theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring powers for (a) skills and (b) training for employment support from job centres to (i) mayors and (ii) unitary councils under devolution deals. \p Alison McGovern: As announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Department for Work and Pensions will devolve funding for Connect to Work via grants to Strategic Authorities (including unitaries with a devolution agreement), and other agreed local authority clusters across the rest of England. This funding, in addition to the local Get Britain Working plans these areas will produce, will enable them to design and deliver an offer that is shaped around local priorities and provision. For Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, Connect to Work funding forms part of their Integrated Settlement.

All Mayoral Strategic Authorities will have a role in co-designing any future non-Jobcentre Plus employment support. Their subsequent role in commissioning or delivery will be determined as part of agreeing the policy objectives, design and funding parameters of any future programme. Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities will play an integral role in the design and delivery of this support, subject to evaluation and readiness conditions being met, with a clear outcomes and accountability framework.

The Department for Education already devolves the Adult Skills Fund to all Strategic Authorities, including Mayoral ones.

Full details of the governments employment and skills devolution commitments are set out within the recently published English Devolution White Paper: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-devolution-white-paper-power-and-partnership-foundations-for-growth/english-devolution-white-paper
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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measure her Department will use to determine whether devolved authorities have been successful in delivering employment support. \p Alison McGovern: Within our Get Britain Working reforms, we committed to offering new responsibilities and funding to mayors and local areas in England because local leaders know their communities best. This includes supporting areas in England to produce Get Britain Working Plans that join up work, health and skills provision, as well as delivering Connect to Work and sixteen Youth and Inactivity Trailblazers, which will all be fully evaluated.

As part of the production of Get Britain Working plans the Department is working with local and combined authorities in England to capture meaningful evidence on local labour markets and progress made. For the first time, we have also recently published statistical information on the movement of people into work, which can be found as part of the analytical information accompanying the Get Britain Working white paper: Get Britain Working White Paper: Analytical Annex - GOV.UK. We will also publish further metrics in due course.

Connect to Work funding will be included in the integrated settlement from 2025/26, which applies to Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities. The integrated settlement will be monitored and governed using a single accountability framework and a single outcomes framework negotiated between authorities and the Government. Further guidance on Connect to Work can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connect-to-work, https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/integrated-settlements-for-mayoral-combined-authorities.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 6066 on Helicopters: Official Visits, what the budget is for the replacement service to the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence is not placing a contract for replacement of the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Contract. Future Ministry of Defence senior leader rotary wing transport will be met through a Cabinet Office administered Commercial Travel Contract and will use existing Department transport budgets.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps NATO is taking to defend the High North. \p Luke Pollard: As a leading European Ally in NATO, the UK will defend and support our High North and Arctic Allies should the need arise, and contest malign and destabilising behaviours and activity in the region which threatens our interests, the interests of our Allies, and the stability of the region. We work with regional Allies and partners – including through NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the Northern Group and the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable – to align policy, activity and capability where possible and across all domains.

NATO is accelerating the Alliance’s ongoing military transformation to strengthen its collective deterrence and defence posture, with operational plans which cover every inch of Allied territory. This includes Allied territory in the High North. Allies will maintain a coherent Defence posture, presence and profile in the region.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has offered support to Finland in protecting sub-sea cables in the Baltic Sea. \p Luke Pollard: Following recent damage to the Estlink2 undersea cable in the Baltic sea, the UK – acting as framework nation for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) – has activated a JEF Response Option (JRO), known as NORDIC WARDEN, which will harness AI to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet, sending out real-time warnings of suspicious activity to JEF nations as well as NATO. This demonstrates both the UK and JEF nations’ commitment to assuring critical undersea infrastructure and responding to potential threats.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, he last had discussions with NATO allies on protecting sub-sea cables in the (a) Baltic and (b) North Sea. \p Luke Pollard: Recent incidents of damage to sub-sea cables underlines the importance of partners continuing to work together on shared challenges in the region.

The Government regularly discusses strengthening NATO’s protection of critical undersea infrastructure in engagements with fellow Allies. The Defence Secretary directly engaged with affected Allies following reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic Sea on 25 December 2024.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) also activated a JEF Response Option (JRO), known as NORDIC WARDEN, which will harness AI to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet, sending out real-time warnings of suspicious activity to JEF nations as well as NATO. This JEF activity reinforces existing and planned NATO responses.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help protect sub-sea cables in the North Sea from the Russian shadow fleet. \p Luke Pollard: The UK Government constantly monitors and regularly assesses the security of critical national infrastructure, including energy and telecommunications assets. Following the incident damaging the Estlink 2 undersea cable between Finland and Estonia on 25 December, the UK – as framework nation for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) – activated NORDIC WARDEN which will harness AI to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and to monitor the movements of the Russian shadow fleet, sending out real-time warnings of suspicious activity to JEF nations and to NATO, in support of NATO activity to help protect critical undersea infrastructure.

Our adversaries should be in no doubt of our steadfast determination and formidable ability to protect the UK and our interests. We have led the way in pursuing Russia's shadow fleet of vessels, sanctioning more oil tankers than any other nation and spearheading a 49-nation 'Call to Action' against the fleet.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to implement a NATO test for major defence projects procurement. \p Maria Eagle: We conducted a NATO test in the first 100 days of this Government.

As part of that work we are implementing a NATO test for major procurement decisions by mandating that NATO should be considered in all Ministry of Defence investment business cases. This is in the process of being implemented across the Department.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the (a) final assembly and (b) systems integration of the Fleet Solid Support Ships being constructed by Navantia will take place. \p Maria Eagle: The overall build strategy for the Fleet Solid Support ships remains unchanged. All three ships will be assembled from blocks manufactured in Harland & Wolff shipyards in the UK and Navantia's shipyards in Spain. Final assembly and systems integration of the ships is planned to take place in Belfast.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any part of the final assembly of the Fleet Solid Support ships is planned to take place in Spain under the revised Harland and Wolff contract. \p Maria Eagle: The Government has worked closely with Navantia UK (Prime Contractor) on the future of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme and agreed with them the minimum changes to the contract necessary - on commercial terms - to ensure its continued delivery. This includes minimising disruption to the current schedule as much as possible, including the impact on in-service dates which is still being assessed.

We are unable to comment on the details of the contract due to commercial sensitivities. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, safeguards the delivery of the FSS programme and secures the future of all four Harland & Wolff (H&W) shipyards in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Devon.

The overall build strategy for the FSS ships remains unchanged. All three ships will be assembled from blocks manufactured in H&W shipyards in the UK and Navantia's shipyards in Spain. Final assembly and systems integration of the ships is planned to take place in Belfast.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department collates information on (a) which flights use sustainable aviation fuel and (b) the proportion of sustainable aviation fuel used for flights (i) from a military airfield and (b) by a military vehicle. \p Maria Eagle: Due to the increasingly routine use of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the Department does not collate detailed information on which flights use blended SAF, nor the proportion of SAF used against individual flights. For example, alongside conventional fuel RAF Lossiemouth took delivery of over nine million litres of blended SAF in 2024 for routine use in refuelling all aircraft at the Station.

As part of the UK SAF mandate and the Government pathway to net-zero aviation, from 1 January 2025 all aviation fuel procured will include SAF.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December to Question 19737 on Ukraine: Military Aid, how many of the rounds of artillery ammunition delivered to Ukraine were procured since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2024 to Questions 19737, 19738 and 19740. For operational security reasons he will understand that it is not possible to provide more detailed procurement and delivery schedules.

This Government is steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. On 10 July 2024 the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide Ukraine with £3 billion a year of military support for as long as needed.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of small boats that will arrive in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2025. \p Stephen Doughty: In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for TCI Government so the UK does not hold detailed statistics on the number of boats entering TCI waters illegally. In 2023, TCI law enforcement authorities confirmed they had intercepted a total of 4,016 irregular migrants at sea. As of 8 October 2024, they reported 1,142 irregular migrants had been intercepted. The FCDO is unable to provide an estimate of the number of small boat arrivals for 2025.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the capabilities and (b) effectiveness of support for the Turks & Caicos Islands relating to illegal small boats. \p Stephen Doughty: Whilst immigration is a devolved responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government, the UK continues to support TCI in tackling irregular migration challenges and illicit maritime activity. I visited TCI in November 2024 and was briefed by National Security and Border Force leads, joined the maritime police patrol team and visited the maritime operations centre to see first-hand the impact of FCDO-funded advanced coastal sensors.

