Alex Ballinger MP: written questions
159 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Housing: BricksMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55972More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22080 on Housing: Bricks, what steps her Department is taking to increase the rate of swift brick installation in new build
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 22080 on 15 January 2025.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDementia: Clinical TrialsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the UK’s capacity to attract investment in dementia clinical trials, in the context of the availability of disease-modifying treatments in other countries
Answer: No particular assessment has been made.The Department is committed to turbocharging medical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical tr...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMortgage Guarantee SchemeTreasuryTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54150More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the mortgage guarantee scheme beyond 30 June 2025.
Answer: The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home, and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.We committed in our manifesto to introduce a permanent and comprehensive mortgage guarantee sch...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcareDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of permitting people to undertake government-funded childcare to children they are related to, but are not the parents of.
Answer: It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.Funding made available in the dedicated school...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDelivery Services: Fast FoodDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to help tackle the use of (a) fraudulent and (b) substitute insurance by fast food delivery drivers.
Answer: The Government takes uninsured driving seriously. This is achieved through Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), a scheme where the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency collaborate to identify uninsured drivers and police enfor...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordVehicle Number PlatesDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to increase the penalties for (a) failing to display a front registration plate and (b) using a plate that does not meet the legal requirements on a car.
Answer: The Government keeps the motoring offences under review, and is considering possible interventions.
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Insurance: Older PeopleDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49632More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban car insurance companies from using age to determine insurance premiums for older drivers.
Answer: The Government takes uninsured driving seriously. This is achieved through Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), a scheme where the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency collaborate to identify uninsured drivers and police enfor...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor InsuranceDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take legislative steps to ensure that car insurance renewal quotes are equitable for existing and new customers.
Answer: The Government takes uninsured driving seriously. This is achieved through Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), a scheme where the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency collaborate to identify uninsured drivers and police enfor...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAmbulance ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49630More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce legislation to (a) protect and (b) guide the ambulance service on a statutory footing.
Answer: National Health Service ambulance services have already been placed on a statutory footing through existing legislation.NHS England will publish further guidance to support integrated care boards in their commissioning of ambulance services in 2025/26, an...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProcessed Food: Public HealthDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49629More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) seed oils, (b) added gluten and (c) processed food standards on public health.
Answer: Government advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s Eatwell Guide. This is underpinned by the robust independent risk assessments and recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).SACN has not u...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: FoodDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that (a) hospitals offer (i) gluten and (i) dairy free food that is not high in added sugars and (b) people with restricted diets have access to (A)
Answer: NHS England has published their Food and Drink Standards, which set out the expectations for National Health Service trusts regarding the food they provide to patients and staff. Emphasis is placed on providing healthy, nutritious food options. The standa...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGambling: InternetDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48754More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve the effectiveness of measures to prevent consumers from accessing unlicensed online gambling operators.
Answer: We are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Gambling Commission assesses information gathered from multiple sources and works closely with partner agencies to preven...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: WomenMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with local government to tackle abuse faced by women working in local government.
Answer: This government is clear there is no place in local government for bullying, intimidation or harassment, including abuse faced by women. Such behaviour causes great personal distress to those affected, particularly as the current local government standard...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that open spaces and the green belt are protected during house building.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government’s policies for safeguarding the Green Belt from inappropriate development. The Framework also allows local areas to identify local green space which is protected in a similar manner to the Gre...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: ProtectionDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the threshold for intervention from children's services to protect children.
Answer: Keeping children safe from multiple forms of abuse and harm is the foundation of giving every child the best start in life, ensuring they can achieve and thrive as they grow up. In our Plan for Change, this government set out its ambition to ensure every ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Labour Turnover and RecruitmentDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention in local government children's services.
Answer: Local government children’s services provide vital support and protection to society’s most vulnerable children. The department is grateful for the work that children’s social care workforces do every day.In November, we published ‘Keeping children safe, ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) value for money and (b) effectiveness of weekly food waste recycling collections by local authorities.
Answer: A value for money assessment was made in the Simpler Recycling impact assessment available here: The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025, published in December 2024. The effectiveness of weekly food waste recycling collections by local authorit...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren and Young People: GamblingDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to improve the education of children and young people on risks associated with online gambling.
Answer: Children and young people are taught about the importance of online safety and the risks associated with it as part of the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum.The statutory RSHE guidance sets out that that young people shou...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPremier League: AdvertisingDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44171More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the enforcement by the Gambling Commission of legislation on preventing unlicensed online gambling operators from being advertised by Premier Leagu
Answer: The Gambling Commission has been clear that sports organisations must diligently and continuously ensure that they are not advertising illegal gambling. Under current rules, sports organisations who engage in sponsoring and advertising arrangements with u...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVenture Capital TrustsTreasuryTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38506More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the UK VCT rules on the age limit for qualifying companies in line with EU regulations.
Answer: The Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Scheme was evaluated in 2022, and these evaluations were published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-venture-capital-schemes.The evaluations found that the schemes were well targeted to add...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordVenture Capital TrustsTreasuryTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38505More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting the annual limits for VCT investee companies alongside inflation.
Answer: The Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Scheme was evaluated in 2022, and these evaluations were published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-venture-capital-schemes.The evaluations found that the schemes were well targeted to add...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordChildmindingDepartment for EducationTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38504More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to allow childminders to provide funded places to related children who do not live with them.
Answer: Childminders are an important part of the early education sector. They provide flexible and affordable care which can be tailored to the specific needs of parents and children.Primary legislation does not permit funding care that is provided by a relative...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: DatabasesDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35094More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to reintroduce a safeguarding database for children.
Answer: Keeping children safe is a priority for this government. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the department is taking a range of steps to improve safeguarding. We are introducing a new information sharing duty, making provision for a Single...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordRoyal MailDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35093More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has plans to review the processes for recording tracking histories at Royal Mail's Heathrow distribution centre.
Answer: Royal Mail is an independent business and therefore concerns about operational matters should be directed to its management.The government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s commercial or operational decisions, including its processes for recording trac...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGame: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect grouse and their habitats.
Answer: There are two native species of grouse in England, red and black grouse. Black grouse are of conservation concern because of a long-term decline in their numbers due to a combination of factors including predation, climate change and changes in agricultur...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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