Sarah Olney Portrait

Sarah Olney

Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park

17,155 (33.3%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 12th December 2019

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Cabinet Office)

(since September 2024)

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
6th Jan 2020 - 18th Sep 2024
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Treasury)
11th Jul 2022 - 18th Sep 2024
Public Accounts Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 30th May 2024
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Transport)
7th Sep 2020 - 10th Jul 2022
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (International Trade)
6th Jan 2020 - 7th Sep 2020


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Sarah Olney has voted in 13 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Sarah Olney Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(9 debate interactions)
Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour)
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
(5 debate interactions)
Nusrat Ghani (Conservative)
(4 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(19 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(13 debate contributions)
Department for Business and Trade
(5 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(1 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Budget Responsibility Act 2024
(1,952 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Sarah Olney's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Sarah Olney

29th October 2024
Sarah Olney signed this EDM on Wednesday 30th October 2024

Israeli Knesset decision to ban UNRWA

Tabled by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
That this House expresses its deep concern at the Israeli Knesset’s vote to ban UNRWA; notes that this comes at a desperate moment in Gaza with a senior UN humanitarian official warning that the entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying; further notes that, given the critical …
27 signatures
(Most recent: 31 Oct 2024)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 21
Scottish National Party: 2
Independent: 2
Alliance: 1
Green Party: 1
17th October 2024
Sarah Olney signed this EDM on Wednesday 23rd October 2024

Establishment of the Women’s Caucus in Westminster

Tabled by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
That this House agrees to establish a Women’s Caucus in the UK Parliament, which is the women Members of Parliament working together to advance issues that disproportionately affect women; notes that there are women’s caucuses in the devolved nations of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland; further notes that now is …
53 signatures
(Most recent: 31 Oct 2024)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 26
Labour: 17
Scottish National Party: 4
Green Party: 3
Plaid Cymru: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Independent: 1
View All Sarah Olney's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Sarah Olney, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Sarah Olney has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Sarah Olney has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

6 Bills introduced by Sarah Olney


A Bill to make provision to increase the energy performance of buildings; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 24th March 2023
(Read Debate)

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to review the effectiveness of gender pay gap reporting requirements.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to prohibit the use of upward-only rent review clauses in commercial rent agreements; to nullify existing such clauses; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to apply for an order for special administration in relation to Thames Water; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 22nd April 2024

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to report to Parliament on the merits of prohibiting scheduled flights from landing or taking off between the hours of 11 pm and 6 am.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 15th January 2024

A Bill to prohibit anti-abortion protests within 150 metres of abortion clinics; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 11th March 2020

Latest 38 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
5 Other Department Questions
9th Oct 2024
To ask the hon. Member representing the House of Commons Commission, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many holders of each pass type have access to the parliamentary estate.

The number of passes on issue changes constantly, so the following represents a snapshot of data recorded on 10 October 2024:

  • MPs: 648
  • Peers: 832
  • MPs’ staff: 1,589
  • Peers’ staff: 333
  • Staff of the Administrations - House of Commons, House of Lords, and Parliamentary Digital Service: 4,242
  • Metropolitan Police staff including police officers: 565
  • Contractors: 3,028 (blue) + 1,170 (yellow) = 4,198
  • Former MPs: 419
  • Retired Peers: 55
  • Political parties and whips: 181
  • Partners of MPs/Peers and residents: 680
  • Civil servants: 1,515
  • Media: 472
  • Restoration & Renewal Management: 189
9th Oct 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many parliamentary passes were not returned following the conclusion of the holder's employment in each of the last five financial years.

The database is a live pass issuing system and does not retain full historical information as data is only retained for three years or less depending on the pass category, so is continually being deleted in line with our records retention policy.

The vast majority of passes are returned promptly after they expire or are invalidated. The following figures show the number of expired passes not returned by financial year; however please note all these passes were deactivated and would not allow access to the Parliamentary estate.

Financial year 2021–2022: 513

Financial year 2022–2023: 432

Financial year 2023–2024: 392

9th Oct 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many parliamentary passes were (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last five financial years.

The database is a live pass issuing system and does not retain full historical information as data is only retained for three years or less depending on the pass category, so is continually being deleted in line with our records retention policy. The following figures show the number of passes reported as lost or stolen by financial year; however please note all these passes were promptly deactivated and would not allow access to the Parliamentary estate.

Financial year 2021–2022: 43

Financial year 2022–2023: 76

Financial year 2023–2024: 62

9th Oct 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish a list of special advisers who have had a parliamentary pass in each of the last five financial years.

