Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Navy is taking to work with Joint Expeditionary Force partners and NATO to protect critical underwater cables and pipelines.
Answered by James Heappey
The Royal Navy routinely coordinate operations with Joint Expeditionary Force and NATO partners, recognising our shared interests in critical infrastructure and its protection.
The Government regards subsea cables and pipelines as critical to our national and international infrastructure and therefore monitors a variety of risks they face. Moreover, subsea internet cables are specifically considered within the UK's National Risk Assessment. Detailing security arrangements made to protect such cables and pipelines from sabotage would be likely to prejudice the purpose of safeguarding their security, and with it, national security.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a statement on dentistry.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
In July 2022 the Department announced a package of improvements to the National Health Service dental system, detailed in ‘Our plan for patients’, many of which came into effect before the end of 2022. We know that we must go further, which is why we are again working with the sector and NHS England to consider further changes to improve the system. We will announce these changes shortly.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies on the charging of Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law in Hong Kong of the potential visit in April 2023 of Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Hong Kong Government.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We have been clear that the deliberate targeting of journalists and businessmen such as Mr Lai under the National Security Law (NSL) is unacceptable. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific met with Mr Lai's international Legal team on 10 January and diplomats at the Consulate-General in Hong Kong will continue to attend Mr Lai's court proceedings. We have taken a number of measures in response to the situation in Hong Kong, including the bespoke immigration route for BN(O)s, the suspension of the UK-Hong Kong extradition treaty and the extension of the arms embargo applied to China to Hong Kong. We will continue to use our channels with the Hong Kong and Chinese Governments to raise our strong objection to the NSL and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of business rates and VAT for (a) micro businesses and (b) SMEs.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
On business rates, the Government has announced a package of support worth £13.6 billion for businesses over the next five years. Together with the revaluation, this package ensures bills will more accurately reflect current market values whilst protecting businesses from large bill increases.
The Government's generous Small Business Rate Relief scheme sees over a third of properties (720,000) pay no business rates at all, with an additional 76,000 in the taper seeing their bills reduced. Combined with an updated Retail, Hospitality & Leisure (RHL) relief, 80% of RHL properties will see bills fall or stay the same at the 2023 Revaluation, protecting the UK's high street businesses.
The Government is also providing over £500 million of support over the next three years with a new Supporting Small Business scheme. This will cap bill increases to £50 per month (£600 per year) for businesses losing some or all of their Small Business or Rural Rate Relief due to the revaluation.
The Government recognises that accounting for VAT can be a burden on businesses. This is why, at £85,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether.
Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no current plans to change the levels of VAT.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children who were registered at schools in England prior to the covid-19 outbreak and who are no longer registered for reasons other than having passed statutory school age.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children who were registered at schools in England before the covid-19 outbreak and who, having deregistered during that outbreak, are now once more entered on school rolls.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children living in the Isle of Wight who were registered at a school prior to the covid-19 outbreak and who are no longer registered for reasons other than having exceeded statutory school age.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who will receive the second cost of living payment on the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The estimated number of benefit units eligible for the means-tested benefit cost of living payment in the Isle of Wight Westminster parliamentary constituency is 17,900.
There are an estimated 18,500 individuals who are eligible for the disability cost of living payment in the Isle of Wight constituency.
The Department for Work and Pensions has published an Impact Assessment on the Cost of Living Payments. Further information can be found here: SocSec(AdditionalPayments)IA.pdf (parliament.uk)
The pensioner cost of living payment will be delivered through the Winter Fuel Payment. The number of Winter Fuel Payments awarded in the Isle of Wight constituency in winter 2021 to 2022 was 37,903. Statistics for the Winter of 2022 to 2023 will be published in September 2023. A full breakdown of Winter Fuel statistics can be found here: Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2020 to 2021 and winter 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the British energy security strategy, published on 7 April 2022, on the offshore wind industry on the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As set out in the British Energy Security Strategy, the UK has an ambition to deploy up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, and the Government estimates that around 90,000 direct and indirect jobs could be supported by the offshore wind sector by 2030.
These jobs offer opportunities throughout the UK, including to the Isle of Wight, where Vestas Wind Systems A/S is already a key employer.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will provide schools on the Isle of Wight with funding for systematic synthetic phonics programmes.
Answered by Nick Gibb
In 2018, the Department launched the £26.3 million English Hubs Programme, which is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The 34 English Hubs in the programme are primary schools which are outstanding at teaching early reading. A further £17 million has been allocated for this school to school improvement programme, which focusses on systematic synthetic phonics, early language, and reading for pleasure.
Schools on the Isle of Wight may contact their nearest English Hub, Springhill Catholic Primary, if they wish to receive funding support for phonics. The hub has, so far, recruited one partner school on the Isle of Wight and is actively reaching out to other eligible schools, including planning an Isle of Wight specific engagement event in the coming term.