Paula Barker MP: written questions
275 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Water ChargesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33999More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of recent trends in the level of water chargers on consumers.
Answer: For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterwa...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOfwat: Cost EffectivenessDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33998More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of OFWAT in delivering value for money for consumers.
Answer: We are confident that Ofwat are delivering their core functions effectively. Ofwat holds water companies to account for the delivery of affordable, secure and resilient water services. Ofwat must protect the interests of consumers whilst ensuring the comp...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: CostsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33584More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the resilience of the independent hospitality sector to absorb the rising costs of (a) national Insurance, (b) alcohol duty, (c) energy prices
Answer: The government will protect the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that in 2025/26, 865,000 employers (43%) will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.The alcohol duty cut on qualifying...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Government AssistanceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33583More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the independent hospitality sector with rising costs.
Answer: Independent hospitality businesses are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and tra...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: ClosuresCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33582More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of (a) pub and (b) restaurant closures in England in the latest period for which data is available.
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th February is attached.
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordWines: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33581More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increasing wine duty on the independent hospitality sector.
Answer: A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside the changes to alcohol duty announced at the Autumn Budget 2024. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-rates-of-alcohol-duty/alcohol-duty-uprating The wi...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil Housing and Housing Revenue AccountsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help councils (a) re-establish Housing Revenue Accounts and (b) become the direct provider of new council homes.
Answer: If a local authority has over 199 social and affordable homes, it must open a Housing Revenue Account (HRA), and we invite any council that is considering this to engage with the Department. We know from our engagement with non-HRA holding councils, that ...
Answered 14 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33579More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Affordable Homes programme increases the availability of (a) social and (b) council housing in the next five years.
Answer: The 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, and new investment to succeed it, will increase the availability of social rented homes provided by private registered providers and local authorities over the next five years by allocating grant funding to support ...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: PalestiniansForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to oppose the potential (a) forcible transfer and (b) ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.
Answer: We oppose moving Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will. There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza strip. Palestinian civilians should be able to return to and rebuild...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: DisadvantagedDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of educational attainment of children living in temporary accommodation.
Answer: The department’s Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success, ensuring family security, providing the best start in life, with all children achieving and thriving and building skills for opportunity ...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFootball: TicketsDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the (a) Premier League and (b) English Football League on the cost of football tickets; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent t
Answer: Football is nothing without its fans and the Government is keen to see as many people as possible benefit from and enjoy the spectacle of live sport.The matter of ticket prices is a commercial decision for individual clubs and leagues to take. However, th...
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of the looting of aid trucks in areas of Gaza that are under Israeli military cont
Answer: We welcome reports that looting of aid deliveries in Gaza has reduced. This remains a concern, and we continue to work with partners to monitor this. Israel must now continue to work with partners to ensure law and order is maintained in Gaza so that safe...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: Young PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32207More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to create a dedicated Youth Chapter in its Homelessness Strategy to address the specific needs of young people facing homelessness.
Answer: Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. ...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTemporary Accommodation: Housing BenefitDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on uprating temporary accommodation subsidy rates.
Answer: We continue to keep the rates used for Housing Benefit subsidy under review and work closely with MHCLG and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping. The Government will prioritise the best way to achieve its mission and goals within...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrivate Rented Housing: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department will take to ensure local authorities are adequately resourced to improve standards in the private rented sector.
Answer: Through the Renters’ Rights Bill, the government is strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers and extending and increasing ring-fenced civil penalties to support a ‘polluter pays’ approach.In accordance with the New Burdens Doctrine, we will ens...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Planning overhaul to reach 1.5 million new homes, published on 12 December 2024, what assessment her Department has made
Answer: The government recognises the need to expand and upskill the construction workforce to meet our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of delivering 1.5 million homes in this Parliament.We are working with industry to boost skills and support employers. We h...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32065More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of capacity to build new social housing at (a) pace and (b) scale.
Answer: The government recognise that Registered Providers need support to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply.We have consulted on a new five-year social housing rent settlement, to give Registered Providers the cert...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: Rural AreasMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32064More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made on the potential impact of addressing rural homelessness on preventing those who experience homelessness travelling to urban areas to seek
Answer: Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. ...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: Departmental CoordinationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 32063More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24267 on Homelessness: Departmental Coordination, what assessment she has made of the merits of inviting DEFRA to the Depart
Answer: Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. ...
Answered 3 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrison Officers: VacanciesMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31154More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce prison officer vacancies in (a) public prisons and (b) prisons run by contractors.
Answer: We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain and build levels of experience, both of which are fundamental to delivering quality outcomes in prisons. As of December 2024, there are 23,062 Band 3-5 Prison officers i...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordLondon Northwestern RailwayDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31139More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has engaged with London Northwestern Railway on improving rail connectivity between Liverpool and the mid Cheshire town of Winsford.
Answer: No specific discussions have been held with London Northwestern on the subject of the adequacy of train services between Liverpool and Winsford. West Midlands Trains, who operate London Northwestern, keep train loadings under review and is expected to pro...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: LiverpoolDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31138More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of rail connectivity between Liverpool and the mid Cheshire town of Winsford.
Answer: No specific assessment has recently been made of the adequacy of train services between Liverpool and Winsford. West Midlands Trains, who operate London North-Western Railway, keeps train loadings under review and is expected to adjust train lengths where...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordLife Sciences: MerseysideDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31137More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether funding made available for the AstraZeneca vaccine project in Liverpool will remain available for other life science projects in the Liverpool City region.
Answer: The Government supports the vibrant life sciences sector, which contributes £108 billion to the economy and 300,000 jobs nationwide. A new Life Sciences Sector Plan, part of the upcoming Industrial Strategy, is due to be published in late Spring. This wil...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Based Violence and Technology: ResearchDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31136More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for research into the role of technology in gender based violence.
Answer: The government is working with Ofcom, the independent online safety regulator, to implement the Online Safety Act. The Act requires platforms to proactively tackle illegal content and content harmful to children, much of which disproportionately affects w...
Answered 28 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordIntimate Image Abuse: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31135More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect (a) women and (b) girls from deepfake pornography.
Answer: Online safety is a priority for government. Services in scope of the Online Safety Act must remove illegal content and protect children from harmful content - including when this content is AI-generated. Services providing pornographic content must use hi...
Answered 27 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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