We are unable to provide this information, as the pass issuing system does not categorise passholders in this way. Special advisers are not a specific category of passholder, and therefore this information could not easily be obtained from the pass data system. In any event, it would be inconsistent with data protection principles to publish such a list.

It would not be appropriate to publish the personal data collected for the purposes of security pass allocation as this would not be consistent with data protection principles, therefore we are unable to provide a list of civil servants holding passes. As noted above, it would be inconsistent with data protection principles to publish personal data collected for security purposes in this way, and therefore the Commission is unable to provide such a list.

9th Oct 2024
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish a list of (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers who have a parliamentary pass.

We are unable to provide this information, as the pass issuing system does not categorise passholders in this way. Special advisers are not a specific category of passholder, and therefore this information could not easily be obtained from the pass data system. In any event, it would be inconsistent with data protection principles to publish such a list.

It would not be appropriate to publish the personal data collected for the purposes of security pass allocation as this would not be consistent with data protection principles, therefore we are unable to provide a list of civil servants holding passes. As noted above, it would be inconsistent with data protection principles to publish personal data collected for security purposes in this way, and therefore the Commission is unable to provide such a list.

14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the Environment Agency’s modelling of the average (a) daily and (b) monthly percentage of (i) usable and (ii) deployable capacity in each of the (A) Lower Lee Group and (B) Lower Thames Group reservoirs for drought events that are (1) 1 in 100, (2) 1 in 200 and (3) 1 in 500 years.

The Environment Agency (EA) does not model how resilient water company owned supply systems are to drought. It is the responsibility of the water companies to ensure that their systems can deliver secure water supplies for customers whilst ensuring they meet their environmental obligations and legal requirements during a drought.

Every 5 years, water companies are required to evidence in their statutory Water Resources Management Plans (WRMP) how they will ensure secure supplies for the next 25 years. This includes consideration of resilience to extreme droughts, population growth, climate change and environmental water needs.

The EA is a statutory consultee for water company WRMPs and reviews the technical analysis undertaken by water companies showing how secure supplies are now (known as the baseline) and what actions are needed to ensure secure supplies in the future. The EA has reviewed Thames Water’s latest draft WRMP and is satisfied with the company’s evidence provided alongside its latest draft WRMP.

I attended the National Drought Group meeting earlier this month on Wednesday 16 October 2024 where I outlined the pressure climate change is having on our water system and that we need to be prepared for all eventualities. This Government is taking decisive action to improve the resilience of our precious water supplies.

For more information on water resource system modelling completed on behalf of Thames Water see the following links:

Library | WRSE - Water Resource South East

method-statement-regional-simulation-model-aug-2021.pdf (wrse.org.uk)

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the Environment Agency’s modelling of average (a) daily and (b) monthly volumetric river flow rates for each gauging station on the Thames from Reading to Kingston for drought events that are (i) 1 in 100, (ii) 1 in 200 and (iii) 1 in 500 years.

The Environment Agency (EA) does not model flow at gauging stations using drought event return periods. The modelling of flow under a range of climate scenarios is carried out as part of planning by water companies to assess how resilient their supply systems are to droughts. This assessment is set out in their statutory Water Resources Management Plans (WRMP) and Drought Plans.

Thames Water have worked with Water Resources South East (WRSE) regional group to model flow under a range of climate scenarios as a component of regional system simulation modelling which informs their WRMP.

The EA is a statutory consultee for water company WRMPs and reviews the technical analysis undertaken by water companies showing how secure supplies are now (known as the baseline) and what actions are needed to ensure secure supplies in the future.

The EA has reviewed Thames Water’s latest draft WRMP and is satisfied with the company’s evidence provided alongside its latest draft WRMP.

I attended the National Drought Group meeting earlier this month on Wednesday 16 October 2024 where I outlined the pressure climate change is having on our water system and that we need to be prepared for all eventualities. This Government is taking decisive action to improve the resilience of our precious water supplies.

For more information on water resource system modelling completed on behalf of Thames Water see the following links:

wrse-hydrological-modelling-method-statement-november-2022.pdf

method-statement-regional-simulation-model-aug-2021.pdf.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of volumetric river flow rates corresponding to the locations of each gauging station on the Thames from Reading to Kingston.

