Luke Akehurst MP: written questions
369 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Delivery Services and Taxis: InsuranceDepartment for TransportTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) insurance requirements and (b) enforcement mechanisms are in place for (a) private hire and (b) delivery drivers.
Answer: All drivers must have the correct insurance cover for the purpose they are using their vehicle for, and the police may check this when stopping a vehicle. The Government takes uninsured driving seriously and tackles this through Continuous Insurance Enfor...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordTibet: DamsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of China's Kamtok Dam project on the (a) environment, (b) society and (c) economy in Tibet.
Answer: The Government would refer to credible external sources, including those from the United Nations, in relation to the impact of China's Kamtok Dam project. For example, in July 2024 a letter was issued from 13 UN Special Rapporteurs finding the project ris...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMyanmar: Armed ConflictForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23197More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether drones have been used by the military regime against civilians in Myanmar.
Answer: We continue to monitor the escalation of the conflict in Myanmar closely, including the use of drones by the Myanmar military. The UK strongly condemns the military's use of airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEast Coast Main Line: North EastDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23044More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned East Coast Main Line timetable change in December 2025 on local rail services in (a) County Durham and (b) the North East.
Answer: An assessment suggested Chester-le-Street calls on Trans Pennine Express be increased to hourly services, which have now been implemented. As well as the LNER London to Newcastle trains be increased from two trains per hour to three trains per hour, now s...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Empty PropertyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in levels of retail and commercial units that are vacant in (a) Chester-le-Street, (b) Sta
Answer: This government is committed to revitalise town centres and stimulate economic growth by addressing persistent vacancy rates in town centres like Chester-le-Street and Stanley. High Street Rental Auctions, which came into effect in December 2024, give loc...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: North of EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Biggest investment into hospices in a generation, dated 19 December 2024, how much of the £100 million funding will be allocated to the Nor
Answer: We are working closely, and at pace, with NHS England on this once in a generation funding boost. We will set out the details of the funding allocation and dissemination in the coming weeks.
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordOperating Theatres: Fire PreventionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce (a) mandatory training and (b) policies on surgical fires within all NHS hospital settings.
Answer: In 2023, the Centre for Perioperative Care published revised National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs2). The standards were designed to reduce misunderstandings or errors, and to improve team cohesion. The NatSSIPs2 include a requiremen...
Answered 3 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: North DurhamDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 901816More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of young people out of work, education and training in North Durham constituency.
Answer: We published new analysis alongside the Get Britain Working White Paper which shows that there are 45,000 young people out of work, education and training across the North East.Those young people are being failed.The data is not robust enough to be broken...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRadiotherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18733More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients requiring radiotherapy start their treatment with 31 days of a doctor deciding on their treatment plan.
Answer: We understand that cancer patients are waiting longer than they should for the care they need, and we are taking action to address this. The Government is committed to improving cancer care and reducing waiting times for treatment, including for radiother...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRadiologyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18732More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS long-term health plan complements the National Cancer Strategy in the context of the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of (i) radiographer
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver three big shifts in the focus of healthcare, from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.The Department will also refresh the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to fit the transformed health s...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordLegal Aid Scheme: Social Security BenefitsMinistry of JusticeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14768More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal aid provision in cases relating to disputes in the benefits system.
Answer: This Government inherited a legal aid system facing significant challenges. The Ministry of Justice has recently undertaken a lengthy, evidence-based, and wholesale review of the operation of civil legal aid across all eleven categories of civil legal aid...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: Children and Young PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12536More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with local partners to ensure the availability of (a) parenting and (b) other programmes to improve the mental health of (i) infants, (ii) children and (iii) young people ment
Answer: The Government has a bold new ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. Launched in August 2022, the three-year Family Hubs and Start for Life programme provides approximately £300 million to 75 local authorities in England with high l...
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGuided WeaponsMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Surface to Air Missile Centre command and control systems, (b) Giraffe Agile Multibeam radars and (c) Land Ceptor launcher and missile systems comprising the Sky Sabre system are deployed in (i) the
Answer: We do not routinely disclose the locations or numbers of these platforms in the interests of security and operational effectiveness.
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGuided Weapons: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10902More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on integrated air and missile defence in each financial year since 2010.
Answer: Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) is cross-government, multi-layered approach, utilising a wide range of advanced capabilities alongside our Allies as an international effort. There has been wide-ranging investment across the full range of IAMD ca...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEstonia: Challenger TanksMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10556More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects Challenger 3 to be deployed to Estonia.
Answer: As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, the British Army will deploy Challenger 3 tanks to NATO’s eastern border along with armoured vehicles in future years. However, details relating to the fielding plan for Challenger 3 are yet to be confir...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGuided Weapons: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10555More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding has been allocated to the European Long-range Strike Approach programme.
Answer: The European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) is a multinational framework. Participating nations will consider capability cooperation programmes under the ELSA framework, to be funded on a case-by-case basis. The outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordNATO: Guided WeaponsMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10554More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his (a) planned timetable and (b) key milestones for success are for the DIAMOND initiative.
Answer: In October the UK signed a letter of intent on DIAMOND (Delivering Integrated Air and Missile Operational Networked Defences) alongside six Allies: France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Sweden. We are working with these countries to agree the timeta...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordGuided Weapons: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10553More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on establishing an integrated air and missile defence system for the UK.
Answer: Air and missile defence is a 24/7, cross-Government and international effort. We take a layered approach to air and missile defence deploying a wide range of advanced capabilities alongside our Allies. Without pre-determining the outcome of the Strategic ...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: LasersMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10552More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has (a) allocated to and (b) spent on the air protection laser self-protection system.
Answer: Defence is working with several industry partners to generate a UK Defensive Aids Suite in order to provide Air Platform Protection for all three services. Under the banner of Team Pellonia, working with Thales, Leonardo, and Chemring Countermeasures, Air...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordIslamic Revolutionary Guard CorpsHome OfficeTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to disrupt the activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the UK.
Answer: We do not routinely comment on the detail of operational matters or specific threats. But national security is the first duty of any government, and we take any malicious activity that might pose a significant threat to our security and public safety extr...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMyanmar: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9645More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase levels of humanitarian aid into Myanmar.
Answer: Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has provided more than £150 million for life-saving humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education and support for civil society and local communities in Myanmar. Most recently, the UK Government provided £1.3 milli...
Answered 25 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: FraudDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6891More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of allegations of fraudulent claims submitted through the Pharmacy First programme.
Answer: The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPharmacyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6890More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) impact and (b) effectiveness of the Pharmacy First programme.
Answer: The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: Community Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6889More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the contract for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2024.
Answer: The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPharmacy: Community Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-2024 on the number of community pharmacies in England.
Answer: The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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