Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to take British Steel into temporary public ownership (a) before the remaining blast furnaces are closed down and (b) until the future of virgin steel production in the UK is assured.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Our priority is respecting workers, safeguarding jobs, and retaining steelmaking. We have been clear that the best way forward is for British Steel to continue as a commercially run business with private investment and Government acting in support. We call upon British Steel to accept our generous offer of financial support, and the associated conditions. However, no options are off the table. The Government remains resolute in our desire to secure a long-term future for the Scunthorpe steelworks, retaining steel pro-duction and putting an end to the years of uncertainty.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will remove tariffs on the import of motor vehicles from the United States.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

On 3 April, the government launched a Request for Input from businesses to help inform our response to US tariffs. We remain committed to discussions with the US on a wider economic deal that works for both the UK and the US. But nothing is off the table; this government will do what is necessary to defend the UK’s national interest.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for Christchurch of 25 March 2025, Official Report, column 773, whether he has received an update from the Dorset Integrated Care Board about the Burton Branch Surgery application.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB) has received applications to open a branch surgery in the Village of Burton, near Christchurch in Dorset. Applications are currently going through the ICB governance process, which is expected to conclude following the ICB Prevention, Equity and Outcomes Committee on 23 April.

Following a local practice closure in August 2024, the ICB is assessing capacity in the area, which remains good. Access to general practice (GP) services for local residents remains very good, with a choice of five practices in the Christchurch area that are all accepting new patients and growing their lists. The NHS Dorset ICB is engaging with local partners, other GP practices, and the Wessex Local Medical Committees to ensure views are collated while going through our governance processes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the (a) maximum and (b) minimum time between Crawford & Co completing a medical review of applications for vaccine damage payments and the applicant being informed of the decision in in the period January 2024 – December 2024.

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

Between January and December 2024, the maximum time between Crawford & Co completing a medical assessment of an application to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and the applicant being informed by the NHS Business Services Authority of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s decision as to whether they are entitled to a payment under the scheme was 518 days. The minimum time was zero days, with the claimants informed of the outcome on the same day that the medical assessment was completed.

Over the same period, the average time between Crawford & Co completing a medical assessment of an application and the applicant being informed of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s decision was 14 days.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 41384, what the (a) maximum and (b) minimum time was between a Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme application being made to the NHS Business Services Authority and being submitted to Crawford & Co for review.

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

The submission of applications to Crawford & Co is dependent on the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) receiving the relevant medical records from healthcare providers.

As of 3 April 2025, the maximum time between an application being made to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and that application being submitted to Crawford & Co for review was 1,339 days. The minimum time was 14 days, and the average time was 199 days.

The NHSBSA is working with healthcare providers to speed up the rate at which these medical records are shared.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the correspondence of 5 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Christchurch relating to a constituent.

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

We have received the Hon. Member’s correspondence of 5 February 2025, and we will respond shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon died from hospital acquired pneumonia in (a) December 2024, (b) January 2025 and (c) February 2025.

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

10 patients died from hospital acquired pneumonia at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon in December 2024. Figures for January 2025 and February 2025 cannot be provided until May 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department's policy to fund the cost of driving lessons for (a) asylum seekers and (b) other immigrants.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

No.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government pays the RNLI in connection with Channel crossings by asylum seekers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Any safety of life at sea operations related to attempts to cross the Channel by migrants in small boats are directed and coordinated by HM Coastguard. The Home Office does not provide funding to RNLI but does provide maritime assets and reconnaissance capabilities where necessary for any Coastguard-directed operations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the next meeting of the Cleaning Industry Liaison Forum will take place.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is currently undergoing a transition to improve how it works and delivers outcomes. As part of this, it is temporarily reducing the number of its external meetings, whilst continuing to deliver on its priorities. The date of the next meeting of the Cleaning Industry Liaison has not yet been set.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints OFWAT has received about the increase in water and sewerage rates since 1 March 2025; and to how many complainants have substantive responses been given.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ofwat has received 359 customer contacts since 1 March 2025 regarding the increase in water and sewerage rates. 25 of these have received a substantive response. An additional 453 contacts have been received since 21 March 2025 which are being reviewed to determine if they relate to increases in water and sewerage rates.

Due to the current large amount of customer queries there has been significant delays in providing substantive responses to them. Customers are very important to Ofwat, and Ofwat recognises the need to improve its response rate, that is why it continues to work to improve its capacity and processing time and will process outstanding queries as quickly as possible.

Customers are of the utmost importance to this government. The Independent Water Commission, launched by UK and Welsh governments in October 2024, aims to build consensus for a resilient and innovative water sector that ultimately serves both customers and the environment. The Commission will report to the UK and Welsh governments by the end of June 2025.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the organisers of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on requiring targeted hygiene protocols.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS officials are in regular contact with the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company (OC).

The OC has confirmed it is developing health and medical plans for the Games as part of ongoing event planning, in line with statutory regulations. It has engaged with medical providers and public health agencies and is establishing a Medical and Public Health Working Group to develop this work with partners.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bill Esterton (Chair); Sir Christopher Chope; Torcuil Crichton; Wera

Found: 100.0%) Ms Polly Billington (Labour, East Thanet) (added 21 Oct 2024) 18 of 20 (90.0%) Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bill Esterton (Chair); Sir Christopher Chope; Torcuil Crichton; Wera

Found: meeting Members present: Cat Smith (Chair); James Asser; David Baines; Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Christopher Chope MP) – Transnational repression as a growing threat to the rule of law and human rights

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Cat Smith (Chair); James Asser; Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Cat Smith (Chair); James Asser; Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bill Esterson (Chair); Ms Polly Billington; Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bill Esterson (Chair); Ms Polly Billington; Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Presented by Sir Christopher Chope Ordered, by The House of Commons, to be Printed, 21st October 2024

The Government is launching an update to the National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure, which govern development consent for major energy installations. One of the leading aims of the policy update is to give greater clarity about the weight planners should give to competing interests including economic, ecological, energy supply and security, and even aesthetic considerations, which can severely slow or even halt infrastructure planning decisions in their tracks. And time is of the essence: Government's Clean Power 2030 target will require most new electricity transmission and offshore wind projects to secure planning consent by next year, and most large-scale onshore projects will need that consent by 2028.   

Written questions (WPQs) allow MPs to ask for information on the work, policy and activities of Government departments, related bodies, and the administration of Parliament.