Ben Coleman MP: written questions
187 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Universal Credit: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that Universal Credit advisers are aware that payments should be backdated when a change of circumstances relates to the award of a disability benefit.
Answer: All DWP new entrant work coaches and case managers receive job role specific technical learning, which covers backdating. As changes of circumstances are notified, the Universal Credit system calculates many payments due automatically. Case Managers are s...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: Hearing ImpairmentDepartment for EducationTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) deaf children and (b) their families receive support from specialist teachers of the deaf in (i) education and (ii) early years settings.
Answer: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The Institute for ...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFruit and Vegetables: DisadvantagedDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25949More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase access to affordable fresh fruit and vegetables in deprived communities.
Answer: The Government is committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever, as set out in our Child Health Action Plan. The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children unde...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25132More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Departments are working on the development of a food strategy; which Department is leading this work; what the strategy's aims are; and what his planned timetable is for the comp
Answer: Addressing the issues the food sector faces requires a whole-of-government effort, so while Defra is leading the strategy we will be working in very close collaboration with several government departments. Our ambitious food strategy will set and deliver ...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: PovertyDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with which charities representing disabled children her Department has consulted on the development of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answer: The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is co-chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are liste...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: PovertyDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19215More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the nature is of her Department's consultation with (a) charities representing disabled children and (b) disabled young people on the development of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answer: The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is co-chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are liste...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChildren: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the additional costs to families for raising a disabled child.
Answer: The DWP pays close attention to the evidence base on the extra costs faced by disabled children, including external academic research but does not endorse a particular external study. For example, Scope’s Disability Price Tag (2023) uses a sensitive econo...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPoverty: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with disabled young people, in the context of the development of a child poverty strategy.
Answer: The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which the Department of Education Secretary of State is Co-Chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are listening careful...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPoverty: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with disabled children’s charities, in the context of the development of a child poverty strategy.
Answer: The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which the Department of Education Secretary of State is Co-Chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are listening careful...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDiplomatic Service: DisabilityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18310More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times UK ambassadors have met Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in the past year.
Answer: We do not collect data on the engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) across the FCDO network of overseas Posts. However, Posts are encouraged to promote all equalities issues globally, including disability inclusion, and engage ...
Answered 13 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEmbassies: DisabilityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a list of embassies ranked by the number of times they have met Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in the last year.
Answer: We do not collect data on the engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) across the FCDO network of overseas Posts. However, Posts are encouraged to promote all equalities issues globally, including disability inclusion, and engage ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDiplomatic Service: DisabilityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18078More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which UK ambassadors have met Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in the last year.
Answer: We do not collect data on the engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) across the FCDO network of overseas Posts. However, Posts are encouraged to promote all equalities issues globally, including disability inclusion, and engage ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDiplomatic Service: DisabilityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18077More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of UK Ambassadors have met with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in the past year.
Answer: We do not collect data on the engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) across the FCDO network of overseas Posts. However, Posts are encouraged to promote all equalities issues globally, including disability inclusion, and engage ...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordProperty Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12174More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will hold discussions with the Property Ombudsman on potential measures to enable the Ombudsman to respond more quickly to complaints.
Answer: While the Property Ombudsman (TPO) is independent of Government, we are committed to ensuring that the agent redress schemes work well for consumers. My department receives regular data from TPO and meets with them regularly to discuss policy and performa...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordProperty Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12173More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on how many and what proportion of complaints to the Property Ombudsman have been outstanding for three months or more.
Answer: While the Property Ombudsman (TPO) is independent of Government, we are committed to ensuring that the agent redress schemes work well for consumers. My department receives regular data from TPO and meets with them regularly to discuss policy and performa...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordProperty Ombudsman: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12172More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the average time taken by the Property Ombudsman to reach a decision on complaints.
Answer: While the Property Ombudsman (TPO) is independent of Government, we are committed to ensuring that the agent redress schemes work well for consumers. My department receives regular data from TPO and meets with them regularly to discuss policy and performa...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordIndustry: ProductivityDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10857More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the effective use of data to drive productivity will be included in the proposed industrial strategy council's remit.
Answer: The Industrial Strategy Council (ISC) will be responsible for informing and monitoring the development and delivery of the long-term industrial strategy, ensuring that policy interventions are based on a high-quality evidence base. The ISC will recommend ...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness: ProductivityDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage businesses to use data more effectively to increase productivity.
Answer: The Invest 2035: Industrial Strategy Green Paper sets out our vision for a credible, 10-year plan to deliver the certainty and stability businesses need to invest in the high-growth sectors that will drive our growth mission.The Industrial Strategy Green ...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordWines: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10269More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on small and medium-sized wine traders of the introduction of a tax-by-strength alcohol excise duty regime within one year.
Answer: In August 2023 the Government introduced reforms to alcohol duty so that products are taxed in proportion to their alcoholic strength, not volume. To help the wine industry adapt to the new duty system, the temporary duty easement was introduced as a tran...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWines: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10268More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will make an estimate of the administrative cost to wine sellers of the an alcohol excise duty regime based on taxing wine by strength.
Answer: In August 2023 the Government introduced reforms to alcohol duty so that products are taxed in proportion to their alcoholic strength, not volume. To help the wine industry adapt to the new duty system, the temporary duty easement was introduced as a tran...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWines: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10266More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a separate duty charge for wine for each 0.1% of ABV.
Answer: In August 2023 the Government introduced reforms to alcohol duty so that products are taxed in proportion to their alcoholic strength, not volume. To help the wine industry adapt to the new duty system, the temporary duty easement was introduced as a tran...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLeaseholdMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 18 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to (a) simplify the process and (b) reduce the costs of extending the lease period for existing leaseholders.
Answer: The Government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. The Act will introduce an amended valuation scheme that...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCharing Cross Hospital: ConstructionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9868More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) business case status and (b) RIBA stage is for the scheme to (i) rebuild and (ii) modernise Charing Cross Hospital as part of the New Hospital Programme.
Answer: The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, h...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCharing Cross Hospital: ConstructionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9867More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding had been allocated for (a) the scheme to (i) rebuild and (ii) modernise Charing Cross Hospital and (b) the New Hospital Programme by 2 July 2024.
Answer: The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, h...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCharing Cross Hospital: ConstructionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his department has made of the cost of the scheme to (a) rebuild and (b) modernise Charing Cross Hospital.
Answer: The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, h...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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