Simon Opher MP: written questions
340 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Transport: Bristol and StroudDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve transport links between Bristol and Stroud.
Answer: Funding has been allocated to local authorities to improve bus services in the regions, which includes £8 million of funding for Gloucestershire County Council. Rail journeys between Bristol and Stroud require passengers to change at Gloucester or Swindo...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordBoarding Schools: GuardianshipDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58295More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the provision of (a) clear and (b) consistent statutory guidance on educational guardianship.
Answer: All independent and state boarding schools must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance and must meet the national minimum standards for boarding schools. Section 22 of those standards sets out the requirements of schools in relat...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Meals: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 9 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58294More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered including water-only policies in updated school food standards.
Answer: The department is engaging with stakeholders on revising the school food standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history. Schedule 1 of the school food standards outlines the permitted drinks. These in...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Radiation ExposureMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a compensation scheme for veterans who have experienced ill health as a result of exposure to radiation while on active service.
Answer: Veterans, including those who may have been exposed to radiation while on active service, who believe they have suffered ill health due to Service already have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme or the Armed Forces ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Radiation ExposureMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help support (a) veterans and (b) their families who have experienced ill health as a result of exposure to radiation while on active service.
Answer: This Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK's security. Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill health...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: EmploymentHome OfficeTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56395More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 8506 on Asylum: Employment, whether she plans to reduce the waiting time from 12 to six months for asylum seekers to apply for permission to work.
Answer: The Home Office’s priority remains to ensure that employers and employees who play by the rules are not undercut by people working illegally, or by unscrupulous employers exploiting their labour.We have repeatedly resisted calls to relax our policy positi...
Answered 5 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: SewageDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49473More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce environmental pollution caused by the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural land.
Answer: The Government recognises that wastewater treatment practices have changed in recent years and new risks may be emerging from the spread of treated sewage sludge to agricultural land. The Government has been working with water companies on the Chemical In...
Answered 9 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCompanies: DirectorsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49078More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of amending Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to ensure company directors’ align the interests of (a) people and (b) planet with prof
Answer: Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard to the interests of the company’s employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Since 2019, directors of large companies have b...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCompanies: DirectorsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49077More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that company directors align the interests of (a) workers, (b) the environment and (c) wider society with shareholder returns.
Answer: Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard to the interests of the company’s employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Since 2019, directors of large companies have b...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48583More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of self-care on demand on NHS services; and whether this will be reflected in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Answer: Support for self-care is an essential service that all pharmacies must provide, and can include provision of advice, information, and where appropriate, the sale of over-the counter-medicines to patients, carers, and the general public, to support their s...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNigeria: ChristianityForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48196More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Nigeria on support for Christians that country.
Answer: The UK Government regularly advocates for the protections of all vulnerable communities, including religious minorities, through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as raising Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) bilaterally wit...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPost OfficeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48195More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his planned timetable is for consulting on the long term future of the Post Office.
Answer: We will publish a Green Paper later this year which will set out proposals for discussion on the future direction of the Post Office.
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSoil: CurriculumDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to incorporate soil health education into the National Curriculum.
Answer: The national curriculum provides a broad framework within which schools have the flexibility to develop the content of their own curricula. Soil health can be taught within both the geography and science curricula.The government has established an indepen...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSoil: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to implement a national soil health monitoring programme.
Answer: Yes, national soil monitoring began in October 2023 under the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme. This 5-year survey will deliver a baseline of soil health in England, with Analysis Ready Data from earlier years of the sample being release...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGame: Gun SportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45968More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ban the use of lead shot and large calibre bullets for game shooting.
Answer: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has formed a final Opinion on their restriction proposal, including for live quarry shooting, informed by information from public consultations as well as independent scientific advice. Now Defra has received HSE’s fi...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEnterprise Investment SchemeTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45967More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the Enterprise Investment Scheme tax relief to people investing in community assets that are leased and operated by community groups
Answer: The venture capital schemes, including the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), are intended to incentivise investment into early-stage, higher-risk companies that are seeking to make profit, and to grow and develop their businesses. To ensure that the sch...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNeurodiversity: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45966More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the neurodiverse assessment waiting list.
Answer: Lord Darzi’s independent review of the National Health Service, published September 2024, highlighted the severe delays in accessing autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, and that demand for assessments for ADHD and autis...
Answered 24 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPlastics: TreatiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44621More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) a Minister from his Department plans to attend the next round of negotiations on the UN Global Plastics Treaty in Geneva.
Answer: The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution is scheduled to take place from 5 to 14 August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. As with previous ne...
Answered 24 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit and Pension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43605More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which body will administer the proposed merged housing and pension credit.
Answer: The Department is committed to delivering the Government’s goal of bringing together the administration of pensioner Housing Benefit and Pension Credit for new claimants from 2026, so that pensioners receive the support they are entitled to.We are working...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPensioners: Housing BenefitDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43599More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in receipt of Housing Benefit are not claiming Pension Credit.
Answer: Using the latest published benefit combinations statistics from Stat-Xplore, out of the 1.24m benefit claimants of state pension age in Great Britain receiving Housing Benefit in August 2024, 448,500 were not in receipt of Pension Credit. A DWP benefit cl...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Benefit and Pension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on merging pension credit and housing benefit.
Answer: The Department is committed to delivering the Government’s goal of bringing together the administration of pensioner Housing Benefit and Pension Credit for new claimants from 2026, so that pensioners receive the support they are entitled to.We are working...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: EducationForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42783More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the United Nations report entitled Report on the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, published in January 2023, what assessment his Department has made of t
Answer: Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which conside...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: EducationForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42782More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuation of funding for education initiatives through ODA.
Answer: Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which conside...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordRespiratory Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42733More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with lung conditions.
Answer: In collaboration with a number of partners, the National Health Service has developed a package for local systems containing the information and support required to help increase the number of people receiving an early and accurate diagnosis for respirato...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFish FarmingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42732More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will strengthen legal protections for farmed fish.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire, Ellie Chowns, on 6 March 2025, PQ 34489.
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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