Will Forster MP: written questions
417 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Social Security Benefits: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71821More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has considered the recommendation of the Children’s Commissioner’s report entitled Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences, published in July 2025, to introduce
Answer: The Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, is committed to listening to the voices of children and families and embed the voices of these families directly into their work. The Office of the Children’s Comm...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSouth Western Railway: OvercrowdingDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71759More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle overcrowding on the 18:00 South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to (a) Woking and (b) Portsmouth Harbour.
Answer: We are aware this service is the eighth busiest in the country. The Department are supporting South Western Railway (SWR) to reduce overcrowding. Once the new Arterio train fleet have been introduced on the SWR suburban network, SWR will have the opportun...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 28 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 905434More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support water security.
Answer: We are pushing ahead with reform under our Plan for Change, which includes £104 billion of water investment, cutting leaks by nearly 20% and building nine reservoirs Working with the National Drought Group, the Government is stepping up the response to th...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to extend smart ticketing.
Answer: The Government is delivering on its ambition to overhaul ticketing for passengers and get more people on the railway. We have committed to expanding Pay As You Go (PAYG) with contactless ticketing to further stations in the South East, with an additional ...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCybercrimeHome OfficeTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help protect British peoples' (a) assets and (b) other interests that are held abroad in the context of trends in the level of (i) cyber fraud and (ii) digital a
Answer: The Home Office works closely with international partners and law enforcement, including the National Crime Agency, to tackle the threat from cyber crime from abroad as well as at home to protect the UK and its interests. 70% of fraud has an overseas elem...
Answered 1 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordIran: British Nationals AbroadForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68929More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure the safety of British nationals in Iran and (b) provide safe routes for (i) those nationals and (ii) their families to retur
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overr...
Answered 6 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: AttendanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68928More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to schools to help support the administrative workload resulting from the attendance and penalty notice regulations introduced in August 2024.
Answer: The changes to the regulations governing the school attendance register simplify and consolidate what is recorded in the attendance register by schools, reducing their complexity and burden on schools.The changes to the penalty notice regulations aimed to...
Answered 12 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: AttendanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the changes to attendance and penalty notice regulations that came into effect on 19 August 2024 on school (a) staffing and (b) workload.
Answer: The changes to the regulations governing the school attendance register simplify and consolidate what is recorded in the attendance register by schools, reducing their complexity and burden on schools.The changes to the penalty notice regulations aimed to...
Answered 12 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing Revenue AccountsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is reviewing the rules of Housing Revenue Accounts to support local authorities to (a) safer and (b) more homes.
Answer: The government engages regularly with local authorities to understand the pressures on their Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs) and keeps the rules governing HRAs under review to ensure they are supporting investment in new and existing stock.My Department i...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: Health EducationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65600More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) data and (b) other information his Department used to inform public health (i) policies and (ii) campaigns related to reducing alcohol consumption in the development of the NHS 10 Year Pla
Answer: The impact statement of the 10-Year Health Plan will be published in full shortly. This document explains the rationale for, and potential effects of, a number of measures outlined in the plan, including references to the relevant evidence.
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65555More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 63482 on Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations and with reference to her letter of 26 June 2025 on the Universal Credit and Personal Indep
Answer: The Government is committed to providing security and dignity for those who will never be able to work, and removing unnecessary stress, anxiety and uncertainty from the Social Security System. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Universal Credit and P...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: Missing PersonsDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support Surrey County Council to improve support for children who go missing or are at risk of exploitation.
Answer: Following support from the department and others, Surrey County Council's children's services were judged by Ofsted to be ‘Good’ in March 2025.Statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2023), is clear that children at risk of or experie...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Leavers: HousingDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support Surrey County Council to deliver more housing for care leavers to improve Education, Employment and Training opportunities.
Answer: The government is committed to improving support for care leavers. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are placing a new duty on local authorities to provide ‘Staying Close’ support to care leavers up to age 25 where their welfare requir...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSurrey County Council: SafetyDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support Surrey County Council improve collaborative safety planning.
Answer: Following support from the department and others, Surrey County Council's children's services were judged by Ofsted to be ‘Good’ in March 2025.Statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2023), is clear that children at risk of or experie...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64624More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of replacing the role of local authorities with committees in planning decision on local representation in those d
Answer: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes a regulation-making power to issue statutory guidance on a national scheme of delegation.On 28 May 2025, my Department published a technical consultation on proposals for reform of planning committees. It can ...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63732More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of PIP claims were under review as of 27 June 2025.
Answer: Please find the information requested in Table 1 below. We provide figures for 30th April 2025 in line with latest official published statistics Personal Independence Payment statistics to April 2025.Table 1. Volume of cases and proportion of April 2025 c...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Medical ExaminationsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her letter on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, dated 26 June 2025, whether the exemption from reassessment for existing Personal Independence Payment claima
Answer: As I set out in the House of Commons on 1 July 2025, this Government has listened to the concerns raised by Members from across the House regarding the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).Clause 5 of the Universal Credit and Personal I...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHuman Papillomavirus: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to meet the World Health Organisation’s vaccination target for the human papillomavirus vaccine.
Answer: In March 2025, NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 –for England, which outlines how the National Health Service will improve uptake and coverage across human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical screening. This is a...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: StandardsHome OfficeTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that asylum interviews are conducted (a) in full and (b) without unnecessary delay.
Answer: Asylum interviews are conducted in line with the published guidance available here: Conducting asylum interviews: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 26 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of new homes are (a) under construction and (b) have been completed since 4 July 2025.
Answer: The 4 July 2025 is tomorrow.
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: SurreyDepartment for EducationTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61087More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on the findings of its 2024 Parents’ Voices Matter survey that 20% of children with special educational needs do not receive (a) an Educ
Answer: In September 2023, Ofsted and Care Quality Commission undertook a local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection in Surrey under the new SEND inspection framework. The report, published on 24 November, found inconsistent experienc...
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSouth West Main Line: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Spending Review, published on 11 June 2025, how much and what proportion of the funding allocated for rail enhancements will be allocated to upgrades on the South Western Railway network.
Answer: Following the Chancellors’s statement on 11 June we are now working to confirm our wider portfolio of rail enhancements, which will be published as part of the government’s commitment to set out its overall infrastructure pipeline.
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: SurreyDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60385More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the Local Transport Grant will go to Surrey County Council in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answer: In 2025/26, the Local Transport Grant (LTG) has been allocated to local transport authorities (LTAs) in the North and Midlands outside of areas that receive City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) funding. Therefore, Surrey County Council di...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSupermarkets: LabellingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60384More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring supermarkets to include labelling in braille on newly designed packaging.
Answer: Defra maintains regular engagement with food retailers on a range of issues, including labelling and improving accessibility requirements for all consumers. The availability and accessibility of essential food information to all consumers is vitally impor...
Answered 24 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: Military AidMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department will stop training Israeli Defence Force personnel following the British Government’s decision to sanction members of the Israeli Government.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence keeps under careful consideration its policies on training courses. We currently provide non-combat academic courses to fewer than five IDF personnel.
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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