Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of (a) the feasibility of the 31 August 2026 deadline for new voucher project submissions under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, and (b) what consideration has been given to extending that deadline to enable additional premises to benefit from gigabit capable broadband.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Building Digital UK (BDUK) undertook a consultation with broadband suppliers at the end of 2025 on their interest and capability for further broadband delivery, and carried out a further update to this consultation in February 2026 to take account of the coverage reported by suppliers in the September 2025 Project Gigabit Open Market Review. BDUK officials are now undertaking further engagement with suppliers on proposals for specific voucher projects. Suppliers are aware of the timetable for the remainder of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and are developing proposals for any further projects accordingly.
BDUK has not proposed extending the timetable for the voucher scheme beyond the current scheme end dates as the costs of continuing to run the scheme after this likely to be disproportionate to the benefits gained from any further projects. Most of the gigabit coverage now being provided through Project Gigabit is as a result of Project Gigabit contracts rather than voucher projects. This proportion will increase further as the volume of voucher-funded delivery continues to decline.
The August 2026 deadline for project submissions will give a cut-off point after which the remaining premises not within the scope of commercial coverage plans or voucher projects will be considered for coverage through Project Gigabit contracts. This will help give certainty to the Project Gigabit contracted suppliers of the remaining premises that need to be covered and allow them to plan for delivery between then and the end of the Project Gigabit programme in 2032.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy of support for low income families transitioning away from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and (b) potential impact of the 2030 ban on sales of new ICE vehicles.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to supporting those on low incomes in accessing electric vehicles and the up to £1,400 running cost saving per year versus a comparable petrol car. We are investing over £3.5bn in grants to make zero emission vehicles more affordable as well as measures to increase access to charging. This includes cross-pavement charging solutions to help those without a driveway access the cheapest charging rates and support for local authorities to invest in infrastructure that suits their local areas. The 2030 phase-out applies only to new pure petrol and diesel cars and provides certainty to industry, enabling businesses and drivers to plan for the future.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, (a) when his Department plans to publish the guidance associated with the Compulsory Purchase Order provisions in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, and (b) whether that guidance will include all eligibility criteria for stalled development sites, including any size thresholds, that local authorities will be expected to apply when considering the use of compulsory purchase in the public interest.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department plans to publish updated compulsory purchase guidance to reflect the reforms introduced by the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 this Spring.
The existing guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, already contains general advice on the circumstances where local planning authorities can use their compulsory purchase powers. This includes how to demonstrate a compelling case in the public interest which is applicable in all cases, including in relation to stalled sites. It is for local planning authorities themselves to decide when it is appropriate to use their compulsory purchase powers.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 provide an update on her Department's work with FTI consultancy on contingency planning for potential collapse of Thames Water, including (a) spend so far (b) planned spending, (c) number of hours billed to date, (d) number of consultants who have worked on the account and (e) the date the contract was agreed.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We work closely with FTI Consulting in their role as the Government’s advisor on Special Administration Regime contingency planning and continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress the Commission for Countering Extremism has made on tackling extremism.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Commission is a non-statutory expert committee of the Home Office, set up to help the Government to understand the scale of extremism in the UK and the wider harms associated with it, beyond radicalisation into terrorism.
The Commission for Countering Extremism has played a key role in the Government’s approach to counter-extremism by providing external challenge and plays a vital role in providing advice to the Government on how to address the challenge posed by extremism and harness innovative thinking around critical issues. It is vital that the Government hears from a range of independent voices that can advise, criticise, and review work on such a crucial issue.
Robin Simcox was appointed as Interim Commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism in March 2021. He was appointed as the substantive Commissioner for Countering Extremism in July 2022, for a three-year term. As is usual when public appointments come to an end, Ministers are considering next steps and will update in due course.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had conversations with broadband providers on the suitability of deadlines for new applications to the gigabit broadband voucher scheme in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Officials from Building Digital UK (BDUK) are currently in discussions with broadband suppliers in Oxfordshire on potential voucher project opportunities. Suppliers are aware of the deadline for project applications and are developing project proposals taking this into account.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations on improving community cohesion in the Khan Review - Threats To Social Cohesion And Democratic Resilience: A New Strategic Approach, published in March 2024.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG is co-ordinating cross-Government efforts to develop a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with local government, communities and local stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address the deep-seated issues. As part of this work officials have considered a wide range of evidence including from reviews such as the Khan Review.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what eligibility criteria will be applied to the recently announced additional £300 million of funding for upgrading IT infrastructure in schools through the Connect the Classroom programme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We will invest £325 million by 2029/30 to support digital connectivity. This includes expanding Connect the Classroom to thousands more schools in need, supporting schools and responsible bodies to build on the technology underpinning infrastructure and resilience, with the expectation that all schools and colleges should meet core technology standards by 2030.
Connect the Classroom will continue to support schools on the regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, ensuring that poor connectivity is not a barrier to school improvement, with additional selection criteria to be announced in the summer.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of restricting access to trial by jury in England and Wales on public confidence in the judicial system.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Courts and Tribunals Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 25 February 2026. Alongside the Bill, an impact assessment of our proposed justice reforms was published: Courts and Tribunals Bill - GOV.UK. This includes an assessment of the proposed changes in the threshold for who can access a jury trial.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 9th December 2025 to question 97007 on Bathing water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025, when she will publish the detail on Bathing water status reforms included in the Water White Paper.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water White Paper sets out wide-ranging reforms to the water system, intended to clean up our rivers, lakes and coastal waters. The Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025 do not feature in the white paper, but form part of this wider reform, as an early step towards these same objectives.
In our response to the consultation on amending the bathing water regulations, the Government noted the support for expanding the definition of a bather to include other recreational water users. Work has begun on an evidence review to consider the environmental and public health implications of any change.
Link to 97007: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament