Helen Whately MP: written questions
465 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Minimum Wage: Young PeopleDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16970More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of removing minimum pay age bands for the National Minimum Wage on youth (a) inactivity and (b) unemployment.
Answer: In April 2025, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for workers aged 18 to 20, workers under 18, and apprentices will increase significantly – narrowing the gap between those rates and the National Living Wage.The impact of wage levels on youth employmen...
Answered 6 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordWorkWellDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16969More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department’s press releases entitled (a) Good work is good for health, published on 6 November 2024 and (b) New £64 million plan to help people stay in work, published on 7 May 202
Answer: The original WorkWell funding settlement supported up to 59k participants based on unit cost. As part of our grant competition, and as outlined in our Prospectus, local systems were required to bid for the volume of participants they expected to support, ...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordLiving Wage: Social Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16784More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the National Living Wage on the (a) number of people claiming Universal Credit and (b) amount of working age benefi
Answer: The independent Low Pay Commission has published the labour market evidence underlying its recommendations for the April 2025 National Living Wage Rates available at: Low Pay Commission summary of evidence 2024.The Department for Business and Trade, will ...
Answered 6 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordLiving Wage: Young PeopleDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16783More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the National Living Wage on youth (a) inactivity, (b) unemployment and (c) employment.
Answer: In April 2025, the National Living Wage, payable to eligible workers who are 21 years old and over, will increase by 6.7% to £12.21 per hour. The impact of wage levels on youth employment, unemployment and inactivity (usually defined as 16-24-year-olds) a...
Answered 6 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordWorkWellDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16745More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to expand the WorkWell pilot.
Answer: WorkWell is a pilot that went live from October and will run in 15 areas across England, providing low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department intends to implement the recommendations of the Disability Action Plan, published on 5 February 2024.
Answer: The Disability Action Plan was an initiative of the previous administration. This government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people. We will build on the insights shared by disabled people and their representative organisations, working...
Answered 6 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAutism Employment ReviewDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies of the recommendations in the Buckland Review of Autism Employment.
Answer: We welcome the independent Buckland Review focused specifically on autism and employment. We intend to build on this to meet our commitment to promoting awareness of all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. We are gathering expert evidence on how bes...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEmployment Rights BillDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16742More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the labour market.
Answer: The Secretary of State, and ministers, regularly meet with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues, regarding a range of matters. Our ambitions are to reverse the trend of inactivity, and to raise both productivity and living standards whilst improving the qua...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEmployment Rights BillDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16741More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on levels of (a) employment, (b) unemployment and (c) economic inactivity.
Answer: The Employment Rights Bill Impact Assessments was published on October 21 and can be found here. It illustrates that the provision of better-quality work, more family friendly employment protections and flexible working rights could increase the range of ...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEmployers' ContributionsTreasuryTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16740More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions announced the Autumn Budget 2024 on jobs.
Answer: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook expects that the Employer National Insurance Contributions package will lead to a reduction in the participation rate by 0.1 per cent from 2025-26 onwards. Overall, once the i...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordEmploymentTreasuryTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16739More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on jobs.
Answer: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2024 forecast, which takes into account impacts from policy measures announced in the Budget, expects the employment level to increase from 33.1 million in 2024 to 34.3 million in 2029.
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15506More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with producer organisations on the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.
Answer: The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and Producer Organisations and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, ...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15504More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to make a decision on the future of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.
Answer: The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and Producer Organisations and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, ...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SubsidiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme beyond 31 December 2025.
Answer: The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and Producer Organisations and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, ...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGarden Communities and M2: SittingbourneMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15023More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to decide on the proposed (a) M2 motorway junction and (b) Highsted Park outline planning applications.
Answer: The decision to call in this application was made on the basis of the policy set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 October 2012. In line with the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 March 2019, we do not give specific reasons for calling in p...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGarden Communities: SittingbourneMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15022More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has had discussions with the developers of the Highsted Park outline planning applications.
Answer: The decision to call in this application was made on the basis of the policy set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 October 2012. In line with the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 March 2019, we do not give specific reasons for calling in p...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGarden Communities: SittingbourneMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15021More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason she called in the Highsted Park outline planning applications.
Answer: The decision to call in this application was made on the basis of the policy set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 October 2012. In line with the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 March 2019, we do not give specific reasons for calling in p...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: ExpenditureDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14310More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2024 to Question 4038 on Pension Credit: Expenditure, what estimate she has made of the additional cost to the public purse of the associated allowances for Pension
Answer: No estimate has been made by the department as the requested information is not available. We are unable to quantify the value of all passported benefits.
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: ExpenditureDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was for Pension Credit in the latest year for which information is available.
Answer: The total government expenditure in nominal terms for Pension Credit awards was £4.9 billion in 2022/23. This figure does not include other operational and administrative costs, such as the government’s campaign to increase take-up of Pension Credit, as w...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordRolling StockDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work (a) has been undertaken and (b) is planned on the creation of a long-term strategy for rolling stock.
Answer: As part of our reforms to the railway, the Government will develop a long-term strategy for rolling stock promoting a longer-term, whole-system approach. This strategy will seek to provide a strong and steady pipeline of orders, supporting British manufac...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMinisters: Codes of PracticeCabinet OfficeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10456More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Ministerial Code to specifically include (a) commercially sensitive statements and (b) personal boycotts.
Answer: I refer the Honourable Member to PQ 9328 of 22 October 2024.
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRailways: Fees and ChargesDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10114More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Network Rail has made on the access charge discount scheme.
Answer: To date, under Network Rail’s Access Charges Discount Policy for Control Period 7, two applications have been approved. The first, which has commenced operations is a five day per week service between Tilbury and Manchester. The second is a twice a week s...
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTransport: ScotlandDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10113More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had direct discussions with her Scottish counterpart since July 2024.
Answer: The Secretary of State has had direct discussions with her Scottish counterpart since July 2024.
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTransport: WalesDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had direct discussions with her Welsh counterpart since July 2024.
Answer: The Secretary of State has had direct discussions with her Welsh counterpart since July 2024.
Answered 29 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMotor Insurance: Fees and ChargesDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the motor insurance taskforce will review postcode insurance pricing.
Answer: This Government committed in its manifesto to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. To deliver on this commitment, the UK Government formed a cross-government Taskforce on motor insurance, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s T...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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