Further FCDO support on borders for TCI includes procuring new marine assets for the police that will arrive by February 2025 and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. HMS Medway, the Royal Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel based in the Caribbean, visited the TCI in November 2024 to provide reassurance and exercise with TCI authorities, including the TCI Regiment. I continue to discuss with ministerial colleagues additional support to bolster the resilience of TCI agencies.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the measures in place in the Turks and Caicos Islands to prevent the overspilling of violent crime from Haiti. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK Government is resolutely committed to supporting the security of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), including in addressing the impact of ongoing violent crime and its links to instability in Haiti. I visited TCI in November 2024 to understand better the security situation and I am in regular contact with colleagues in UK Government departments on how best we can collectively support TCI's response. The FCDO's support this past year has included: deploying privately contracted firearms officers; continuing to embed serious crime investigators within the police; and strengthening border security by procuring new marine assets due to arrive by February 2025, delivering advanced coastal sensors, and funding the accommodation of US air crews based in TCI to improve maritime surveillance. I personally met with the dedicated members of the Royal TCI Police and TCI Regiment and observed their teamwork at close hand, as did HMS Medway when she visited in November. We will continue to explore opportunities to work with the Governor and TCI Government on these challenges.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November to Question 12402 on Turks and Caicos Islands: Illegal Immigration, if he would ask the Turks and Caicos Islands government to to make available any data it holds on the number of citizens of) Haiti and b) Dominican Republic that are currently resident in Turks and Caicos. \p Stephen Doughty: In line with the Turks and Caicos (TCI) Constitution, immigration is a devolved matter for the TCI Government. Following a 2012 census, the latest published figures recorded the number of citizens from Haiti and the Dominican Republic as 10,928 and 1,541 respectively (or 34.7% and 5.9% of TCI's then population of 31,458).
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Chris Philp:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 18968 on Asylum: Sri Lanka, for what reason the migrants temporarily relocated to the UK were not relocated to St Helena. \p Stephen Doughty: The Memorandum of Understanding with St Helena signed on 15 October 2024 only applies to migrants who arrive on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) after that date. The then existing group of migrants on BIOT were not included within the arrangement.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs,  what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) North Korean troops in Ukraine and (b) transactional support with Russia for those troops on the security of (i) Japan and (ii) South Korea. \p Catherine West: The direct participation of DPRK troops in combat operations is another dangerous expansion of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security. This is a grave error by DPRK, who have already begun to suffer significant casualties. In return, Russia's deepening cooperation with DPRK and increased political, military, and economic support further exacerbates tensions on the Korean Peninsula and poses a greater risk to stability in the region and beyond. The Government will continue to consult and coordinate with our close partners in response to this dangerous development, including Japan and South Korea.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure UN Security Council Resolution 2118 on Syria is implemented. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has been clear. Syria must fulfil its international obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), as we stated at the OPCW Executive Council meeting on 12 December and at the UN Security Council on 17 December. While we welcome HTS's commitments to protect chemical weapons sites and never use these weapons under any circumstances, Syria must now take the next step, which is to comply with its obligations under UNSCR 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention and engage with the OPCW to declare fully its chemical weapons programme. The UK has recently announced an additional £120,000 of funding to OPCW to support its work on Syria.
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the content is of his response of 16 December 2024 to the Mauritian counterproposals to the UK/Mauritius draft agreement. \p Stephen Doughty: In a joint statement on 20 December, both the UK and Mauritius committed to finalising an agreement on the exercise of sovereignty over BIOT/Chagos as quickly as possible. It would not be appropriate to give a running commentary of ongoing engagement with Mauritius, however we will continue to work closely in good faith with the new Mauritian Government to conclude a deal that is in both sides' shared interests, including protecting the base on Diego Garcia. Both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the details of the Treaty in the usual way when it comes to Parliament before ratification.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many enforcement visits NSL Services Ltd made in (a) Bath and North East Somerset, (b) South Gloucestershire and (c) England in (i) September, (ii) October, (iii) November and (iv) December 2024. \p Lilian Greenwood: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost. A scan of both the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency’s and the NSL Services Ltd databases would be required. Subsequent manual scrutiny and organisation of the data would be necessary to obtain the information requested.
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Maureen Burke:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the waiting list for practical driving tests in Glasgow North East constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 18 December, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times. These steps include recruiting 450 driving examiners (DE) and improving rules for booking driving tests. Full details of these steps can be found on GOV.UK.

DVSA continues to aim to recruit new DEs into the driving test centres that serve the Glasgow North East constituency, and is currently working through the recruitment process from recent campaigns. From this, DVSA hopes to make offers to successful candidates in the new year.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the proposed number of platforms for HS2 at Euston Station from 11 to 6 on the economic case for HS2. \p Lilian Greenwood: The decision to reduce the number of platforms at Euston formed part of the overall changes to the HS2 programme made under the Network North announcement. The accounting officer assessment details the impacts of these changes on the value for money case for HS2. The accounting officer assessment is publicly available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-major-projects-portfolio-accounting-officer-assessments/continuing-investment-in-hs2-phase-1-accounting-officer-assessment-october-2023. Further clarification was provided to the Public Accounts Committee, which is publicly available at committees.parliament.uk/publications/42799/documents/212828/default/.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether plans for the development of Euston Station for HS2 include (a) provisions and (b) reserved space for potential expansion from six platforms. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport is working with key partners to develop affordable plans for the Euston Station. This will include consideration of options to allow future expansion of the HS2 station. We will set out more details in due course.
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Jim Dickson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Integrated National Transport Strategy will include measures to support the(a) efficiency and (b) decarbonisation of the logistics sector. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Strategy will set the high-level direction for how transport should change to better serve people and is currently in early development. Government recognises the importance of the logistics sector in delivering its missions and transport priorities, including driving economic growth and achieving net zero. We are committed to working with the sector to achieve this and will set out next steps in due course.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the net cost to the public purse was of Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 compensation to operators for disruption on the rail network in 2023-24. \p Simon Lightwood: Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 compensation transactions are primarily between bodies whose costs and revenues are included in the Department for Transport’s group budgets, therefore these have no net cost to the exchequer.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the formal response to the public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to create a new category for vehicles that park four wheels on pavements. \p Lilian Greenwood: In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on measures for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. We are assessing all options and will publish a formal response to the consultation, summarising the views received and announcing the Government’s next steps for pavement parking policy.

The formal consultation response will be available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to provide funding for the expansion of electric vehicle chargers in (a) Rutland and South Kesteven and (b) other rural areas. \p Lilian Greenwood: Rutland County Council was allocated £569,000 and Lincolnshire County Council, which South Kesteven sits within, was allocated £6,380,592 combined capital and resource funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to expand public chargepoints.

The £381m LEVI Fund will accelerate public chargepoints for drivers without off-street parking across England, including rural areas. LEVI funding allocations considered the level of rurality in an area. This meant local authorities in rural areas were allocated additional funding compared to urban ones.
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Patrick Hurley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure better value for money for motor insurance customers; and what steps she is taking to make car insurers more accountable. \p Lilian Greenwood: We are committed to tackling the increased costs of motor insurance to deliver on our manifesto commitment, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities.

The cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce, including the stakeholder panel, met for the first time on 16 October 2024. The Taskforce is currently exploring short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.

As it takes this work forwards, the Taskforce will continue to work closely with the independent Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Competition and Markets Authority. The FCA has launched a market study into the premium finance market and is undertaking work to analyse the cause of increased claims costs in the motor insurance market.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund is providing local authorities in England with over £380m to support the installation of tens of thousands of public chargepoints.

As well as significant funding, the Government continues to make it easier, quicker and cheaper to install chargepoints. In December, the Government announced that it will make changes to planning legislation to facilitate off-street chargepoint installations and to allow the use of street works permits for quicker charger deployment. The Government also published guidance to help local authorities with cross-pavement charging solutions and the results of a review to address common issues around EV infrastructure and grid connections.
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Peter Fortune:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the consultation entitled Registering historic, classic, rebuilt vehicles and vehicles converted to electric, published on 9 December 2024. \p Lilian Greenwood: The call for evidence on “Registering historic, classic, rebuilt vehicles and vehicles converted to electric” was published in line with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s accessible documents policy. This is available on https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency/about/accessible-documents-policy.

The ‘How to respond’ section of the call for evidence, also offered a mailbox address to request the document to be provided in an alternative format, which includes a paper copy and an audio format.
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Mike Reader:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including in the integrated national transport strategy measures to (a) help increase efficiency and (b) support decarbonisation in the logistics sector. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Strategy will set the high-level direction for how transport should change to better serve people and is currently in early development. Government recognises the importance of the logistics sector in delivering its missions and transport priorities, including driving economic growth and achieving net zero. We are committed to working with the sector to achieve this and will set out next steps in due course.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the safety of LED headlights on (a) cars and (b) other vehicles. \p Lilian Greenwood: National collision statistics, which can record headlamp dazzle as a contributory factor, do not show any discernible trend to suggest that advances in lighting technology are contributing negatively to road vehicle collisions.

However, noting increased public concern, Government has commissioned independent research to better understand the root causes of headlamp glare and develop potential countermeasures. This work is underway and is due to deliver in summer 2025.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989. \p Lilian Greenwood: All manufacturers must demonstrate that their vehicles and equipment comply with international vehicle approval requirements before they are permitted to offer their products for sale, and these include detailed provisions for vehicle lighting. The approval requirements are complemented by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 to ensure that vehicles operating on the roads of Great Britain continue to have effective and safe lighting systems whilst in service.

All vehicle lighting requirements, including the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, are kept under review and amended as necessary to account for advances in vehicle lighting technologies and emerging evidence to ensure regulatory effectiveness is maintained.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to speed up the delivery of planned electric vehicle charging stations. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government is taking several steps to speed up the delivery of both private and public electric vehicle chargepoints. In December, the Government announced that it will make changes to planning legislation to facilitate off-street chargepoint installations and to allow the use of street works permits for quicker charger deployment. As well as this, the Government published guidance to help local authorities with cross-pavement charging solutions and to address common issues around EV infrastructure and grid connections. In November, DESNZ and Ofgem also published a joint letter, setting out plans to reform the grid connections process.

Government also supports local authorities through the Local EV Infrastructure Fund to install tens of thousands of chargepoints and continues to offer electric vehicle chargepoint grants to flat owners, renters, small businesses, schools and charities to speed up rollout.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_198

Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the penalties are when the LAeq noise contour threshold at Stansted Airport is exceeded; and who enforces those noise restrictions. \p Mike Kane: Stansted Airport’s noise contour limit has been set through a local planning agreement. Enforcement of local planning conditions at Stansted Airport is a matter for the local authority, Uttlesford District Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_199

Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Port of Tyne on the navigability of the River Tyne and its performance as a navigation authority. \p Mike Kane: The department engages actively with many UK ports, including the Port of Tyne. However, the department has had no recent discussion with the port of Tyne on those specific points.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_200

Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress she has made on the prevention framework under the statutory levy; and if she will take steps to ensure that prevention work is undertaken independently from (a) the gambling industry and (b) organisations associated with that industry. \p Stephanie Peacock: As set out in the Government’s response to the consultation on the statutory levy, further consideration of the evidence is needed in order to appoint an appropriate body to lead the prevention strand of the levy system. We will confirm our decisions in due course. Prevention is a critical part of the government’s approach to tackling gambling-related harm and we need to take the time to get the policy right whilst ensuring that necessary legislation is passed to meet our commitment to having the levy in place by April 2025.

The Government is clear that the levy puts the independence of funding beyond doubt and industry will have no say over spending decisions. To guarantee sufficient accountability and transparency within the new system, including the use of funding allocated for prevention alongside research and treatment, we will establish appropriate governance arrangements consisting of a Levy Board for the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments to monitor the health and impact of the levy system, and an Advisory Group to provide informal advice to lead commissioning bodies regarding strategic and funding priorities. The UK government will also formally review the statutory levy system within five years with the first formal review expected by 2030.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_201

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help secure redress for victims of the collapse of Football Index. \p Stephanie Peacock: The collapse of BetIndex Ltd, the operators of the novel gambling product Football Index, had a significant impact on former customers, and we recognise that many people were affected, and that for some people financial losses were significant. The previous Government commissioned an Independent Review in June 2021, conducted by Malcom Sheehan KC and which reported in September 2021. The review looked at how the company had been regulated, and identified areas for improvement for the Financial Conduct Authority and the Gambling Commission. All recommendations of the report have since been implemented.

The previous Government concluded that it would not be appropriate for the Government to use public funds to provide compensation for those who had lost money through the collapse of Football Index and BetIndex. Whilst the Government strongly sympathises with all who were impacted, we do not think this decision should be reopened.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_202

Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board on the scheduled Champion's Trophy match with Afghanistan. \p Stephanie Peacock: The UK Government condemns the appalling erosion of women and girls’ rights in Afghanistan.

Participation in the ICC Champion’s Trophy match is a matter for the England and Wales Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council. My officials are in contact with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the wider issue of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team. We welcome the ECB’s strong representations to the ICC on this matter and will continue to work with them on what more can be done.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_203

Sarah Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether funding for the School Games Organiser network will continue beyond March 2025. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government has confirmed funding for the School Games Organisers (SGOs) until the end of the 2024/25 Academic Year. Funding beyond then will be confirmed ahead of the start of the 2025/26 Financial Year, with funding from April 2026 onwards subject to the ongoing Spending Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_204

Ann Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on funding for the Welsh National Opera. \p Chris Bryant: The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism has held a series of very productive meetings with the Wales Office, Welsh Government, Arts Council England, and Welsh National Opera to understand the issue in more detail and to see how, within the parameters of the arm’s length principle, DCMS can best help ensure a strong and secure future for the WNO.

The core point of agreement across all these meetings and across all partners was a recognition of the value of the Welsh National Opera and its work - both for the people of Wales, but also for people elsewhere in the UK. It was clear that all partners are keen to achieve a positive long-term future for the organisation, and are working towards that goal.

The Minister was pleased that this series of meetings was able to reassure everyone that all partners wanted to see a positive future for Welsh National Opera, that the funding bodies across the border will work more collaboratively in future and that the new leadership at the WNO have a clear idea of how to progress. Everyone wants to burnish and sustain the WNO so that as many people as possible in Wales and England have a chance to enjoy world class opera close to home. Funding decisions are for the Welsh Arts Council and Arts Council England, but I am confident that the WNO is in a strong place to succeed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_205

Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Section 5.2 of Adapting historic homes for energy efficiency: a review of the barriers, what progress has been made on Historic England’s review into the barriers to delivering the Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings. \p Chris Bryant: With reference to Section 5.2 of Adapting historic homes for energy efficiency: a review of the barriers, the findings showed that although requirements in retrofit standards are driving demand and increasing numbers of providers delivering the required standards, there has been concern in the sector about the quality of provision. Based on these findings, Historic England has been working with Cadw and Historic Environment Scotland to improve, revise and update the content of the award.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_206

Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support religious buildings of historic importance. \p Chris Bryant: There is a range of support available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies for listed places of worship. These include the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; the National Lottery Heritage Fund's £15m Heritage in Need: Places of Worship initiative, funded through the National Lottery between 2023 and 2026; the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), which funds repairs and maintenance of over 350 churches in the CCT portfolio; and Historic England's Heritage At Risk grants, which support certain religious buildings such as cathedrals on the Heritage at Risk register.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_207

Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18801 on European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) Bill, whether he received legal advice on that Bill. \p Fleur Anderson: I refer the Honourable Member to the Secretary of State’s reply of 17 December 2024 to Question 18801.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_208

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to support small businesses in Great Britain with the new General Product Safety Regulation requirements to maintain market access to Northern Ireland. \p Hilary Benn: The updated GPSR largely formalises how businesses are already operating in the UK. Where businesses need to make changes, we expect that they will be adapting anyway to be compliant with the new Regulation to continue trading with the EU.

On 3 December, the Department for Business and Trade’s Office for Product Safety and Standards published guidance for businesses on the application of the Regulation in Northern Ireland, which makes clear that authorities will continue to take a proportionate, risk-based, and intelligence-led approach to regulating the NI market, prioritising unsafe products.

DBT will continue to engage businesses directly to ensure they are familiar with the guidance and that the Government is supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK. My Department continues to have regular engagement with DBT on this new Regulation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-08 conversation_209

Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to give local authorities primary responsibility for building inspections. \p Alex Norris: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) registers and sets competency standards for all building inspectors. As part of that work, it is clear that there are capacity issues across the sector. We have invested £16.5 million to support capacity building in local authorities and continue to encourage all authorities to invest in this area.

We will keep the powers of building inspectors under review and are working to see if there are ways in which they should be strengthened. For all higher risk buildings, the BSR remains the building control authority.

The role of local authorities within the building control system is linked to recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report. The Government is carefully considering all such recommendations, and we will respond by March.