Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's policy paper, Mortgage Charter, updated on 5 July, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of proposed solutions in the report entitled Releasing the mortgage prisoners, published by the London School of Economics in February 2023.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely stressful, and, alongside the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and industry, have shown we are willing to act through the introduction of a ‘modified affordability assessment’. We are also regularly in contact with key stakeholders, including recently with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mortgage Prisoners.
Importantly, all lenders – including those with inactive books - are regulated by the FCA and must provide tailored support to borrowers. The Chancellor has made clear his expectation for lenders to live up to their responsibilities and support any mortgage borrowers who are finding it tough right now. The Government hopes other firms will do the right thing and sign up to the Mortgage Charter as soon as possible.
However, the Government remains committed to the issue of mortgage prisoners, and we are considering the proposals put forward in the London School of Economics report very carefully. While we cannot force lenders to lend to borrowers they consider too high a risk, the Government welcomes any further practical and proportionate solutions that would meaningfully assist affected borrowers and be fair to other borrowers in the wider market.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to review the Lifetime Individual Savings Account first home property value limit.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save, and to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible.
Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers is below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for Inner London, where the average price paid is affected by Boroughs with very high property values.
The Government keeps all aspects of the savings tax regime under review.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Worcestershire were subject to a School Attendance Order in (a) June 2023, (b) 2019 and (c) 2018.
Answered by Nick Gibb
As defined in the Section 436A of the Education Act 1996, children missing education (CME) are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.
The data shows that 1,310 children were CME, and 1,500 children were electively home educated in Worcestershire at any point in the 2021/22 academic year, the only year for which data is currently available. The data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education(opens in a new tab), and at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education(opens in a new tab).
The Department also started collecting data on the number of school attendance orders (SAOs) in 2022. The number of SAOs issued in Worcestershire in 2021/22 has been suppressed in line with the Department’s publication methodology. This means that the figure is not zero, but rounds to zero. This is the only year for which data is currently available.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children did not attend (a) primary and (b) secondary school in Worcestershire in (i) 2018-19 and (ii) 2022-23.
Answered by Nick Gibb
As defined in the Section 436A of the Education Act 1996, children missing education (CME) are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.
The data shows that 1,310 children were CME, and 1,500 children were electively home educated in Worcestershire at any point in the 2021/22 academic year, the only year for which data is currently available. The data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education, and at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education.
The Department also started collecting data on the number of school attendance orders (SAOs) in 2022. The number of SAOs issued in Worcestershire in 2021/22 has been suppressed in line with the Department’s publication methodology. This means that the figure is not zero, but rounds to zero. This is the only year for which data is currently available.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to provide guidance to local authorities on the control of ragwort.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are no plans to issue Local Authorities with guidance. The Government Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort supports the public by providing guidance on the most appropriate means of ragwort control, taking into account both animal welfare and environmental considerations.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made on her Department's 25 year plan to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is driving forward an ambitious strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England, which includes a range of evidence-led interventions to tackle the disease in both cattle and wildlife.
Our comprehensive strategy includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, introducing new help for herd owners to improve biosecurity measures on farms and to help manage down the risk of bringing the disease into their herds., and supporting the deployment of badger vaccination Working with our TB Partnership stakeholder group, we’re currently developing a policy proposal for a targeted approach to future wildlife control increasing local ownership in delivering TB against a holistic strategy. This will include a provision for culling in the worst affected areas and where the epidemiological evidence points to an ongoing role of badgers in the disease.
Developing new and better tools is an important part of our programme of work. We continue to fund major research, including on cattle vaccination and improved diagnostics. That funding has already resulted in a major breakthrough by APHA in developing a test that can differentiate TB-infected among vaccinated cattle (a DIVA test). World-leading BCG vaccination trials in cattle began in England and Wales in June 2021. Our aim is to have a deployable TB vaccine for cattle within the next few years.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made on developing a vaccine for cattle against Bovine Tuberculosis.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Developing a deployable cattle vaccine is one of the Government’s top priorities.
Defra aims to have a deployable cattle TB vaccine (CattleBCG) in the next few years. In 2021, world-leading cattle TB vaccination field trials began as a result of a
major breakthrough by government scientists on the development of a new DIVA
skin test to Detect Infected among Vaccinated Animals.
The UK is closer to being able to vaccinate cattle across England and Wales than we have ever been before but there is still a lot of work to do. Deployment relies on the success of the field trials, achieving Marketing Authorisations from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (for both CattleBCG and the new DIVA skin test), gaining international recognition for both products, an IT system to record and trace vaccinates and acceptance of vaccination from across the range of stakeholders.
Close partnership working with industry is also an essential component of the TB vaccine programme. A Government-industry working group has been established to co-design initial deployment policy proposals. These proposals will then be further developed with wider stakeholders before going to public consultation.
Vaccinating cattle against TB will be a valuable addition to the measures available to achieve bovine TB eradication but will not replace existing control measures. Maintaining biosecurity measures on farm, avoiding risky movements of cattle, and complying with TB testing protocols remain as important as ever in the fight against bovine TB.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to review the Interchange Fee Regulation in the United Kingdom for domestic interchange fee caps.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As set out in the ‘Edinburgh Reforms’ package, the Interchange Fee Regulation 2015 is due to be reviewed as part of Tranche 3 of the Future Regulatory Framework Review implementation programme.
This prioritisation reflects the fact that the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is currently undertaking market reviews into card fees, including aspects of interchange fee policy. The government continues to monitor the reviews with interest and will consider, following the outcomes of the reviews, whether there are implications for legislative change.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to announce the eligible communities for the Frequently Flooded Allowance.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In July 2022 the Government announced the £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance to support communities that have experienced repeated flooding. The allowance will help schemes that already qualify for Defra’s Flood Defence Grant-in-Aid funding under the current capital programme but have not been able to secure all the funding necessary to progress their scheme. The Secretary of State has written to all MPs with successful bids in their constituencies. Further details will be set out next week.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the 2016 Financial Advice Market Review.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR) final report was published in March 2016, setting out a package of 28 recommendations, which HM Treasury and the FCA have since implemented.
Key pieces of work taken forward as a response to the FAMR recommendations include clarifying the definition of financial advice and introducing the Pension Advice Allowance to allow consumers to withdraw £500 from their pension pots to pay for advice.
In December 2020, the FCA published an evaluation of the 2016 FAMR. This showed that the financial advice market was moving in the right direction, with more people accessing financial advice. However, there are still some remaining policy challenges to help the market work better for consumers, including around helping consumers make better investment decisions.
As part of the Edinburgh Reforms, the Chancellor committed to working with the FCA to examine the boundary between regulated financial advice and financial guidance, with the objective of improving access to helpful advice, support and information, while maintaining strong protections for consumers.