The Environment Agency operates six river flow gauging stations on the River Thames between Reading and Kingston. These are located at Reading, Maidenhead, Windsor, Staines, Walton and Kingston. The recent daily mean flow at these sites on 11 September 2024 ranged from 12.0 to 28.7 cubic metres per second (m3/s).

River level and flow data can be found via the GOV.UK website: https://environment.data.gov.uk/hydrology.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the expected reservoir levels for each Lower Thames reservoir for drought events (a) 1:100 years, (b) 1:200 years and (c) 1:500 years.

Public water supply reservoirs are the responsibility of the water companies. The Government has not made such estimates; however we are committed to improving water resilience and we are closely monitoring the delivery of their water resources management plans. Their plans set out how they will continue to provide secure water supplies in the long term.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
3rd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Thames Water on the definition of best value in the context of the Teddington DRA and Water Resource Management plan.

The Teddington Direct River Abstraction scheme has been selected by Thames Water in its Water Resources Management Plan from one of 2,400 options modelled at a regional level, by Water Resources South East. The options were put through an options appraisal process to develop a preferred best value plan. Both the Environment Agency and Ofwat have assessed the plan.

Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat joint guidance sets out how water companies should consider assessing best value in their Water Resources Management Plans. It can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-resources-planning-guideline/water-resources-planning-guideline#section-9--aspects-to-consider-in-compiling-a-best-value-plan.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Teddington Direct River Abstraction project on water quality in its vicinity; and if he will take steps to ensure the adequacy of water quality for swimming in that area.

Teddington Direct River Abstraction (DRA) is a water recycling scheme considered in Thames Water’s draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024 (dWRMP24) and Water Resources South East’s (WRSE) Regional Plan as a supply option for 2030/31.

The Environment Agency has scrutinised WRSE’s plan and has responded to Thames Water’s DWRMP24. Any scheme developed will have to meet environmental requirements. The scheme will need environmental permits that the Environment Agency regulate, and planning consents where the Environment Agency is a statutory consultee.

For Teddington DRA proposal to be taken forward Thames Water will be required to obtain an abstraction license and permit to discharge from the Environment Agency. These set out the conditions under which abstraction is authorised to take place and the standards to which the discharged effluent must be treated, ensuring it is treated to a high standard to meet environmental quality standards and ensure water quality in the Thames does not deteriorate. Thames Water will need to ensure any tertiary water treatment for Teddington DRA meets those regulatory requirements and the Environment Agency will regularly inspect Thames Water to ensure that permit standards are met.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled, Creating a UK Airspace Design Service, published on 22 October 2024, whether the service will be staffed from existing Departmental staff.

The consultation published on 22 October outlines our proposals to set up a UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS), initially undertaken by NATS (En Route) plc (NERL) through a change to its air traffic services licence. NERL is independent and not resourced from existing Departmental staff.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the consultation entitled Creating a UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS), published on 22 October 2024, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of her proposal to establish the UKADS on the delivery timeline of the airspace modernisation programme.

The Government’s plans for the UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) have been developed to strengthen delivery in implementing the airspace modernisation programme. They aim to improve delivery confidence of the Future Airspace Integration Strategy (FASI) programme, initially focusing on the complex London area. The plans anticipate that the UKADS will take on existing airspace changes, so it is important that existing airspace sponsors continue to develop their proposals.

The UKADS will act as a single guiding mind to design and implement holistic airspace design in a coordinated and efficient manner. This will create a system that’s fit for the future by delivering quicker routes, easing delays, and reducing harmful emissions.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the consultation entitled Creating a UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS), published on 22 October 2024, what steps she plans to take to allow communities to provide comments to the proposed UKADS on new flight path systems.

As a public consultation, any interested party is welcome to provide feedback on our proposals to set up a UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS).

The CAA’s Airspace Change Process (CAP1616) sets out how airspace change proposals should be developed and delivered. It includes requirements for the airspace change sponsor to consult those affected by airspace change at different stages of the process and consider their views. The UKADS consultation envisages that once up and running, the UKADS and partner airports would continue to engage and consult with communities on airspace change proposals through a defined process.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
9th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the memorandum of understanding between (a) her Department, (b) Transport for London and (c) the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham on the cost of the Hammersmith Bridge repairs.

A Memorandum of Understanding on the split of responsibilities for the repair of Hammersmith Bridge was drafted but not agreed in 2021. However, the Department has continued to work productively with both LBHF and TfL and has contributed almost £13m towards the Hammersmith Bridge restoration project to-date. A reconvened Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce is currently being organised, which will help to move this project forward.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
3rd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to fund one third of the cost of the Hammersmith Bridge strengthening works.

The Department will be exploring funding options for a suite of transport related projects at the Spring Spending Review, including the Hammersmith Bridge strengthening works.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the status is of the Aviation Night Noise Effects (ANNE) study, funded by her Department.

The Aviation Night Noise Effects (ANNE) study is a current study examining the relationship of aviation noise on sleep disturbance and annoyance, and how this varies by different times of night. The study is funded by the Department for Transport and is a collaboration between St George’s, University of London, NatCen Social Research, Noise Consultants Limited, and the University of Pennsylvania. The final results of the ANNE study are expected to be published in Autumn 2026.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential (a) economic, (b) environmental and (c) health impact of a third runway at Heathrow.

An Appraisal of Sustainability and economic assessment were conducted before the Airports National Policy Statement was voted on by Parliament and designated in 2018.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/heathrow-airport-expansion#appraisal-of-sustainability-and-supporting-documents

Heathrow Airport Limited will need to provide an assessment of the impacts of any proposed scheme for a third runway, and provide suitable mitigations, as part of any Development Consent Order application. The Government would carefully consider any such application in line with the relevant policies and planning processes.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the Airports National Policy Statement.

As required by the Planning Act 2008, the Secretary of State will review a National Policy Statement when she considers it appropriate to do so.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides on whether Heathrow Airport is legally required to support (a) noise abatement schemes, (b) sound insulation and (c) double glazing for properties affected by aircraft noise from that airport.

Heathrow Airport is a designated aerodrome under Section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, for the purpose of limiting, or of mitigating the effect of, noise and vibration connected with the taking-off or landing of aircraft. Noise abatement procedures for Heathrow Airport, specified by the Secretary of State, are set out in the airport’s Aeronautical Information Publication.

Existing policy on noise insulation, which would incorporate sound insulation and double glazing, is set out in the Aviation Policy Framework 2013 and in the 2017 Airspace policy consultation response.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children are waiting for over the 50 working day target for their disability living allowance claim to be processed in the latest period for which data is available.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not have a target timeframe, but we aim to process Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims for children within 40 working days, not 50. As published in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2023 to 2024, which covers April 2023 to March 2024, of the 186,200 claims DLA claims for children processed over that period, 6,500 (3.5%) met the planned processing timescales.

DWP has seen a substantial increase in claims since Covid-19, and this upward trajectory continues. This has resulted in increased pressures on early years services for children with additional needs and neurodiverse conditions, with gathering evidence from educational institutions and the NHS taking longer. We are maximising our resources wherever possible and have ongoing recruitment efforts to mitigate these challenges.

For further details, please refer to the DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) available on the GOV.UK website.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the average number of pension credit applications processed within 50 working days dropped between (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2022-23.

The department supports customers to claim Pension Credit through a range of take up campaigns. In June 2019, the BBC announced its intention to limit free TV licenses to people 75+ and in receipt of Pension Credit from June 2020. The subsequent mass mailing to existing free licence holders contributed to a significant spike in calls to the Pension Service, and in 2022-23, the department continued to provide vital financial support to pensioners on a low income through Pension Credit.

DWP launched a comprehensive communications campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit and encourage pensioners to apply for it. The campaign included advertising in national and regional newspapers and on broadcast radio and television as well as promotion of Pension Credit via internet search engines and on social media. This, together with success of the Help for Household campaign, led to more than double the level in Pension Credit applications compared to the previous year.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension credit applications made between 29 July and 9 August 2024 are waiting to be processed.

Data on how many pension credit applications have been made between 29 July and 9 August 2024 was recently published on gov.uk, Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 22 September 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Because of how we capture our operational data, information on how many claims we received over that period which are still outstanding is not available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs. However, we are actively seeking to develop the data sets to provide that level of information.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the rate of disability living allowance claims processed dropped between (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2023-24.

DWP has seen a substantial increase in claims for Disability Living Allowance (Children) since Covid-19, and this upward trajectory continues. This has resulted in increased pressures on early years services for children with additional needs and neurodiverse conditions, with gathering evidence from educational institutions and the NHS taking longer. We are maximising our resources wherever possible and have ongoing recruitment efforts to mitigate these challenges.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29 July 2024 on Public Spending: Inheritance, Official Report, column 1033, how many people have applied for pension credit since that date.

We have recently published Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 22 September 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which provides the number of Pension Credit claims received by the department.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are waiting to be assessed for pension credit.

