The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 196 tabled · 173 answered

Written questions by Sewards.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Mark Sewards this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.

Department:All (196)Department of Health and Social Care (62)Department for Education (20)Home Office (19)Department for Transport (12)Treasury (10)Department for Business and Trade (10)Department for Work and Pensions (10)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (9)Ministry of Justice (9)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (9)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (8)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (5)

Showing 181196 of 196 · this parliament

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24 Oct 2024·Department for Energy Security and Net Zero·Answered
Asked

What steps his Department is taking to regulate emissions produced by organisations.

Reply

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme is an essential regime to cut emissions and drive green investment. By setting a limit - the cap - on emissions and creating a carbon price for power, industry and aviation, the scheme incentivises investment in clean techn...

23 Oct 2024·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
Asked

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the abandonment of domestic animals.

Reply

Defra regularly meets animal welfare stakeholders to understand issues and trends that are affecting the sector, including the impact of the rise in the cost of living on pet keepers and welfare organisations. Defra welcomes the support that the animal se...

22 Oct 2024·Treasury·Answered
Asked

Whether her Department plans to make electric vehicle owners eligible to pay car tax.

Reply

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), also sometimes referred to as car tax, is a tax on car ownership from which electric vehicles are currently exempt. As announced by the previous Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, electric and hybrid cars, van...

21 Oct 2024·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Whether her Department plans to extend the Ukraine Extension Scheme.

Reply

To provide future certainty, Ukrainians who have been provided with sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine schemes will be able to apply for further permission to remain in the UK through a bespoke Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme due to open in e...

18 Oct 2024·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
Asked

What steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of (a) GP appointments and (b) other primary care services.

Reply

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP) and access other primary care services, and we are committed to fixing the crisis in GPs.Our plan to increase the number of GP appointments delivered will require bot...

17 Oct 2024·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What steps she is taking with Wakefield Council to improve bus services in Wakefield, in the context of the recent closure of the Wakefield bus depot.

Reply

At present, decisions such as where to run bus services in England outside London are predominantly a matter for the relevant bus operator. In response to this, the government has set out a plan to improve bus services based on giving local leaders the to...

17 Oct 2024·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What progress her Department has made on the roll out of bus franchising.

Reply

On 9 September 2024, the government laid a Statutory Instrument to open up bus franchising to all local transport authorities (LTAs) in England. It also published a consultation on proposed updates to bus franchising guidance, which closed on 7 October 20...

17 Oct 2024·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

If her Department will commission a review into the adequacy of the bus services provided by Arriva.

Reply

At present, decisions such as where to run bus services in England outside London are predominantly a matter for the relevant bus operator. In response to this, the government has set out a plan to improve bus services based on giving local leaders the to...

10 Oct 2024·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
Asked

What steps he is taking to help ensure NHS dental practices have the capacity to treat more patients.

Reply

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild ...

10 Oct 2024·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What steps her Department is taking to help recruit more driving examiners to tackle the backlog of outstanding practical tests.

Reply

In response to increased demand for car practical driving tests, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has reviewed its recruitment process and increased its recruitment effort to bring in 450 new driving examiners over the next 12 months. As pa...

10 Oct 2024·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on (a) autonomous delivery robots and (b) other emerging technologies in transport systems.

Reply

I have attended the Cenex Expo, focused on Net Zero and Connected Automated Mobility. At Cenex I attended a roundtable to discuss next steps for the CAM sector and how to ensure public understanding. I also participated in a demonstration of an Ohmio vehi...

10 Oct 2024·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What steps she is taking to (a) improve SEND provision and (b) recruit more educational psychologists.

Reply

The department recognises that the current special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is not working and that, for far too long, too many children and families have been failed by it. This government is determined to address the problems and...

10 Oct 2024·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
Asked

What steps his Department is taking recruit more full-time healthcare support workers.

Reply

The National Health Service has been facing chronic workforce shortages for years and we have to be honest that bringing in the staff the NHS needs will take time. The Government will make sure the NHS has the staff it needs to be there for all of us when...

10 Oct 2024·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What steps her Department is taking to improve the reliability of bus services in rural communities.

Reply

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into the hands of local...

10 Oct 2024·Department for Science, Innovation and Technology·Answered
Asked

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an (a) estimate of the potential private sector investment in (i) autonomous delivery robots and (ii) other autonomous technologies by 2030 and (b) asses

Reply

A 2021 BEIS report estimated the total economic impact of robotics and autonomous systems uptake across a range of selected sectors (logistics, agriculture, food & drink, construction, energy, infrastructure and health; and excluding manufacturing) to...

12 Sept 2024·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What recent discussions she has had with (a) mayors and (b) local councils on supporting people back into work.

Reply

I’ve been pleased to meet many of our local leaders to discuss how we meet the shared challenge of our 80% employment rate, recognising that local people know best what their communities need.

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Sources
SourceUK Parliament Members API
MethodQuestion and answer text as published. Question preamble (“To ask the…”) trimmed for readability; answers shown in full.