Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) serious and (b) fatal incidents have occurred at level crossings in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The number of fatalities and serious injuries at level crossings in Great Britain in each of the last five years is set out in the table below. This covers each reporting year and available data from April 2020 to March 2025.
| Person type | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/2025 |
Fatalities (excluding suicide) | Pedestrian | 7 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
Road Vehicle Occupant | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Train Occupant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 5 | |
Serious injuries | Pedestrian | 4 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
Road Vehicle Occupant | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Train Occupant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 4 |
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the criteria used to assess applications for transport Development Consent Order projects.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State sets out her considerations in her decision letters for each Development Consent Order. This will take into account relevant legislation, national policy statements and other relevant policy as well as national carbon budget commitments. She also follows public law considerations relating to good decision making and procedural fairness to ensure that interested parties have the opportunity to be heard. The Secretary of State takes account of the evidence before her, only considering relevant matters, and provides appropriate reasoning to support her decision making. Information about the Development Consent Order process and its requirements are available on gov.uk: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/decision-making-process-guide.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to ensure restrictive leasehold legislation is not a barrier to registered childminding businesses being able to run from their homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The terms of a lease will set out whether individual leaseholders are able to start a childminding business in their home, and leaseholders should refer to their lease to determine whether any relevant restrictions apply.
Restrictive terms under the lease may be in place for a number of reasons in residential buildings, including to protect other residents’ rights. Landlords and residents may also be restricted from running businesses from their homes under insurance and mortgage conditions.
Leaseholders may be able to negotiate certain changes to the lease, by varying the lease agreement and they should speak with their landlord in the first instance. Leaseholders can also get free information and initial advice from the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE).
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
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 ensure that parliamentary scrutiny of child and young people's mental health policy is supported by transparent ministerial accountability in the House of Commons.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers in the Department take their accountability to Parliament very seriously and we welcome the role of hon. Members in championing the interests of children, young people and their families, raising awareness of the issues affecting their mental health and in scrutinising our policies and holding the Government to account.
Parliamentary scrutiny of the Government’s policies on children and young people's mental health is evidenced through our written ministerial statements, including the statement made on 27 March 2025 on Mental Health: Expected Spend for 2025-26, our contributions to debates such as the one on Eating Disorder Awareness that took place on 1 April 2025, in our evidence to committees, our responses to Members’ oral and written questions and through the House’s scrutiny of the Mental Health Bill during its first and second readings and its recently completed committee stage.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of rent under-valuation by the Valuation Office Agency on the ability of GPs to secure appropriate premises to meet patient demand in areas with high property costs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has worked closely with NHS England to consider the ability to deliver new purpose-built primary health care facilities within the current economic setting.
In the case of new developments, the Valuation Office Agency’s District Valuer Service (DVS) is commissioned by NHS England to offer an opinion on the proposed lease terms and lease rent of these new facilities, reflecting all value-significant attributes of the premises, including the premises location. In arriving at opinions of Current Market Rent (CMR), DVS valuers utilise the comparable valuation approach, identifying the best available evidence which is subject to analysis, adjustment, and weighting in order to apply to the subject property. This is in line with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ professional standard, Comparable Evidence in Real Estate Valuation, 1st edition. The relative value of individual locations, including high value areas, is fully considered and assessed by the valuer when arriving at an opinion of the CMR.
As an adviser, DVS are not under-valuing any schemes or properties, but stating what the local market rent may be, with regard to relevant local market comparable evidence.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) NHS England and (b) local Integrated Care Boards on the impact of rent under-valuation by the Valuation Office Agency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the Valuation Office work collectively on a practical level to provide support to integrated care boards in instances where rental levels for new primary care investments are deemed insufficient or unviable, and jointly test options and variation of terms to create financial viability, where possible.
There is no under-valuation presented by the District Valuer Service, as rents are assessed based on Current Market Rent and are relative to comparable value-significant attributes and evidence within the market.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to issue updated guidance to the Valuation Office Agency to ensure that valuation methodologies for primary care premises reflect local market conditions in regions with high property costs.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency’s District Valuer Services (DVS) provide property advice to NHS bodies in England, including Current Market Rent (CMR) assessments for GP practice premises, under the NHS (General Medical Services - Premises Costs) Directions 2024.
DVS is instructed in accordance with the Directions to provide assessments of Current Market Rent. These are provided reflecting all value significant attributes of the premises including the premises location.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Valuation Office Agency’s reliance on national or broad regional comparables without regional weighting on valuations for primary care infrastructure in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) other high cost areas.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency’s District Valuer Services (DVS) provide property advice to NHS bodies in England, including Current Market Rent (CMR) assessments for GP practice premises, under the NHS (General Medical Services - Premises Costs) Directions.
DVS is instructed in accordance with the Directions, to assess the financial value for money aspect of proposed new lease terms including rent for both existing premises and for third-party development schemes.
DVS then provide advice to the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to assist the ICB with their decision on the assessment of Value for Money in supporting a proposal.
In arriving at opinions of CMR, DVS valuers utilise the comparable valuation approach, identifying the best available evidence which is subject to analysis, adjustment and weighting in order to apply to the subject property. This is in line with the RICS professional standard Comparable evidence in real estate valuation, 1st edition.
Location is an important factor in the valuation process and the relative value of individual locations, including high value areas, is fully considered and assessed by the valuer in arriving at an opinion of CMR.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of Valuation Office Agency practices on the ability of Integrated Care Boards to release (a) capital and (b) revenue funding for new GP premises.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency’s District Valuer Services (DVS) provide property advice to NHS bodies in England, including Current Market Rent (CMR) assessments for GP practice premises, under the NHS (General Medical Services - Premises Costs) Directions.
DVS is instructed in accordance with the Directions, to assess the financial value for money aspect of proposed new lease terms including rent for both existing premises and for third-party development schemes.
DVS then provide advice to the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to assist the ICB with their decision on the assessment of Value for Money in supporting a proposal.
Decisions on capital and/or revenue funding lie with the ICB.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to consult Parliament on changes to Immigration removal centres, announced on 11 June 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
No changes to the immigration removal estate have been announced since plans to open Campsfield House and Haslar Immigration Removal Centres were announced in 2022.