Written questions

Alison Bennett

245 written questions tabled, most recent first.

16 Jul 2026 · Cabinet Office

Written question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to recover public funds lost through fraud, misconduct and the improper award of public contracts; and how much has been recovered in each of the last five years.

16 Jul 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions

Written question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what service targets apply to (a) application processing, (b) renewals, (c) payment processing and (d) complaint handling within Access to Work.

16 Jul 2026 · Department for Transport

Written question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of (a) cancellation rates and (b) service reliability on Thameslink services since the operator transferred into public ownership.

9 Jul 2026 · Department for Education

Children: Equality

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children from ethnic minority and working class backgrounds have equal access to education and future work opportunities.

9 Jul 2026 · Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure equal access to education for children with additional learning needs.

9 Jul 2026 · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Afghanistan: Women

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking in response to ongoing restrictions put on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

6 Jul 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Emergency Services: Sign Language

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the provision of British Sign Language interpreters within emergency services.

12 Jun 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Hospices: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to support hospices prior to the implementation of the reforms outlined within the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care.

4 Jun 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Palliative Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who died while waiting to receive end-of-life care in each financial year since 2020–21.

4 Jun 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Palliative Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in hospice services on NHS palliative and end-of-life care services.

4 Jun 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Hospices: Finance

4 Jun 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Palliative Care: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on palliative care in each financial year since 2020–21; and how much funding has been budgeted for palliative care in (a) 2026-2027, (b) 2027-2028 and (c) 2028-20

4 Jun 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions

Apprentices and Young People

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to (a) introduce increased support and incentives for businesses that recruit and train apprentices, (b) help employers to meet the costs of apprenticeship provision and (c) expa

3 Jun 2026 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government: Sussex

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the timetable for local government reorganisation in Sussex.

1 Jun 2026 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Public Lavatories: Stoma Appliances

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration is being given by his Department to improving guidance and standards for public toilet provision to better accommodate stoma users.

29 May 2026 · Ministry of Justice

Crown Court: Mental Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mental health support is available to judges, barristers and other court officials working in Crown Courts (a) during and after particularly distressing cases and (b) on an ongoing basis.

21 May 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many earnings-related Carer's Allowance overpayments were referred to Debt Management between January 2025 and March 2026.

21 May 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30627, if he will provide updated figures on the number of carers with Carer's Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings

21 May 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Maternity Services: Staff

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times each maternity unit has been temporarily closed due to insufficient staffing levels to operate safely in each of the last three years; and what the longest duration of such a tempora

21 May 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Maternity Services: Staff

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mothers were transferred from maternity units to alternative units due to (a) lack of capacity and (b) staffing shortages in each of the last three years nationally.

19 May 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Counselling and Psychiatry: Regulation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy, including legal protections for the titles 'counsellor' and 'psychotherapist'.

18 May 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Hospices: Children

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123423 on Hospices: Children, how much has NHS England advised integrated care boards to give to each children's hospice in 2026-27 financi

28 Apr 2026 · Ministry of Justice

Crown Court: Mental Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mental health support is available to judges, barristers and other court officials working in Crown Courts both during or after particularly distressing cases and on an ongoing basis.

27 Apr 2026 · Home Office

Licensing Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of alcohol licensing legislation in the context of rapid delivery services.

24 Apr 2026 · Ministry of Justice

Juries: Mental Health

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HMCTS, the Ministry or another body has a formal process for keeping in contact with jurors hearing the most distressing cases after their jury service is complete.

24 Apr 2026 · Ministry of Justice

Juries: Mental Health

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of distressing cases on the health of jurors who hear those cases.

24 Apr 2026 · Ministry of Justice

Juries: Mental Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support mental health support is available to jurors in Crown Courts that were not part of the pilot launched in October 2024.

24 Apr 2026 · Ministry of Justice

Juries: Mental Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the outcomes of the pilot launched in October 2024 to provide free mental health support for jurors who hear distressing cases in Crown Courts across England and Wales will be published.

22 Apr 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care

Hospices: Children

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123423 on Hospices: Children, how much has NHS England advised integrated care boards to give to each children's hospice in 2026/27 from the £80

20 Apr 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance: Reviews

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what detailed breakdown he has made of planned expenditure of allocated funding for the Carer's Allowance review of £20m in 2026-27, £35m in 2027-28 and £20m in 2028-29, including (a) reductions in over

Source: official written-questions record.