Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what flooding (a) remediation and (b) prevention work has been undertaken in East Yorkshire constituency since 2019.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There has been £2.8m of capital investment in the East Yorkshire parliamentary constituency between 2019/20 and 2023/24. This has provided the Environment Agency led project to refurbish Barmston Sea End Outfall and projects to reduce surface water flooding delivered by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in Pocklington and Langtoft.
Hempholme and Wilfholme pumping stations have both been refurbished, with most funding secured from the Local Enterprise Partnership and Internal Drainage Board. Both pumping stations have played a significant part this winter in helping to remove flood water from farmland in the River Hull catchment.
The Environment Agency is also conducting a project to assess and evaluate investment need in the Upper and Middle Hull, focussing on existing flood risk management assets. In addition, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has developed a business case for a scheme to reduce flood risk in the Kelleythorpe area of Driffield and is conducting feasibility studies for two other villages in the constituency.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to increase reservoir storage capacity.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply in England. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure.
Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050, including nine new reservoirs.
Water companies are also using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2020-2025) to investigate strategic water resources options, that are required to improve the resilience of England’s water supplies. In addition, Ofwat recently announced that water companies are bringing forward £2.2 billion for new water infrastructure delivery, over the next two years, with £350 million worth of investment in water resilience schemes.
The Government also supports the Agricultural sector with its Water Management Grant, under the Farming Transformation Fund, for the construction of new on-farm reservoirs, helping to ensure farmers have access to water when they need it most.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will bring into force the provisions of the Easter Act 1928 to fix the date of Easter from 2025.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Easter Act 1928 would set the date for Easter to fall between the 9th and 15th April each year. The Easter Act 1928 remains on the Statute Book but has not been brought into force. To do so would require an Order in Council, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament. The Act also requires that, before the Order is made, ‘regard shall be had to any opinion officially expressed by any Church or other Christian Body.’ There is no indication that the churches support a move to a fixed date for Easter.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts are held to use Fujitsu software by each Government department; and whether he plans to review those contracts.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
As with all contracts, we continue to keep Fujitsu's conduct and commercial performance under review.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to help reduce premature deaths from cardiovascular disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to a number of key ambitions to improve care and outcomes for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including enhanced diagnostic support in the community, better personalised planning, and increasing access to cardiac rehabilitation. These ambitions will support the delivery of the aim to help prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes, and dementia cases by 2029.
To support elective recovery, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to drive up and protect elective activity, including heart disease, ensuring early access to diagnostic tests and treatment.
The NHS Health Check programme is a core component of England's CVD prevention pathway. Over 15 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check every five years, with 1.3 million being delivered a year, preventing an estimated 500 heart attacks and strokes.
The NHS Long Term Plan sets out that by 2028 the proportion of patients accessing cardiac rehabilitation will be amongst the best in Europe, with up to 85% of those eligible accessing care. This will prevent up to 23,000 premature deaths and 50,000 acute admissions over 10 years.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to support greater use of canals and waterways for tourism purposes.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our inland waterways are an important national heritage asset delivering a wide range of public benefits. These include environmental ‘green corridors’ along which biodiversity can flourish, physical and mental health improvement, water stewardship, and recreational activities. I agree that they are valuable resources for tourism, providing pleasant active and sustainable travel routes for boating holidays and day trips.
Ministers do not have a role in operational maters on inland waterways. However, navigation authorities and local canal societies are able to work with their Local Visitor Economy Partnership or local Destination Management Organisation to develop their tourism offer, including by accessing relevant funding.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains her policy to continue reforms to the 2006 dental contract.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in Faster, simpler, fairer: our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, we are working on further reforms to the 2006 contract, in discussion with the dental profession, to properly reflect the care needed by different patients, and more fairly remunerate practices. We expect to develop options for consultation with the dental profession in advance of a further announcement later this year. Any changes would be phased in from 2025 onwards.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has provided to Active Travel England in each of the last three years; and what assessment he has made of the impact of their projects on traffic congestion.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England (ATE) was formally established in August 2022 and therefore has only received funding since this date. In its first full financial year of operation (2023/24) the Department provided ATE with a total of just over £112 million, made up of £54 million of capital and £58 million of revenue funding. The details of this are set out in ATE’s Corporate Plan for 2023-2025, which is available on gov.uk. ATE also works closely with local authorities to help them deliver active travel schemes funded by other wider funding streams, such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. All funding is subject to monitoring and evaluation, and the outputs and outcomes of funded programmes will be reported in future years.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help improve 4G and 5G coverage in (a) Yorkshire and (b) East Yorkshire constituency.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government is taking steps to improve both 4G and 5G coverage across the country.
Across Yorkshire and the Humber our £1bn agreement with the industry to deliver the Shared Rural Network (SRN) will see 4G coverage from all four Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) rise to 90%, up from 81% when the programme began in 2020. 4G coverage from at least one MNO will increase to 99%, up from 95%.
In East Yorkshire, 4G coverage already stands at 93% from all four MNOs and almost 100% from at least one MNO. While the SRN is focused on areas with poorer coverage, it is not the only focus for infrastructure investment for mobile connectivity. In addition, the MNOs independently invest around £2 billion annually across the UK in enhancing and improving their networks.
The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, published in April 2023, set out the Government’s vision for wireless connectivity and shared a new ambition for nationwide coverage of higher quality standalone 5G in all populated areas by 2030. This provides a long-term ambition to help the private sector invest in 5G networks by supporting competition, driving down deployment costs and driving the take-up of innovative, 5G-enabled tech by the business and the public sector.
The Department provides extensive guidance for local authorities and operators to help facilitate broadband and mobile deployment through the Digital Connectivity Portal. We have also taken steps to make it easier and cheaper for operators to deploy 4G and 5G. This includes reforming the planning system in England. Alongside this, measures within the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, will support the deployment of wireless infrastructure, including 4G and 5G.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will carry out a national survey to help identify potential spare capacity in NHS hospital buildings; if she will publish a list of NHS hospital buildings with potential spare capacity; and if she will provide guidance to NHS trusts to help ensure that hospital facilities are effectively utilised.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for the utilisation of their estate. The Government has been clear that it expects NHS organisations to use existing capital budgets and assets to maximum effect.
The NHS publishes the annual Estates Returns Information Collection, which contains detailed information on NHS estates. This includes multiple metrics on how space is utilised, including non-clinical space, empty floor areas, and underused floor areas. Individual NHS trusts are responsible for providing the data for the Estates Returns Information Collection and ensuring the accuracy of their returns.
Departmental officials continue to work closely with NHS England and NHS Property companies to identify any additional policy enablers which may support further improvement in utilisation, this includes the development of integrated care system level infrastructure strategies in 2024.