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.
Showing 21–40 of 191 · this parliament
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing minimum standards for the funeral sector.
Raising standards in the care and treatment of the deceased is a sensitive and complex issue, spanning a number of sectors. The Department is leading cross-Government work to consider the full range of options across all relevant settings, including the f...
What recent discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on consumer protection measures for the funeral sector.
The Department for Business and Trade has engaged with the Department of Health and Social Care to consider consumer protection issues in the funeral sector, including in relation to the Fuller Inquiry’s recommendations. The Government will publish its re...
Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of protections for small businesses that pay holding deposits during negotiations for commercial premises.
We know that holding deposits are common practice in negotiations for commercial premises. These are a private matter between landlords and businesses. However, we would always advise that parties seek independent advice before making any deposit. The Gov...
What assessment her Department has made of the accessibility of legal redress for small businesses in disputes relating to commercial property holding deposits.
The Ministry of Justice has not conducted a specific assessment of this individual issue.We are aware that holding deposits are a common practice in negotiations for commercial premises. These are a private matter between landlords and businesses. However...
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of decision making in family court proceedings relating to child arrangements.
Judicial decisions in family court proceedings relating to child arrangements are a matter for the independent judiciary.The Government is, however, committed to ensuring that outcomes in the family justice system prioritise the welfare of children. That ...
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that people receiving Carer’s Allowance are aware that taxable benefits in kind, including employer contributions to private health schemes, may be treated
Information on the treatment of earnings in Carer’s Allowance is available on GOV.UK and is also provided in the letter sent when entitlement is awarded, as well as in annual uprating letters. Where unpaid carers have further questions, they can contact t...
What steps his Department is taking to improve access to age-appropriate inpatient mental health care for children and young people.
Awaiting answer.
What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on early intervention for neurodivergent children with emerging mental health needs.
Awaiting answer.
What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on police involvement in responding to mental health crises involving children and young people.
As part of our work on policing and mental health the Home Office and its Ministers regularly engage with colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care on a wide range of issues including mental health crisis including where these involve childr...
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to urgent psychiatric assessment for under-18s experiencing severe mental health distress.
In 2025, NHS England published Urgent and emergency mental health care for children and young people: national implementation guidance to support ongoing local implementation of crisis services with the intention of improving experience and outcomes of ch...
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of crisis mental health provision for children and young people.
In 2025, NHS England published Urgent and emergency mental health care for children and young people: national implementation guidance to support ongoing local implementation of crisis services with the intention of improving experience and outcomes of ch...
What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children and young people referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
We know that children and young people are waiting too long to access mental health services within the National Health Service.In the 12 months since the General Election in July 2024, almost 40,000 more children and young people received support compare...
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of legal protections for reservists seeking leave from civilian employment to attend mandatory training commitments.
Reservists play a vital role in Defence, and this Government recognises the importance of ensuring that they are able to balance their military commitments with their civilian employment. We keep the legislative and policy framework under review to ensure...
Whether his Department has considered introducing additional public transport support for reservists to reduce the cost of attending training and other mandatory commitments.
The commitments shown by our reservists are greatly valued and routinely Reservists make a vital contribution to Defence, and this Government is committed to ensuring they are appropriately supported in meeting the demands of their service, including the ...
What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Army Reserve recruitment process.
The Army Reserve is implementing new initiatives to increase its strength and return to full liability at which point the Army Reserve will grow by a further 20%. The Department keeps the effectiveness of Army Reserve recruiting under continuous review. T...
What processes his Department has in place to ensure that Army reservists are issued with the equipment required for training without personal expense.
Army Reservists are issued the necessary clothing and equipment in line with authorised scales set out in Army Dress Regulations. These items are provided through the Defence supply system, which is responsible for issuing and tracking all required equipm...
What processes her Department has put in place to monitor the use of funding intended to improve SEND inclusion in mainstream school settings.
In February, we announced the £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund which will provide mainstream education settings over £500 million funding per year over the next three years to support them to become inclusive by design.We will place conditions on th...
What steps her Department is taking to provide local authorities with funding for the training and capacity required by SEND Information, Advice and Support Service.
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, all local authorities are legally required to provide a special educational needs and disabilities information, advice and support service (SENDIASS). SENDIASS services provide impartial, confidential, and legally...
Whether his Department has plans to review the operation and effectiveness of the Legal Ombudsman, including the timeliness within which complaints are handled.
The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), which administers the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) scheme, is undertaking a review and transformation programme to ensure the scheme can respond effectively to increasing demand for its services. This programme builds on it...
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of taxable benefits in kind appearing in payroll data on Carer’s Allowance earnings limit.
A payment in kind is a payment made by something other than money, such as goods, vouchers or free accommodation. An employer may also pay contributions to a private health scheme on behalf of its employees. For Carer’s Allowance purposes, such payments a...