Written questions

Ellie can submit written questions to government ministers to seek clarity, challenge policy, and push for action. Written questions are an important tool for holding the government to account, as ministers are required to respond publicly.  For the full list of Ellie’s written questions, plus the option to view the answer, visit here: Written questions submitted by Ellie Chowns

Here are a few examples, across the hundreds submitted by Ellie, of written questions, with a link to that particular question and answer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of land-spreading sewage sludge on soil contamination.  

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to help protect tenants from (a) eviction and (b) rent increases following government-funded low-carbon improvement works carried out by landlords.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme on Natural England’s caseload for investigations of potential breaches to the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure capital investment in NHS (a) estate and (b) infrastructure supports improvements in climate resilience.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage landowners in river catchments to transition toward nature-led farming.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to what energy standards homes under the Affordable Homes Programme will be built.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of excess sewage sludge on river pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure a joined-up approach to tackling harms to the (a) environment and (b) human rights in UK supply chains.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the use of single-use plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables in supermarkets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of support for children in kinship care.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has sufficient capacity to support taxpayers during the implementation of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to provide timelines to North Herefordshire constituents on when they will be able to access a gigabit-capable broadband connection, in the context of the delay to Project Gigabit’s completion date until 2032.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her department has made of the potential merits of distributing grassroots sports funding through local authorities for leisure centres and swimming pools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to improve time to diagnosis for children and young people with suspected Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps through the forthcoming Elections Bill to regulate the online targeting of people with (a) misinformation and (b) disinformation by (i) foreign states and (ii) others seeking to influence the outcome of elections and referenda.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support families who have experienced baby loss in North Herefordshire constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her expected timetable is for publication of the call for evidence on safeguarding children out of school settings.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle the gender pay gap for young women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to reach decisions on Attendance Allowance applications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of pupils from primary schools in North Herefordshire can (i) swim 25m (ii) self-rescue as reported through the online reporting tool.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the written statement of 11 November 2025 on Pension Update, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Automatic Pension Forecast letters relating to communication of State Pension age changes for 1950’s born women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure a joined-up approach to tackling harms to the (a) environment and (b) human rights in UK supply chains.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Bank of England on other members of the Network for Greening Financial Services (NGFS) incorporating climate tipping points into NGFS scenarios.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to monitor compliance with the updated school food standards; and what support she plans to provide to schools that are not currently meeting those standards.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to reclassify housing as essential infrastructure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department plans to take to support (a) landscapes, (b) nature and (c) parks to contribute to the achievement of Environmental Improvement Plan targets through the National Lottery Heritage Fund.