Will Forster MP: written questions
417 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Harassment: InternetDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 30 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) fast track protections for people who experience doxing and (b) help ensure social media platforms (i) act swiftly to remove doxing content an
Answer: DSIT is implementing the Online Safety Act which will bring in a number of protections for online users from the harms associated with doxing. In-scope providers will need to enact measures to take down illegal content and protect children from harmful co...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBuildings: SafetyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effectiveness of (a) compliance by contractors with and (b) enforcement measures by the new Building Safety Regulator with the B
Answer: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) takes action to ensure that applications that do not meet the regulatory standards of building safety are rejected. We understand that the introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor qu...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFlats: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27050More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) tackle fraudulent EWS1 forms and (b) support affected homeowners.
Answer: EWS1s (External Wall System Fire Review) are not a legal or regulatory requirement. Their use is a commercial decision by mortgage lenders and subject to their individual lending criteria. EWS1 forms are completed by competent members of relevant professi...
Answered 3 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: ProtectionHome OfficeTabled 28 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27049More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle safeguarding issues relating to (a) children at risk of being removed from the UK in contravention of a court ruling and (b) other children with a foreign
Answer: The statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ 2023 is clear that, if at any time it is considered that a child may be in need or has suffered significant harm or is likely to do so, a referral should be made immediately to a local author...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordHarassment: InternetDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Department is taking to tackle doxing; and whether she plans to (a) fast track protections for victims and (b) ensure social media platforms act swiftly to remove content
Answer: DSIT is implementing the Online Safety Act which will bring in a number of protections for online users from the harms associated with doxing. In-scope providers will need to enact measures to take down illegal content and protect children from harmful co...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: DisabilityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the earnings and capital thresholds for disabled adults in receipt of social care support to ensure they are not disadvantaged when saving for (a) a house deposit and (b) other ma
Answer: The current capital thresholds, namely the lower limit of £14,250 and the upper limit of £23,250, ensure that individuals have a minimum amount of capital protected.Where an individual is receiving care in their own home, charging should not reduce an ind...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHeathrow Airport: RailwaysDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to make a decision on the business case for Southern Rail access to Heathrow Airport.
Answer: Whilst discussions with promoters of schemes for a southern rail access route to Heathrow have taken place in recent years, no business case has yet been produced.
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23242More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps to respond to the letter from Liberal Democrat hon. Members on the nationalisation of South Western Railway.
Answer: The Rail Minister replied to this letter on 14th January 2025.
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21508More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the English national concessionary scheme to peak travel times.
Answer: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory o...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPre-school Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planned increases to (a) National Insurance Contributions and (b) the National Minimum Wage on the viability of early years providers; and what
Answer: Since July, this government has had to take some tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, but we are continuing to invest in the early years sector, supporting the delivery of the entitlements and recognising the vital role the sector pla...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve NHS provision of (a) dental care for pregnant women, (b) radiography services for cancer patients, (c) GP access in areas with significant housin
Answer: Pregnant women and new mothers are entitled to free National Health Service dental care. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated ca...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHeating: HousingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing equal incentives for homeowners to install (a) heat batteries and (b) other low-emission heat sources.
Answer: Heat batteries are a promising technology because they utilise time-of-use tariffs, do not require outside space, and can be cheaper to install than heat pumps in some circumstances. However, they are less efficient than heat pumps and will therefore use ...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordADHD: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18834More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle shortages of ADHD medication in Woking.
Answer: The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information is not collected on a local level. The Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to...
Answered 12 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of local authorities in England which provide bus travel concessions beyond the legal statutory requirements of the English National Concessionary Travel Sche
Answer: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory ob...
Answered 2 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordBus Services: ConcessionsDepartment for TransportTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16385More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of widening the accessibility criteria for the English national concessionary travel scheme to include peak travel for disabled bus pass holders to help en
Answer: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory ob...
Answered 2 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordRight to Buy SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a moratorium on Right to Buy sales before proposed changes come into effect.
Answer: The government does not intend to introduce a moratorium on Right to Buy sales before any further changes come into effect.
Answered 2 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: TestingDepartment for TransportTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2017 to permit 44 tonne operations.
Answer: Permitted weights are governed by the Road Vehicles (Authorised Weights) Regulation 1998, as amended. Under these regulations, many goods vehicles are already permitted to operate at up to 44 tonnes.
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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