Written questions by McVey.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of planning protections afforded to Local Wildlife Sites in the in the update to the National Planning Policy Framework.

The powers secured through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 would allow Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment to be replaced with a new framework of Environmental Outcomes Reports.The government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside securing the development we need and will consider how best to reform environmental assessment with this objective in mind. Alongside, reforming building regulations, we will carefully consider how Environmental Outcomes Reports can be used to support our wider carbon reduction targets. In the meantime, the current legislation on environmental assessment and its supporting guidance continues to apply.

With reference to paragraph 3.6 of the minutes of the Covid-19 Vaccine Benefit Risk Expert Working Group held on 18 November 2020, if he will publish (a) the 36 questions posed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to Pfizer/BioNTech and (b) any response received from that company.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency does not intend to publish these questions, or any subsequent responses received from the manufacturers.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the transition to net zero on energy security.

Switching to homegrown clean energy, including renewables and other clean technologies, offers security that fossil fuels simply cannot provide. The Government recognises the challenges in moving away from fossil fuels but the only way to ensure energy se...

What the average wait time is for hospital patients to be provided with medications at discharge.

The Department and NHS England recognise the need for patients who are ready to go home to be discharged as quick as possible, both for their benefit and to improve the efficiency of hospitals. Information on the average wait time for hospital patients to...

What steps he is taking to increase the efficiency of supplying medication at hospital discharge to ensure faster discharge.

The Department and NHS England recognise the need for patients who are ready to go home to be discharged as quick as possible, both for their benefit and to improve the efficiency of hospitals. Information on the average wait time for hospital patients to...

What steps he plans to take to make the hospital discharge process more efficient.

The Government will improve hospital discharge processes, to tackle delayed discharges, and to make sure people do not spend longer than necessary in hospital, freeing up hospital beds.We will do so by developing local partnerships, working between the Na...

What assessment he has made of the potential risks that the transition to net zero poses to (a) households and (b) businesses.

The transition to net zero will be an incredible opportunity for jobs and growth all across the country. As the OBR has noted in its July 2021 Fiscal Risks Report, “the costs of failing to get climate change under control would be much larger than those o...

If she will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of the processes put in place by HMRC to register private schools for VAT and (b) adequacy of the time taken for those schools to receive a VAT number.

The government is committed to supporting private schools to ensure that the VAT registration process is as smooth as possible for them, and to ensuring they have the necessary support in order to be able to correctly charge VAT and remit it to HMRC. HMRC...

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 12696 on Primodos: Research, when the minutes and outcome of the November Commission on Human Medicines discussion will be published.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), together with the wider Government, have committed to reviewing any new scientific evidence which comes to light.The new publication by Danielsson et al has been reviewed by the MHRA and advi...

What estimate she has made of the cost to the police service in (a) England and (b) Wales of the increase in Employers' National Insurance Contributions.

On 12 December, the PSC issued a circular stating that it has agreed to the deletion of the lowest pay point (£23,286) on the PSC Pay Spine with effect from 1 April 2025. This is to reflect that the increase in the National Living Wage, which will take ef...

What estimate she has made of the cost to the police service in (a) England and (b) Wales of the increase in minimum wage.

On 12 December, the PSC issued a circular stating that it has agreed to the deletion of the lowest pay point (£23,286) on the PSC Pay Spine with effect from 1 April 2025. This is to reflect that the increase in the National Living Wage, which will take ef...

How many and what proportion of private schools have been provided with a VAT number.

HMRC publishes data on the VAT population by sector on an annual basis. The latest statistics can be found here: Value Added Tax (VAT) annual statistics - GOV.UK The point at which private schools need to register for VAT depends on their individual circu...

How many and what proportion of private schools have been provided with a VAT number.

HMRC publishes data on the VAT population by sector on an annual basis. The latest statistics can be found here: Value Added Tax (VAT) annual statistics - GOV.UK The point at which private schools need to register for VAT depends on their individual circu...

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 13772 on Cardiovascular Diseases: Emergency Calls, if he will provide this data for the period between March 2015 and March 2021; and what ass

Information on ambulance service demand is published by NHS England, including, as of April 2018, the monthly total number of cardiac arrests responded to by ambulance services. The following table shows the total number of cardiac arrests each month from...

What guidance his Department issues to hospitals on visiting times for friends and family.

Contact with family and friends is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of residents in care homes and people in hospital. We have worked with NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to develop the policy options to strengthen the expectation...

Which companies have applied to operate a small modular reactor.

I understand the Right Honourable Member is asking about small modular reactor technology vendors down-selected to negotiate with Great British Nuclear as part of its ongoing competition. The vendors are: GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International LLC; Holte...

When recent estimate his Department has made of when small modular reactors will be operational.

The Government is committed to ensuring new nuclear power stations, such as Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), will play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of g...

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13773 on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, how much his Department spent on legal fees defending against appeals.

Between 1 November 2021 and 1 December 2024, the total spent by the NHS Business Services Authority on behalf of the Department on legal fees to defend against appeals within the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was £50,608.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13773 on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, how many claims have waited over a year for a decision; and what support his Department provides t

As of 1 December 2024, 1,107 claims have been waiting over a year for a resolution. All claims are managed on a case-by-case basis and there are several factors that may impact processing times. This includes time spent awaiting medical records from healt...

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13773 on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, how many people were (a) assessed and (b) successful in each of those financial years; and what th

In the financial year (FY) 2022/23, 1,298 applications were assessed, and 72 applications were successful. In the FY 2023/24, 3,806 applications were assessed, and 99 applications were successful. In the FY 2024/25, 4,664 applications have been assessed, ...