Every parliamentary written question tabled by Victoria Collins this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 501–520 of 781 · this parliament
Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to consult on draft regulations to commence Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.
Draft regulations to commence sections 61 – 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 are currently subject to a technical consultation. The consultation, which launched on 7 May and is open until 23.59 on 2 July 2025, can be found on the gov.uk website.
Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to allocate additional funding through UK Research and Innovation for the validation of non‑animal new approach methodologies to help replace the use of dogs in safety testing; and if he will make it his policy to ring‑fence funding for human‑relevant, animal‑free technologies.
The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has a diverse portfolio of investments that supports research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. UKRI also invests £10 million annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and is conducting a five-year funding review to guide future investment in this area.
What discussions she has had with car insurance companies on the affordability of compulsory car insurance for drivers who require larger vehicles for disability-related mobility needs.
My officials meet motor insurers and their representative bodies such as the Association of British Insurers periodically to discuss a range of motor insurance issues.
If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the off-payroll working reforms on self-employed individuals.
I refer the Hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the Hon. Member for North Cornwall on 26 March 2025:Self-employed and Small Businesses: Off-payroll Working
What steps her Department takes to ensure that reviews of Personal Independent Payment claims for people with complex and chronic health conditions consider the (a) overlap between multiple health issues and (b) the potential impact this overlap has on people's (i) mental health and (ii) ability to work.
The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment, at both new claim and award review, considers the impact of an individual’s health condition(s) or disability on their daily living and mobility rather than being based on the health condition itself. Individuals can be affected in different ways by the same condition, and be dealing with multiple health issues, so the outcome of a PIP claim depends very much on individual circumstances. Health conditions may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these, and the assessment has been designed to take a comprehensive approach to disability, reflecting the needs arising from the full range of conditions. The assessment criteria are focused on an individual’s ability to carry out a series of key everyday activities which are fundamental to living an independent life. PIP is available whether an individual is in or out of work, education or training. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March I outlined plans to launch a review of the PIP assessment. Through the review, I want to make sure the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future. This includes considering the PIP assessment criteria – including descriptors – and how the PIP assessment can play a role in unlocking wider support to enable better health, good work, higher living standards and greater independence. Additionally, the Government is legislating to encourage those on health benefits to try work by legislating to guarantee that work in and of itself will never lead to a reassessment.
What steps she is taking to prevent motor insurers from raising premiums for vehicle theft victims making non-fault claims in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted, (b) Hertfordshire, and (c) the rest of England.
Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. The Government does not set the terms, conditions, or prices for insurance policies. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car parts.Last year, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. The taskforce most recently met in April and the Government will provide further updates in due course. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, is a member of the Taskforce. Last October, the FCA launched a package of work on the motor insurance market, including a market study on premium finance. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive) and has powers to take action against firms that don’t meet its requirements.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Ban Hatch and Dispatch campaign.
The legislation sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing, including male chicks from the egg production sector. Permitted killing methods for chicks, such as gas stunning and maceration, are based on scientific research and assessment to ensure birds are spared any avoidable pain, distress, or suffering. All laying hen hatcheries in the UK use argon gas mixtures as their stunning method. We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of technologies that allow chicks to be sexed in-ovo (within the egg). We welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to prohibit the routine culling of male chicks.
The legislation sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing, including male chicks from the egg production sector. Permitted killing methods for chicks, such as gas stunning and maceration, are based on scientific research and assessment to ensure birds are spared any avoidable pain, distress, or suffering. All laying hen hatcheries in the UK use argon gas mixtures as their stunning method. We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of technologies that allow chicks to be sexed in-ovo (within the egg). We welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.
With reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made on the ability of British Nationals Overseas visa holders to (a) access higher education (i) home fee status and (ii) student finance, and (b) withdraw (A) private and (B) individual pensions from overseas after five years of UK residence.
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
What steps her Department is taking to increase the uptake of means-tested benefits among households with children in poverty in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England.
The Department provides extensive information on Universal Credit including on GOV.UK that supports customers to identify what support may be available. Additionally, we signpost potential customers to external benefit calculators where they can identify what they are likely to be eligible for. We also work closely with Citizens Advice who provide Help to Claim support by phone and on-line for customers to apply for Universal Credit. Tackling child poverty is an urgent priority for this government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy as soon as possible.
Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment she has made of the (a) rights and (b) protections available to (i) residential boaters that rent moorings in marinas and (ii) land-based tenants.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 22356 on 17 January 2025.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle environmental harm in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.
