Laura Kyrke-Smith MP: written questions
146 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Animal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 21 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84105More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to encourage collaboration between (a) industry, (b) researchers, (c) civil society and (d) the public on the most effective non-animal approaches to scientific
Answer: The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCoronavirus: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83662More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will take steps to extend the eligibility criteria for the covid-19 booster vaccination for winter to include those who are clinically vulnerable in winter 2025-26.
Answer: The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains th...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordReligious FreedomHome OfficeTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82217More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will consider taking steps to protect religious communities that don't have a designated place of worship.
Answer: The government and police regularly work closely together to review threats and strengthen protection for communities against terrorism and hate crime.Work is currently underway to develop a new Faith Security Training scheme to raise awareness amongst fa...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordForests: Environment ProtectionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what legislative steps she is taking to tackle illegal deforestation in supply chains; and what her planned timetable is for introducing a regulatory framework to tackle this issue.
Answer: The Government recognises the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is currently considering its approach to addressing the impact of the use of forest risk commoditi...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Housing: LivestockDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81729More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's planned timetable is for publishing its Animal Welfare Strategy; and if she will make it her policy to ensure that the Animal Welfare Strategy includes steps to e
Answer: We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully. This gove...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction AgreementForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the 60th ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty by Morocco in September 2025.
Answer: The government introduced legislation on 10 September to enable the UK to proceed to ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFishing CatchesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81003More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent the overfishing of commercially important species.
Answer: The Government is committed to restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This is in line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joi...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: TrainingHome OfficeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to strengthen trauma-informed training for police officers responding to domestic abuse cases.
Answer: In our manifesto, we committed to strengthening training on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) for policing to ensure that all officers have the right skills to investigate all VAWG offences, included domestic abuse, and provide consistent support fo...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDomestic Abuse: TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81001More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that magistrates receive training on (a) coercive control and (b) the longer-term impacts of domestic abuse; and whether any similar training is planned for the future.
Answer: To preserve judicial independence, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lady Chief Justice has the statutory responsibility for the training of the courts judiciary in England and Wales, fulfilled by the Judicial College.Domestic abuse is a signi...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Experiments: Animal BreedingHome OfficeTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of routinely (a) recording and (b) reporting the number of animals bred for and not used in scientific research.
Answer: The Home Office is presently reviewing the potential merits of recording and reporting the number of animals that were bred for and not used in scientific procedures.
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCheerleading: GCSEDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74086More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider adding cheerleading as an approved (a) sport and (b) activity which can be assessed for GCSE Physical Education qualifications.
Answer: Cheerleading was recognised as a sport by the Home Nations Sport Councils in December last year.It is not part of the current GCSE activity list, which was last reviewed in 2018. The department and awarding organisations developed a set of five key consid...
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGambling: InternetDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74085More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Statutory levy and online slot stake limits to be introduced to tackle gambling harm, published on 27 November 2024, what steps she is ta
Answer: Online stake limits have been set at £5 per spin for adults aged 25 and over since April of this year, and £2 per spin for 18-24 year olds since May. All gambling operators offering gambling services to people in Great Britain must have a licence from the...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHomicide: British Nationals AbroadMinistry of JusticeTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support families of UK citizens murdered overseas.
Answer: The Government remains committed to improving the support available to families affected by these tragic events. We recognise the importance of ensuring that bereaved families receive clear, compassionate, and timely information.The Ministry of Justice is...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: Labour Turnover and RecruitmentHome OfficeTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) support retention in the police in England and (b) increase the number of police officers in Aylesbury constituency.
Answer: In 2025/26, the Home Office is providing a total of up to £17.4 billion for police forces, which is an increase of up to £987 million compared to the 2024/25 police funding settlement. This includes a total of up to £376.8 million specifically to support ...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: Rural AreasMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68607More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that a higher proportion of housing is affordable in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) other rural areas.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSpinal Injuries: DatabasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66481More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing access to the national spinal cord injury database to (a) charities and (b) other stakeholders.
Answer: The effectiveness of the National Spinal Cord Injury Database (NSCID) is kept under review and is subject to small incremental improvements to reflect changes to spinal cord injury services, and to maintain compliance with legislation. NHS England has bee...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSpinal Injuries: DatabasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66480More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the national spinal cord injury database.
Answer: The effectiveness of the National Spinal Cord Injury Database (NSCID) is kept under review and is subject to small incremental improvements to reflect changes to spinal cord injury services, and to maintain compliance with legislation. NHS England has bee...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSupply of New Cars Order 2000Department for Business and TradeTabled 9 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will review the effectiveness of the Supply of New Cars Order 2000.
Answer: The Supply of New Cars Order 2000 was introduced following a Competition Commission investigation, to remedy or prevent the adverse effects identified by the Competition Commission in relation to the car retail market. Responsibility for reviewing the Sup...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRefugees: Community DevelopmentHome OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 905037More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support the integration of refugees.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that refugees can integrate in the UK. The Immigration White Paper introduced reforms designed to improve integration and community cohesion. Further details will be set out in due course.Ministers across Government...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLaw: CurriculumDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61393More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including essential safeguarding aspects of the law in the curriculum.
Answer: Relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) has a vital role to play in supporting pupils’ wellbeing, health and safety. Pupils are taught a range of topics in relation to safeguarding, and guidance sets out that they should be made aware of the releva...
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Based ViolenceHome OfficeTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on preventing violence against women and girls.
Answer: The Government has set an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.The cross-government violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy will set out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on this ambiti...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordParking: Pedestrian AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50805More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to respond to findings of the consultation on Managing Pavement Parking which closed on 22 November 2020; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of granting local
Answer: The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way forw...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMusic: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42326More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of funding available for Music Hubs.
Answer: The government has committed £79 million per year for the Music Hubs programme, inclusive of the 2024/25 academic year. The 43 Music Hubs partnerships across England offer a range of services, including musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning and w...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNon-surgical Cosmetic Procedures: LicensingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41263More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of his Department's consultation on The licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, published on 2 September
Answer: The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. This includes considering the proposals that the Department previously con...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: DysphagiaDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35187More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of incidents relating to dysphagia in SEND settings; and what steps she is taking to manage dysphagia safely in those settings.
Answer: Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Some children with medical conditions may be considered to be dis...
Answered 29 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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