Gill Furniss MP: written questions
70 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Pupils: ReadingDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110844More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help bring awareness to the National Year of Reading within schools and alternative provision settings.
Answer: The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change during 2026 and beyond.It...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordReadingDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110843More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has to help bring awareness to the National Year of Reading.
Answer: The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change during 2026 and beyond.It...
Answered 23 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: Translation ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 106182More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the review into the Carr-Hill formula accounts for GP translation service costs.
Answer: The review of the general practice (GP) funding formula, the Carr-Hill formula, is being conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The purpose of the review is to ensure that funding for GPs is distributed equitably and is targeted...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSpeech and Language Disorders: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of providing training to mental health teams on support to children with lifelong speech and language difficulties.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Department for Education and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational nee...
Answered 19 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: Speech and Language DisordersDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98797More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to improve a) universal, b) targeted and c) specialist speech, language and communication support.
Answer: On 23 February, we published the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper, alongside a ‘SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First’ consultation. We announced an investment of over £40 million to increase support available from speech an...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHealth: DisadvantagedWomen and EqualitiesTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 906832More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help tackle unequal access to medical treatment.
Answer: Our 10 Year Health Plan outlines a long-term vision to reform the NHS and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it. The Government has published l...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delayed access to specialist heart valve treatment has on (a) avoidable unscheduled hospitalisations, (b) deaths on waiting lists and (c) othe
Answer: No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of delayed access to specialist heart valve disease (HVD) treatment on avoidable unscheduled hospitalisations, deaths on waiting lists, or other patient outcomes.Cutting waiting times, including...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAortic Stenosis: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has made an estimate of the number and proportion of women diagnosed with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who receive timely treatment compared to men.
Answer: The following table shows the count of elective hospital admissions where there was a primary diagnosis of 'aortic stenosis', by patient gender, as well as the median duration from the receipt of referral by the hospital to admission for 2022/23 to 2024/2...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Sign LanguageDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94270More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the switch from analogue to digital health services is inclusive of people whose first language is British Sign Language.
Answer: The Government has set out a commitment to make the NHS App British Sign Language accessible in the 10-Year Health Plan, which covers the period to 2035.
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: British Sign LanguageDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure greater provision of British Sign Language across the NHS.
Answer: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population, which includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters to support patients in t...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHearing Impairment: TrainingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94268More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Disability Unit is taking to embed deaf awareness across Government services.
Answer: The Disability Unit within Cabinet Office has responsibility for the British Sign Language (BSL) Act 2022, which has created a greater recognition and understanding of BSL and deaf awareness. The Act requires the government to report on what departments l...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordLiteracy: CurriculumDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88745More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) training and (b) support will be provided to (i) teachers and (ii) other education staff as part of the new curriculum to support the delivery of increased levels of literacy in schools.
Answer: High and rising standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.Following the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review published on 5 November 2025, we ...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: ReadingDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking as part of the new curriculum to develop a culture of reading for pleasure in schools.
Answer: The department knows that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits.That is why we are launching the National Year of Reading 2026, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust. It aims to address long-term declines in r...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPrimary Education: School LibrariesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for the primary school library rollout.
Answer: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the Dormant Assets Scheme, which is providing funding to support the primary school library commitment, previously announced by the Chancellor.Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been a...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Personal BudgetsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88742More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure councils implement the requirements of the Care Act 2014 on Individual Service Funds.
Answer: Under the Care Act 2014, everyone whose needs are met by the local authority (LA) must receive a personal budget as part of the care and support plan. The budget sets out how much of the cost of care will be met by the LA and how much will be met by the a...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87818More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delayed access to specialist heart valve treatment on (a) avoidable unscheduled hospitalisations, (b) deaths on the waiting lists, and (c) oth
Answer: The Department has not made any specific assessment of the impact of delayed heart valve treatment on avoidable unscheduled hospitalisations, deaths on the waiting lists, and other patient outcomes.It is unacceptable that so many patients have been let do...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: Diagnosis and Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87817More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure earlier (a) detection and (b) treatment of heart valve disease is prioritised within NHS long-term planning.
Answer: In line with the goals of the 10-Year Health Plan, NHS England has already undertaken measures to improve the early detection of heart valve disease (HVD). These include:commissioning the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society to develop a new referral form ...
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: Non-paymentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74391More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to remove the sanction of imprisonment for non-payment of Council Tax in England as part of wider proposed sentencing reforms.
Answer: The sanction of imprisonment for non-payment of council tax only applies where the court is satisfied that non-payment is due to wilful refusal to pay or culpable neglect. A person cannot be imprisoned for being unable to pay their council tax. The govern...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: Health EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69886More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to raise awareness of (a) heart valve disease and (b) its symptoms among the (i) population and (ii) healthcare professionals.
Answer: Continuous improvements have been made in the heart valve disease (HVD) pathway for service users, but there remains unwarranted variation and inequalities in terms of care for patients with HVD for example in access to surgery for aortic stenosis, a form...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69885More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures in the NHS 10 Year Plan will support earlier diagnosis of heart valve disease in primary and community care settings.
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All three shifts are relevant to improving outcomes fo...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: ResearchDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that regions where (a) cancer outcomes are poorer and (b) research infrastructure is historically underfunded receive a fair share of national cancer r
Answer: The Department is committed to funding health and care research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) across England, and to ensuring that the research we support is inclusive and representative of the populations we serve. We kn...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: RehabilitationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of expanding prehabilitation and rehabilitation services in cancer care on (a) NHS costs and (b) patient outcomes.
Answer: The Department and NHS England are taking a number of steps to support systems to deliver cost-effective, lifesaving prehabilitation and rehabilitation services. Local planning for prehabilitation and rehabilitation services is devolved to National Health...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will include measures to expand innovations in cancer screening initiatives to ensure more people from deprived areas are encouraged to participate.
Answer: Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will build on the shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screeni...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSmoking: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67929More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to implement automatic enrolment into stop smoking support at (a) A&E departments, (b) cancer screening appointments, (c) mental health services and (d) other NHS touc
Answer: As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are committed to ensuring all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has prioritised and put new funding out to ...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordParliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman: Public AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 12 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59475More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for England will be formally appointed.
Answer: The House of Commons leads on the recruitment of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner. We expect that the formal appointment will be made shortly.
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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