Alison Bennett MP: written questions
107 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Better Care FundDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32763More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the recently published policy framework for the Better Care Fund will support unpaid carers; and whether the Better Care Fund includes any ringfenced funding for supporting unpaid carers.
Answer: The Better Care Fund (BCF) includes funding that can be used for unpaid carer support, including short breaks and respite services for carers. As set out in the BCF policy framework published on 30 January 2025, to meet the objectives of the BCF, local ar...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordIVF: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to require integrated care boards to remove requirements for (a) same sex couples and (b) single women to have privately-funded IVF cycles before they are accepted for NHS-funded I
Answer: The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues on joint advice from the Department and NHS England about the offer around NHS-funded fertility services, in...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAfghanistan: Crimes against HumanityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will ask the International Criminal Court to investigate the Taliban’s actions towards women in Afghanistan as crimes against humanity.
Answer: We continue to condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on women and girls' rights. Those responsible for international crimes committed in Afghanistan should be held to account for their actions. We note the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecu...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordCrimes against HumanityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of designating gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under international law.
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is aware of calls for the inclusion of a new crime of gender apartheid in the draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention. We are assessing the merits and risks of such an approach by engaging closely with civ...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPensions: AgeTreasuryTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32730More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the increase to the normal minimum pension age for accessing private pensions from April 2028.
Answer: The normal minimum pension age is the lowest age at which the majority of members can take benefits from a registered pension scheme without incurring tax charges, except in cases of ill-health. It will increase from age 55 to age 57 in April 2028. The Go...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordIVF: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32699More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to require integrated care boards to remove requirements for (a) same sex couples and (b) single women to have privately-funded IVF cycles before they are accepted for NHS-funded I
Answer: The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work is continuing on joint advice from the Department and NHS England about the offer around NHS-funded fertility services...
Answered 26 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUrinary Tract Infections: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32698More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of specialists in female urology across England to ensure that women suffering from recurrent episodes of UTIs receive the highest
Answer: No such assessment has been made by the Department. Such services are locally managed and commissioned in accordance with the population’s needs.
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: VeteransDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32275More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to change the classification of military compensation to bring it in line with civil compensation, in the context of what is categorised as a source of income for benefits means te
Answer: The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit. This is in line with the treatment of civil compensation payments for personal injury, which are usu...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMobility Scooters: Overseas TradeTreasuryTabled 13 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31734More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the commodity code classification for mobility scooters.
Answer: There are no plans to review the classification of mobility scooters. HMRC classify mobility scooters under the description of ‘Vehicles specially designed for travelling on snow, golf cars and similar vehicles’ under tariff heading 8703, which is in line...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPension Protection FundDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31314More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the indexation of pensions paid by the Pension Protection Fund.
Answer: The Pension Protection Fund rules on indexation have been the subject of much discussion. I will continue to consider this issue, and the valuable report of the Work and Pensions Select Committee report from March 2024. The Government will respond fully t...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31310More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to reform the benefit system for young people living in supported accommodation to ensure that the taper rate for Housing Benefit does not disincentivise them from working.
Answer: The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. The Department acknowledges, however, there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for tho...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPesticides: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30493More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to change pesticide maximum residue level regulations in Great Britain to align with the EU regime still in place in Northern Ireland.
Answer: GB operates a pesticides regime based on assimilated EU law and continues to base decisions on the use of pesticides on careful scientific assessment. This includes maximum residue levels, which are set below, and usually well below, the level considered ...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordTrastuzumab DeruxtecanDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28293More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of levels of access to Enhertu for cancer patients in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland.
Answer: No assessment has been made, as health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are a matter for their own administrations.Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordME/CFS: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26770More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Coroner Deborah Archer's report entitled Maeve Boothby O’Neill: Prevention of Future Deaths Report, reference 2024-0530, dated 7 October 2024, what steps he has taken to ensure th
Answer: We are committed to improving care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their fam...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordParental Pay: Multiple BirthsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the rates paid by employers of (a) Statutory Maternity Pay, (b) Statutory Paternity Pay and (c) Statutory Shared Parental Pay for parents of (i) twins and (ii) higher order m
Answer: We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth, in the interests of their own and their baby’s health and wellbeing. Maternity pay is paid for each pregnancy, not in...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordCohabitation: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26768More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of exempting the transfer of property between co-habiting siblings from inheritance tax.
Answer: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 3433.
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric VehiclesTreasuryTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26639More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to take steps to support the used electric vehicle market.
Answer: The Government is fully committed to the transition to electric vehicles and a strong second-hand market for EVs plays an important role in this.The Company Car Tax regime helps support the used electric vehicle markets, where electric company cars are so...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFractures: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the universal provision of Fracture Liaison Services by 2030.
Answer: The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. According to the Fracture Liaison Service Database 2022, at least 60 trusts in England had access to...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSipavibart: LicensingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the licensing process for the drug sipavibart.
Answer: Department officials regularly discuss a range of topics with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including progress with specific appraisals, such as for sipavibart.The NICE started its appraisal of the medicine sipavibart for p...
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordImmunosuppression: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with representatives of Forgotten Lives UK on access to (a) preventative treatments and (b) support services for immunosuppressed people.
Answer: Ensuring that the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, and we are embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic within our approach to pandemic preparedness.Whilst we cannot predict the exact timing or char...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSixth Form Colleges: PayDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20104More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to provide additional funding to non-academised sixth form colleges for increasing the pay of teachers to the same level as teachers in academised sixth form colleges.
Answer: The government is not responsible for setting or making recommendations about teacher pay in further education (FE) colleges, including sixth form colleges which unlike 16-19 academies are part of the statutory FE sector.The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ExemptionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a time limit for claiming Council Tax exemption under Class F.
Answer: This exemption will apply until probate is granted (or letters of administration are signed) and while the dwelling remains unoccupied. A further 6-month exemption may apply following probate, so long as the dwelling remains unoccupied and has not been so...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: National Insurance ContributionsTreasuryTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16116More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of how much businesses in the social care sector will pay as a result of the increase in employers National Insurance contributions (a) nationally and (b) in each constituency.
Answer: A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the Employer National Insurance changes was published by HMRC on 13 November. The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance co...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: National Insurance ContributionsTreasuryTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16115More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of businesses in the social care sector that will pay the increase in employers National Insurance contributions (a) nationally and (b) in each constituency.
Answer: A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the Employer National Insurance changes was published by HMRC on 13 November. The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance co...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: National Insurance ContributionsTreasuryTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16114More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) overall cost to businesses in the social care sector of the increase in employers National Insurance contributions and (b) average cost to each business in this secto
Answer: A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the Employer National Insurance changes was published by HMRC on 13 November. The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance co...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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