Bob Blackman MP: written questions
250 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Investment and Trade: IndiaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119243More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade what steps he is taking to engage UK-based Indian alumni networks in promoting British trade and investment opportunities.
Answer: I am delighted that many Indian students come to study in UK institutions and have done so for decades, enhancing our educational, diplomatic, political and business relationships, which is why India is one of the priority countries in our International E...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEducational Institutions: IndiaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119242More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to strengthen educational partnerships between UK universities and Indian institutions.
Answer: I am delighted that many Indian students come to study in UK institutions and have done so for decades, enhancing our educational, diplomatic, political and business relationships, which is why India is one of the priority countries in our International E...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordOverseas Trade: IndiaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the role international students play in strengthening UK–India trade relations.
Answer: I am delighted that many Indian students come to study in UK institutions and have done so for decades, enhancing our educational, diplomatic, political and business relationships, which is why India is one of the priority countries in our International E...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPostgraduate Education: Overseas StudentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119240More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology what assessment she has made of the contribution of international postgraduate researchers to the UK’s scientific output.
Answer: The UK is committed to attracting international postgraduate research (PGR) students as part of our ambition to attract the best research talent across the research pipeline. International PGRs make significant contributions to the UK’s research strength ...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she will commit to developing a roadmap for the transition to in-ovo sexing in the UK egg industry.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 March 2026 to the hon. Member for York Central, PQ UIN 116174.
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a consultation on ending the routine culling of male chicks through in-ovo sexing is under consideration.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 March 2026 to the hon. Member for York Central, PQ UIN 116174.
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to publish a formal consultation on how a transition to in-ovo sexing would be implemented.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 March 2026 to the hon. Member for York Central, PQ UIN 116174.
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPoultry: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to work with industry to develop a roadmap for ending the routine culling of male chicks, as laid out in the Animal Welfare Strategy.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 January 2026 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 105878.
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordArmenia: AzerbaijanForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support its strategic partner Azerbaijan and the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia after the recent drone attacks launched f
Answer: I spoke with Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, on 9 March, expressing the UK's full solidarity with Azerbaijan in the face of the unacceptable Iranian drone strikes on Nakhchivan Airport and nearby sites. The UK condemns such attacks for thr...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118169More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration has been given to the provision of cessation support to adult vapers to quit when they are ready to do so.
Answer: In the short and medium term, vaping is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, especially when combined with behavioural support. However, children, and adult non-smokers, should never vape, and the long-term health ...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic CigarettesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118168More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to data from the Office for National Statistics highlighting that for the first time there are more adult vapers in Great Britain than there are smokers.
Answer: The Department continues to monitor the latest data on smoking and vaping prevalence, including the figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The 2024 ONS Adult Smoking Habits in the UK data shows that 10% of adults in Great Britain, ...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSmoking: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118167More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to help ensure smokers in Great Britain have equitable access to smoking cessation advice, support and tools.
Answer: Alongside our Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we remain committed to supporting current smokers to quit.The Government has invested an additional £70 million in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England to help peopl...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSmokingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118166More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the UK’s progress towards achieving a smoke-free society.
Answer: Smoking prevalence continues to fall across the United Kingdom. In 2024, approximately 5.3 million people aged 18 years old and over were current smokers, 10.6% of the adult population. This is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began,...
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDrax Group: Disclosure of InformationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114807More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the report undertaken by KPMG in December 2022, whether he has seen an unredacted version of the statements made by the former company secretary Brett Gladden.
Answer: I can confirm that I have not seen any statements (redacted or otherwise) made by the Drax former company Secretary Brett Gladden.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordY Quynh BdăpForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114806More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026 to PQ 105193, whether she has made further recent representations to her Vietnamese counterpart on the detention of Y Quyn Bdap; and
Answer: The situation remains as set out in the previous answer. We will report any updates to the House in the normal way in due course.
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordDipu Chandra DasForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111660More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of India on the killing of Dipu Chandra Das and measures to protect members of the Hindu community.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 January in response to Question 101933.
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Science and Technology on the potential merits of a respiratory Modern Service Framework to strengthen the UK’s life sciences ecosyst
Answer: The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111658More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his department’s timeline is for deciding on the second wave of Modern Service Frameworks; and whether respiratory conditions will be considered.
Answer: The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111657More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of a respiratory Modern Service Framework on reducing winter pressures on the NHS by simultaneously improving outcomes for long-term respiratory conditions a
Answer: The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111656More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the level of prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Harrow East constituenc
Answer: The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordBangladesh: RohingyaForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111655More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Bangladesh and humanitarian agencies about helping to improve safety and protection for Rohingya refugees.
Answer: We remain concerned by the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, as seen first hand by the Minister for International Development on her visit to the country in November last year. We regularly engaged with the former Interim Government of ...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordJoint Replacements: SurgeryDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111654More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to investigate the use of body mass index thresholds as a means of determining eligibility for joint replacement surgery.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Rushcliffe on 20 November 2025 to Question 89688.
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordObesity: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111653More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to increase access to weight loss jabs for long-term conditions.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Rushcliffe on 19 November 2025 to Question 89687.
Answered 11 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care Boards: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111652More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ICBs have Activity Management Plans in place.
Answer: NHS England does not hold this information centrally. Integrated care boards have contractual powers to manage activity by providers, which were enhanced in 2025/26 with central support for setting and managing activity. The NHS Standard Contract includes...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSurgery: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made to meet the 18-week treatment target next month as set out in the Elective Reform Plan.
Answer: NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 set a target that, by the end of March 2026, 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks. To achieve this, we expect the size of the total waiting list to reduce and have already made significant pr...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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