Rebecca Smith MP: written questions
280 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Farmers: Government AssistanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers who are not registered to the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.
Answer: This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a two-year period. Following the announcement that Defra has closed SFI for the submi...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAirports: Nitrogen DioxideDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37935More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of airport expansion on meeting targets under the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions.
Answer: My Department seeks to minimise the impact of aviation on people’s health and wellbeing, in the context of other government priorities. My officials are in regular contact on this issue with other government departments and their agencies, including the D...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAirports: ConstructionDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of airport expansion on meeting targets under the Air Quality Standards Regulation
Answer: My Department seeks to minimise the impact of aviation on people’s health and wellbeing, in the context of other government priorities. My officials are in regular contact on this issue with other government departments and their agencies, including the D...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPhysics: EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37097More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to replace the funding of the Stimulating Physics Network.
Answer: This government has inherited significant pressures on public finances and difficult decisions must be made on how money is spent right across the public sector to ensure we deliver on our priorities. Despite these challenges, the department continues to ...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: BusinessDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 903168More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of energy costs on businesses.
Answer: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy with...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPornography: InternetDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36297More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans he has to strengthen the regulation of online pornography platforms hosting violent and extreme content.
Answer: From 17 March 2025 services in scope of the Online Safety Act must take action to tackle illegal pornographic content. Publishers of pornography online also have a duty to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing pornographic ...
Answered 14 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSupported Housing: Housing BenefitDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33780More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of naming supported lodgings as specified accommodation under housing benefit regulations.
Answer: No such assessment is planned.
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support developers to comply with biodiversity net gain policy for large housing developments when credits (a) are and (b) are not available.
Answer: The Government has published extensive guidance on biodiversity net gain (BNG), alongside the statutory biodiversity metric tool, which supports developers in calculating the biodiversity value of their developments. Defra are also funding the Planning Ad...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Based ViolenceHome OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30439More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on expediting and expanding the Online Safety Act 2023 to tackle violence against women and girls.
Answer: The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes ...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: MayorsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what guidance she plans to issue to combined authority mayors on ensuring (a) clear accountability for the implementation of
Answer: The English Devolution Accountability Framework and Scrutiny Protocol set out the accountability requirements for all Combined Authorities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s English Devolution White Paper set out the government’s...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: MayorsDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30293More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's White Paper, English Devolution, published on 16 December 2024, when she will publish guidance on the (a) powers and (b) implementation accountability of Metro Mayors on trans
Answer: The English Devolution Accountability Framework and Scrutiny Protocol set out the accountability requirements for all Combined Authorities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s English Devolution White Paper set out the government’...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: Property DevelopmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to reduce the time taken for planning applications to commence for developments for which biodiversity net gain credits are required.
Answer: Biodiversity net gain is a post-permission matter, meaning a Biodiversity gain plan needs to be submitted and approved once planning permission has been granted and before the commencement of development.
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: DevonDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of available sites for biodiversity net gain credits in south west Devon.
Answer: Biodiversity net gain is a post-permission matter, meaning a Biodiversity gain plan needs to be submitted and approved once planning permission has been granted and before the commencement of development.
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBanks: Postal ServicesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28854More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is taking steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to enable banking hubs to offer postal services.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade continues to engage with His Majesty's Treasury on the Government’s commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs. Banking hubs are a voluntary service which were developed by the financial services sector to protect access...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Based Violence: Young Futures HubsHome OfficeTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28419More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has has made of the potential impact of (a) Young Futures Hubs and (b) Young Futures Prevention Partnerships on tackling violence against women and girls.
Answer: The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening altogether.This focus on prevention also sits at the heart of the Y...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Based Violence: Youth ServicesHome OfficeTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28418More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of youth services on (a) preventing and (b) tackling violence against women and girls.
Answer: The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening all together.The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy w...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordCycling: DisabilityDepartment for TransportTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25109More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report by Sustrans entitled The Cycling Opportunity, published on 11 September 2024, what steps she is taking to improve access to cycles for disabled people.
Answer: The Government agrees that everyone, including disabled people, should be able to make the most of the health and wellbeing benefits which cycling can bring. The Government has announced an additional £100 million of capital investment in cycling and walk...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDementia: PatientsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the dementia diagnosis rate was for people aged under 65 who had developed symptoms on 13 January 2025; and if he will publish a monthly estimate of this rate within national primary care deme
Answer: The dementia diagnosis rate is not calculated for patients aged under 65 years old. This is because the numbers of patients known to have dementia in the sample population age groups comprising the zero- to 64-year-old age range is not large enough for re...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: Armed Forces Compensation SchemeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20884More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of disregarding payments from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme when calculating eligibility for Pension Credit.
Answer: I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 18 November 2024 to question UIN 14156.
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordLiver Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19569More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve liver cancer surveillance among higher risk patients with chronic hepatitis B (a) nationally and (b) within Devon Integrated Care System.
Answer: The National Health Service Cancer Programme is working to detect more hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) at an early stage when the chances of survival are higher. Six-monthly liver ultrasound surveillance for patients with cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis is...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHepatitis: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19568More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve earlier diagnosis of hepatitis B (a) nationally and (b) within Devon Integrated Care System.
Answer: Hepatitis B is usually asymptomatic in the early years, and therefore, many people remain unaware of their infection. The UK Health Security Agency estimates that 268,767 people were living with chronic hepatitis B in England in 2022, 38.1% of whom we est...
Answered 23 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14900More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the recommendations in the report entitled Homes for All published by the Church of England and
Answer: As part of the process of developing and implementing housing and planning policy, the government engages with a wide range experts and organisations. Our plans to tackle the housing crisis, including by building 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament a...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEpilepsy: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13699More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle shortages of epilepsy medication.
Answer: The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve the intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, some issues, including wi...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 901149More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of farms that will be affected by changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief.
Answer: The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms, and further explanatory informatio...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: FinanceTreasuryTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13080More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to (a) agricultural property relief and (b) business property relief on the finances of farms of 215 acres in size.
Answer: The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms, and further explanatory informatio...
Answered 15 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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