Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to plans set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan published in March 2023 to work with a delivery partner and regional expert partnerships to implement a Change Programme, if she will publish tender documents for the appointment of that delivery partner.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
On the 6 March, the department published the invitation to tender for the Delivery Partner to support the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Change Programme, with a closing date of the 17 April. This was done through the department’s Management Consultancy Framework 3, inviting interested organisations to bid for the contract.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the use of existing weirs to generate renewable energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Hydropower accounts for approximately 2% of total electricity generation in the UK. Most current deployment is in a small run of river projects which tend to be relatively expensive.
Studies in Scotland, England and Wales indicate that there is a maximum remaining technical potential of around 1.5GW for small-scale hydro, including existing weirs.
Economic and environmental constraints mean that in practice the viable remaining resource is less than 1GW, which represents less than 1% of total generation capacity, so is not a significant contributor to the Government's future generation plans
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the value for money it has achieved by investing in (a) all active travel schemes and (b) cycling schemes.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Value for money is one of several factors the Department considers when evaluating the effect of its investments. Investment in active travel schemes typically delivers high value for money.
Increased rates of active travel can deliver mental and physical health benefits, improvements to the quality of journeys made, and benefits associated with mode shift from motor vehicles, such as improved air quality and reduced congestion. Investment in active travel schemes also supports the government’s decarbonisation strategy by increasing the number of trips made using carbon neutral modes.
The average benefit-cost ratio, weighted by scheme cost, for Active Travel Fund 4 estimated that for every £1 of investment in active travel infrastructure schemes, there would be a return £2.40 of economic, social, and environmental benefits.
Behaviour change interventions funded by the Department have been estimated by our delivery partners to have a benefit cost ratio of 2.5 in 2021/22 for the Big Bike Revival and 5.5 in 2022/23 for Walk to School Outreach programmes.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
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 Plan for Water, published in April 2023, if she will take steps to ensure that existing weirs are not removed without (a) a full assessment of their potential use for hydroelectric power (b) a local consultation carried out by the Environment Agency.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Through the development of the River Basin Management Plans, the Environment Agency evaluates in each water body where redundant physical modifications are damaging ecology and should be removed. Not all physical modifications are redundant and able to be removed, for example straightened rivers. More information is publicly available at: Physical modifications: challenges for the water environment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Environment Agency evaluates key criteria when determining if a weir is removed including ownership, use(s), condition, maintenance costs, any associated risks and additional benefits that the physical modifications provide. These evaluations consider local site-specific factors too, such as biodiversity, flood mitigation, water supply and other ecosystem services.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
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 Plan for Water, published in April 2023, how will her Department determine which physical modifications are redundant and should be removed.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Through the development of the River Basin Management Plans, the Environment Agency evaluates in each water body where redundant physical modifications are damaging ecology and should be removed. Not all physical modifications are redundant and able to be removed, for example straightened rivers. More information is publicly available at: Physical modifications: challenges for the water environment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Environment Agency evaluates key criteria when determining if a weir is removed including ownership, use(s), condition, maintenance costs, any associated risks and additional benefits that the physical modifications provide. These evaluations consider local site-specific factors too, such as biodiversity, flood mitigation, water supply and other ecosystem services.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 March 2023, HCWS625, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the active travel budget for the remainder of the Parliament from £308 million to £100 million on his Department meeting its active travel goals.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department projects that around £3 billion will be invested in active travel over the five years to 2025, from a wide range of different funding streams, more than any previous Government has invested. The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. The Department will provide an updated assessment in its next report to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many votes each of the six shortlisted locations for the new national headquarters for Great British Railways received in the public vote conducted between 5 July and 15 August 2022.
Answered by Huw Merriman
We will announce the chosen location for the Great British Railways Headquarters (GBR HQ) before Easter. A number of factors are being considered, including the result of the public vote. The number of votes cast for each location will be made public when we announce the winner.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that HMRC payroll compliance checks are (a) manageable and (b) proportionate for businesses.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
HMRC strive to ensure that all of the compliance checks carried out, including those on payroll compliance, are proportionate and manageable for those that we deal with. During a check, our officers will only request information and documents that are needed to check the customer’s tax position. They work with the customer to ensure any deadline to provide information is reasonable and achievable, considering the size and nature of the request. HMRC officials regularly engage Treasury officials and Ministers on compliance strategy, approach and priorities.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether officials at his Department have had discussions with their counterparts at HMRC on the Department's policy for conducting compliance investigations of businesses' payrolls in the period since the outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
HMRC strive to ensure that all of the compliance checks carried out, including those on payroll compliance, are proportionate and manageable for those that we deal with. During a check, our officers will only request information and documents that are needed to check the customer’s tax position. They work with the customer to ensure any deadline to provide information is reasonable and achievable, considering the size and nature of the request. HMRC officials regularly engage Treasury officials and Ministers on compliance strategy, approach and priorities.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an independent regulator which monitors the treatment of direct suppliers in the fashion industry, similar to the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
In response to the single enforcement body consultation published in 2021, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to continue engaging with the enforcement bodies and industry partners to strengthen our understanding of the garment trade. We will continue to review this issue and consider options to drive up standards across the sector.