Victoria Collins MP: written questions
786 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Press: PrivacyDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73134More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of press regulation in preventing press intrusion.
Answer: Our aim as a Government is ensuring the balance is right between press freedom and instances of intrusion. The government recognises that for victims and their families, incidents of undue attention and harassment from the media cause significant distress...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordInfant Foods: RegulationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73031More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to update regulations on the (a) composition, (b) marketing and (c) labelling of commercial (i) infant and (ii) toddler foods.
Answer: Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influence many aspects of wellbeing in later life. The Government has published voluntary industry baby food guidelines as part of our comprehensive strategy to gi...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChildcareDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on local planning policies supporting the expansion of early years provision through the (a) protection
Answer: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change. In 2025/26 alone, we plan to provide over £8 ...
Answered 9 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73028More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing draft duty relief for (a) consumers, (b) pubs and (c) breweries in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: The Chancellor’s draught rate cut at Autumn Budget 2024 applied to approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint at a cost to the Exchequer of over £85m a year. Draught beer and cider now pa...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCarers: DisabilityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a national safeguarding review into the protection of disabled dependents when their sole carer is incapacitated.
Answer: Any form of abuse or neglect is unacceptable, and the Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a statutory duty to make enquiries about safeguarding concerns and supp...
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPostural Tachycardia Syndrome: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73024More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide support for people with postural tachycardia syndrome in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: Improving health outcomes for everyone living with a long-term condition, including postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), is a key part of the Government's mission to build an NHS fit for the future.People with PoTS can access a variety of NHS services, w...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness: TrainingDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support businesses to invest in skills and training in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: The department’s Industrial Strategy outlines key interventions to boost employer engagement with the skills system. These include: Shorter and foundation apprenticeships in priority sectors.New short courses in England, funded by the growth and skills le...
Answered 24 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Technology: Harpenden and BerkhamstedDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support businesses to take up digital technologies in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: The Hertfordshire Growth Hub provides businesses in Harpenden and Berkhamsted with support and advice on adopting digital technology. More widely, the industry-led SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will soon publish its final recommendations on how Governmen...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68571More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure mobile network operators cannot invoke the all reasonable efforts clause to avoid penalties under the Shared Rural Network agreement in (a)
Answer: The Shared Rural Network programme is underpinned by licence obligations enforced by Ofcom. Under the licences, the mobile network operators can only invoke the reasonable endeavours clauses under specific circumstances, by providing evidence to Ofcom, an...
Answered 25 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Coastal Areas and Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68570More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 59177 on Broadband: Coastal Areas and Rural Areas, whether the reported 95 percent coverage achieved by the Shared Rural Network will
Answer: The previously agreed coverage thresholds for the Shared Rural Network were designed to reflect the level of service required to make calls and access online services in areas that previously had little to no service. This remains the baseline for the pro...
Answered 25 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: UniformsDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68569More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with schools on the potential impact of branded school uniform policies on families; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools comply with the statut
Answer: Whilst many schools are taking action to reduce costs, too many families tell us that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. The department’s research shows that the average cost of uniform is significantly lower when parents can buy items...
Answered 25 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDefibrillators: Emergency ServicesHome OfficeTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68568More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of increasing the proportion of (a) police, (b) fire and (c) other emergency service vehicles that are fitted with defibril
Answer: The Department for Health and Social Care has confirmed that all ambulances carry defibrillators. Provision of defibrillators in police and fire vehicles is an operational matter for either the individual police force or fire and rescue service to determi...
Answered 24 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving: DefibrillatorsDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68567More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department make an assessment of amending (a) the Highway Code and (b) driving (i) theory and (ii) practical tests to ensure that all drivers are trained in the use of defibrillators.
Answer: The Highway Code currently contains information on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but not on the use of defibrillators. The Department for Transport regularly updates the Highway Code and ensures the information contained reflects the latest advice....
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHeart Diseases: DeathDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68566More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths as a result of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in (a) 2020, (b) 2021, (c) 2022, (d) 2023 and (e) 2024.
Answer: NHS England has published the national service specification Inherited Cardiac Conditions (All Ages), that covers patients who often present as young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease and families requiring follow up due to a death from t...
Answered 5 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: HertfordshireDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68565More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps his Department has taken to consult with rural community-owned businesses in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire in the development of its planned small b
Answer: This Government is committed to embedding the voice of small business into policy. The Department for Business and Trade has engaged with hundreds of individual SMEs across all sectors and regions as part of co-designing our SME Strategy. This has include...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: DefibrillatorsDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68564More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it a mandatory requirement to fit defibrillators in every newly manufactured car.
Answer: The Government has no current plans to legislate to make it a mandatory requirement to fit defibrillators in every newly manufactured car.
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEquitable Life Assurance Society: CompensationTreasuryTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68563More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered appointing an Independent Commissioner to review unresolved concerns from former Equitable Life policyholders on the (a) methodology and (b) distribution of compensation under t
Answer: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016 and there are no plans to reopen any decisions relating to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidanc...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordUrban Areas: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68562More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to issue a formal definition of a Large Built-Up Area for the purposes of planning decisions.
Answer: Local planning authorities (LPAs) must necessarily exercise judgement to interpret and apply national planning policy to their particular local circumstances. The government published revised Green Belt guidance on 27 February 2025, to help LPAs review th...
Answered 24 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCounty Courts: Harpenden and BerkhamstedMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68561More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,what the backlog in County Court cases is in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, and what steps her Department is taking to tackle it.
Answer: It is not possible to measure ‘backlog’ within the County Courts due to the nature of Civil claims with many claims settling between parties. The pace of such cases is very often determined by the choices and behaviour of the parties.Our focus across Hert...
Answered 25 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68560More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with his European counterparts on cooperation on aircraft development.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence has continuous discussions with several European counterparts related to common platforms, such as A400M and Typhoon, and future capabilities. This includes continuous engagement with Italy as part of the delivery of our joint Glob...
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Based Violence: Harpenden and BerkhamstedMinistry of JusticeTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65448More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to support victims of violence against women through the criminal justice system in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answer: This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we have already taken steps to support victims through the criminal justice system, including in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.The ...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSecurity Action for EuropeMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65447More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on UK access to the Security Action for Europe fund.
Answer: We welcome all European efforts to increase defence spending and provide the critical capability uplift needed by Europe, including through the EU’s European Defence Readiness / ReArm initiatives and the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument. SAFE ...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordNeurological Diseases: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65446More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training is provided to NHS continuing healthcare assessors on health needs associated with (a) progressive supranuclear palsy and (b) corticobasal degeneration.
Answer: The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care sets out the process for determining eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). This statutory guidance is clear that the assessment process should include someone with...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRoad works: InfrastructureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65445More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on the (a) siting and (b) appearance of statutory undertaker infrastructure on highway land; and whether she plans to ensure that (i) l
Answer: My Department has not issued any such guidance. The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPermitted Development RightsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65444More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to review the scope of permitted development rights for above-ground utility infrastructure in residential areas; and if she will make an assessment
Answer: My Department has not issued any such guidance. The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament record
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