Alison Bennett MP: written questions
107 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Podiatry: Mid SussexDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64644More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS podiatry services in Mid Sussex constituency are adequately resourced.
Answer: The National Health Service podiatry and orthotics service provided by the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust is made up of registered podiatrists, orthotists, nurses, and health care assistants who provide a comprehensive foot health service to adults...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPodiatry: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64643More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of podiatrists; and if he will (a) reinstate full student bursaries and (b) introduce incentives to encourage recruitment and retention in
Answer: The Department has no plans to reinstate the bursary for podiatry students, however the Government keeps funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review.Supplementary financial support is available to podiatry students through the NHS ...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Commission into Adult Social CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64642More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of hours spent by (a) his Department and (b) Baroness Casey’s review team on the review since (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 3 January 2025.
Answer: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Commission into Adult Social CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64640More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are in Baroness Casey’s review team.
Answer: There are 10 officials currently assigned to work in the secretariat of the independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. We expect that the secretariat will expand as the commission carries out its work, and as Baroness...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBaroness Casey of BlackstockDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64639More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings officials in his Department have had with (a) Baroness Casey and (b) her team (i) before and (ii) after 2 January 2025.
Answer: This information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBaroness Casey of BlackstockDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64638More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times he has met Baroness Casey since (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 3 January 2025.
Answer: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, engages with Baroness Louise Casey regularly on a number of issues, including adult social care.The commission is independent, and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to define her own enga...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of back-to-office policies on the workplace inclusion of disabled people.
Answer: It is recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the Government has asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing healt...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: NeurodiversityWomen and EqualitiesTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60791More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Equality Act in protecting neurodivergent employees.
Answer: The Government is fully committed to the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), which protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace. The Act prohibits direct and indirect disability discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable adjustment...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Curriculum TestsDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of sitting year 6 SATs on children with both anxiety and special educational needs.
Answer: Statutory tests and assessments at primary school are an important part of ensuring that all pupils master the basics of reading, writing and mathematics to prepare them to achieve and thrive at secondary school. They are subject to robust test developmen...
Answered 19 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGivinostatDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the availability of givinostat to patients eligible through early access programmes.
Answer: The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it, and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. If new therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy are approved by the National Institute ...
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: CarersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57906More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a work allowance within Universal Credit for unpaid carers looking after (a) disabled and (b) ill (i) relatives and (
Answer: No recent assessment has been made. The carers element in Universal Credit is an additional amount of benefit paid to support carers who provide care of 35 hours or more each week for a severely disabled person and as such these particular claimants have ...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance and Universal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57905More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers have entitlement to (a) Carer's Allowance and Universal Credit, (b) Carer Element and Universal Credit and (c) a combination of Carer's Allowance, Carer Element and Universal Cred
Answer: (a) As of November 2024, there were 652,752 individuals entitled to both Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit in England and Wales.(b) As of November 2024, there were 978,159 households with Carers Entitlement to Universal Credit in Great Britain, with ...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUrinary Tract Infections: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57904More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to include Chronic UTIs in the (a) 10-year Health Strategy and (b) next iteration of the Women’s Health Strategy.
Answer: The 10-Year Plan will set out how we tackle the inequities that lead to poor health. This will include how we will improve access to, and the experience of care for, conditions such as chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs). More tests and scans delivere...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Hearing ImpairmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57903More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to extend military hearing loss compensation to veterans who were discharged before 1987.
Answer: It is already the case that Veterans discharged before 6 April 2005 (including before 1987), who consider that damage to their hearing was caused or made worse by their Service, may be eligible to claim compensation under the terms of the War Pension Sche...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMethamphetamine: TestingMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57140More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to commission an independent inquiry into the (a) scientific validity, (b) cost and (c) potential misuse of hair strand testing for methamphetamine in family court proceedings.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice has no plans to commission an independent inquiry into the (a) scientific validity, (b) cost and (c) potential misuse of hair strand testing for methamphetamine in family court proceedings.The President of the Family Division has s...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: ReformDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57089More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's green paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March 2025, which measures will require primary legislation.
Answer: The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans and proposals for reform to health and disability benefits and employment support. Some urgent reforms outlined in the Green Paper, such as changes to PIP eligibility and UC rates, will be introduced shor...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordStreptococcus: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 56093More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle disparities in the incidence of group B Streptococcal infections among different (a) ethnic and (b) socioeconomic groups.
Answer: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has co-ordinated periods of enhanced surveillance of invasive group B Streptococcal (GBS) in infants younger than 90 days, allowing for a greater understanding of the risk factors and outcomes of infection, which is v...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordStreptococcus: TestingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 56092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on regional variations in access to group B Streptococcus testing; and what steps are being taken to reduce those variations.
Answer: The UK National External Quality Assessment Service’s (NEQAS) microbiology service, hosted by The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has introduced a group B Streptococcus Screening External Quality Assessment scheme as of April 2025. The UKHSA does not c...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordStreptococcus: TestingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 56091More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether UK Health Security Agency microbiology laboratories have the capability to carry out group B Streptococcus-specific enriched culture medium testing in accordance with the Public Health Engl
Answer: The provision of group B streptococcal microbiological laboratory testing is under review with clinical stakeholders. At present, this service, with respect to enriched culture medium testing, in accordance with Public Health England’s guidance on Standar...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordStem Cells: Clinical PsychologistsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 56061More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Workforce Plan will include measures to encourage the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of clinical psychologists with a specialism in stem cell transplant and cell therapies.
Answer: Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment, including recruitment of clinical psychologists, at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place and with t...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordStem Cells: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 56060More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that patients receiving (a) stem cell transplants and (b) other cell therapies have access to specialist psychological support (i) before, (ii)
Answer: As stipulated by NHS England in the blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) service specification, BMT services, which include stem cell transplants, should ensure that a full range of support staff is available, including social workers, and psychological...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: NutritionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55810More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that future changes to the (a) soft drinks industry levy and (b) other measures relating to sugar are responsive to the needs of people with Type 1 Diabetes who re
Answer: The prevention of ill health is a priority for the Government. We are committed to tackling obesity as a core part of our health mission, to support people to live longer, healthier lives and raise the healthiest generation of children.Most of the populat...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 21 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54205More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is considering (a) restricting the number of children who can obtain Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and (b) replacing the EHCP system.
Answer: The evidence is clear that this government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system left in a state of disarray, with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support.This government is activ...
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordOphthalmic Services: GlaucomaDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many qualified ophthalmic (a) consultants and (b) doctors there are who are able to treat glaucoma; how many people have glaucoma; and what estimate he has made of trends in these numbers over
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which ...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGlaucomaDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53393More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will have glaucoma in England in each of the next 10 years.
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which ...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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