Every parliamentary written question tabled by Michelle Scrogham this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 25 · this parliament
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) freezing fuel duty and (b) the introduction of a 12-month Vehicle Excise Duty for heavy good vehicles on the road haulage sector; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) an essential user rebate and (b) further targeted support for the sector.
Awaiting answer.
Innovation and Technology, whether the Government is considering additional interim support for rural households and businesses that remain without access to gigabit-capable broadband while awaiting connection through Project Gigabit contracts; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) temporary voucher expansion, (b) support for alternative wireless technologies and (c) targeted assistance for communities facing delivery delays beyond originally indicated connection timelines.
Awaiting answer.
What steps her Department is taking to improve the portability of Education, Health and Care Plans for service children with special educational needs and disabilities when families move between local authority areas.
Awaiting answer.
What guidance her Department provides to local authorities on recognising existing diagnoses and statutory support plans for armed forces families with special educational needs and disabilities when families move to a new area.
Awaiting answer.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that teacher training and continuing professional development programmes include awareness of the specific needs of the children of armed forces personnel, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Awaiting answer.
What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving support for Service children with special educational needs and disabilities.
I have engaged with Department for Education (DfE) Ministers, including my hon. Friend, the Minister for Early Years Education (Olivia Bailey). We have discussed SEND support for children from Armed Forces Families and how the launch of the DfE’s Best Start Family Hub (BSFH) programme has specific reference to Armed Forces families. One of the key areas of delivery provided by the BSFH will be early intervention support for families with children (0-five years old) with SEND and offer SEND support for children and young people up to the age of 25. Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials have collaborated with the DfE leading up to the launch of the Best Start Family Hub (BSFH) programme, resulting in the BSFH guidance for local authorities including specific reference to supporting Armed Forces Families. The MOD have also been working with the Local Government Association, who have been commissioned to deliver the BSFH toolkits for the local authorities to base their delivery around.
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Valuation Office Agency is applying the statutory requirement to base Council Tax bandings on 1 April 1991 property values; and whether he will review the consistency and transparency of the Agency’s banding decisions to reassure residents they are not being overcharged due to incorrect or inflated banding decisions.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment she has made of the impact of local authority assessment delays on service children with special educational needs and disabilities who relocate frequently due to Armed Forces postings; and what steps she is taking to ensure continuity of support in such cases.
Awaiting answer.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care is implemented consistently by local integrated care boards; and when his Department plans to publish the interim statement on that Framework.
We will publish an interim update on the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care shortly. The final MSF will be published this autumn. The MSF will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including reducing both inequality and unwarranted variation. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services, with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability. The MSF will seek to embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model that is centred on population need.
What recent steps he has taken to support local pubs.
Awaiting answer.
What steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through consideration of the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures, long-term respiratory conditions, or short-term respiratory illnesses.The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.Through our community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get diagnosed closer to home. 101 community diagnostic centres across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. This is alongside action being taken to expand capacity and improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services to support patients living with respiratory conditions.
What steps her Department is taking to improve access to practical driving tests in Barrow and Furness constituency; and whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of (a) waiting times, (b) test centre capacity and (c) examiner availability in the area.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests, including in the Barrow and Furness area. DVSA is continuing with its recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners. For those test centres serving the Barrow and Furness area, DVSA has recently employed five new driving examiners, who are currently in training, and upon successful completion, will start testing in June. A further examiner is due to start training shortly and, if successful, will start testing in July. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system. The table below shows the number of tests booked and available at the driving test centres (DTCs) serving the Barrow and Furness constituency as of 11 May 2026. Driving test centre (DTC)Booked tests (as of 11 May 2026)Tests available in 24 week booking window (as of 11 May 2026)Barrow-in-Furness2931Blackpool2,793667Preston2,818127 Between June 2025 – April 2026, at the DTCs above, DVSA conducted 1,056 additional car practical driving tests in overtime, when compared to the equivalent overtime scheme between June 2024 – March 2025. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme the agency introduced in June 2025.
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the roll out of Best Start Family Hubs in the Westmorland and Furness local authority area; and what timescales are expected for delivery.
Awaiting answer.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of electricity pricing arrangements on (a) small and medium sized enterprises and (b) other non domestic consumers; and what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses with their energy costs.
We are closely monitoring the impact of energy prices on businesses caused by the instability in the middle east, and much will depend on the length of the ongoing crisis. We are increasing the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant for properties heated by oil and LPG, taking the total grant to £9,000. This will help SMEs in England and Wales most impacted by rising energy prices to electrify their heating and provide greater certainty over energy bills.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Property Value Protection Scheme in meeting its objectives in communities affected by proposals for a Geological Disposal Facility; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the scheme provides adequate assurance and protection for homeowners.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a respiratory Modern Service Framework on (a) winter pressures on the NHS and (b) outcomes for people with long-term respiratory conditions and those with short-term respiratory illnesses, such as influenza.
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures, long-term respiratory conditions, or short-term respiratory illnesses.The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.Through our community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get diagnosed closer to home. 101 community diagnostic centres across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. This is alongside action being taken to expand capacity and improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services to support patients living with respiratory conditions.
What progress her Department has made on reforming the business rates system to support small businesses and maintain community infrastructure in rural areas.
Awaiting answer.
Innovation and Technology, what progress her department has made on improving cyber resilience.
Awaiting answer.
How the effectiveness of existing support schemes, including the Supporting Small Business scheme, is being evaluated in relation to businesses that have lost eligibility for Rural Rate Relief following revaluation.
Awaiting answer.
Whether her Department has considered introducing tapered arrangements for Rural Rate Relief to mitigate the loss of relief where rateable values increase marginally above the eligibility threshold.
Awaiting answer.