Brian Mathew MP: written questions
126 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Mobility ScootersDepartment for TransportTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the classifications of (a) mobility scooters and (b) powered wheelchairs on people with mobility aids outside those classifications.
Answer: The Department is committed to delivering a transport network which puts passengers and their needs at its heart. We want to see disabled passengers able to make the journeys they want and need – doing this easily, confidently, with dignity and without e...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to improve funding for local councils.
Answer: The government is committed to fixing the foundations of local government. In 2025-26 we targeted additional funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement to places with the greatest need and demand for services and less ability to raise income local...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented Housing: Melksham and DevizesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the amount of social housing in Melksham and Devizes constituency.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41721 on 3 April 2025.
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordActive Travel: Rural AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to encourage active travel in rural areas.
Answer: We have recently announced £222.5 million to local authorities outside London for the delivery of active travel schemes and £30 million for upgrading the National Cycle Network. Much of this investment will go to rural areas. Active Travel England (ATE) a...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact unrepaired potholes on (a) cyclists and (b) pedestrians.
Answer: The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew their local highway networks effectively. The Department’s highway maintenance funding is to enable local highway...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with local authorities to provide sustainable road surfacing.
Answer: The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew their local highway networks effectively. Decisions on road surfacing materials used in highway maintenance activ...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordParkinson's Disease: NursesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49201More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase funding for Parkinson's nurses.
Answer: There are 25 specialised neurological treatment centres across the National Health Service in England, which provide access to neurological multidisciplinary teams to ensure that patients with Parkinson’s can receive specialised treatment and support, acc...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGlass: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49200More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the packaging extended producer responsibility scheme on glass producers.
Answer: In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector....
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49199More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with local authorities to ensure the reliability of bus services.
Answer: The Government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordForests: CommoditiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK Forest Risk Commodities regulations on low-income smallholder farmers in the Global South who are selling into
Answer: We recognise that action to prevent UK consumption of forest risk commodities driving deforestation should minimise the impacts on low-income smallholder farmers in the Global South.We will set out our approach to addressing deforestation in the UK’s supp...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Lanes: MotorcyclesDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on her Department's Motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome, updated on 21 November 2024.
Answer: The consultation responses did not provide sufficient evidence to move away from a position of local authority choice to one in which allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes is the default.The government response included a commitment to update Traffic Advi...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordForestsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46435More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made on (a) ending and (b) reversing deforestation.
Answer: Tackling deforestation is vital to meeting UK goals on climate, nature and growth. If tropical forests are lost, food prices will rise, including for UK consumers. While rates of deforestation are falling in some countries such as Brazil, drivers of fores...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: Waiting ListsDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46434More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to reduce the backlog of drivers waiting for a driving test.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport S...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDoctors: UkraineDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46433More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) access to training and (b) the integration of Ukrainian doctors into the NHS.
Answer: There are various local schemes to support refugee health and care staff into National Health Service employment. The training and integration of refugee doctors into the NHS, including those from Ukraine, is managed at a local level by NHS employers acco...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGreat Western Main Line: Ticket OfficesDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46432More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to prevent reduction in access to ticket offices on the Great Western Railway network.
Answer: Officials regularly discuss ticket offices with Great Western Railway, including those in Wiltshire, on behalf of the Secretary of State. Any changes to ticket offices in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlemen...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Homes PlanDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46431More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the merits of extending eligibility for Warm Home Grants to (a) those with EPC ratings higher than D and (b) people with disabilities.
Answer: The Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) scheme is designed to target those in or at risk of fuel poverty. Those with EPC band A-C ratings are out of scope because a household is only considered by Government to be fuel poor if they have a residual income belo...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversities: AntisemitismDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46430More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle antisemitism in universities.
Answer: The department has confirmed £7 million in funding to address antisemitism in education. Additionally, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will soon be hosting a round table with vice-chancellors to discuss tackling antisemitism on ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: Genetically Modified OrganismsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44894More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require standardised information about the inclusion of genetically engineered food ingredients to be clearly marked on food packaging for consumers.
Answer: Existing labelling rules for genetically modified organisms (GMO) stipulate that foods sold in Britain that contain GMO ingredients must be labelled with this information. This labelling gives consumers the choice on whether to consume such foods containi...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon EmissionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44893More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a holistic approach to tackling carbon emissions.
Answer: While DESNZ leads across Government on net zero, Defra is responsible for reducing emissions from agriculture, land use (including peat), F-gases and waste (including wastewater), whilst simultaneously increasing England's carbon saving potential through ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWater SupplyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44109More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Ministerial roundtable on water security, 13 March 2025: outcome statement, published on 14 March 2025, what steps h
Answer: On 13 March 2025, the Minister for Development chaired a high-level roundtable, bringing together international Ministers and senior representatives from countries and multilateral institutions to discuss how to drive progress tackling the global water se...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCLEARDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43371More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the Consortium for Labelling for the Environment, Animal Welfare and Regenerative Farming on tackling carbon emissions.
Answer: Defra officials working on carbon emissions data policy regularly meet with CLEAR and we welcome their contributions, including the recent methodological review of UK eco-labels.
Answered 16 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMusic: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43333More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools are able to offer children high quality music education through (a) the national curriculum and (b) in music education hubs.
Answer: Music is an essential part of supporting children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. Music is in the national curriculum and is compulsory in all maintained schools in England from the age of 5 to 14 years. The national curriculu...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning Permission: Air PollutionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41766More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will include the potential impact of new developments on air pollution in planning decisions in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that planning policies and decisions should prevent new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of a...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: DisabilityDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve bus transport for people with hidden disabilities.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving bus services right across the country, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity, including people with hidden disabilities. On 1st October 2024, the first...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordParking: Private SectorMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to introduce a private parking code of practice.
Answer: The Government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to delivering a Code of Practice, in accordance with The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. Our code will contain guidance about the operation and man...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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