Ben Maguire MP: written questions
588 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Offences against Children: InternetHome OfficeTabled 10 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76527More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of UK-based live-streaming of child sexual abuse.
Answer: The Government is unequivocal in its commitment to protecting children from all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes work to combat livestreamed abuse and ensuring that offenders cannot use technology to harm children with impunity....
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: FinesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total amount received from water companies in (a) fines and (b) penalties since the Spending Review 2023; and what steps she has taken to e
Answer: £109 million in fines and penalties has been applied against water companies since October 2023. This includes the £104.5 million fine issued by Ofwat to Thames Water for breaches of rules relating to the company’s wastewater operations. In June this Gove...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: FinesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of schemes where fines levied against water companies (a) have been reinvested to clean up UK waters and (b) are programmed to be reinvested to clean up UK w
Answer: In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies for environmental breaches, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. These could includ...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76210More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing incidental off-sales of beer and cider from draught duty paid containers on pubs in rural communities.
Answer: Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – an increase of over 50% on the previous draught discount of 9.2%. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint. The core objective of this relief is to recognise ...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture and Business: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76209More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to (a) implement and (b) administer the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief under the inheritance tax regime, including any
Answer: I refer to the answer given on 5 September 2025 to PQ UIN 70546.https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/70546
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOwner Occupation: BatsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76208More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to issue guidance for homeowners who discover bats in their property.
Answer: All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law. This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: BatsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75493More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that homeowners with bats on their property can conduct (a) urgent structural and (b) safety repairs while respecting bat conservation rul
Answer: Defra is committed to ensuring that homeowners can maintain safe living environments while upholding England’s strong legal protections for bats. We continue to work with Natural England and conservation organisations to streamline licensing processes and...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: TrainingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75465More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of specialty training posts for UK-trained doctors.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan published in July, over the next three years we will create 1,000 new speciality training posts with a focus on specialities where there is greatest need.The 10-Year Health Plan also set out that we will work across g...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75464More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) doctors completing GP training and (b) available GP posts.
Answer: NHS England produces regular forecasts of the numbers of doctors due to complete General Practitioner (GP) training. Latest data show that for 2025/26, 1,964 doctors completed GP training between 1 April and 21 August 2025 with a further 2,733 doctors for...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 73836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cancer early diagnosis targets are appropriate for blood cancers.
Answer: The Department remains committed to the early diagnosis of cancer and to improving outcomes for patients. However, we recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients with harder to stage cancers, such as blood cancer, receive fast and earl...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSaudi Arabia: Capital PunishmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73535More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Saudi counterpart on the cases of seven Egyptian nationals facing execution for non-lethal drug offences.
Answer: The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. We regularly discuss human rights with the Saudi authorities, including individual cases of concern. I raised the cases of several Egyptian nationals with the Saudi authorities ...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordFinancial Ombudsman ServiceTreasuryTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73534More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to maintain the Financial Ombudsman Service’s remit when considering complaints.
Answer: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) plays an important role in providing consumers with a cost-free and quick route to resolve disputes with financial services firms. My recent review of the FOS concluded that the framework in which it operates has resu...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOutdoor Education: SafetyDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73529More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will hold discussions with (a) universities and (b) students' unions on introducing (i) safety frameworks, (ii) standardised risk assessments, (iii) training and (iv) a duty to report incident
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOutdoor Education: SafetyDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73528More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that (a) universities and (b) students' unions have a duty of care to students while und
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: DisabilityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that a proportion of all new build homes are disability-ready.
Answer: Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities. Everyone deserves to live in a decent home that is suitable for them and meets their needs. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorit...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: ConsumersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that water customers have access to (a) impartial and (b) independent avenues of redress.
Answer: The Government has already committed to a number of Sir Jon Cunliffe’s recommendations as set out in the Independent Water Commission’s final report. As announced by the Environment Secretary on 21 July 2025, water customers will have more support than ev...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: ConsumersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73391More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of availability of independent (a) advice and (b) support to consumers who have problems with their water company.
Answer: The Government has already committed to a number of Sir Jon Cunliffe’s recommendations as set out in the Independent Water Commission’s final report. As announced by the Environment Secretary on 21 July 2025, water customers will have more support than ev...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Workers: TravelDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on support for care workers with the costs of travel.
Answer: Most care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and terms and conditions, independent of central Government.The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sust...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Workers: Electric VehiclesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a social leasing scheme for electric vehicles for care workers.
Answer: Most care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and terms and conditions, independent of central Government.The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sust...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBodmin KeepMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72613More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that the proposed transfer of Bodmin Keep from his Department to its Trustees is accompanied by sufficient funding to (a) enable the museum to rem
Answer: The Department is in regular communication with the Military Museum at Bodmin Keep about how they will transition from their current supported status in 2030, and what this will mean. The Department is also exploring a number of long-term options with the...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72492More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms exist for his Department to engage directly with SMEs providing patented technology to address (a) illegal sewage discharges and (b) freshwater shortages.
Answer: The Government is supporting innovation through Ofwat’s Innovation Fund, which has doubled in size to £400 million for 2025-2030. Since 2020, it has awarded funding to 109 projects - ranging from trialling artificial intelligence to detect algae in reserv...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: Small BusinessesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what funding streams are available for SMEs offering (a) patented and (b) environmentally beneficial technologies in the water sector.
Answer: There are a number of funding schemes available to innovative companies and SMEs in the water sector. Since 2020, Ofwat’s £600m Innovation Fund has supported 109 projects and facilitated almost 300 collaborations between companies, universities, charities...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: AccountabilityDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72490More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered using external bodies with (a) forensic accounting and (b) corporate fraud expertise to support investigations into alleged (i) deliberate misrepo
Answer: The Environment Agency (EA) is the enforcement body responsible for investigating illegal pollution and misreporting by water companies.The EA has concluded 83 prosecutions since 2015, securing record fines of over £150 million against water companies. Fu...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: FiresDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72088More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of treating health conditions linked to exposure to domestic bonfire smoke in areas with high rates of respiratory illness.
Answer: Local authorities have a duty to monitor and review air quality in their areas. The Environment Agency manages the United Kingdom's national monitoring sites on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.No specific assessment of t...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordFires: Air PollutionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72087More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of domestic bonfire smoke on (a) rural air quality and (b) wider environmental health.
Answer: Smoke from domestic bonfires can negatively affect both rural air quality and broader environmental health. Current legislation prohibits the burning of household waste where it may lead to pollution or pose a risk to public health. In addition, local aut...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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