Every parliamentary written question tabled by Greg Smith this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 363 · this parliament
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Pakistan; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
Awaiting answer.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her Department’s policy is on the acceptable duration of pre-trial detention for citizens of the United Kingdom who are detained overseas.
Where a British national raises fair trial concerns, including undue delay, we formulate our response on a case-by-case basis. Where a British detainee gives their consent for us to do so, we will raise fair trial or other concerns with the local authorities where appropriate.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to question UIN 122285, on which dates the two conversations between Minister Doughty and his Turkish counterpart took place; and on which date their next conversation about the protection of Iain Guille's rights under the law is due to take place.
I discussed Iain Guille's detention and welfare with my Turkish counterpart on 17 December 2025 and 3 February 2026, and I am continuing to follow the case closely. Consular officials are also monitoring Mr Guille's situation and providing support to his family as appropriate.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122220, what the total cost is of mobilising the new sponsorship model and team referred to in that Answer.
There has been no additional cost to the public purse in establishing the new DFTO sponsorship model and team. The team was formed by redeploying existing staff.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 123516, whether her Department plans to begin holding data on average or individual replacement battery costs for electric vehicles.
The Department has no plans to collect and hold the data on average or individual replacement battery costs for EVs, but will closely monitor this issue through continued engagement with industry and consumer groups. The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate regulations require manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries. During the warranty period, if battery capacity drops below 70% for cars or 65% for vans, the manufacturer must provide a replacement battery. Additionally, eligibility for the Government’s Electric Car Grant requires manufacturers to offer customers a 2-year extension on the warranty to 10 years, ensuring vehicles and their batteries have long useable lives.
What steps she is taking following the trial of higher parking penalty charge notices in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in August 2025.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has published a report on their month‑long trial of higher PCNs. The Department is reviewing the findings of this trial.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether DEFRA has established whether Equal Experts, in conducting the BNG Metric Tool Discovery phase under contract C24064, accessed software products developed by private sector BNG technology companies without those companies' knowledge or consent; and whether her Department has asked this question of Equal Experts in writing.
The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Government's digitisation project will address. Contract C24064 is for Application Development Services and provides digital specialist support and programme delivery capability. The Discovery phase of the BNG metric digitisation project explored a wide range of user needs and potential options and does not represent a delivery commitment. Discovery reports are not routinely published but can be made available on request. Defra first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement on 4 March 2026. Checks were undertaken to make sure the work is following due process. User research activities conducted during the Discovery phase were reviewed and found to be compliant with Government standards for research, and therefore further advice has not been sought. We are keen to work with private sector BNG technology providers to ensure digitisation of the BNG metric is a success.
What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the level of parking penalty charge notices in deterring nuisance parking.
The British Parking Association, the Local Government Association and other key stakeholders have been collaborating to gather comprehensive evidence on the effectiveness of current PCN levels in England outside London. Their findings and recommendations have been submitted to the Department for Transport which will be carefully considered before any decisions are taken.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 123517 on Electric Vehicles: Costs, when her Department expects to conclude its exploration of regulatory options on battery state of health information; and whether she plans to lay proposals before the House.
On 13 April 2026, the Department launched a public consultation on updating the minimum emission standards for new road vehicles to Euro 7. As part of these proposals, manufacturers would be required to fit electric vehicles with accurate, accessible and comparable battery health monitors. The consultation will remain open until 25 May 2026. The Government is seeking views on these proposals through that consultation. No final decisions have been taken. Should the proposals be taken forward, they would be laid before the House.
Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Albania; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
There was a single return flight to Albania, and this was to enable an official to attend a conference of the joint United Nations and World Health Organisation Pan European Programme for Transport, Health and the Environment. A single official at HEO grade attended and no ministers or senior officials were present. The cost of the flight was £144.96. There was no option to attend this event remotely.
What recent assessment she has made of the potential economic merits of zero rating VAT on admission tickets for children's play centres.
The Government recognises the vital role that children’s play centres play in supporting working families and their contribution to communities across the country. To support them and other businesses we are introducing new permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including soft play centres. These tax reductions are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. A tax relief here would come at a cost to the Exchequer, reducing the revenue available for vital public services and would have to represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
What assessment she has made of the cost impact on the public purse of zero rating VAT for children's play centres.
The Government recognises the vital role that children’s play centres play in supporting working families and their contribution to communities across the country. To support them and other businesses we are introducing new permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including soft play centres. These tax reductions are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. A tax relief here would come at a cost to the Exchequer, reducing the revenue available for vital public services and would have to represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
What recent discussions she has had with the Department for Education on the effect of VAT on the affordability for families of children's play centres.
The Government recognises the vital role that children’s play centres play in supporting working families and their contribution to communities across the country. To support them and other businesses we are introducing new permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including soft play centres. These tax reductions are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. A tax relief here would come at a cost to the Exchequer, reducing the revenue available for vital public services and would have to represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
In which month will the first East West Rail services operate from Oxford to Oxford Park Way.
The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first EWR services between Oxford and Oxford Parkway. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed.
What assessment has been made of the role ferry services to the Isle of Wight play in providing access to essential services, including healthcare, education and employment.
The Government recognises that communities rely on Cross-Solent ferry services for accessing jobs, education and healthcare. They operate in a commercial environment without intervention from the Government. The Department has regular discussions on these services.
Whether the Government Property Agency has made an estimate of staff time or resource allocated to measuring, collecting, reporting or validating greenhouse gas emissions across the parts of the estate for which it is responsible.
I refer to my answer for 116583. The GPA calculates greenhouse gas emissions for office space occupied by GPA staff and provides utility consumption data for departments occupying other buildings within its managed estate. As this activity is performed by staff as part of their wider duties, the exact amount of time allocated to this specific activity is not centrally recorded.
Whether the funding allocation for the Zero Emission Truck and Van represents a capped budget; and what estimate she has made of the total potential liability.
The Zero Emission Van and Truck Grants are subject to a set budget of £877 million to 2030 and will close when available funding has been allocated for this period.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110890, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the total number of HGV parking spaces originally expected to be delivered under the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme and (b) the revised number expected to be delivered following project withdrawals and scope changes.
The HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Match Funding Grant Scheme was initially estimated to have the potential to create up to an additional 1500 spaces. These figures were based on information provided to the Department by operators as part of the application process for projects where reconfiguration and expansion were taking place. To date 16 projects have been withdrawn by operators with an estimated reduction of up to 177 parking spaces, reducing the initial estimate to up to 1,323 spaces.
Whether she has reviewed the design of the Government Fleet Commitment to ensure that short-term vehicle hire is captured within its targets.
Short term vehicle hires, which can happen at short notice, are subject to vehicle availability at the time and the policies of each hire company. The previous Government did not include vehicles hired for fewer than six days within the Government Fleet Commitment, when it established the commitment, and the Department is not considering changing this. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment, including for example working with lease operators and hire companies to minimise the carbon intensity of their fleets and rental vehicles.
Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, how many applications for driving examiner roles were received by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last three years.
The table below shows the number of completed applications received for driving examiner (DE) roles in the years 2023 to 2025.YearTotal completed applications received20233,53620246,693202511,132 This data includes only completed application forms on Civil Service Jobs. It does not include those started but not completed. For any recruitment campaign a candidate must complete the application on Civil Service Jobs by the application deadline. If a candidate starts the initial application but does not complete it, this application will not be considered as part of the final sift of applications.