Victoria Collins MP: written questions
786 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Hospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure adequate financial support for the full range of specialist palliative care services provided by hospices.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs, including the NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, which covers the Harpe...
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that hospice contracts reflect the (a) cost of the services they provide and (b) needs of the local population in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs, including the NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, which covers the Harpe...
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTax AvoidanceTreasuryTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85542More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason HMRC has treated the (a) Palmrock and (b) Horizon loan schemes differently in relation to the application of PAYE credits.
Answer: As a minister I cannot comment on any individual or identifiable businesses and their tax affairs. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should always treat taxpayers sensitively and fairly in accordance with the HMRC Charter. To ensure fairness, HMRC applies the...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTax AvoidanceTreasuryTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85541More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure that HMRC issues closure notices showing no adjustment to tax returns for users of the Horizon loan scheme.
Answer: As a minister I cannot comment on any individual or identifiable businesses and their tax affairs. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should always treat taxpayers sensitively and fairly in accordance with the HMRC Charter. To ensure fairness, HMRC applies the...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Children's PlayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the availability of health play (a) services and (b) professionals for children.
Answer: The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever, which includes ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.In support of this commitment, NHS England and Starlight, a national ch...
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: Mobile PhonesDepartment for EducationTabled 27 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 85539More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to review her Department's guidance entitled Mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024.
Answer: The department’s guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.We expect all sch...
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPostural Orthostatic Tachycardia SyndromeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84865More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome training in junior doctor specialty training programmes.
Answer: No discussions have been held. The curricula for postgraduate training are set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual royal colleges and faculties for specialty training. The General Medical Council approves cu...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPostural Tachycardia Syndrome: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84864More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome have access to (a) specialist (i) clinicians, (ii) nurses, (iii) physiotherapists, (iv) oc
Answer: Services for people with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to provide a health service to the local population, subject to local prioritisation and funding,...
Answered 10 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: Children's PlayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle ensure that children have access to health play services in (a) children's hospitals and (b) children's wards in district general hospitals.
Answer: The Department recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings, because games and active play in all settings build social skills and promote children’s well-being.To support this, in June 2025 NHS E...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCompanies: RegistrationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 23 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps Companies House is taking to support (a) micro companies and (b) residents’ management companies with volunteer directors to complete its identity verification before 18 November 2025.
Answer: Companies House is continuing to develop alternative options that will offer more support to individuals who are unable to verify their identities through the available routes. Further guidance will be issued. In the meantime, Companies House is ensuring ...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: Mobile PhonesDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with Esther Ghey to discuss her campaign for a statutory ban on mobile phones in schools.
Answer: Mobile phones have no place in school.Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lun...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCompanies: RegistrationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 23 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84854More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of Companies House identity verifications have used (a) assisted and (b) non-digital routes since 1 April 2025; and what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the access
Answer: The specific data is not available. Companies House has recruited significant resource and expanded and trained our customer service team to assist users in the identity verification journey. They are also establishing a specialist team to support custome...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPedestrian Areas: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82500More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding her Department is providing to local authorities to improve the (a) quality and (b) accessibility of pavements for (i) wheelchair users, (ii) people with mobility impairments and (iii) other people
Answer: The Department provides a range of funding streams to local authorities that can be used to improve the quality and accessibility of pavements for wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, and other pedestrians. In 2025/26, local authorities wil...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHeating: Fuel OilDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82499More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) rural and (b) off-grid households that use heating oil in the context of the Warm Homes Plan; and what assessment she has made of the p
Answer: For most off-grid properties, decarbonising heat will involve installing a heat pump. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants offer £7,500 for heat pumps, and £5,000 for biomass boilers in specific rural cases. The government recognises that renewable liquid fue...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordLandfill TaxTreasuryTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82498More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to Landfill Tax on the (a) viability and (b) cost of (i) residential housebuilding and (ii) major infrastructure projects.
Answer: The Government recently consulted on proposals for reform of Landfill Tax to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support our environmental goals. As part of the consultation, the Government has...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education and Schools: SurveysDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82497More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) pupil and (b) parent survey data is used effectively to assess the inclusivity of (i) schools and (ii) early years settings.
Answer: This government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools to break down barriers to education, alongside ensuring that special schools are able to support children with the most complex needs. The Expert Advisory Group for ...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordNurseries and Schools: SurveysDepartment for EducationTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82496More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to require (a) schools and (b) nurseries to publish information on how they respond to feedback from (i) pupils and (ii) parents in inclusion-related surveys.
Answer: This government is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools to break down barriers to education, alongside ensuring that special schools are able to support children with the most complex needs. The Expert Advisory Group for ...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain Cancer: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82495More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad includes clinical trials for brain cancer.
Answer: The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. The CVLP has been instrumental in accelerating tria...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain Cancer: Medical TreatmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82494More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, (b) NHS England, (c) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, (d) the National Institu
Answer: The Department recognises that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and the significant impact that rarer forms of cancer can have on patients, carers, and their families. That is w...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: Disclosure of InformationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the steps taken by NHS England to ensure (a) transparency when maternal and neonatal care goes wrong and (b) that bereaved parents receive
Answer: In June 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced measures to hold National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to greater account and improve transparency. This included the introduction of a new early warning system, p...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: SafetyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to renew the National Maternity Safety Ambition at the end of 2025.
Answer: Our commitment to set an explicit target to close the black and Asian maternal mortality gaps has not wavered. Addressing the shocking inequalities that exist across maternity and neonatal services is fundamental to ensuring that all women and babies rece...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMaternity Services: SafetyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will consider adopting new National Maternity Safety Ambitions to eliminate inequalities in maternal and neonatal outcomes based on ethnicity and deprivation.
Answer: Our commitment to set an explicit target to close the black and Asian maternal mortality gaps has not wavered. Addressing the shocking inequalities that exist across maternity and neonatal services is fundamental to ensuring that all women and babies rece...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: DefibrillatorsDepartment for TransportTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81625More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) taxis, (b) buses, (c) hire cars and (d) other vehicles used for (i) public and (ii) quasi-public purposes to carry automate
Answer: The Department has not assessed mandating these vehicles to carry defibrillators. In England outside London, commercial bus operators provide the majority of bus services and have responsibility for managing their fleets. Any decision on whether to fit bu...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMiscarriageDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80322More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to establish routine data collection on miscarriages.
Answer: An update to digital record standards on maternity means that the National Health Service is now able to record the pregnancy outcome for any woman, including miscarriage, where they have been in contact with NHS maternity services.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordInfant MortalityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80321More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of neonatal death rates in (a) the UK and (b) other European countries in the last ten years.
Answer: The United Kingdom neonatal mortality rate for babies after at least 24 weeks of pregnancy decreased between 2013 and 2020, before rising in 2021 and 2022 and falling slightly in 2023.This is similar to the trend across Europe, where rates generally decre...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →