Every parliamentary written question tabled by Caroline Dinenage this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 121–140 of 358 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made on the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme.
The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers will launch in October 2027 across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Earlier this year we appointed UK DMO as the deposit management organisation for the schemes in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and they are continuing to progress at pace with delivery of the scheme.
What steps she is taking to ensure that children from non-privileged backgrounds have access to music and dance schools.
Funding of approximately £36.5 million is committed for the 2025/26 academic year for the Music and Dance Scheme, which provides income assessed bursaries to enable exceptionally talented children, regardless of their personal and financial circumstances, to attend specialist music and dance institutions.
Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Creative Industries Sector Vision (a) supports and (b) expands (i) existing skills training schemes and (ii) new training programmes.
Our Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June 2025, sets out our approach to developing a high quality, responsive, inclusive and targeted education, skills and training offer, meeting the workforce requirements of the creative industries.This includes refining and developing the growth and skills offer to deliver apprenticeships and skills training that recognise the particular needs of the sector, supporting existing schemes like flexi-job apprenticeships, and introducing new flexibilities such as short courses. The Government introduced new creative Higher Technical Qualifications in September, and will continue to expand the quantity of creative training pathways more broadly, including through further regional creative skills bootcamps.Access to a high-quality arts education supports the pipeline into the creative industries and cultural sectors. Under this government, access will not be the preserve of the privileged few, but the entitlement of every child. The Curriculum and Assessment Review and the government's response has been published. We are committing to revitalising arts education, putting it back at the heart of a rich and broad curriculum through high-quality support for teachers of creative subjects and the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education.The National Centre for Arts and Music Education will launch in September 2026, improving access and opportunity for children and young people and strengthening collaboration between schools and industry. It will promote high quality arts education, provide continuous professional development to teachers, and boost partnerships between schools and creative organisations.We are also supporting music and dance through Arts Council England which provides £450,000 per annum to the National Youth Dance Company, which offers high-quality training and performance opportunities; and £420,000 per annum to the National Youth Music Organisations who help develop talented young musicians across all kinds of music styles.
Media and Sport, what plans she has to ensure that music and dance education remains central to the creative industries.
Our Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June 2025, sets out our approach to developing a high quality, responsive, inclusive and targeted education, skills and training offer, meeting the workforce requirements of the creative industries.This includes refining and developing the growth and skills offer to deliver apprenticeships and skills training that recognise the particular needs of the sector, supporting existing schemes like flexi-job apprenticeships, and introducing new flexibilities such as short courses. The Government introduced new creative Higher Technical Qualifications in September, and will continue to expand the quantity of creative training pathways more broadly, including through further regional creative skills bootcamps.Access to a high-quality arts education supports the pipeline into the creative industries and cultural sectors. Under this government, access will not be the preserve of the privileged few, but the entitlement of every child. The Curriculum and Assessment Review and the government's response has been published. We are committing to revitalising arts education, putting it back at the heart of a rich and broad curriculum through high-quality support for teachers of creative subjects and the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education.The National Centre for Arts and Music Education will launch in September 2026, improving access and opportunity for children and young people and strengthening collaboration between schools and industry. It will promote high quality arts education, provide continuous professional development to teachers, and boost partnerships between schools and creative organisations.We are also supporting music and dance through Arts Council England which provides £450,000 per annum to the National Youth Dance Company, which offers high-quality training and performance opportunities; and £420,000 per annum to the National Youth Music Organisations who help develop talented young musicians across all kinds of music styles.
Whether the NHS Workforce plan will include an expansion in the allocation of dental student places at the University of Portsmouth.
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.The independent Office for Students has statutory responsibility for allocating funding for medical and dental school places. The University of Portsmouth would be considered for any possible future allocated dental training places, as would other dental schools in the same position.
With reference to correspondence from the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury to the Chair of the Association of International Retail dated October 15th 2025, on what evidential basis the Exchequer Secretary stated that tourism receipts in 2023 were 103 per cent of 2019 levels; and whether those figures related to tourism receipts for international tourism alone.
The 103% figure for the UK’s real recovery in tourism receipts between 2019 and 2023 is based on official data. The underlying data comes from the ONS Balance of Payments (series FJPF), which tracks spending in the UK by overseas visitors. To adjust for inflation, the figures are deflated using the UK Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), also published by the ONS. The percentage is calculated by comparing 2023 receipts (in 2019 prices) to the 2019 baseline.
What guidance she provides to local transport authorities on creating Local Transport Plans.
The Government is aware that Local Transport Plan Guidance hasn’t been updated in over a decade. We are currently developing new guidance for Local Transport Authorities in line with our wider priorities. The Government intends to publish updated Local Transport Plan guidance in due course.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of (a) the adequacy of the level of pricing transparency of fixed term mobile and broadband contracts; and (b) the impact of this on people (i) experiencing financial difficulty and (ii) with mental health conditions when they enter the negotiation process at the end of those fixed term contracts.
Affordability and transparency of telecoms services is important for Government and something we are keeping an eye on. The department monitors the market and consults stakeholders who conduct relevant research, including Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, and Citizens Advice.In 2022, Ofcom introduced a requirement for providers to give new customers a one-page summary of their contract before signing, clarifying terms and price changes.Operators are required under Ofcom’s General Conditions (C5) to follow guidelines on treating vulnerable consumers fairly, including for those facing financial or mental health challenges.
How many cancer patients have access to radiotherapy in (a) Gosport, (b) the South East and (c) England.
All cancer patients have access to radiotherapy treatment. Decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals.
What steps he is taking to ensure that every cancer patient who needs it has access to modern and timely radiotherapy cancer treatment.
The Government is taking decisive action to get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster.We have invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the NHS with cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients. These new machines are being rolled out across the country.
Communities and Local Government, what the average increase in social housing rents was in Gosport constituency in 2024-25.
Government policy limits how much rents are permitted to increase each year for Social Rent and Affordable Rent homes let by registered providers of social housing.In 2024-25, these rents were permitted to increase by up to CPI+1% based on the CPI rate in September 2023 (6.7%), which meant that rents were permitted to increase by up to 7.7%.The Regulator of Social Housing collects annual data from registered providers of social housing regarding their rents, which can be viewed by local authority area. Data for the year 2024-25 is scheduled to be released on 28 October. Statistics for previous years, along with a look-up tool, can be found on gov.uk here.
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make adherence to the Service Charge Residential Management Code mandatory for residential leasehold property managers.
The current edition of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Service Charge Residential Management Code, approved in 2016 using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993, may be used as evidence by the First-tier Tribunal or County Court in any decisions they make. Failure to comply with the Code alone does not make a managing agent or landlord liable to court/tribunal proceedings.We intend to strengthen the regulation of managing agents by introducing mandatory professional qualifications that will set a new basic standard that managing agents will be required to meet. Proposals to that effect are set out in our consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services, which can be found on gov.uk here.
What estimate he has made of the number of people claiming housing benefit in Gosport in each of the last three years.
Monthly statistics for the number of Housing Benefit claimants in Great Britain are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore, The statistics are available for various geographies, including local authority and parliamentary constituency, and are currently available to May 2025. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
Whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of multi-occupancy residential buildings insurance premiums.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator of financial services, carried out a review into insurance for multi-occupancy buildings in 2022. The FCA had concerns about how certain elements of the market were working and in 2023 it introduced a number of regulatory changes to enhance consumer protection and improve the functioning of the market. The FCA has robust powers to take action against firms that do not comply with its rules.The government continues to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the regulators, insurers, leaseholder representatives and trade bodies, to keep the market under review.
How much VAT was refunded to international visitors as a result of the Government's Shop and Ship retail export scheme in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
Goods purchased in the UK and subsequently exported outside the UK, whether by the business or the consumer, may be eligible for VAT zero-rating, provided that the relevant conditions are met, and appropriate evidence of export is retained. However, as such transactions are accounted for at the zero rate on VAT returns, they do not generate a separate refund and are not separately identifiable in HMRC’s systems. Therefore, HMRC does not hold data on the volume or value of such exports for which VAT has been zero-rated.
Whether his Department plans to provide guidance to Ofcom on maintaining access to (a) affordable and (b) time-sensitive subscription publications, following changes to the Universal Service Obligation.
A reliable and affordable universal postal service is crucial to the UK, and we are clear it must work for customers, workers and businesses that help drive growth across the country.Parliament has made Ofcom the independent regulator for the postal sector, and as such Ofcom has the responsibility to ensure the provision of the universal service obligation. The government is not involved in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.Ofcom’s reforms to the universal service obligation are intended to improve Royal Mail’s reliability. The regulator is conducting a review of pricing and affordability and plan to publish a consultation in the new year.
What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of driving tests within (a) half an hour, (b) an hour and (c) two hours travel of the Gosport peninsula.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.As of 1 September 2025, there were 640,907 car practical driving tests booked, and 30,339 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.The table below shows the current average waiting time and number of tests available at the driving test centres within up to two hours traveling distance from the Gosport peninsula.Driving test centre (DTC)Travelling distance from the Gosport peninsulaAverage car practical driving test waiting time (August 24)Booked tests (As of 01/09/2025)Tests available in 24 week booking window (As of 01/09/2025)Lee On SolentWithin half an hour24202992PortsmouthWithin half an hour244801202ChichesterWithin an hour24155660Southampton (Maybush)Within an hour243327205WinchesterWithin an hour24127051BasingstokeWithin two hours11.51764152Burgess HillWithin two hours243641183CrawleyWithin two hours243905211DorchesterWithin two hours24110383FarnboroughWithin two hours243188163GreenhamWithin two hours2480730GuildfordWithin two hours15.377728Newport (Isle of Wight)Within two hours241346109Oxford (Cowley)Within two hours24132466PooleWithin two hours243380234ReadingWithin two hours24191849SalisburyWithin two hours241882114SwindonWithin two hours244247248TrowbridgeWithin two hours5.3 (Outstation)54315WorthingWithin two hours24159882
Whether she assumes increased productivity from AI adoption in her economic modelling.
The government is taking steps to consolidate the UK’s position at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI), such as funding to enable a twentyfold expansion of the UK’s AI Research Resource and creating AI Growth Zones to accelerate the construction of cutting-edge AI infrastructure. With a growing evidence base pointing to the potential productivity benefits of AI, the UK is well placed to harness its potential across both the public and private sectors. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook. In its July 25 Fiscal Risks and Sustainability (FRS) report, the OBR noted the rapid development and dissemination of artificial intelligence could be one driver of upside risk to future productivity growth, although the magnitude and timing of the possible boost to productivity remains highly uncertain.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the fiscal outlook.
HM Treasury conducts a wide range of analysis to inform policy development. This includes working closely with the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation to understand the transformative impacts Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have across the UK economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster, and in its latest Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report, published on 8 July 2025, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances. The OBR also note that the “rapid development and dissemination of artificial intelligence could be one driver of upside risk to future productivity growth, although the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain”.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) development and (b) dissemination of artificial intelligence on the tax base.
HM Treasury conducts a wide range of analysis to inform policy development. This includes working closely with the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation to understand the transformative impacts Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have across the UK economy. In addition, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), as the Government's official independent forecaster, is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook, which may include the potential estimates of the impacts of AI where sufficient evidence exists.