Steve Darling MP: written questions
651 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Prisoner EscortsMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90431More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners has Serco failed to transport from (a) magistrates courts and (b) crown courts to prisons across the south of England in each of the last five years.
Answer: We have interpreted question 90429 to relate purely to individuals with a custodial sentence and not all convicted of an offence. In the last 5 years, there have been no failures by Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) suppliers to return or take a...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoner EscortsMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90430More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were not transported from (a) magistrates courts and (b) crown courts to prison in each of the last 5 years.
Answer: We have interpreted question 90429 to relate purely to individuals with a custodial sentence and not all convicted of an offence. In the last 5 years, there have been no failures by Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) suppliers to return or take a...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoner EscortsMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90429More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convicted criminals were not transported from Newton Abbott magistrates court to prison in the last five years.
Answer: We have interpreted question 90429 to relate purely to individuals with a custodial sentence and not all convicted of an offence. In the last 5 years, there have been no failures by Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) suppliers to return or take a...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTourism: South WestDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support the tourism industry in the South West.
Answer: DCMS works with the national tourism agency, VisitBritain, to champion visits to Britain to a worldwide audience. To drive more inbound visits across Britain, VisitBritain launched a global screen tourism campaign ‘’Starring Great Britain’’ in January 202...
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Care Services: EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88422More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of low-cost, unregulated online beauty courses on (a) public safety and (b) professional standards.
Answer: Nail and beauty salons are already required to comply with various legislation depending on the services they offer. This includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDisease Control: Personal Care ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88421More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) update the national (i) curriculum and (ii) accreditation frameworks for nail and beauty qualifications.
Answer: Nail and beauty salons are already required to comply with various legislation depending on the services they offer. This includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDisease Control: Personal Care ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88420More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) training and (b) accreditation for nail and beauty professionals reflect modern (i) hygiene and (ii) safety standards.
Answer: Nail and beauty salons are already required to comply with various legislation depending on the services they offer. This includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDisease Control: Personal Care ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88419More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered adopting (a) mandatory sterilisation equipment, (b) spot checks, (c) minimum qualification standards and (d) other international best practices for nail and be
Answer: Nail and beauty salons are already required to comply with various legislation depending on the services they offer. This includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDisease Control: Personal Care ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88418More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the regulation of nail and beauty salons in (a) the UK and (b) other European countries.
Answer: Nail and beauty salons are already required to comply with various legislation depending on the services they offer. This includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDisease Control: Personal Care ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88417More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered the introduction of (a) mandatory hygiene protocols and (b) licensing requirements for nail and beauty salons.
Answer: Nail and beauty salons are already required to comply with various legislation depending on the services they offer. This includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDisease Control: Personal Care ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88416More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor (a) cases of (i) parasitic infections and (ii) chemical sensitisation and (b) infection rates associated with poor hygiene practices in nail and beaut
Answer: Nail and beauty salons are already required to comply with various legislation depending on the services they offer. This includes the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other legislation such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBetter Care Fund: CarersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much Better Care Fund funding has been provided to each health and wellbeing board to support unpaid carers in each of the last three financial years.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from financial year 2026/27. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course. The reform will not im...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBetter Care Fund: CarersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87952More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evaluation commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Care Research on support for unpaid carers funded through the Better Care Fund undertaken in 2023-24.
Answer: The Department funds independent research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). This project is funded through the NIHR Policy Research Programme.The research undertaken in 2023/24 was a development ...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBetter Care Fund: CarersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87951More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the Better Care Fund will be spent on supporting unpaid family carers in the 2025-26 financial year; and how much was provided for (a) short breaks and (b) respite f
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from financial year 2026/27. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course. The reform will not im...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBetter Care Fund: CarersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87950More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the cost to the public purse of supporting unpaid carers in England through the Better Care Fund in each of the last three financial years.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from financial year 2026/27. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course. The reform will not im...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBetter Care Fund: ReformDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87949More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's plan Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, when he plans to publish more information about the intended reforms to the Better Care Fund.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and in the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from the 2026/27 financial year. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course.
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBetter Care Fund: ReformDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87948More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's plan Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, whether the plans to reform the Better Care Fund will impact on the level of funding intended to support
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from financial year 2026/27. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course. The reform will not im...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordResettlement: AfghanistanHome OfficeTabled 31 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 87123More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to expedite delayed biometric processing in Islamabad, Pakistan, for family members of people who assisted UK military operations in Afghanistan; and whether her
Answer: The Home Office does not hold this information.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPathways to WorkDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51603, if he will provide an update on when the Pathways to Work White Paper will be published.
Answer: We have already put in place the equivalent of over 1000 full-time Pathways to Work advisers across Britain to support disabled people into work. We have also launched the Timms Review to ensure PIP is fair and fit for the future and are increasing the nu...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85960More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider extending access to cardiac screening to people aged 14 to 35 who participate in sport.
Answer: In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all f...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82424 on Animal Experiments, which experiments does the alternative methods strategy include timelines for phasing out.
Answer: The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAmbulance ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85382More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Wait 45 policy on (a) ambulance release times and (b) levels of corridor care in hospitals.
Answer: The Department has not made a specific assessment. However, ambulance handover delays have improved since last year, and monthly average national handover times have been under 30 minutes since May 2025.As part of the preparations for winter, the Departme...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Technology: StandardsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84529More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what quality assurance is in place to ensure that when a licence is issued for small-scale digital deployment, the coverage delivered aligns with the planned coverage; and how her Depar
Answer: Localised networks, such as private mobile networks, are delivered by a wide range of providers to support connectivity for particular users, for example, for business and organisations in sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare. This is different fr...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordTelecommunications: South WestDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84528More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on ensuring that there is adequate telecommunications coverage across the South West region.
Answer: Ofcom publishes figures on mobile and fixed broadband coverage across the UK twice a year in their Connected Nations report. The full report for 2025 is expected to be published by the end of this year.Ofcom does not publish aggregate coverage figures at ...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFoster CareDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84503More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that independent fostering agencies receive adequate support to provide high-quality fostering services.
Answer: The department’s priority is to recruit and retain more foster carers so there is a choice of stable, loving foster homes for children in care.The government is committed to ensuring a fostering system that meets the needs of children and young people and...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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