Alison Bennett MP: written questions
131 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Police: Mental Health ServicesHome OfficeTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82565More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the (a) screening procedures, (b) trauma training and (c) other mental health support for the police.
Answer: The Home Office recognises that the police, through the nature of their work, are often exposed to traumatic incidents that can have a lasting impact on their mental health. That is why we are committed to the Police Covenant, ensuring the mental health a...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Commission into Adult Social Care: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many officials are assigned to work in the secretariat of the independent commission into adult social care.
Answer: There are currently 11 officials assigned to work in the secretariat of the independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. This secretariat may expand as the commission carries out its work, and as Baroness Casey consider...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordOwls: SussexDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80590More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect barn owls in Sussex, in the context of the decline in breeding numbers in 2025.
Answer: The decline of the barn owl is attributed to several factors including the loss of suitable habitat, which limits the availability of hunting grounds; the use of rodenticides; road traffic collision; and the loss of traditional nesting sites. To address t...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: PayTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80589More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department plans to (a) conclude its review of salary sacrifice schemes in the public sector and (b) make decisions on their future.
Answer: Public sector employers should consider the use of salary sacrifice schemes carefully. HM Treasury approval is generally required before new schemes are established, and we will consider carefully all requests which are made for scheme expansion.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVocational Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77381More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications on the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
Answer: The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternativ...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth and Social Services: Vocational EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77380More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from applied general qualifications in Health and Social Care on the number of students studying courses in these subjects.
Answer: The department introduced 140 newly reformed qualifications to be taught from the beginning of this academic year and just announced a further 27 newly reformed qualifications which it will fund from August 2026. This includes newly reformed alternativ...
Answered 13 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAcademies: Electric VehiclesDepartment for EducationTabled 12 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether multi-academy trusts can implement Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice schemes.
Answer: New electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes for academy trusts are currently paused. Academy trusts with existing schemes have been able to keep them in place, but not expand them by adding new members. This pause is subject to a review about salary sac...
Answered 22 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76488More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to make changes to draft duty relief for (a) consumers, (b) pubs and (c) breweries in Mid Sussex constituency.
Answer: The Chancellor’s draught rate cut at Autumn Budget 2024 applied to approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint at a cost to the Exchequer of over £85m a year. Draught beer and cider now pa...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCycling: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76487More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to make cycling (a) safer and (b) more accessible through funding for (i) protected cycle lanes, (ii) well-lit routes and (iii) other new infrastructure.
Answer: The Government treats road safety very seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more detail when possible. In the Spending Review we ...
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School MealsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools enable pupils with severe dietary conditions to access free school meal entitlements.
Answer: Schools are expected to make reasonable efforts to cater for pupils with particular requirements, for example to reflect medical, dietary and cultural needs, to ensure they are not put at a substantial disadvantage in relation to accessing meals.Section 1...
Answered 3 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Living Allowance: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to review Disability Living Allowance criteria for children with severe dietary conditions.
Answer: The department has no plans to review the criteria for children with severe dietary conditions. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is available to children under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition, have mobility issues and/or have c...
Answered 23 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: UkraineHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72771More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing a visa route for Ukrainians that could lead to settlement, similar to those implemented in (a) Poland and (b) Czechia.
Answer: On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permissio...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration: UkraineHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72770More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce a long-term solution for Ukrainians who are not able to return to Ukraine.
Answer: On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permissio...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRefugees: UkraineHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to extend the Ukrainian Permission Extension scheme beyond 18 months.
Answer: On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permissio...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSupported Housing: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72698More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support young people in supported accommodation as they increase their paid working hours.
Answer: It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment. The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing B...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72020More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a National NHS Railcard for Healthcare Staff.
Answer: There are no current plans to introduce an NHS Railcard in advance of the transition to Great British Railways (GBR), but GBR will have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of some railcards. Any lo...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHonours: ReviewsCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71697More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to ask the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to review the range of honours awarded.
Answer: Every five years, a review is carried out of how honours are distributed across the different categories of activity in UK life and is reviewed by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee) before it is sent to The Sovere...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance: ReformDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 905412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to reform Carer's Allowance.
Answer: We are grateful to Liz Sayce for her Independent Review of earnings related overpayments of Carers' Allowance, who's findings we are now considering. We have made the highest ever increase to the Carers' Allowance earning limit, and are looking longer ter...
Answered 1 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68662More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his response to the hon. Member for Mid Sussex of 10 July 2025 during his Oral Statement on Resident Doctors: Industrial Action, Official Report, column 1152, when he plans to beg
Answer: The Government is committed to tackling the unacceptable practice of corridor care in our National Health Service. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June, set out steps we are taking, including the commitment to publish data on the prevalen...
Answered 25 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCervical Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent changes to NHS smear tests on (a) women's health and (b) uptake of cervical cancer screening.
Answer: The UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to change the cervical screening intervals from three to five years for women aged between 25 and 49 years old was made in 2019. The evidence and consultation responses supporting the recommendation is ...
Answered 24 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBreastfeedingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to implement the findings of the four nation Optimal Infant Feeding Data Framework project.
Answer: The Department commissioned a survey of infant feeding practices in England in 2021. Data collection was completed in 2024, and a report is being prepared for publication in autumn 2025. The Infant Feeding Survey approach is largely consistent with what t...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBreastfeedingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to (a) develop and (b) implement policies for infant and young child feeding in emergency preparedness (i) planning and (ii) responses.
Answer: The Government prepares for a range of risks and understands that families can face additional challenges around infant feeding during emergencies. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs work clo...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBreastfeeding: HIV/AIDSDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that (a) NHS (i) guidance and (ii) resources on HIV and infant feeding follow British HIV Association guidelines and (b) trusts, (c) boards and
Answer: The Government is committed to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. The plan’s key objectives will include ensuring equitable access and uptake of HIV prevention prog...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBreastfeedingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all (a) parents and (b) caregivers are provided with accurate and unbiased (i) information and (ii) support for infant feeding.
Answer: It is important that all parents and caregivers receive accurate and unbiased information and support on infant feeding to help them make the right choice for them.Most families will receive infant feeding information and support from midwives and health ...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Homes: VisitsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing primary legislation to give those in care settings the right for (a) their loved ones and (b) others to visit.
Answer: Secondary legislation was introduced in December 2023 to create a new Care Quality Commission (CQC) Fundamental Standard on Visiting and Accompanying (Regulation 9A), which came into force on 6 April 2024. This requires CQC registered care homes, hospital...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament record
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