Written questions by Mayer.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Bus Service Improvement Plan on bus patronage.

The Department for Transport has commissioned a process, impact and value for money evaluation of the Bus Service Improvement Plan Programme, a £1.1 billion tranche of funding allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs). The work will answer questions surrounding how the plans were delivered, the scheme's impact, and its value for money, including an assessment of the scheme’s impact on bus patronage. Due to the early stage in the lifetime of the programme, data on patronage levels at an LTA-wide level is not yet available.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 721 on Bus Services: Concessions, what the average cost per passenger journey to the public purse of the £2 National Bus Fare Cap scheme was in each county in England since 1 January 2023.

The £2 National Bus Fare Cap is a voluntary scheme for eligible bus operators, who are provided a bespoke funding allocation to reimburse the difference between the cap and the shadow commercial fare. It is not possible to calculate the average cost per passenger journey in each county, or any designated geographic area, because the fare cap reimbursement is provided directly to bus operators, who do not operate exclusively within geographic boundaries. The Department is unable to disclose the amounts that specific operators have received under the scheme as contributions are calculated based on commercially sensitive data. The total government investment to cap bus fares at £2 between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024 is around £600 million.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 721 on Bus Services: Concessions, what her Department’s funding contribution was to Arriva The Shires Ltd under the £2 National Bus Fare Cap scheme?

The £2 National Bus Fare Cap is a voluntary scheme for eligible bus operators, who are provided a bespoke funding allocation to reimburse the difference between the cap and the shadow commercial fare. It is not possible to calculate the average cost per passenger journey in each county, or any designated geographic area, because the fare cap reimbursement is provided directly to bus operators, who do not operate exclusively within geographic boundaries. The Department is unable to disclose the amounts that specific operators have received under the scheme as contributions are calculated based on commercially sensitive data. The total government investment to cap bus fares at £2 between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024 is around £600 million.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reprioritising the grid connection queue to favour viable projects with planning consent over (a) stalled and (b) speculative projects that have booked grid capacity.

Government is working at pace with Ofgem, the Electricity System Operator (ESO), and network companies to accelerate electricity network connections. The ESO is developing proposals with stakeholders to raise requirements to obtain and retain a connection agreement. Under these proposals, stalled or speculative projects that cannot demonstrate sufficient progress would be removed from the connection queue and capacity reallocated to viable projects. The ESO expects to submit its proposals to Ofgem in December 2024, for a decision in spring 2025.

Whether his Department is taking steps to encourage flexibility in grid connection rules to allow operators to co-locate (a) wind, (b) solar, (c) battery and (d) other technologies through single points of connection.

Connection customers are already permitted to co-locate different technologies through a single connection point.

What his planned timeline is for rolling out his Department’s Warm Homes Plan.

Through the Warm Homes Plan, we will invest an extra £6.6 billion over the next five years in clean heat and energy efficiency, upgrading five million homes through solutions like low carbon heating and improved insulation. We will set out the full details of our Warm Homes Plan, and the approach to Net Zero Buildings more broadly, after the completion of the Spending Review Process.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of continuing the Household Support Fund after 30 September 2024.

The Government has announced funding to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) for a further 6 months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £500 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF, including funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual. As with previous HSF schemes, the Fund will be made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to provide discretionary support to those most in need. The HSF scheme guidance and individual Local Authority funding allocations for the forthcoming extension will be announced as soon as possible ahead of the scheme beginning on 1 October 2024.

If her Department will make an (a) estimate of the potential costs and (b) assessment of the potential merits of extending inheritance tax relief to long-term cohabiting and co-dependent siblings.

There is a longstanding inheritance tax exemption for transfers between spouses and civil partners to reflect the formal legal obligations that marriage and civil partnerships involve. As with all taxes, reforms to inheritance tax, such as the potential extension of this exemption to transfers between cohabiting siblings, will be kept under review as part of the normal policy making process and the Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the normal way.

If her Department will publish a list of animal tests replaced by non-animal methods since 2010.

The use of animals in scientific procedures is only authorised by the Home Office Regulator where there is clear scientific benefit, to people, animals, or the environment, and only when all aspects of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have been fulfilled.Licence applicants are required to robustly evidence their consideration of alternative methods. The Regulator reviews all licence applications and will only issue a licence once it is satisfied there are no practicable alternative methods.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of using heat batteries for households who experience challenges in installing a heat pump.

Heat batteries are one of the most promising alternative electric heating technologies, because they utilise time of use tariffs, do not require outside space and are cheaper to install than heat pumps in some circumstance. However, heat batteries are also less efficient than heat pumps and will therefore use more energy to meet the same heating demand. This can add to the burden on the electricity network, as well as resulting in higher bills for property owners. The Government will continue to make further assessments of heat batteries as the supporting evidence base develops.

Pursuant to the Answer of 266 July 2024 to Question 722 on Public Transport, which Local Transport Authorities (a) are using and (b) plan to use Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to fund Demand Responsive Transport schemes.

The following Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) are either using or are exploring the use of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding to fund Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) schemes. To note, this list is subject to change and may not be exhaustive due to BSIP scheme plans sometimes changing. We recommend referring to the published BSIPs of individual LTAs for more information on their DRT plans.Cheshire East CouncilCheshire West and Chester CouncilCumberland CouncilDerby City CouncilDerbyshire County CouncilEast Sussex County CouncilHertfordshire County CouncilLeicestershire County CouncilNorth East Combined AuthorityNorth Northamptonshire CouncilPortsmouth City CouncilRutland County CouncilShropshire CouncilSomerset CouncilTelford and Wrekin CouncilWestmorland and Furness CouncilWest of England Combined Authority and North Somerset CouncilWest Sussex County CouncilWest Yorkshire Combined AuthorityWorcestershire County Council

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of households that have access to gigabit-capable broadband in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, 86% of premises in the Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency currently have access to a gigabit-capable connection.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the quality of sporting facilities in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency.

This Government recognises that sport facilities are at the beating heart of communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more people participating wherever they live.We will continue to support grassroots sport including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme that will invest £123 million across the UK this year.The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arms Length Body, Sport England - which invests an average of £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.Over the last five years Bedfordshire has received over £8.8 million and Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency has received over £192,000 from Sport England to support projects which facilitate participation in grassroots sport.Additionally, Bedfordshire received £5,305,046.28 in funding across 51 facilities through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, Park Tennis Court Programme and the Swimming Pool Support Fund. Of this amount, £1,798,441 was awarded across six facilities in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, including £1,032,533 for a new artificial grass pitch and changing pavilion at Tithe Farm Road Recreation Ground. Full breakdowns of the facilities funded through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme and through the Park Tennis Court Programme are available on gov.uk, and a breakdown of facilities funded through the Swimming Pool Support Fund is available on the Sport England website.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) Anglian Water and (b) all water companies in England in (i) identifying and (ii) removing barriers that prevent the connectivity of surface waters.

The Government recognises the need for well-connected surface waters, so that water can be moved to where it is most needed. Water companies, including Anglian Water, have focussed their resilience improvements on water grids and transfers, a number of which have been built in recent years. The resilience of our water supply has been strengthened by the action taken by Government, regulators and the private sector, including water companies investing £469 million to investigate additional resources like new reservoir projects and inter-regional water transfers.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department will take to help build on the legacy of the Paris Olympics.

As I set out during the Westminster Hall debate on the Paris 2024 Olympics Team GB Legacy, which took place on 3 September, the Government is fully committed to multi-year funding for our elite sport system and enabling our athletes to excel on the world stage. This means supporting them financially to match and build on their success in Paris, helping them to deliver at LA 2028. We will set out further details at the Spending Review.The Government also recognises that high-quality, inclusive facilities help ensure everyone has access to sport. We will continue to support grassroots sport including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme that will invest £123 million across the UK this year.We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s-length body, Sport England – which annually invests over £250 million of National Lottery and Government money. Sport England’s newly established Movement Fund offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a minimum complaints threshold for investigating noises that could be a statutory nuisance under th

The Noise Policy Statement for England aims to ensure that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and quality of life. Defra is responsible for the domestic legislation covering statutory nuisance, although the environmental health department...

What criteria her Department plans to use to identify locations for banking hubs; and if she will set out a timetable for rolling out hubs in constituencies affected by branch closures.

The Government recognises the importance of banking to communities and high streets and has committed to work closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs over the next five years. These will provide individuals and businesses up and down the country w...

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 722 on Public Transport, if her Department will list the Local Transport Authorities that are (a) using and (b) planning to use Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to fund Demand Responsive Transport schemes.

The following Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) are either using or are exploring the use of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding to fund Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) schemes. To note, this list is subject to change and may not be exhaustive due to BSIP scheme plans sometimes changing. We recommend referring to the published BSIPs of individual LTAs for more information on their DRT plans.Cheshire East CouncilCheshire West and Chester CouncilCumberland CouncilDerby City CouncilDerbyshire County CouncilEast Sussex County CouncilHertfordshire County CouncilLeicestershire County CouncilNorth East Combined AuthorityNorth Northamptonshire CouncilPortsmouth City CouncilRutland County CouncilShropshire CouncilSomerset CouncilTelford and Wrekin CouncilWestmorland and Furness CouncilWest of England Combined Authority and North Somerset CouncilWest Sussex County CouncilWest Yorkshire Combined AuthorityWorcestershire County Council

If she will make it her policy to introduce an online search facility hosted by Great British Rail to help people affected by train delays find actual past (a) departure and (b) arrival times to support their claims under the Delay Repay scheme.

Getting Britain Moving sets out the Government’s ambition for Great British Railways to simplify the ticketing system in future, including improving the Delay Repay claims process alongside improved reliability of services. Passengers currently only need to know the timetabled departure time of their service to submit their delay repay claim, however we will consider all options to improve passenger experience.

How much was paid out to passengers by (a) West Midlands Trains and (b) all train operators as part of the Delay Repay scheme in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

The most recent published figures for compensation paid out by train operators to passengers are for 2022-2023 and can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation.The figures include both Delay Repay compensation and also discretionary compensation paid by train operators for poor service, for example when toilets on the train are not available for use.The figures for 2023-2024 are expected to be published later this year.