Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to provide Parliament with an opportunity to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the future Non-Domestic Rating Bill.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Chancellor has published the final report of the Business Rates Review at Autumn Statement 2021. The Government will bring forward legislation to implement the conclusions of the Review as soon as Parliamentary time allows. As part of the review, the Government also undertook a further technical consultation on the implementation of the changes proposed in the review as well as a further consultation on the Digitalisation of Business Rates. The Government response to these consultations was published alongside the Budget on 15 March. The Government maintains an ongoing dialogue with businesses and business groups about taxation.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy to support the installation of public access trauma kits alongside automated external defibrillators to enhance community first aid resilience.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department will consider the availability and access to Public Access Trauma Kits as on-going work across the health sector on the implementation of the recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the installation of public access trauma kits in publicly accessible locations across England.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department will consider the availability and access to Public Access Trauma Kits as on-going work across the health sector on the implementation of the recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Manchester Arena Inquiry’s Emergency response report, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure Public Access Trauma kits are installed in publicly accessible locations.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department will consider the availability and access to Public Access Trauma Kits as on-going work across the health sector on the implementation of the recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is his policy to agree a global high seas treaty that includes increased powers for the Conference of Parties before the fifth session of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Negotiations in the Intergovernmental Conference to negotiate a new Implementing Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) resumed at the UN on 20 February. The UK strongly supports the conclusion of an ambitious agreement at these negotiations and is working hard with international partners to achieve that outcome, which will include a mechanism for establishing Marine Protected Areas in the high seas. Negotiations conclude on 3 March.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with international counterparts to agree a global high seas treaty before the fifth session of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Negotiations in the Intergovernmental Conference to negotiate a new Implementing Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) resumed at the UN on 20 February. The UK strongly supports the conclusion of an ambitious agreement at these negotiations and is working hard with international partners to achieve that outcome, which will include a mechanism for establishing Marine Protected Areas in the high seas. Negotiations conclude on 3 March.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to agree a global high seas treaty that includes a legally-binding mechanism for the designation of marine protected areas on the high seas before the fifth session of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Negotiations in the Intergovernmental Conference to negotiate a new Implementing Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) resumed at the UN on 20 February. The UK strongly supports the conclusion of an ambitious agreement at these negotiations and is working hard with international partners to achieve that outcome, which will include a mechanism for establishing Marine Protected Areas in the high seas. Negotiations conclude on 3 March.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans that the sections of the Health and Care Act which establish the new NHS Provider Selection Regime will come into force through further regulations.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department and NHS England are working to establish the Provider Selection Regime. We will provide an update for when the relevant sections of the Health and Care Act will be commenced, and regulations laid before Parliament, in due course. The regulations which will set out the Provider Selection Regime will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny through the affirmative process before they can come into force.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department will take to ensure bus networks have adequate funding to support communities when this phase of the Bus Recovery Grant Funding ends in April 2023.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government has made available nearly £2 billion since March 2020, through emergency and recovery grants, to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the bus sector. This support is currently in place until the end of March 2023. The Department is actively considering its support for the bus sector from April 2023.
The Government already provides around £250 million annually to support bus services through the Bus Service Operators Grant, and supports spending of around £1 billion a year so that older and disabled people can travel on buses throughout England for free.
The Government is also taking proactive steps to help increase patronage by providing £60 million to help bus operators cap single fares at £2 on services in England outside London from 1 January to 31 March 2023. Over 130 operators covering more than 4,600 routes are participating in the scheme, which will help increase patronage on buses and help millions save on their regular travel costs.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to bring forward regulations under the Health and Care Act 2022 to establish a new NHS Provider Selection Regime.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department and NHS England are working to establish the Provider Selection Regime and further information on the relevant regulations will be available in due course.