Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to help prevent further discharges of raw sewage into (a) the River Yare and (b) other waters near Great Yarmouth.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is the first Government to take such significant steps to tackle sewage overflows, including those near Great Yarmouth. We have been repeatedly clear to water companies that they must tackle sewage overflows urgently, and the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will deliver the largest infrastructure investment in water company history to clean up our rivers. Under the Environment Act we have improved monitoring and the transparency of data related to sewage overflows. Event Duration Monitors will be fully rolled out by 2023. This will help monitor local sewage impacts and hold water companies to account to deliver rapid improvements.
On a local level, so far in 2022 the Environment Agency has brought 8 prosecutions against Anglian Water, with over £1.75 million in fines issued. On 30th November we released this year's bathing water classifications. I’m pleased that the beaches in Great Yarmouth and the surrounding area were all classified as 'Excellent' for their water quality in 2022.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to taxation for renewable energy companies will have on the creation of new Green jobs as part of (a) The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and (b) the Net Zero Strategy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The economic and fiscal impact of changes in tax policy are factored into the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts. Further detail is available in the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook which is published at fiscal events. The Electricity Generator Levy is a temporary tax, on extraordinary returns being realised from certain electricity generators because of high gas prices, driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Government expects to see the continued growth of the UK renewable energy industry, bringing with it jobs and economic growth. The Ten Point Plan, Net Zero Strategy and British Energy Security Strategy will support up to 480,000 jobs.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of ongoing (a) rail and (b) postal strikes on small businesses.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Strike action by its very nature is disruptive to the economy. That is why it should always be a last resort and the Government always encourages unions and employers to seek a resolution of disputes before strike action takes place.
While the Government recognises the importance of the right to strike, we need to balance this against the need to protect the public and keep them safe. The Government is therefore reviewing our industrial relations legal framework to ensure that it gets this balance right. More details will be given in due course.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help improve the financial literacy of (a) young people and (b) the wider population.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Financial education supports young people to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions, and know where to seek further information when needed.
Financial education is included in the National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages. Pupils should be taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management, and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils should be educated on income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and the need to understand financial risk, including any emerging financial trends.
The mathematics curriculum includes an emphasis on the essential arithmetic that primary pupils should be taught. A grasp of mathematics underpins pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money. This includes, for example, using percentages. The secondary mathematics curriculum develops pupils’ understanding in relation to more complex personal finance issues, such as calculating loan repayments, interest rates, and compound interest.
In November 2021, the Money and Pensions Service published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England to support head teachers. The guidance is available at: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.
The Department and the Money and Pensions Service are planning a series of joint financial education webinars during this academic year. These are aimed at promoting the importance of financial education, improving pupils’ understanding, and improving teachers' confidence.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) park home residents and (b) other people who who do not have their own energy contract and will receive support through the Energy Bill Support Scheme in (i) Great Yarmouth, (ii) Norfolk and (iii) the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
It is estimated that the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding will provide support to around 900,000 households across the UK who do not qualify for the Energy Bills Support Scheme because they do not have a direct relationship with an energy supplier. Of these, it is estimated that up to 125,000 households may be in park homes. The Government has not made estimates of the figures for Great Yarmouth or Norfolk.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help support communities that are tackling identified deficits in (a) green and (b) amenity spaces in Great Yarmouth.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Great Yarmouth is one of many places around the country that is benefitting from our mission to level up the UK. The Norfolk Devolution Deal, signed on 8 December, will provide £600 million over 30 years, allowing Norfolk to invest in its local residents’ and businesses’ priorities. Further to this, Great Yarmouth has received funding through the Levelling Up Parks Fund, the Towns Fund, and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will help create new or refurbished green spaces where they are needed most in the area, catalyse wider investment to support regeneration, recovery, jobs, and growth, and identify the area’s own needs and capitalise on its strengths to build pride in places and improve life prospects.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to consult (a) businesses and (b) domestic consumers on whether to amend the Postal Services Act 2011 to allow Royal Mail to operate a five-day letter delivery service.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has no current plans to change the statutory minimum requirements of the universal postal service which are set out in the Postal Services Act 2011.
Ofcom, the statutory regulator for postal services, conducted a user needs review in 2020 which included consultation with businesses and domestic consumers. It concluded that 97% of Small and Medium sized enterprises, and residential consumers combined felt that 5 days of letter delivery was sufficient for their needs.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he plans to take to encourage further regeneration of vacant brownfield sites.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government strongly encourages the re-use of brownfield land. National policy already sets out that planning policies and decisions should make efficient use of land and give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land.
The Government has already introduced a range of policy and funding incentives to support the development of brownfield land and the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will further empower local leaders to regenerate towns and cities by strengthening and adding to existing measures. For example, it will provide:
Further to this, we have committed to launching a review to identify further measures that would prioritise the use of brownfield land.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure the fair allocation of arts funding in (a) Great Yarmouth, (b) other coastal communities and (c) the UK.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Arts Council England (ACE), which distributes public funding at arm’s length from the Government, is committed to supporting arts and culture across the whole country, including coastal communities. To this end, ACE has recently announced the outcome of its 2023–26 Investment Programme, which will be investing £446 million each year in arts and culture across England. Organisations right across the country are facing challenges, and it is right that support from the taxpayer is fairly distributed. This funding will now support 990 organisations – a record number – across the whole of England and will give people across the country, including those in coastal communities, more opportunities to access high-quality culture on their doorstep.
ACE and DCMS jointly identified 109 Levelling Up for Culture Places – places which historically have had low investment in arts and culture or lower levels of participation – which will be targeted for additional Arts Council England investment. These places include a number of coastal communities such as the Isle of Wight, Great Yarmouth, Torbay, and Barrow-in-Furness.
Between 2020 and 2023, across all programmes Arts Council England has allocated almost £2.3 million of lottery and exchequer funding to Great Yarmouth – including support for The Seachange Trust. Arts Council England recently announced that The Seachange Trust in Great Yarmouth will now receive an increased level of funding, totalling over £1.7 million over the next three years as part of the 2023–26 Investment Programme.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential economic benefits of dualling the A47 (a) in its entirety and (b) Acle Straight.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The A47 in East Anglia has and continues to receive significant investment as part of the first and second Road Investment Strategies. National Highways is finalising its route strategies that will inform the third Road Investment Strategy beyond 2025. Further investment along this corridor will be considered principally within the East of England route strategy. The route strategies for RIS3 will be published in early 2023.