Written questions by Maguire.

What recent steps her Department has taken to (a) reduce the number of abandoned leisure boats and (b) mitigate environmental damage from those boats.

The department has taken no recent steps to address either of the two issues raised in the question. The department has issued advice in the port marine safety code around the issue of abandoned vessels, but that advice is aimed at vessels which pose a threat to safety. The department would expect that each port would use its powers in a reasonable manner to the limit of its authority to address any issue caused by abandoned leisure vessels, and would do so in would environmentally responsible way.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional (a) funding and (b) support for (i) local authorities and (ii) harbourmasters to (A) safely dispose of and (B) reclaim abandoned vessels.

Many ports already have powers to remove, dispose of, and recoup costs pertaining to abandoned vessels. Environmental impact is a factor that may be considered as a part of a decision to intervene. If ports do not have powers to remove vessels, they can seek additional powers if needed by means of a Harbour Revision Order As these legal avenues already exist, the Department has taken no recent action, nor plans to undertake an assessment but we continue to welcome input from stakeholders on these issues.

If she will take steps to ensure that Local Housing Allowance rates reflect rents in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

In April 2024, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents for one year at a cost of £7bn over 5 years.LHA rates are set within Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs), which are determined by rent officers at the Valuation Office Agency for England, Rent Officers Wales and Rent Services Scotland. There are 192 BRMAs across Great Britain.A BRMA is an area within which a person could reasonably be expected to live with regard to facilities and services for the purposes of health, education, recreation, banking and shopping. The BRMA criteria takes account of travel to and from those services by both public and private transport in both rural and urban areas.Rent Officers gather a representative sample of private rental data across the BRMA of all property types and property sizes from a range of sources. They also survey across the full year to capture current market conditions. This includes collecting a representative sample from all the local authority areas within a BRMA, including larger urban centres and more sparsely populated rural areas where relevant.

What steps he is taking to make NHS dental care more accessible for people in North Cornwall constituency.

This Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients 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 areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For North Cornwall constituency, this is the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB is taking actions to make NHS dental care more accessible, including the commissioning of additional urgent dental care appointments across the South-West, a dental helpline for urgent advice; and an access pilot project in Cornwall to support the most vulnerable people to access an NHS dentist.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) maintaining and (b) reducing levels of fuel duty on (i) households, (ii) small businesses and (iii) the haulage sector.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned inflationary increase for 2025/26, meaning rates will remain frozen at the levels set in March 2022. This support represents a total saving for drivers in 2025/26 of around £3 billion, or £59 for the average car driver. Vans will see an average saving of £126 and heavy goods vehicles will see an average saving of nearly £1,100. Those driving more than average, which includes drivers in rural communities, will generally experience larger savings. The Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme provides a 5p reduction to motorists buying fuel in certain areas. The areas included in the scheme demonstrate certain characteristics such as: pump prices much higher than the UK average; remoteness leading to high fuel transport costs from refinery to filling station; and relatively low sales meaning that retailers cannot benefit from bulk discounts.

What discussions his Department has had with oil and gas companies on renewables policy.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of attaching emergency batteries for mobile phones to telephone masts in rural areas.

Communications providers have a statutory responsibility to take measures to identify, prepare for and reduce anything that compromises the availability, performance or functionality of their networks and services. Some mobile phone masts have battery back-up so that they can continue operating despite a power outage, although the amount of back up currently varies across the access network.Ofcom have recently undertaken a public Call for Input on this issue, and in September 2024 they announced they will undertake further analysis to consider whether additional measures are needed. Government will continue working closely with Ofcom, mobile operators and the power sector to ensure there is appropriate and proportionate resilience across the network.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a detailed national registration system for leisure vessels.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not assessed this the potential merits of introducing a detailed national registration system for leisure vessels. Whilst registering on the Small Ships Register is not mandatory, small ship owners are encouraged to register their vessel. The small ships register (part 3) currently has 34,527 vessels registered.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a protected minimum floor for Universal Credit.

The Government recognises the importance of the social security safety net and the role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay. That is why a Fair Repayment Rate will be introduced from April 2025, reducing the overall cap on Universal Credit (UC) deductions from 25% to 15%. This means approximately 1.2 million of the poorest families will benefit by an average of £420 a year. At this time, the Government have no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a protected minimum floor for Universal Credit at this time.

What steps his Department is taking to improve ambulance waiting times in Bude.

The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, including for ambulance response times.As a first step, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September 2024 and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.Ahead of this winter, NHS England has set out the priorities for the NHS to maintain and improve patient safety and experience, including actions to support patient flow and ensure ambulances are released in a timely way. NHS England’s winter letter, sent to all integrated care boards including NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board which serves Bude, is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/winter-and-h2-priorities

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of maintaining the personal tax allowance on (a) pensioners and (b) low-income households in each of the next three years.

This Government is committed to keeping taxes as low as possible for working people and pensioners while ensuring fiscal responsibility, which is why it is not extending the freeze on personal tax thresholds that was implemented by the previous Government and is instead allowing them to rise with inflation from April 2028. The Government provides additional support for both pensioners and low-income households. At the Autumn Budget, the Government announced that the basic and new State Pension will increase by 4.1% from April 2025. This means those on a full new State Pension will be getting an additional £470 a year. The Government also announced a 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage (NLW) from April 2025. This represents an increase of £1,400 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW and is expected to benefit over 3 million low-paid workers.

What steps his Department is taking to support small businesses exporting to the EU to navigate the requirements set out in the EU General Product Safety Regulation.

The Government is supporting small businesses to understand and comply with the new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). We published information on GOV.UK regarding its application in Northern Ireland, which we regularly review, and continue engaging directly with businesses. Since October, the UK Export Academy has delivered five free online GPSR training sessions, with over 2,600 attendees.The responsibility for interpreting and providing guidance on EU legislation rests with the European Commission. Exporters to the EU should consult EU guidance and may also contact the Government’s Export Support Service.

Whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that people entitled to (a) Pension Credit uplifts and (b) other pension uplifts receive them automatically; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a system that allows those uplifts to be applied without requiring additional claims from eligible recipients.

A Pension Credit award can include additional amounts for:Severe disability;Caring for a disabled person;Children that the claimant is responsible for; andCertain housing costs. These additional amounts can increase or uplift the value of a Pension Credit award.When a new Pension Credit claim is made, any additional amounts are applied to the award, as a matter of course, based on the claimant’s circumstances. A separate claim for these additional amounts is not needed.If an existing claimant’s circumstances change, their Pension Credit award can be adjusted to reflect the change – for example including or removing additional amounts. A new claim is not required as the adjustment can be made either by the claimant reporting a change of circumstance or on the initiative of the Department. Following the Secretary of State’s statutory annual review of state pension and benefit rates in the Autumn, the rates for the basic and new State Pension and the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 4.1%. Other state pension and benefit rates covered by the statutory review will be increased by 1.7%. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the new rates will take effect from 7 April 2025 and will be applied automatically without the need for a claim.The full list of proposed benefit and pension rates can be found at Benefit and pension rates 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Newtrain Bay.

Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or GoodSouth West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Watergate Bay.

Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or GoodSouth West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Porth Beach.

Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or GoodSouth West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Mawgan Porth Beach.

Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or GoodSouth West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Pentire Steps Beach.

Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or GoodSouth West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Porthcothan Bay.

Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or GoodSouth West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Rock Beach.

Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or GoodSouth West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.