Steve Witherden MP: written questions
67 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Private Rented Housing: WalesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on their decision not to legislate to end no-fault evictions for private rented sector tenants in Wales; and what assessmen
Answer: The Department has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders during the development of our reforms to the private rented sector, and we have sought to learn from the experience of the devolved nations. However, housing within Wales, Scotland and Northern ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSecurity of Tenure: WalesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44811More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the potential difference of security of tenure that will exist between England and Wales following the passage of the Re
Answer: The Department has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders during the development of our reforms to the private rented sector, and we have sought to learn from the experience of the devolved nations. However, housing within Wales, Scotland and Northern ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHomelessness: WalesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44810More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the potential impact of the spare room subsidy on homelessness in Wales.
Answer: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Welsh Government specifically about the Removal Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) and homelessness in Wales. Housing is devolved to the Welsh Government and social security is reserved to the UK Government. ...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Housing Allowance: WalesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44809More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not uprating local housing allowance rates on homelessness in Wales.
Answer: The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex, they interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. Responsibility for housing and homelessness is devolved to the Welsh Government, w...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43638More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of the Daily Living Element of Personal Independence Payment do not score more than four points in any of the daily living activities, by subcategory of psychiatric disorder.
Answer: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43636More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of the Daily Living Element of Personal Independence Payment do not score more than four points in any of the daily living activities, by category of disability.
Answer: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of the Daily Living Element of Personal Independence Payment do not score more than four points in any of the daily living activities (a) in total and (b) by category of disab
Answer: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCooperativesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of working with co-operative movements (a) in the UK and (b) globally.
Answer: The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives have made in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFund for International Co-operative DevelopmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43286More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting the Fund for International Co-operative Development.
Answer: The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives have made in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGround RentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of outlawing ground rents.
Answer: The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Disability and Visual ImpairmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43263More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support employers to employ more (a) people with sight loss and (b) disabled people.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with sight loss, with their employment journey. The Disability Confident Scheme ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43262More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department will determine which claimants will be exempt from the new baseline expectation of engagement or work-related requirements once the Work Capability Assessment is scrapped.
Answer: We recognise that some people may not be able to engage with new baseline expectations. We are consulting on how we should determine who should be subject to attend meetings only rather than also have wider conditionality requirements, and how we should d...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHumanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43261More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure humanitarian funding for (a) conflict-affected and (b) climate-vulnerable regions following the planned reduction of Official De
Answer: Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through following the Spending Review and through resource allocation processes. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is focused on ensuri...
Answered 28 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41752More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's Pathways to Work Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what estimate her Department has made of the number of disabled people who will lose access to PIP following
Answer: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Bri...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPathways to Work: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41751More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of th
Answer: The Department published a Policy Rationales Impact report “Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impact” alongside the Spring Statement on 26 March 2025. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in t...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPathways to Work: Public ConsultationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41750More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to meet disabled people to discuss the proposals set out in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 26 March 20
Answer: We have set out proposals to reform the health and disability benefits proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March 2025. A full 12-week consultation will begin from the point all accessible versions are published on GOV.UK. We woul...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHate Crime: Transgender PeopleHome OfficeTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36270More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to help tackle hate crimes against trans people in England and Wales.
Answer: All hate crimes, including those targeting the LGBT+ community, are completely unacceptable. This Government is determined to tackle these appalling crimes, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these offences.We have ...
Answered 14 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHate Crime: LGBT+ PeopleHome OfficeTabled 6 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to make anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes an aggravated offence.
Answer: All hate crimes, including those targeting the LGBT+ community, are completely unacceptable. This Government is determined to tackle these appalling crimes, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these offences.We have ...
Answered 13 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCountryside: AccessDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to publish an (a) Green Paper and (b) public consultation on access to nature; and what steps he has taken to improve people's access to nature.
Answer: We are currently developing policy to improve access to nature, working closely with other Government departments and key stakeholders, and further information will be available in due course. In addition, we are already delivering key initiatives aimed a...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: PalestiniansForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30305More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on its international obligations on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in th
Answer: The UK remains opposed to anti-United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Knesset legislation which came into force on 30 January, and unequivocally rejects attempts to undermine or degrade UNRWA. UNRWA plays a v...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: HorsesDepartment for TransportTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) awareness and (b) compliance with Rule 215 of The Highway Code.
Answer: The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. The THINK! Campaign plays an important role in raising awareness of, and encouraging compliance with, new road safety le...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFirearms: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29996More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department increased firearms license fees for option (a) one, (b) two and (c) three.
Answer: On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.A full impact assessment was published alongsi...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFirearms: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the money raised from increasing firearms license fees will be spent on improving the appraisal process.
Answer: On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.A full impact assessment was published alongsi...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFirearms: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing firearms license fees on (a) farmers and (b) rural communities.
Answer: On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.A full impact assessment was published alongsi...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: UNRWAForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28745More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Israeli legislation on UNRWA on UK government funding.
Answer: The UK has committed £41 million for UNRWA this financial year, to deliver essential services for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and to Palestinian refugees across the region. This funding has now been released to United Nations Relief...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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