Mark Sewards MP: written questions
215 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Dangerous DrivingDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32359More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle dangerous driving.
Answer: The Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options in this area.THINK! is the Government’s flagship road safety campaign. It aims t...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: Charging PointsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31268More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that there are adequate electric vehicle charging points for properties that do not have a driveway.
Answer: The Government and industry have supported the installation of over 74,000 public charging devices across the UK. The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund will transform the availability of electric vehicle (EV) charging for drivers without off-stre...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFootball: DisabilityDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30338More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that football stadiums are accessible to fans with disabilities.
Answer: The government recognises the great importance of sport and physical activity for disabled people at both the grassroots and elite levels.The Government recently ratified the St Denis Convention. In doing so, we committed to providing an integrated safety...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordConsumers: ProtectionDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to improve consumer rights protections.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade is implementing the new consumer rights introduced by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The new consumer enforcement regime – which we will commence in April – gives the CMA new direct enforceme...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing ImprovementTreasuryTabled 27 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26758More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) tax incentives and (b) other methods to encourage people to renovate older properties.
Answer: This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. As the first step of our Warm Homes Plan, at the Autumn Budget, the Go...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAttendance Allowance: MotabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of recommending the inclusion of Attendance Allowance recipients to the Motability scheme.
Answer: Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Mo...
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 9 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23070More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people with (a) fibromyalgia, (b) ADHD and (c) other invisible disabilities are supported back into work.
Answer: Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. As a Government, we want to support all...
Answered 14 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcare: Fees and ChargesDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22810More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that childcare providers are not able to charge for childcare costs on days where they are unable to deliver the service.
Answer: It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent.Eligible children are entitled to 570 or 1140...
Answered 23 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordNeurological Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for people with (a) Motor Neurone Disease and (b) other degenerative conditions.
Answer: Patients, including those with motor neurone disease (MND), have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring ...
Answered 23 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordTravel: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20850More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the Overseas Scale Rates.
Answer: As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps flat rate expenses, including Overseas Scale Rates, under review.
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHomicide: SentencingMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19971More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing sentences for offenders guilty of unlawful act manslaughter.
Answer: Parliament is responsible for setting the overall legal sentencing framework and the maximum penalty for unlawful act manslaughter is life imprisonment.However, sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to imp...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: LeedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with Healthwatch Leeds on the potential merits of implementing their policy on communication, coordination and compassion in other parts of the country.
Answer: While there are no current plans for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to meet with Healthwatch Leeds, he does meet with stakeholders regularly about a range of issues.NHS England has carefully considered the points rai...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Digital TechnologyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people with additional communication needs are able to access (a) online appointment bookings and (b) other digital healthcare services.
Answer: All National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers in England are required to meet the Accessible Information Standard to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. ...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: LeedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the briefing paper by Healthwatch Leeds entitled Communicating change, published in September
Answer: While there are no current plans for my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to meet with Healthwatch Leeds, he does meet with stakeholders regularly about a range of issues.NHS England has carefully considered the points rai...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEhlers-Danlos SyndromeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14715More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These include b...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDentistry: StudentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of making tuition free for dental students; and what steps he is taking to ensure that dentists receive adequate fundin
Answer: The Government is determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.The Government will make sure the NHS has the staff it needs to be there for...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCoronavirus: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13321More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allow individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to receive Novavax Covid-19 booster vaccinations.
Answer: Novavax was not purchased for the Autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme, as sufficient pre-procured COVID-19 doses of the Moderna mRNA (Spikevax) and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) vaccines were available.The COVID-19 chapter of the publication Imm...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: Solar PowerMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12866More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward regulations to ensure that solar panels fitted to new housing are (a) safe and (b) pose a low fire risk.
Answer: The Building Regulations apply to new building work and are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare. They may apply when somebody is putting up a new building, making material changes to a building, extending an existing building or alteri...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordTransport: Yorkshire and the HumberDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support improvements to (a) local transport links and (b) networks across (i) Yorkshire and (ii) Northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: The Department is committed to improving local transport across the Yorkshire and Humber. The Chancellor announced in the Autumn Statement on 30 October a range of funding to support local transport, including funding that will provide for development of ...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness: North Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and the HumberDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support business investment into (a) Yorkshire and (b) northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: The Department works across the UK, including Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, to showcase strong commercial investment opportunities to potential investors and support business to grow, and provides extensive support to small businesses through the n...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEconomic Growth: Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and the HumberMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps Department is taking to help support economic growth across (a) Yorkshire and (b) northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: This Government is developing a modern industrial strategy to deliver the certainty and stability for business to invest and creating the National Wealth Fund to support its delivery and mobilise billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s growth industr...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEconomic Growth: Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and the HumberTreasuryTabled 29 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11684More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support economic growth across (a) Yorkshire and (b) northern Lincolnshire.
Answer: At Autumn Budget 24 the government set out the first major steps in our approach to regional growth, through devolution, investment and reform.The Government is investing in total over £2.5 billion over 30 years in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and York...
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCrime: VictimsMinistry of JusticeTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to allow victims of crime to express impact statements to convicted people directly.
Answer: As set out in the Victims’ Code, victims and survivors have the right to make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS) to explain in their own words how a crime has affected them. The judge or magistrate will decide whether and what sections of a personal statem...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCarbon EmissionsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11119More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to regulate emissions produced by organisations.
Answer: The UK Emissions Trading Scheme is an essential regime to cut emissions and drive green investment. By setting a limit - the cap - on emissions and creating a carbon price for power, industry and aviation, the scheme incentivises investment in clean techn...
Answered 4 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCats: Veterinary ServicesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11118More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase the affordability of cat neutering services.
Answer: The Competition and Markets Authority, which is independent from Defra, is currently undertaking a market investigation into veterinary services, which includes the cost of veterinary care. Defra will review any recommendations that are made by the CMA wh...
Answered 31 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →