Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) units have been rented privately in each year since 2019; what the (a) average, (b) longest and (c) shortest timeframe for renters having been given notice to quit has been since 2019; and how many of his Department's sites on which SFA is located have had 10 or more notices to quit served in the same calendar month since 2019.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The number and percentage of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties that have been rented privately in each year since 2019 is shown in the table below:

Sites where ten or more Notices to Quit (NTQ) have been served at the same time are:

In line with standard procedure, occupants who have been served a NTQ are provided with 65 days’ notice as specified within the tenancy agreement. However, individual specific circumstances will be taken into account where there are extenuating circumstances, as is the case at RAF Henlow, where one year’s notice has been given.

The average timeframe for a NTQ could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release of 11 December 2023 entitled British minehunting ships to bolster Ukrainian Navy as UK and Norway launch maritime support initiative, whether the two Sandown Class minehunters procured by Ukraine through UK Export Finance have arrived in Ukraine.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

It would not be appropriate to discuss specifics of the vessels transiting to Ukrainian waters.

The Ukrainian crew of the vessels are currently undergoing training around UK waters, which has included participation in a multinational Mine Counter Measures exercise. The Royal Navy will continue to support these efforts and remains ready to assist with the transit of the vessels to Ukrainian waters, when appropriate.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on improving the effectiveness of money laundering regulations.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Officials and Ministers regularly meet the Financial Conduct Authority in its capacity as the supervisor of financial institutions for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing purposes.

On 11 March 2024 HM Treasury launched a consultation on improving the effectiveness of the Money Laundering Regulations (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-effectiveness-of-the-money-laundering-regulations).

HM Treasury officials will be engaging with key stakeholders, including among others the FCA, throughout the consultation process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidies to patients with severe eye prescription glasses.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Health Service optical vouchers to help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses are available for eligible groups, including children and people on income-related benefits, and through the NHS low-income scheme. There are ten optical vouchers ranging from £42.40 to £233.56, depending on the strength of the optical lenses. Help is also available through the NHS complex lens voucher, for any individuals prescribed complex lenses, provided they meet the clinical criteria. The cost of glasses will be set by individual optical practices, and because prices can vary, we would always advise that individuals shop around.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings Ministers in her Department have had with officials at Central Bedfordshire Council on the transition from a three to two tier school system in Central Bedfordshire.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Officials from the East of England Regions Group have a weekly schedule of meetings with Central Bedfordshire officials, where a member of its Schools for the Future Programme responsible for the transition from a three to two tier school system is available to provide updates on the programme. In addition, on 23 February 2024, the department held a specific meeting where Central Bedfordshire officials provided an update on the progress of its three to two tier transition.

No Ministerial meetings were held in 2023 or 2024 with Central Bedfordshire Council to discuss its plans to move from a three to two-tier educational system.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings officials in her Department have had with Central Bedfordshire Council officers on the transition from a three to two tier school system in Central Bedfordshire.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Officials from the East of England Regions Group have a weekly schedule of meetings with Central Bedfordshire officials, where a member of its Schools for the Future Programme responsible for the transition from a three to two tier school system is available to provide updates on the programme. In addition, on 23 February 2024, the department held a specific meeting where Central Bedfordshire officials provided an update on the progress of its three to two tier transition.

No Ministerial meetings were held in 2023 or 2024 with Central Bedfordshire Council to discuss its plans to move from a three to two-tier educational system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraphs 8.1 to 8.5 of his Department's guidance entitled, Inclusive Mobility: A guide to best practice on access to pedestrian and transport infrastructure, published in December 2021, if he will publish updated guidance on the design of regular parking spaces to increase accessibility for disabled people who are not blue badge holders.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials have ongoing discussions with the British Parking Association on a variety of issues. The Department has no current plans for increasing the minimum size for on-street car parking bays to accommodate larger vehicles.

The minimum size of on-street parking bays is regulated through the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. Local authorities may already provide larger bays if they wish.

The design of off-street car park facilities is governed by Building Regulations which specify requirements in relation to accessibility, structural design and fire safety.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with the British Parking Association on the potential (a) merits of amending guidelines on the statutory minimum size of parking bays and (b) impact of increasing the size of parking bays on disabled people.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials have ongoing discussions with the British Parking Association on a variety of issues. The Department has no current plans for increasing the minimum size for on-street car parking bays to accommodate larger vehicles.

The minimum size of on-street parking bays is regulated through the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. Local authorities may already provide larger bays if they wish.

The design of off-street car park facilities is governed by Building Regulations which specify requirements in relation to accessibility, structural design and fire safety.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a minimum size for car parking bays to accommodate larger vehicles.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials have ongoing discussions with the British Parking Association on a variety of issues. The Department has no current plans for increasing the minimum size for on-street car parking bays to accommodate larger vehicles.

The minimum size of on-street parking bays is regulated through the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. Local authorities may already provide larger bays if they wish.

The design of off-street car park facilities is governed by Building Regulations which specify requirements in relation to accessibility, structural design and fire safety.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of treatment for glioma on the NHS.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new licensed medicines, including medicines for glioma, to determine whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NICE aims to publish guidance on new medicines as close as possible to licensing. Any medicine for glioma, recommended in draft NICE guidance, will be eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point a positive draft guidance is published, in line with the standard arrangements for cancer medicines.

On 24 April 2024, the NICE published draft guidance recommending a new treatment for glioma in children and young people that will be available to eligible patients once supply of the treatment is available.

There are currently no licensed dendritic cell therapies for glioma. A number of dendritic cell therapies are in development for the treatment of glioma, and any new licensed and NICE recommended treatments would be funded by NHS England, in line with NICE’s recommendations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to provide dendric cell therapy for glioma.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new licensed medicines, including medicines for glioma, to determine whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NICE aims to publish guidance on new medicines as close as possible to licensing. Any medicine for glioma, recommended in draft NICE guidance, will be eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point a positive draft guidance is published, in line with the standard arrangements for cancer medicines.

On 24 April 2024, the NICE published draft guidance recommending a new treatment for glioma in children and young people that will be available to eligible patients once supply of the treatment is available.

There are currently no licensed dendritic cell therapies for glioma. A number of dendritic cell therapies are in development for the treatment of glioma, and any new licensed and NICE recommended treatments would be funded by NHS England, in line with NICE’s recommendations.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many meetings of the Net Zero Innovation Board have taken place since February 2023.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Net Zero Innovation Board provides strategic oversight of government funding of net zero innovation programmes and has met four times since February 2023 – in July, October and December 2023 and March 2024.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Net Zero Innovation Board last met.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Net Zero Innovation Board provides strategic oversight of government funding of net zero innovation programmes and has met four times since February 2023 – in July, October and December 2023 and March 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) officials in his Department on compensation and support for affected Equitable Life policyholders.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016 and there are no plans to reopen any previous decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department provides financial support to (a) schools, (b) academy trusts and (c) local authorities for the cost of (i) overheads and (ii) maintenance required under the terms of private finance initiative contracts.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools PFI contract covers two schools and was signed on 22^nd December 2003.

The department’s private finance initiative (PFI) Revenue Support Grant (RSG) funding for the Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools Project is paid to the Local Authority, Central Bedfordshire Council, rather than directly to schools. No payments are made by the department to Bedfordshire Schools Trust Ltd in relation to the Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools PFI contract. The department has paid PFI RSG funding of £1,886,314 for each of the last ten years from 2014/15 to 2023/24 to Central Bedfordshire Council. All payments under Mid Bedfordshire Schools PFI Project to Bedfordshire Schools Trust Ltd are made by Central Bedfordshire Council.

The department supports local authorities that entered schools PFI contracts by providing Revenue Support Grant funding for the term of the PFI contract, which is normally 25 years. Central Bedfordshire Council, as the contracting party to Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools Project PFI agreement, combines RSG grant funding from the department, plus additional funds from their own resources, to pay the PFI unitary charge to the contractor. The schools within each PFI contract ordinarily contribute towards the cost of the facilities. This applies equally to maintained schools and to academies.

The department also supports schools that have unavoidable extra premises costs related to their PFI contracts through the ‘PFI factor’ in the schools national funding formula (NFF). This funding is paid out to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and is then allocated to schools by local authorities through their own local formulae.

The PFI factor only covers unavoidable extra premises costs, primarily related to the building itself. Costs which all schools face, such as facilities management and energy costs should be covered by the funding schools receive from the other formula factors in their local authority’s funding formula.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has given to (a) schools in Mid Bedfordshire and (b) Galliford Try in relation to the PFI contract between Central Bedfordshire Council and Galliford Try in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools PFI contract covers two schools and was signed on 22^nd December 2003.

The department’s private finance initiative (PFI) Revenue Support Grant (RSG) funding for the Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools Project is paid to the Local Authority, Central Bedfordshire Council, rather than directly to schools. No payments are made by the department to Bedfordshire Schools Trust Ltd in relation to the Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools PFI contract. The department has paid PFI RSG funding of £1,886,314 for each of the last ten years from 2014/15 to 2023/24 to Central Bedfordshire Council. All payments under Mid Bedfordshire Schools PFI Project to Bedfordshire Schools Trust Ltd are made by Central Bedfordshire Council.

The department supports local authorities that entered schools PFI contracts by providing Revenue Support Grant funding for the term of the PFI contract, which is normally 25 years. Central Bedfordshire Council, as the contracting party to Mid Bedfordshire Upper Schools Project PFI agreement, combines RSG grant funding from the department, plus additional funds from their own resources, to pay the PFI unitary charge to the contractor. The schools within each PFI contract ordinarily contribute towards the cost of the facilities. This applies equally to maintained schools and to academies.

The department also supports schools that have unavoidable extra premises costs related to their PFI contracts through the ‘PFI factor’ in the schools national funding formula (NFF). This funding is paid out to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and is then allocated to schools by local authorities through their own local formulae.

The PFI factor only covers unavoidable extra premises costs, primarily related to the building itself. Costs which all schools face, such as facilities management and energy costs should be covered by the funding schools receive from the other formula factors in their local authority’s funding formula.