The total outstanding Pension Credit claims as at the end of week commencing 30th September 2024 is 77,703. This includes 8,245 advanced claims where the application can be started up to 4 months before reaching State Pension age.

The Department is significantly increasing the resource on Pension Credit to ensure it processes claims as quickly as possible, with over 500 additional staff to support the increase in applications generated from the successful Pension Credit take-up campaign.

If a claim is made by 21 December, Pension Credit can be backdated for three months if the entitlement conditions have been met throughout that period, and if the claimant was eligible they would also receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the average waiting time between a pension credit application and a decision by the Department.

The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts on 22nd July 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024-html). This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%.

Emma Reynolds
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
26th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on the transition from housing benefit to Universal Credit; and what steps she is taking to reduce (a) hardship, (b) debt and (c) eviction risks for households using housing benefit.

The DWP started sending Migration Notices to Housing Benefit only customers from 17 July 2024 and is committed to ensuring that the transition to Universal Credit works as smoothly as possible for all individuals.

DWP has processes in place within Universal Credit to help reduce hardship, debt and risk of eviction. For example, people who receive Housing Benefit and then claim Universal Credit will receive a two-week run on of their housing payment while they transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment. Universal Credit customers who require support to adapt to Universal Credit can also have their housing costs paid directly to landlords through an Alternative Payment Arrangement.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 6369 tabled by the hon. Member for Richmond Park on 4 October 2024.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2024 to Question 6369.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 6368 tabled by the hon. Member for Richmond Park on 4 October 2024.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2024 to Question 6368.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the funding for pharmacy services under the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care was spent on administration fees since May 2023.

The Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, announced in May 2023, announced an allocation up to £645 million up until March 2024. This supported the launch of Pharmacy First as well as the expansion of the Blood Pressure Checking service and Pharmacy Contraception Service.

Funding from this allocation has been used to pay fees for the Pharmacy First, Blood Pressure Check or Contraception service delivery or invested in the development of IT infrastructure to enable the safe and effective delivery of the services and a mass media campaign to help increase awareness and public engagement. None of the allocated funding has been used for administrating the new services.

The staff costs associated with the development of service specifications, governance and monitoring, and agreeing payments to contractors have been met by extant Departmental and NHS England budgets.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to pharmacy services as part of the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care since May 2023.

The Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, announced in May 2023, announced an allocation up to £645 million up until March 2024. This supported the launch of Pharmacy First as well as the expansion of the Blood Pressure Checking service and Pharmacy Contraception Service.

Funding from this allocation has been used to pay fees for the Pharmacy First, Blood Pressure Check or Contraception service delivery or invested in the development of IT infrastructure to enable the safe and effective delivery of the services and a mass media campaign to help increase awareness and public engagement. None of the allocated funding has been used for administrating the new services.

The staff costs associated with the development of service specifications, governance and monitoring, and agreeing payments to contractors have been met by extant Departmental and NHS England budgets.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support (a) pubs and (b) breweries in (i) Richmond Park constituency and (ii) the United Kingdom.

Pubs make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.   

At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor cut alcohol duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.
    
The Chancellor also confirmed her intention to introduce permanently lower business rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs, from 2026-27, and in the interim extend the current RHL relief for 1-year at 40%, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing citizens with a breakdown of what proportion of their tax payments are invested into each sector of the economy.

The government regularly publishes a breakdown of total public tax receipts and total public sector spending. The most recent of these can be found in Annex B of the Spring Budget 2024 document, which is published on gov.uk here: Spring Budget 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Citizens can also see how this breakdown applies to their tax contributions via the Annual Tax Summary service which can be accessed here: Annual Tax Summary - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

A more detailed breakdown of current receipts, public sector current expenditure (PSCE) and public sector gross investment (PSGI), is set out in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The most of recent of these can be found in Tables A5 and A7 in the EFO published in March 2024, alongside the Spring Budget. This can be found on the OBR’s website here: EFOs - Office for Budget Responsibility (obr.uk).

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Engineers have helped to construct road bridges in (a) aid and (b) peacekeeping missions.

The Corps of Royal Engineers primarily builds temporary bridges that enable military road traffic to cross dry and wet gaps during operational deployments. The Corps of Royal Engineers has not recently helped to construct road bridges in aid or peacekeeping missions. Although not deploying or constructing bridges, the Corps has remained heavily involved in overseas peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts over the last decade including in South Sudan, Sierra Leone and the Caribbean.

Luke Pollard
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)