The Environment Agency (EA) advises and regulates businesses across the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors; they are the environmental regulator for water companies; they prosecute and take action against those who pollute the environment and blight our communities; and they reduce and protect against flood risk and coastal erosion. They are a Category 1 Responder (with the emergency services) under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and have a duty to warn, inform, and respond to flood incidents and prevent environmental damage. They work with other local responders to co-ordinate their response and support recovery. For example, the EA advises on planning applications for all local planning authorities within their statutory remit, including St Albans and Dacorum district councils. This includes assessing flood risk and potential impacts to main rivers or controlled waters. They also have a role in working with Local Planning Authorities during the preparation of Local Plans to ensure flood risk, climate change, land contamination, and the water environment are appropriately included in their evidence base and policies. In addition, they partner with the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, local authorities, and local police departments, such as Hertfordshire Constabulary, to tackle environmental waste crime. They follow a triage style approach to enforcement, ensuring it is intelligence led and target their efforts based on threat, risk, and harm.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of potential benefits of including landlords of residential boats in the proposed Private Rented Sector database.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 22356 on 17 January 2025.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing in-ovo sexing technologies within UK hatcheries.
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. In its 2024 ‘Opinion on alternatives to culling newly hatched chicks in the egg and poultry industries’, the Animal Welfare Committee considered a range of technologies that could help end the routine culling of male chicks by identifying or determining the sex of chick embryos before hatching. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of these technologies, and we welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.
Whether the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy will include (a) objectives and (b) targets beyond the initial 10-year framework to ensure sustained progress in reducing child poverty in (i) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (ii) Hertfordshire and (iii) England.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish its strategy as soon as possible and we are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. Our focus is on bringing about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, thereby reversing the trend that is seeing forecasts of child poverty continuing to increase. More details, including on the time horizon, will be set out in the strategy publication.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to help consolidate agricultural advice services; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on the (a) consistency and (b) coordination of guidance provided to farmers on climate change.
We are working across Defra to continue to improve the advice services on offer to farmers, building on existing broad services such as the Farming Advice Service and Catchment Sensitive Farming. We will aim to create greater alignment across services. We also continue to work with the commercial advice sector, who are often best placed to ensure that farmers get the information they need to make decisions that support their business and help achieve their aims.
What steps her Department is taking to tackle backlogs in the courts in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. For this financial year (25/26), this Government is funding a record allocation of Crown Court sitting days to deliver swifter justice for victims – 110,000 sitting days this year, 4,000 higher than the previous Government funded. However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increasing sitting days can achieve. In civil justice, courts and tribunals are sitting at, or close to maximum judicial capacity in every jurisdiction.That is why we have commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to conduct a review of the courts that will propose once-in-a-generation reform to deliver swifter justice for victims.In the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency:Criminal Courts: St Albans Crown Court has seen an increase in Circuit Judges, and an increase in courtrooms from 6 to 7. The open caseload at this court was reduced by 3% in 2024.In the magistrates’ court, additional Legal Advisors are being recruited. The open caseload in Herts area was reduced by 14% in 2024.Family and Civil Courts: Our focus across Hertfordshire is to progress the family and civil cases in as timely a way as possible whilst balancing the individual circumstances and needs of each case. The Designated Family and Civil Judges, along with HMCTS, have implemented a robust case progression initiative. Cases are reviewed and cases that are suitable for the hearing date to be brought forward are prioritised. This is achieved by utilising courtroom capacity that becomes available from other cases resolving.
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support social landlords to gain equitable access to building safety remediation funding in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England.
Across England, social landlords can apply to government remediation funds (Building Safety Fund and Cladding Safety Scheme). They can apply for funding equivalent to (1) the amount which the social landlord would otherwise be entitled to pass on to leaseholders; or (2) the full cost of remedial works where paying those costs would render the social landlord financially unviable. As of 30 April 2025, government has committed £606m to support remediation of social housing through government schemes. Social landlords face barriers to accelerating remediation, including access to upfront capital. From April 2025, we have increased funding for social landlords applying for government remediation funding so that remedial works can start sooner and we will this year announce a long-term strategy for accelerating social housing remediation.
What steps her Department is taking to help increase levels of access to legal aid for people in rural areas in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
It is vital that those who need legal aid, some of the most vulnerable people in our society, can access it wherever they live. We are funding provisions such as Advicenow, which is an online provision.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid.Procurement for legal aid contracts is now operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This is a significant change from the previous approach where firms could only bid to join at the initial tender of what typically was a five-year contract term. This new approach enables new entrants to apply for a contract at any time and for existing providers to expand their services. It is a more flexible approach removing hard deadlines and maximising the available supply of services.The LAA is satisfied that there is adequate access to legal aid services in Harpenden and Berkhamsted across all categories of legal aid. Provision includes local services such as duty solicitor schemes and national services such as early legal advice under the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service and advice relating to housing, debt, education and discrimination via the Civil Legal Advice telephone service.The Ministry of Justice has recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to civil legal aid fees (which once fully implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year), and is currently consulting on funding of up to £92 million more a year for criminal legal aid solicitors.
What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for ADHD treatment.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support, with the report expected in the summer.For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan; it will soon release technical guidance to ICBs to improve recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits data. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.