Rebecca Smith MP: written questions
72 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Gender 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 recordBiofuels: Electricity GenerationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 5 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to publish a response to the consultation entitled Transitional support mechanism for large-scale biomass electricity generators, published on 18 January 2024.
Answer: Yes, the Government plans to publish a response to the consultation in due course.
Answered 13 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCrime: Rural AreasHome OfficeTabled 4 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12611More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that victims of rural crime in areas with poor (a) phone and (b) internet coverage are able to report those crimes promptly.
Answer: This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of rural crime, with the introduction of stronger powers for the police to tackle antisocial behaviour, and action to tackle farm theft and fly-tipping.We are...
Answered 12 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordOlder People's Housing TaskforceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12221More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the report of the Older People's Housing Taskforce.
Answer: The Government will provide an update in relation to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report in due course.
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEquipment: TheftHome OfficeTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12189More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her timetable is for bringing forward the secondary legislation under the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to define the minimum standards for (a) immobilisers and (b) forensic markings requ
Answer: We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which aims to prevent the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.The necessary secondary legislation to implement the Act will ...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance ServiceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Child Maintenance Service on the mental health of paying parents.
Answer: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use it. We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separati...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordFuels: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9871More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will freeze fuel duty for heavy goods vehicles and coaches.
Answer: Revenue from motoring taxes and associated VAT ensures that the Government can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect. Following the spending audit, the Chancellor has been clear that di...
Answered 25 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBuilding Digital UKDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9863More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to ensure that BDUK provide maps at a parish level for their local plans.
Answer: Building Digital UK (BDUK) is currently considering the most appropriate options for publishing more detailed information about the delivery of Project Gigabit at a local level, noting that this is subject to change throughout the lifetime of the programm...
Answered 25 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPrescriptionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending prescribing rights to (a) dieticians, (b) occupational therapists, (c) prosthetists and orthotists, (d) diagnostic rad
Answer: The Department works with NHS England to ensure that the prescribing responsibilities for all Allied Health Professionals are regularly reviewed and updated. Where it is deemed clinically appropriate and necessary to extend prescribing responsibilities to...
Answered 21 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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