Rachael Maskell MP: written questions
708 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Gaza: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on establishing field hospitals in Gaza.
Answer: Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink following Israel's expanded military operations. It is appalling that nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We recently announced a £7.5 million p...
Answered 6 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66547More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide clean (a) medical and (b) surgical equipment in Gaza.
Answer: Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink following Israel's expanded military operations. It is appalling that nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We recently announced a £7.5 million p...
Answered 6 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordSudan: Conflict ResolutionForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help de-escalate the conflict in Sudan.
Answer: We are engaging with a range of international partners to coordinate action on de-escalation of the conflict in Sudan, including through our role as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council. The UK has shown clear leadership on Sudan, including the L...
Answered 6 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordAdoption: Advisory ServicesDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an Adoptee Reference Group to provide guidance to the Department on adoption policy.
Answer: I regularly meet with representatives from the adoption sector including Adoption England, Adoption UK and Coram amongst others to discuss a range of issues. I hosted an adoption roundtable sector meeting on 21 May with a number of key representatives to ...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAdoption: Advisory ServicesDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66544More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an Adoption Advisory Board of sector experts to advise the Minister for Children and Families on adoption policy.
Answer: I regularly meet with representatives from the adoption sector including Adoption England, Adoption UK and Coram amongst others to discuss a range of issues. I hosted an adoption roundtable sector meeting on 21 May with a number of key representatives to ...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAdoptionDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of adoption disruptions in the last year; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce these.
Answer: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for York Central to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 37457.
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAdoptionDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she had made of the potential barriers to opportunity for adopted (a) children and (b) young people; and what steps her Department has taken to help tackle these in the last year.
Answer: The department recognises that many adopted children have experienced trauma and neglect. As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are working to remove barriers to opportunity for all children, including those who are adopted.To support adopted ch...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEquality: Impact AssessmentsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 66541More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will place in the Library a copy of the Equalities Impact Assessment.
Answer: The equalities impact assessment for the adoption and special guardianship support fund will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses shortly.
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRenewable Energy: Job CreationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62979More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of jobs in the renewable energy sector.
Answer: Meeting the UK’s Clean Energy Superpower Mission and delivering Clean Power by 2030 are vital to enhancing our economic and energy security whilst driving economic growth across the country. This transition will create tens of thousands of opportunities a...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordIran: JewsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61794More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to engage with his Iranian counterparts on the status of the Jewish community in Iran; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the prote
Answer: Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK. Religious minorities, including the Jewish community, suffer discrimination in law and practice, including in access to education, employment, child adoption, political office and pl...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment Schemes: Unpaid WorkDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60530More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to take steps to ensure that work-trial schemes allow people to return to previous levels of social security if they are not successful.
Answer: The DWP Work Trial scheme is one of several DWP initiatives that support jobseekers into sustainable work. Allowing some jobseekers who have successfully applied for a job, to do that job for a short unpaid period, whilst retaining benefits. Specifically,...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCarer's AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60529More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ensure that people in receipt of Carers Allowance will to continue to receive that allowance if the person being cared for is no longer in receipt of social security support.
Answer: Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting people with long-term health conditions and disabilities, and this Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by all unpaid carers. Carer’s Allowance recognises this contribution and ref...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: ParentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60527More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support children of disabled people who have had PIP removed.
Answer: PIP provides a contribution to the extra costs an individual faces as a result of needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability. It is not an income replacement benefit.We have committed to introduce a new requirement that claimants must s...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60526More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support disabled people who (a) are too ill to work and (b) score less than 3 points under Pathways to Work.
Answer: We have committed to introduce a new requirement that claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of PIP. This will target PIP at people who have a higher level of funct...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUnemployment: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support will be available to disabled people that are unable to secure employment after the implementation of planned changes to Pathways to Work.
Answer: We are delivering the biggest investment in support for disabled people and those with health conditions in at least a generation – a total of £1.9bn over 4 years. Our Pathways to Work Guarantee will provide work, health and skills support for disabled pe...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment AidTreasuryTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60523More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal criteria she is using to determine when overseas development funding can be restored to previous levels.
Answer: To enable the government to invest more on security and defence, while remaining committed to our fiscal rules, the Prime Minister has taken the difficult decision to reduce Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the equivalent of 0.3% of GNI by 2027. T...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence and Diplomatic Relations: FinanceTreasuryTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60522More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment she has made of the adequacy of the amount of funding available for (a) diplomacy in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (b) defence in the Ministry of Defence.
Answer: Both the MOD and FCDO have recently had future budgets confirmed through Spending Review 25, where Government priorities are considered in the round. Whilst the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has seen ODA reductions, they have been fu...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordJudiciary: ConductMinistry of JusticeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60521More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will review the Guide to Judicial Conduct.
Answer: The Lord Chancellor and Lady Chief Justice have a joint responsibility for judicial discipline. However, to preserve judicial independence, the statutory responsibility for the guidance of the judiciary, including for setting the conduct standards for the...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordJudges: SafetyMinistry of JusticeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60520More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the safety of judges.
Answer: The Secretary of State for Justice regards judicial office holders' safety with great importance. This is a matter that the Ministry of Justice takes very seriously. There are a range of judicial security policies and procedures in place to protect judici...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: Violent and Sex Offender RegisterHome OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60519More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether groomed children have been placed on the sex offenders register.
Answer: Baroness Casey's Audit signalled concerns that victims of child sexual exploitation have been unjustly criminalised and treated as perpetrators for actions taken whilst under the coercion of groomers. As an immediate first step, we will legislate in the C...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: ConvictionsHome OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60518More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's response to Recommendation 3 of the report entitled National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published on 16 June 2025, what her planned ti
Answer: The Government has announced its intention to implement a disregard scheme for convictions and cautions issued to under 18s for the offence of persistently loitering or soliciting in a street or public place for the purpose of prostitution (Section 1 of S...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordOffences against ChildrenHome OfficeTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60517More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that children who experience child sexual abuse feel more confident (a) to report that abuse and (b) that all reports will be listened to and taken seriousl
Answer: Through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government is legislating to introduce a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse for those undertaking regulated activity with children in England.It will ensure that the words of children who are seeking help ...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxis: TrainingDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60516More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to ensure that all taxi drivers undertake safeguarding training.
Answer: The Department for Transport’s statutory guidance, published in 2020, to licensing authorities on how they should use their powers to protect children and vulnerable adults recommends that they should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to under...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxis: LicensingDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60515More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to ensure that only taxis regulated in a specific (a) combined authority or (b) local authority area will be able to pick up customers from that area.
Answer: The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – includi...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxis: LicensingDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60514More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 141 of the report entitled National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published on 16 June 2025, what steps she plans to take to close the loophole that enables ta
Answer: The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – includi...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →