Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 on (a) the (i) agriculture, (ii) forestry and (iii) fishing industry, (b) the construction industry and (c) other sectors.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes.

We published a Call for Evidence last summer, seeking views on the details needed for the secondary legislation, targeted at those who may be affected by proposals, including the agricultural and construction sectors, manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement.

Over 200 responses were received, and we have further engaged with manufacturers and retailers on the detail. I am carefully considering responses before publishing the Government response.

Work has begun on the necessary secondary legislation regulations.

The Act will help prevent equipment from being stolen in the first place, and will have a deterrent effect by making it harder for criminals to sell on stolen machinery. The Act will also assist the police with identifying the owners of stolen equipment when it is recovered, and provide additional lines of enquiry.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to engage with stakeholders on the drafting of secondary legislation under the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023; and what his planned timescale is for bringing forward such legislation.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes.

We published a Call for Evidence last summer, seeking views on the details needed for the secondary legislation, targeted at those who may be affected by proposals, including the agricultural and construction sectors, manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement.

Over 200 responses were received, and we have further engaged with manufacturers and retailers on the detail. I am carefully considering responses before publishing the Government response.

Work has begun on the necessary secondary legislation regulations.

The Act will help prevent equipment from being stolen in the first place, and will have a deterrent effect by making it harder for criminals to sell on stolen machinery. The Act will also assist the police with identifying the owners of stolen equipment when it is recovered, and provide additional lines of enquiry.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 on (a) manufacturers, (b) consumers and (c) retailers.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes.

We published a Call for Evidence last summer, seeking views on the details needed for the secondary legislation, targeted at those who may be affected by proposals, including the agricultural and construction sectors, manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement.

Over 200 responses were received, and we have further engaged with manufacturers and retailers on the detail. I am carefully considering responses before publishing the Government response.

Work has begun on the necessary secondary legislation regulations.

The Act will help prevent equipment from being stolen in the first place, and will have a deterrent effect by making it harder for criminals to sell on stolen machinery. The Act will also assist the police with identifying the owners of stolen equipment when it is recovered, and provide additional lines of enquiry.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will review and amend the criteria for student finance applications based on compelling personal reasons to ensure they offer appropriate flexibility where students experience unavoidable delays beyond a single academic year in completing their course of study.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

Generally, standard entitlement to fee support on full time courses will be available for the duration of the course, plus one extra year if needed.

If a student needs to repeat a year of study due to compelling personal reasons (CPR), they may be entitled to an additional year of tuition fee funding, in addition to their standard entitlement. Only one such year can be awarded at a time. However, if the student fails the repeat year and Student Finance England (SFE) determines that the CPR criteria have been met, a further CPR year may be awarded.

Additionally, the regulations allow a current system student, who did not complete their previous, most recent course due to CPR to access fee support for one additional year. This fee support for an additional year will be provided in respect to the first year that the student takes of the current course. Provided that it was the most recent course that the student withdrew from for CPR, it does not matter how long ago they withdrew from that course.

The decision to award fee support due to CPR is for SFE to make based on the evidence provided and the individual merits of each case.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vessels over 15 metres in length are eligible for the pollack compensation scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

According to the most up to date Marine Management Organisation (MMO) landings data for 2023, there are no vessels over 15 metres in length eligible for the compensation scheme. As there is finite funding available, the pollack compensation scheme is focused on providing funding to vessel owners whose income is mainly derived from pollack and who made at least 30% of their reported landings income in 2023 from pollack. The MMO are currently verifying data and will reach out to eligible vessel owners in the coming days. Fishers who believe they meet the requirements of this scheme but have not heard from MMO by Monday 29^th April 2024 should contact MMO by sending an email to UKFisheriesSupport@marinemanagement.org.uk.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vessels between eight and ten metres in length are eligible for the pollack compensation scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

According to the most up to date MMO landings data for 2023, there are 11 vessels between eight and ten metres in length eligible for the compensation scheme. As there is finite funding available, the pollack compensation scheme is focused on providing funding to vessel owners whose income is mainly derived from pollack and who made at least 30% of their reported landings income in 2023 from pollack. The MMO are currently verifying data and will reach out to eligible vessel owners in the coming days. Fishers who believe they meet the requirements of this scheme but have not heard from MMO by Monday 29^th April 2024 should contact MMO by sending an email to UKFisheriesSupport@marinemanagement.org.uk.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vessels between 10 and 15 metres in length are eligible for the pollack compensation scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

According to the most up to date Marine Management Organisation (MMO) landings data for 2023, there are three vessels between 10 and 15 metres in length eligible for the compensation scheme. As there is finite funding available, the pollack compensation scheme is focused on providing funding to vessel owners whose income is mainly derived from pollack and who made at least 30% of their reported landings income in 2023 from pollack. The MMO are currently verifying data and will reach out to eligible vessel owners in the coming days. Fishers who believe they meet the requirements of this scheme but have not heard from MMO by Monday 29^th April 2024 should contact MMO by sending an email to UKFisheriesSupport@marinemanagement.org.uk.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vessels under eight metres in length are eligible for the pollack compensation scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

According to the most up to date MMO landings data for 2023, there are 34 vessels under eight metres in length eligible for the compensation scheme. As there is finite funding available, the pollack compensation scheme is focused on providing funding to vessel owners whose income is mainly derived from pollack and who made at least 30% of their reported landings income in 2023 from pollack. The MMO are currently verifying data and will reach out to eligible vessel owners in the coming days. Fishers who believe they meet the requirements of this scheme but have not heard from MMO by Monday 29^th April 2024 should contact MMO by sending an email to UKFisheriesSupport@marinemanagement.org.uk.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to small scale fleets that follow a seasonal fishery and will not achieve the 30 per cent of landings value required by the Pollack compensation scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The direction given was to support those businesses that have been most impacted by the bycatch-only TAC this year. As there is finite funding available, the pollack compensation scheme is focused on providing funding to vessel owners whose income is mainly derived from pollack and who made at least 30% of their reported landings income in 2023 from pollack.

Pollack fishers who are not eligible for compensation are still able to apply for grant funding from the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme, which provides funding on a first come first served basis.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Ministerial Direction in relation to a pollack compensation scheme, published on 10 April 2024, whether he received legal advice on the potential for this scheme to set a precedent.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Legal advice was sought ahead of the Direction to provide support to commercially registered vessel owners who were reliant on pollack for at least 30% of their reported landings income in 2023.

This is a unique situation; unlike other zero TAC stocks, there are some vessels that only target pollack, for whom a bycatch-only TAC could not help and whom are in some cases, highly dependent on pollack for their living.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the Pollack compensation scheme; and how his Department plans to fund this scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Using MMO landings data from 2023, approximately 50 vessels would be eligible for the scheme. In 2023 these vessels landed around 220 tonnes of pollack, with a value of around £800,000. Compensating for 50% of the 2023 value would cost around £400,000. This data is being verified by MMO.

Funding for the compensation will be found from Defra’s existing budget.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Pollack compensation scheme, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of compensating for shore-based supply chain losses as part of that scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The direction given was to support those vessel owners that have been most impacted by the bycatch only TAC this year. As there is finite funding available, the pollack compensation scheme is focused on providing funding to vessel owners whose income is mainly derived from pollack and who made at least 30% of their reported landings income in 2023 from pollack.

Shore based businesses, though not eligible for compensation, are still able to apply for grant funding from the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme, which provides funding on a first come first served basis.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which ports will be included in the Pollack Compensation Scheme; and how many vessels will be eligible in each port.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It is estimated that approximately 50 vessels will be eligible for the compensation scheme. The home ports of eligible vessels are being verified by MMO, and the majority are expected to be registered in Newlyn, Plymouth and Brixham. MMO will be reaching out to eligible vessel owners in the coming days, when we will be able to confirm the home ports of those eligible for the scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve access to mental health services.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have been expanding and transforming mental healthcare

In 2022/23 3.6 million people received secondary mental healthcare, and 1.2 million people accessed NHS talking therapies

This is an increase in the number of people receiving NHS mental health support of around 30% in just three years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much additional Strategic Priorities Grant recurrent funding was allocated to the Office for Students between financial years (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2024-25.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) is funding supplied by the government on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE), which includes funding for subjects that are expensive to deliver, such as science and engineering, students at risk of discontinuing their studies, and world-leading specialist providers. The department is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in additional funding over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to support high quality teaching and facilities, including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.

In the 2022/23 financial year, the total recurrent SPG funding was £1,397 million. This was increased to £1,454 million for the 2023/24 financial year. The department has recently provided a budget of £1,456 million in recurrent SPG for the 2024/25 financial year.

Found: The sha dow minister for farming, food and fisheri es, Daniel Zeichner, said: The opposition welcome

Found: The sha dow minister for farming, food and fisheri es, Daniel Zeichner, said: The opposition welcome