Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Green Book appraisal framework for reflecting the value of transport infrastructure funding in rural areas like Cornwall.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport’s Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) is a robust framework for assessing the cost and benefits of different transport schemes, across different parts of the UK. TAG builds on the foundations set by HM Treasury’s Green Book with specific guidance for transport schemes, but it does not deviate from the key principles set by the Green Book. The Department plans to update TAG in response to HM Treasury’s Green Book Review published last July, including supporting the development of place-based business cases.
The Department is developing an Appraisal, Modelling and Evaluation Strategy to identify updates to TAG to prioritise improvements to appraisal over the next five years, so investment decisions prioritise people and places are underpinned by high quality and accessible analysis. We listened to feedback from our extensive stakeholder engagement programme as part of this, and an emerging action is to consider developing the appraisal guidance for non-urban areas – including rural areas like Cornwall.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to help increase access to NHS dentistry in rural areas in (a) the next 12 months and (b) during this Parliament.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dental Statistics - England 2024/25, published by NHS Business Services Authority on 28 August 2025, is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
The data for the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), which includes the North Dorset constituency, shows that 34% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2025, compared to 40% in England, and that 53% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025, compared to 57% in England.
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas.
We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available since April 2025.
ICBs are recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following website:
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
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 the provision of NHS dentistry in North Dorset constituency compared to the national average.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dental Statistics - England 2024/25, published by NHS Business Services Authority on 28 August 2025, is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
The data for the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), which includes the North Dorset constituency, shows that 34% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2025, compared to 40% in England, and that 53% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025, compared to 57% in England.
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas.
We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available since April 2025.
ICBs are recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following website:
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of people have an NHS dentist in (a) urban (b) suburban and (c) rural areas in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.
Data is not held on the percentage of people who have an NHS dentist and data is not available by urban, suburban, and rural areas. Dental Statistics - England 2024/25, published by NHS Business Services Authority on 28 August 2025, is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
In the 24 months to June 2025, 40% of adults in England saw an NHS dentist, and in the 12 months to June 2025, 57% of children in England saw an NHS dentist. In 2024/25, there were 50 dentists per 100,000 population on average across all ICBs in England.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 answer Question 105030 on Farm Business Tenancy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A response was published to Question 105030 on Wednesday 28 January here: PQ 105030. I apologise for the delay in doing so.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has to review the Post Office banking framework to ensure that essential services such as cheque deposits remain available to local communities.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the important role the Post Office plays in providing essential banking services, particularly in rural areas. We welcome Banking Framework 4, which allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance and pay bills at thousands of Post Office branches across the UK.
On 21 January, the Government held joint discussions between the Post Office and the banking sector to explore where continued collaboration, on a commercial and voluntary basis, would allow all parties to better meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
Government does not, however, have a role in the Banking Framework negotiations. The Framework, and decisions about what services are available at the Post Office, such as cheque deposits, are made by the banks as part of their commercial arrangements.
Customers continue to have other options for paying in cheques, whether at local bank branches, by post, or digitally via mobile apps using cheque imaging technology.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of cheque deposit services from Post Office branches on rural businesses.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the important role the Post Office plays in providing essential banking services, particularly in rural areas. We welcome Banking Framework 4, which allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance and pay bills at thousands of Post Office branches across the UK.
On 21 January, the Government held joint discussions between the Post Office and the banking sector to explore where continued collaboration, on a commercial and voluntary basis, would allow all parties to better meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
Government does not, however, have a role in the Banking Framework negotiations. The Framework, and decisions about what services are available at the Post Office, such as cheque deposits, are made by the banks as part of their commercial arrangements.
Customers continue to have other options for paying in cheques, whether at local bank branches, by post, or digitally via mobile apps using cheque imaging technology.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data she holds on (a) which animals are currently affected by the current legal noise level of fireworks and (b) how are they affected.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department does not hold data on which animals are affected by the current legal noise level of fireworks or how they are affected.
However, the Government is continuing to engage with animal welfare stakeholders, businesses, consumer groups and charities on the impacts of fireworks, to inform any future action.
On 20 January, Baroness Hayman of Ullock, the Minister responsible for animal welfare, met with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, Minister Kate Dearden (Halifax) who is responsible for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection, to discuss lowering the decibel level of fireworks.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with broadband providers on the adequacy of broadband (a) coverage and (b) speed in rural areas.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We recognise that reliable broadband underpins all aspects of modern life, including access to and modernisation of essential services.
The government, in consultation with industry set targets for broadband coverage in the UK. The government is committed to achieving 99% gigabit coverage by 2032, ensuring fast, reliable and future-proofed connectivity will be available to support consumer and business needs, including in rural communities.
Most gigabit-capable connections will be delivered commercially, so we are focusing government funds on the remaining areas of the country where commercial deployment is unlikely. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, 89% of premises benefiting from Building Digital UK (BDUK) subsidies were rural.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the mean and median total income per business for the Sustainable Farming Incentive was in the year to October 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Farm businesses can hold multiple Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements under the SFI scheme. As of October 2025, there were 44,474 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements including SFI 23 and SFI 24. Over the full term of the agreement the mean value of these agreements was £57,000 and the median value of these agreements was £32,000.