Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, if she will require Departments to publish an estimate of the cost of answering a Written Parliamentary Question in cases where disproportionate cost is cited as a reason for not providing a substantive answer.

Answered by Lucy Powell

It is a matter for individual departments to determine how to respond to parliamentary questions from Members. In responding to questions, Ministers should be as open as possible and provide helpful answers to Members.

The Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work), published by my office, sets out guidance for departments in responding to parliamentary questions and the disproportionate cost threshold. There are no plans to change this.

The Guide states that “Where information is being refused on the grounds of disproportionate cost, there should be a presumption that any of the requested information which is readily available should be provided.”

I encourage Hon. Members to raise any specific issues they may have with myself and my office.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, if she will publish a list of the statutory instruments made since the last general election and set out the provisions in the parent act of Parliament which are relied upon to provide statutory authority for the making of that statutory instrument by 22 July 2025.

Answered by Lucy Powell

The information requested can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, whether any (a) arm’s-length bodies, (b) agencies and (c) public bodies are being administered under the Privy Council.

Answered by Lucy Powell

The Privy Council does not directly administer any (a) arm’s-length bodies, (b) agencies or (c) public bodies. Certain functions fall to Ministers as Privy Counsellors, either because they arise under the Royal Prerogative or because an Act of Parliament specifies that delegated legislation is to be made by Order in Council, or by the Privy Council. This is usually limited to the approval of governance changes, or appointments, to independent statutory regulators.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what recent discussions she has had with IPSA on the (a) promotion and (b) procurement of British-made goods through Members’ parliamentary budgets.

Answered by Lucy Powell

No such discussions have taken place. IPSA is independent of Parliament and Government.

More widely, the Government is committed to ensuring public procurement expenditure boosts British industry.

We call on Parliament to initiate a cross-party review of the laws and procedures for votes of no confidence, ensuring they are clear, modern, and fit for purpose following the repeal of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act in 2022.

Introduce a process that allows individuals to submit petitions anonymously where there is credible personal risk. Cases should be reviewed individually, with oversight from an independent authority to ensure safety and data protection.

I think Parliament should add a comment section on all petitions, which I think could help spread awareness of the issues this country has.

When an MP decides they want to defect to another party a by-election should be automatically triggered to allow the constituents the opportunity have their democratic right to agree or not with their elected official.

We think Parliament needs to change the Recall of MPs Act 2015 so that voters can start a recall petition at any time initiating a by-election, without needing certain circumstances to be met.

We think that if an independent body finds an MP has deliberately misled the public, their constituents should be able to trigger a binding recall vote. This could give voters the power to remove MPs who break their trust with the electorate, forcing a by-election.

Parliament to implement a clear & enforceable ban on the use of mobile phones during all official proceedings within the House of Commons. We believe this measure will restore focus, decorum, and accountability, ensuring MPs fulfil their duties with the seriousness and respect the role demands.

We call on the UK Government to support the progression of the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill, ensuring time for a Second Reading in the Commons. Even if a vote were to fail, this is an important issue and deserves open debate and a free vote in both Houses.

Require all MPs to receive and reply to correspondence by email. People with low incomes may be unable to afford to contact an MP by post.

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Found: Business and Trade Committee CC: The Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to abolish NHS England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The formation of the future Department is being done in the first instance by bringing teams closer together to jointly plan future delivery. This will be followed by primary legislation to abolish NHS England, subject to Parliamentary approval and once Parliamentary time allows. Until such a time when appropriate changes are made, the Department and NHS England will continue to carry out their respective statutory functions.

Legislation would be subject to the approval of Parliament, so we are working with the Leader of the House and business managers to ensure an appropriate timetable that enables us to do the things that we need to do in a timely way, and working towards the two-year delivery timetable already announced.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House of Lords on when the committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will take place.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the Bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House of Lords on when the committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will take place.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the Bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.

Question

To ask the Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Baroness Thornhill on 3 July (HL9096).

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The question was answered by the Department for Health and Social Care on the 4 September 2025. I apologise for the delay.

Question

To ask the Leader of the House whether she has contacted the Permanent Secretaries at the Foreign Office, the Department for Education, and the Department for Health and Social Care to ask for explanations as to why these departments have failed to answer questions for written answer, tabled in May but still awaiting an answer in July.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

I have personally reminded Ministers of the 10 day target for their department throughout my time as Leader. As well as this my office routinely contacts departments and Secretaries of State who have breached the target, reminding them of their duty to ensure the target is met and to ascertain the reasons why deadlines have been missed. I have not at present written to any Permanent Secretaries but I will do so if the issue persists.

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