Every parliamentary written question tabled by Alicia Kearns this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 441–460 of 470 · this parliament
Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to respond to the consultation entitled The Future Homes and Buildings Standards: 2023 consultation which closed on 27 March 2024.
The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024, and a government response has not yet been issued. We fully support the need for low carbon homes, fit for a net zero future. We are reviewing p...
Whether he plans to respond to the consultation entitled Home Energy Model: Future Homes Standard assessment which closed on 27 March 2024.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero officials are analysing the responses received for the Home Energy Model: Future Homes Standard assessment consultation. The Government will publish the government response to the consultation in due course.
What steps he is taking to (a) help tackle reductions in the effectiveness of loft insulation during its lifetime and (b) increase (i) awareness of and (ii) access to new technologies to help
Loft insulation installed under government schemes must be compliant with the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 and 2035 standard documents to reduce the risks and unintended consequences associated with poor-quality installations. The British S...
Whether his Departments plans to implement all recommendations in the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, published on 19 July 2023; what his planned timetable is for the implementation of recommendations; and how
The Government acknowledges the historic policy prohibiting homosexuality in the Armed Forces was regrettable, wrong and completely unacceptable. The treatment of LGBT Serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect to...
How many people are eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment in Rutland and Stamford constituency; and what estimate she has made of the number of people who will be eligible under the proposed changed elig
The Pension Credit data that is used is based on the 2010 Westminster Parliamentary constituencies, not 2024, in order to be comparable with the Winter Fuel Payments statistics. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constitu...
Whether children in independent schools on waiting lists for an educational, health and care plan assessment will have VAT added to school fees.
On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boarding services provided by private schools. This policy will not impact pupils with the most acute additional needs, where their needs can only be met in private schools. For instance, in England, where a child’s place in a private school is funded by their Local Authority (LA) because it is named in their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The fees of pupils waiting for an EHCP will be subject to VAT. However, LAs aim to process all EHCP applications in time for the start of the next school year so that parents can make an informed decision as to which school they send their child to. In certain circumstances, the LA is able to prepay one term’s fees if the EHCP is not yet complete, but the outcome is foreseeable. Likewise, some private schools will forgo the first term’s fees for pupils that are expected to be granted an EHCP in the future.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of medication for Parkinson's disease produced by Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Teva Pharmaceuticals supply a range of medicines to treat Parkinson’s disease. We are not aware of any issues with Teva Pharmaceuticals’ supply of these medicines. Teva Pharmaceuticals discontinued amantadine 100 milligram capsules in July 2024, however alternative suppliers remain in stock, and are able to meet patient demand.
Communities and Local Government, until what date the Community ownership fund will remain open; and if her Department will extend that fund beyond 31 March 2025.
The Chancellor’s July ‘Public Spending: Inheritance’ speech set out the state of the UK’s spending inheritance from the previous Government. In this context, the Chancellor has set out a path to confirming plans for this year and next at the forthcoming Budget on October 30th.We understand that this may have caused uncertainty about the status of the Community Ownership Fund. The Government will seek to provide certainty wherever it can between now and conclusion of the Spending Review.
Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on the future of commission paid to site owners following the sale of park homes.
I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 1176 on 31 July 2024.
What plans he has to increase access to NHS dentistry in rural areas.
We are aware of the challenges faced when accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas. The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards across England.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 373 on Solar Power: Supply Chains, which section of the Decision Letter addresses the (a) ethical sourcing of solar panels for the Mallard Pass development and (b) issues raised in section 3.9.92 of the report by the Planning Inspectorate entitled Mallard Pass Solar Farm: Examining Authority’s Report of Findings and Conclusions and Recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, published on 16 February 2024.
(a) The issue of ethical sourcing of solar panels for the Mallard Pass development are set out in paragraphs 4.104 to 4.107 of the Secretary of State’s Decision Letter. (b) Issues raised in section 3.9.92 of the Examining Authority’s Report are considered in paragraphs 4.104 to 4.107 of the Secretary of State’s Decision Letter.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 384 on Solar Power: Supply Chains, which section of the Decision Letter sets out the Secretary of State’s views on the adequacy of the measures in the Mallard Pass Solar Farm Outline Employment, Skills, and Supply Chain Plan (Clean) published on 19 September 2023 on the ethical sourcing of solar panels.
The Secretary of State’s conclusions are set out at paragraphs 4.107 and 4.109 of the Decision Letter. It is important to note that the question for the Secretary of State was whether this issue was a relevant planning matter, which is a different question from whether, as Ministers agree, this is an important matter more broadly. The Decision Letter references other regulatory routes that are available to control the ethical and legal sourcing of solar panels. Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking such decisions and the fact that a legal challenge to the decision could be made, Ministers cannot comment on this case beyond what is in the Decision Letter. This approach is set out in the Planning Propriety Guidance on nationally significant infrastructure decisions.
With reference to paragraph 3.9.92 of the report by the Planning Inspectorate entitled Mallard Pass Solar Farm: Examining Authority’s Report of Findings and Conclusions and Recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, published on 16 February 2024, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Planning Inspectorate on the ethical sourcing of solar panels for solar developments.
The full reasons for the Secretary of State’s planning decision on the Mallard Pass project are set out in the Decision Letter. Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking such decisions we are not able to give any further information at this stage, in line with the Planning Propriety Guidance on nationally significant infrastructure decisions.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Kosovan authorities on the Banjska attack on Kosovo in September 2023; and whether his Department has received reports on the potential involvement of the state of Serbia in that attack.
The UK has repeatedly condemned the attack at Banjska and its destabilising effect in the region. The UK has repeatedly urged Serbia's leaders to help bring those responsible to justice and to take action to stop the illegal flow of weapons into Kosovo. The UK has discussed these issues with Kosovan Ministers and officials on a number of occasions. On 18 July, the Foreign Secretary discussed regional stability and reinforced its importance with both President Osmani and President Vucic at the European Political Community Summit.
What steps his Department is taking to increase dementia diagnosis rates.
The recovery of the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7% is included in the National Health Service’s priorities and operational planning guidance for 2024/25. This provides clear direction for the integrated care boards (ICBs) to support delivery of timely diagnoses.The latest dementia diagnosis rate reported by NHS England for the end of June 2024 was 65%. Timely diagnosis of dementia is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia in any local area can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well with the condition, and remain independent for as long as possible.To support recovery of the dementia diagnosis rates and implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, NHS England has funded an evidence-based improvement project for two trusts in each region, 14 sites in total, to pilot tools to improve the diagnosis of dementia and the provision of support in care homes.Additionally, the Dementia Intelligence Network was commissioned to develop a resource for local health systems to support investigation of the underlying variation in dementia diagnosis rates. This work aims to provide context for variation and enable targeted investigation and provision of support at a local level to enhance diagnosis rates.
If he will make it his policy to bring forward legislative proposals to require the solar industry to pay a standardised level of compensation to affected communities.
It is important for this Government that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should directly benefit from it. We are aware that solar and other renewable developers currently offer a range of community benefit schemes including providing funding for environmental enhancements, job schemes, energy discounts, and investment in local infrastructure such as faster broadband, EV charging points or energy efficiency measures. Government does not currently have a formal role with regards to community benefits for solar.
Innovation and Technology, whether it is his Department's policy to provide £71.5 million funding for the roll-out of fast broadband to rural areas in Stamford, Rutland and Leicestershire.
The award of a £71.5 million Project Gigabit contract to the broadband supplier CityFibre to connect around 38,600 rural and hard-to-reach premises across Leicestershire and Warwickshire will deliver fast, reliable broadband, with the work due to commence in August. This contract includes homes and businesses in the Rutland and Stamford constituency that would otherwise miss out on a gigabit-capable connection. Parts of Rutland and Stamford are also set to benefit from other Project Gigabit contracts, including the £68.6 million contract that CityFibre is delivering across Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas.
Whether his Department (a) monitors and (b) plans to monitor the (i) area, (ii) type by agricultural grade and (iii) geographical location of land proposed for solar development.
The Department currently monitors the geographical location of solar developments through the Renewable Energy Planning Database. We plan to broaden the scope of this database to provide information on the area and types of agricultural land used by existing solar projects and those in the planning pipeline.
If she will make an assessment of the potential security threat from China to the UK.
As a matter of long-standing policy, we do not comment on the detail of security and intelligence issues.More generally, the government’s first duty is to protect our national security and keep our country safe. We keep potential threats to the UK under constant review and, where necessary, we use all the tools at our disposal to mitigate these threats.When it comes to China this Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach, rooted in UK and global interests. We will cooperate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must, including on issues of national security.
What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the influence of the (a) Iranian regime and (b) Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the UK.
The Government does not routinely comment on the detail of operational matters or specific threats. But the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign states. This government will always take threats to the UK incredibly seriously.Iran’s malign activity, including the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK.In concert with partners, the UK Government will continue to use all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and its overseas interests against any threats from the Iranian state, including malign influence.