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Written Question

Question Link

Thursday 22nd February 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps to ensure that companies successful in the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) competition (a) manufacture those SMRs and (b) use supply chains domestically.

Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The SMR technology selection process is an open and competitive process. The priority is to select the technologies best able to facilitate operational projects by the mid-2030s. As with any Government decision, this will be subject to value for money, relevant approvals, and technology readiness. This is an exciting time for nuclear and the scale of our ambition means there are likely to be significant supply chain opportunities associated with projects going forward.


Written Question
Midland Main Line: Electrification
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the likely completion date of the electrification of the Midland Main Line to Sheffield.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Recent plans from Network Rail indicate that electrification of the Midland Main Line route to Sheffield and Nottingham could be completed in the early 2030s, subject to the necessary business case approvals.


Written Question
Parks: Environment Protection
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's timescales are for (a) publishing the tender documents for the licenses for the Green Flag awards and (b) awarding those licenses.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities owned Green Flag Awards Scheme, currently operated under licence by Keep Britain Tidy, sets the national standard for public green spaces and encourages local authorities and other public landowners to ensure parks and green spaces are welcoming, safe, well-maintained and promote biodiversity and community participation.

We will provide further updates about the licensing scheme shortly.


Written Question
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Expenditure
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a freeze on his Department's expenditure on the (a) provision of council services, (b) level council tax collected and (c) likelihood of section 114 notices being issued.

Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Government published the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 on 18 December. It makes available up to £64.1 billion to local authorities in England. This is an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £3.9 billion or 6.5% in cash terms on 2023-24.

We are considering responses to a consultation on the Provisional Settlement, ahead of publishing the Final Settlement, which we will do very shortly. Once published, this will be subject to debate and the approval of the House.

Provision of local services, the level of council tax, and the issuing of s114 notices are all, ultimately, local matters for local authorities to decide for themselves. However, we stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures for which it has not planned.


Written Question
Children in Care: Mental Health Services
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's planned update to the statutory guidance on Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked After Children, if he will include a (a) specific focus on mental health services for that group as part of that update and (b) strategy for delivering those services in a culturally sensitive manner.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government gave a commitment to update the statutory guidance, ‘Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children’ and extend it to care leavers up to age 25, in the ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ strategy for the reform of children’s social care. The update forms part of the wider mission in the strategy, to reduce the disparities in long-term mental and physical health outcomes and improve wellbeing for care-experienced people.

The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care are taking forward this update together, and work is underway to understand how the current guidance is working in practice and where changes are necessary. This includes consideration of whether there is a need to include further guidance regarding mental health support for looked-after children and care leavers, as well as consideration of whether there is a need to include further guidance relating to cohorts with particular characteristics.

The department will work with a wide range of stakeholders with a diversity of professional and personal experience to ensure that the guidance is sensitive to the health and wellbeing needs of all looked-after children and care leavers, including those with protected characteristics as part of government’s duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.


Written Question
Railways: North of England
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's timescales are for the introduction of a third fast train each hour between Sheffield and Manchester.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to upgrading the Hope Valley line which would help enable a third fast train between Manchester and Sheffield. The industry is in the early stages of planning next steps including delivery dates. The plan builds on the ongoing upgrades to the line due to complete this Spring which will deliver performance and capacity improvements for passengers and freight.


Written Question
Midland Main Line: Rolling Stock
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the planned new rolling stock for the midland mainline to be available.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Good progress is being made by East Midlands Railway (EMR) on the introduction of their new Class 810 ‘Aurora’ fleet with the first unit now going through testing.

EMR are meeting with the manufacturer, Hitachi, this month to discuss the delivery timescales of the programme after which a firm timeline for passenger service introduction is expected.


Written Question
Transpennine Express Rail Franchise
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of carriages on the TransPennine express service which will be scrapped by April 2024.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department is not aware of any plans by rolling stock owners to scrap carriages currently on lease to TransPennine Trains. The operator plans to return 66 Mark 5A carriages, which are currently surplus to requirements, to their owner Beacon Rail Leasing.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings set out in the press notice by Amnesty International entitled Israel/OPT: Horrifying cases of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees amid spike in arbitrary arrests, published on 8 November 2023.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Government is aware of reports covering treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli military detention. We have made clear our concerns over Israeli detention practices, particularly over the reported use of painful restraints and also the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations. We are also concerned about reports covering Israel's extensive use of administrative detention, which should be used only where it is justified in accordance with international law. Those under detention should either be charged or released. The Government continues to stress that all actions must be in line with International Humanitarian Law in all engagements with Israeli counterparts.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the number of Palestinians arrested by Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We are aware of reports covering Israeli security force actions in the West Bank, including the arrests of Palestinians. As both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have emphasised to Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is critical that Israel acts to reduce tensions in the West Bank to stop the conflict spreading.