors in accident and emergency departments in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: On data on corridor care, NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements to drive improvement and transparency. We are now reviewing the data internally and will begin publishing it shortly.On services in Su...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109902More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of ambulance handover times at accident and emergency departments in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answer: Surrey Heath is served by the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAMB). The most recent National Health Service performance figures show that the average handover time in SECAMB is 18 minutes and 37 seconds. This is over two minute...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how ongoing medical treatment is taken into account within Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answer: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medica...
Answered 6 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109718More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how fluctuating symptoms are taken into account within Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answer: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medica...
Answered 6 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109717More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is provided to Personal Independence Payment assessors on considering the effects of active medical treatment on claimants’ functional ability.
Answer: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medica...
Answered 6 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChildminding: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109416More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential impact of changes to childminder tax arrangements on the delivery of funded childcare hours.
Answer: Childminders play a vital role in childcare. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local ...
Answered 6 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordChildminding: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109415More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the impact of potential changes to the childminder tax agreement (BIM 52751) on the financial sustainability of childminders in Surrey.
Answer: Childminders play a vital role in childcare. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local ...
Answered 6 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: SurreyDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109414More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support is available to Surrey County Council to (a) trial and (b) adopt more durable road surfacing materials to tackle pothole formation on local road networks.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of using durable materials and innovative techniques to reduce pothole formation and improve the long‑term condition of local roads. Surrey County Council receives a significant allocation of highways maintenance f...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109413More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing a national strategy for improving the long-term resilience of the local road network.
Answer: Following the publication of the Government’s Resilience Action Plan in July 2025, work is already underway to improve the short, medium and long-term resilience of the transport system, including the local road network, as part of the whole of society ap...
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 28 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 109412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming local roads funding.
Answer: The Government has reformed local roads funding by increasing the available funding, providing greater funding certainty to local highway authorities, and introducing new performance based incentives and a rating system to ensure this investment is used e...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: 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 record
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