Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
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 Written Statement of 6 December 2022, HCWS416, on An Update on Levelling Up, whether his Department is taking steps to advise local authorities which are part-way through planning inspectorate examinations on their strategic frameworks and local plans.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Due to my quasi-judicial role in the planning process I cannot comment on a specific local plan. It is the role of the independent Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State, to test plans against current national policies through examination. The Government is consulting on its proposed approach to updating the National Planning Policy Framework until 2 March 2023. Any subsequent updates to policies and guidance are expected to be introduced later in the Spring, taking into account the responses received. At that stage, it will be for authorities with plans already submitted for examination, together with the Inspector, to determine how to proceed.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to widen access to culture and heritage.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring as many people as possible can access our world-class museums, galleries and heritage sites, regardless of their background or where they live. Our Arm’s-Length Bodies deliver much of this good work.
For example, following a request from HM Government to ensure that the taxpayer subsidy it allocates is more equitably spread around the country, Arts Council England will be investing £446 million each year in 2023-2026 to support 990 organisations across the whole of England. This is more than ever before, and in more places than ever before.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of registered keepers of vehicles are not readily traceable or contactable.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Based on the latest available data, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is confident that 92.44% (46,707,158) of the keepers on record are contactable and traceable based on the information held on the DVLA’s records.
Of the remaining 7.56% of vehicles, 5.85% (2,957,366) are shown on the DVLA’s records as being ‘in trade’. These are vehicles for which the DVLA has been notified that the previous keeper has sold or disposed of the vehicle to a motor trader. Until the DVLA is notified of a new keeper they will remain shown as “in trade”. This is a legitimate status for a vehicle record until the vehicle is sold on or otherwise disposed of by the motor trader.
A further 1.36% (686,074) are vehicles that are taxed or notified as being kept off the road but there is no current registered keeper on the DVLA’s records. In some cases these will be vehicles which have recently been sold and the DVLA has not yet been notified of the new keeper.
The remaining 0.35% (175,782) are vehicles for which the DVLA does not have a full address on record which may make tracing a keeper more difficult.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ensure that the seven mile, 20 mile, and 30 mile rule is adhered to when making changes to driving test centre locations, ensuing that those in urban areas are no more than seven miles from a centre, those in small towns are never more than 20 miles from a driving test centre and those in the most rural areas are never more than 30 miles from a driving test centre.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is in the process of reviewing the distance to travel criteria policy. Adhering to the seven miles, 20 miles, and 30 miles rule will form part of that review.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent cost benefit analysis he has carried out on requiring HGV drivers to renew their licence at 45 and every five years thereafter until they hit 65 and then every year; and what assessment he has made of the effect of those requirements on levels of recruitment and retraining of HGV drivers.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
While age on its own is not a reliable indicator of health, it is widely accepted that the likelihood of developing conditions which may affect fitness to drive increases with age. The licence renewal process provides for the driver to make a declaration regarding their health and to submit a medical report that is completed by a doctor following an examination. This process is designed to be balanced and proportionate and reflect the greater road safety risks posed by the driving of larger vehicles.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the pass rates were for each driving instructor in England in the latest period for which data is available; and whether his Department is taking steps to (a) increase quality standards in that profession and (b) introduce recognition for driving instructors with consistently high pass rates.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The pass rates of individual approved driving instructors (ADI) are not published. Not all driving test candidates are taught to drive by an approved instructor and so not all completed driving tests will contain data relating to an ADI. It is also a matter of choice, by the ADI, to display their certificate of registration when they put forward a candidate for test.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of improvements in outcomes for the less survivable cancers, including cancers of the brain, stomach, lungs, pancreas, oesophagus and liver over the last 20 years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 10 Year Cancer Plan will include targeted action to improve outcomes for the less survivable cancers including cancers of the brain, stomach, lungs, pancreas, oesophagus and liver.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the call for evidence for a 10 year cancer plan earlier this year, we received more than 5,000 submissions. We are currently reviewing these responses.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to allow 16 year olds to work more than two hours on a Sunday.
Answered by Jonathan Gullis
The Government aims to allow children to take up opportunities for suitable part-time work, whilst ensuring that proportionate safeguards are in place so that their education, health, and wellbeing are not jeopardised.
The Department wants to ensure that the correct balance between enabling children to benefit from employment opportunities and protecting educational attainment is achieved. Based on the evidence we have, the current limits on hours achieve this. The Department will continue to keep this under review.
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to ensure that (a) Azad Jammu Kashmir and (b) Gilgit Baltistan receive a fair share of UK bilateral overseas development aid for Pakistan.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Our aid in Pakistan is allocated to UK strategic priorities, which include global health security; girls' education; climate change; human rights and freedom of religious belief. We work to ensure that UK aid in Pakistan is focused on the most vulnerable, while achieving the maximum impact.
The FCDO maintains an online Development Tracker tool, which contains information about specific programming in Pakistan: https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/