Freddie van Mierlo MP: written questions
425 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Meningitis: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1851More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the response of 20 April 2026 to question 125947; what progress has been made on receiving independent expert advice from the JCVI on the meningococcal B vaccination programme, in
Answer: As the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care told the House on 17 March in the context of the meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, the Joint Committee on Vaccinations (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccine...
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisons: Telephone ServicesMinistry of JusticeTabled 27 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 130004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to WPQ 125951 submitted on the 30th March, what the new cost per minute of call is under the rates agreed for the period between 1 April 2025 to 31 May 2027.
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 129928More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the treatment of NHS staff employed on honorary contracts in recruitment processes during periods of hiring freezes; and whether such staff are classified as internal candidates for the purposes of those processes.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordElectronic Funds Transfer: FraudTreasuryTabled 27 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 129927More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of consumer protection and reimbursement for victims of authorised push payment and investment frauds that occurred before 7 October 2024.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: CorrespondenceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 129925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of response times to hon. Members when making enquiries to his Department on behalf of constituents about benefit claims.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordService Pupil PremiumDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129449More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the response of 20 April 2026 to question 126112, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Service Pupil Premium in meeting the additional needs of pupils who are the children of ser
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDriving Instruction: QualificationsDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129448More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of ADI part 2 and ADI part 3 tests in Oxfordshire.
Answer: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that demand for approved driving instructor (ADI) part 2 and part 3 tests is high in some areas across the country and recognises the time constraints this may place on trainee driving instructors. A...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCoroners: ComplaintsMinistry of JusticeTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129447More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that coronial complaints procedures are independent and transparent; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of measures in place to prevent conflicts of interest within
Answer: Coroners are independent judges, but operational responsibility for coroner services lies with the lead local authorities which fund and administer of each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Whist the framework of accountability in the coronial...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Workplace PensionsCabinet OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129445More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his department has made of the adequacy of Capita’s progress towards meeting the June 2026 deadline for clearing the Civil Service Pension Scheme backlog; and whether his Department has contingen
Answer: The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension ...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordTransport: SchoolsDepartment for TransportTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000, what recent assessment she has made of the future viability of (a) parent funded school transport schemes and (b) spare seat schemes
Answer: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) set minimum accessibility requirements for buses and coaches, designed to carry over twenty-two passengers and used on local or scheduled services. They support millions of disabled people...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAbsent VotingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish his Department's review on deadlines and practices relating to the dispatching of postal ballots.
Answer: The Government is committed to strengthening the resilience of our electoral processes, including the postal voting system. In the 2025 policy paper, Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections the Government set out a p...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordAbsent Voting: British Nationals AbroadMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Hon Member for Chester North and Neston in the eight sitting of the Representation of the People Bill Committee, 16 April 2026, col
Answer: The Department has not made a specific estimate of the cost of drafting and publishing such a report. As set out during the Representation of the People Bill Committee, the Government considers that the issues raised have already been extensively examined...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: Public ConsultationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128538More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for publishing her Department's full response to the Biodiversity Net Gain consultation.
Answer: On 15 April 2026 we published the Government response to the summer 2025 consultations: BNG for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and Improving BNG implementation for minor, medium and brownfield development. On the same date we launc...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFuels: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128537More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the trends in the level of petrol and diesel prices within regions; and what steps he is taking to ensure consistent pricing for consumers.
Answer: Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer law, overseen by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Government and the CMA are closely monitoring petrol and diesel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, and the Chancellor o...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128434More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Department's Research and analysis paper entitled Removing the two-child limit on Universal Credit, whether the calculation that the removal of the two-child limit will lift 450,00
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions’ Policy Simulation Model (PSM) was used to model the impact of the removal of the two-child limit on Universal Credit. The PSM uses household characteristics, caseload forecasts and benefit rules to estimate policy imp...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordService Pupil PremiumDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she made of the adequacy of the level of the Service Pupil Premium to support the needs of military children, including for children who have attended several different schools over a short peri
Answer: The service pupil premium (SPP) provides additional funding for state-funded schools in England attended by children from service families. In the 2026/27 financial year it is worth £360 per service child.The SPP is not a personal budget and schools have ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet ProtocolDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the change in the quality of service for customers moved from analogue to digital landline services, including the clarity and audibility of p
Answer: The analogue Public Switched Telephone Network’s (PSTN) replacement technology is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Ofcom have confirmed that VoIP technology enables communication providers to offer consumers and businesses clearer and better-quality p...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet ProtocolDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126110More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of requiring providers of digital landline services to provide a battery back-up of greater than one hour duration for vulnerabl
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry-led migration of the copper based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for everyone across the UK.In November 2024, the Gover...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCriminal Injuries Compensation Authority: StandardsMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126109More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the quality and timeliness of services provided to victims of crime by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.
Answer: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the 2012 Scheme) does not prescribe a time limit for applications to be decided.Most applications are decided within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own facts. In most cases, CICA requires inf...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: Strategic Lawsuits against Public ParticipationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on protecting maternity safety campaigners from Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
Answer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Lawsuits against Public ParticipationMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126107More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will include anti-SLAPP legislation in the King's Speech in May 2026.
Answer: Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) have a chilling effect on public participation and freedom of expression, posing a threat to our legal system and democracy. The Government is committed to tackling SLAPPs and is considering all o...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: FathersMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125954More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for community based organisations which offer peer-to-peer support for fathers inside prisons and post-release and the effects on levels
Answer: We know that enabling prisoners to maintain and strengthen family ties is a vital contributing factor to their rehabilitation and avoidance of re-offending.Following negotiations with service providers, we have reduced the cost of telephone calls across t...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordParents: Prisoners' ReleaseDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward guidance for parents who have been released from prison on co-parenting and handling children's emotional response.
Answer: The government is supporting all families, including parents who have been released from prison through Best Start Family Hubs (BSFHs) and Healthy Babies, backed by over £900 million investment over the next three years, to deliver a more connected, preve...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: ParentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125952More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the affordability of the costs of call credit for incarcerated parents.
Answer: We know that enabling prisoners to maintain and strengthen family ties is a vital contributing factor to their rehabilitation and avoidance of re-offending.Following negotiations with service providers, we have reduced the cost of telephone calls across t...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: ParentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125951More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has she made of the affordability for incarcerated parents of current communication policies in prisons to speak with their families.
Answer: We know that enabling prisoners to maintain and strengthen family ties is a vital contributing factor to their rehabilitation and avoidance of re-offending.Following negotiations with service providers, we have reduced the cost of telephone calls across t...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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