Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that (a) publicly and (b) privately owned water and sewerage companies fulfil the duty to provide details of water abstraction and sewerage discharges to the public upon request; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
All data held by the Environment Agency on water abstractions, sewage treatment effluents or sewage related discharges is Environmental Information and available on request or in some cases is published on GOV.UK.
Water and sewerage companies have published Event and Duration Monitoring (EDM) data relating to sewage discharges annually since 2020 that can be found here. The 2022 data will be published at the end of March 2023.
Defra also publish a summary of water abstraction statistics. The most recent update was published in July 2022, including data up until 2018: Water abstraction statistics: England, 2000 to 2018 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 oral contribution of 2 February 2023 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Official Report columns 543-544, when he plans to meet the Chief Executive of the Country Food Trust.
Answered by Mark Spencer
I would be happy to meet the Chief Executive of the Country Food Trust. I will ask my office to make the arrangements.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the length of time a person has to be assessed as being incapacitated by long covid before complying with the provisions on early payment of retirement pensions on the grounds of ill-health of section 35 of the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The current regulations and guidance on ill-health retirement benefits in the Local Government Pension Scheme do not specify medical conditions or any period of ill-health before a member is eligible. The employer must appoint an Independent Registered Medical Practitioner to assess how long the member is unlikely to be capable of undertaking gainful employment, in light of their particular medical condition. It is the responsibility of the employer to decide if the member qualifies for an ill-health pension in the light of the assessment.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent progress his Department has made on (a) allowing leaseholders to extend their leases to 990 years and (b) implementing other leasehold reforms.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 75940 on 9 November 2022.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2022 to Question 140404 on Diabetes and Eating Disorders, where the five additional pilot sites areas will be; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
Five additional new treatment sites are to open in 2022/23 in the following areas:
- Coventry and Warwickshire;
- Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutlands;
- Norfolk and Waveney;
- Cheshire and Merseyside;
- Humber and North Yorkshire.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers of 4 July 2022 to Questions 27553 and 27554 on Credit and with reference to Sponsor Designated legal advice, whether his Department, when issuing its debt, provides for its legal advice to be funded by the counter-parties buying that debt.
Answered by Simon Clarke
HM Treasury, when issuing debt through the UK Debt Management Office, does not provide for its legal advice to be funded by the counterparties buying that debt. Each party selects and pays for its own legal advisers as it deems appropriate.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has raised concerns about the use of Sponsor Designated legal advice in the UK debt market with the (a) Financial Conduct Authority and (b) Solicitors Regulation Authority during the last five years; and if he will make statement.
Answered by John Glen
The UK is well known internationally as a hub for high quality capital markets backed by strong and effective regulation. The Treasury is committed to ensuring the proper functioning of capital markets, including working with the Financial Conduct Authority to monitor any potential risks to UK markets.
The Treasury is not aware of any concerns that Sponsor Designation of legal advice poses a risk to UK debt markets, and as such has not raised this matter with the Financial Conduct Authority or the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the total value of transactions in the UK debt market where the legal advice has been provided under Sponsor Designation by the borrower to the lender over the last 10 years; what assessment his Department has made of the potential risk that Sponsor Designation of legal advice poses to the debt market; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Glen
The UK is well known internationally as a hub for high quality capital markets backed by strong and effective regulation. The Treasury is committed to ensuring the proper functioning of capital markets, including working with the Financial Conduct Authority to monitor any potential risks to UK markets.
The Treasury is not aware of any concerns that Sponsor Designation of legal advice poses a risk to UK debt markets, and as such has not raised this matter with the Financial Conduct Authority or the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will investigate the risk of a legal and best advice conflict of interest arising in cases where one party to a transaction both (a) chooses and (b) funds the legal advice of the counter-party; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Conflict of interest in the provision of legal advice is guided by professional ethics. The legal profession in England and Wales is independent of government, as is the legal regulatory structure, for which the Legal Services Board has oversight responsibility.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is the approved regulator of solicitors in England and Wales. The SRA has a detailed Code of Conduct for solicitors including conflict of interest provisions which cover situations where a conflict of interest, or a serious risk of such a conflict arises, for example when a solicitor is acting for two or more clients. The Ministry of Justice therefore has no plans to investigate this issue.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK has a reciprocal arrangement with Spain on the mutual recognition of drivers licenses from each country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government is working at pace to conclude a driving licence exchange agreement with Spain so that UK licence holders who are resident in Spain for more than six months will be able to obtain a Spanish driving licence without needing to take a test. Until an agreement is reached, UK licence holders who have been resident in Spain for longer than six months, cannot use their UK issued licence to drive in Spain.
This does not affect visiting motorists. UK driving licences are recognised by Spain without the need for a separate International Driving permit. The UK recognises Spanish licences of both those who are resident in the UK and visitors, and will exchange the licences of residents on expiry or request.