Written questions by Whately.

When she plans to publish her Department's areas of research interest for 2024.

We expect to publish the Department’s Areas of Research Interest in early 2025, taking the appropriate time to engage with the research community and the wider transport sector.

If she will increase fuel duty rates.

Revenue from motoring taxes and associated VAT ensures that the Government can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect. Following the spending audit, the Chancellor has been clear that difficult decisions lie ahead on spending, welfare and tax to fix the foundations of our economy and address the £22 billion hole the government has inherited. Decisions on how to do that will be taken at the Budget in the round; the Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. The Government continuously reviews the tax system to ensure that it raises revenue in a way that supports growth. This involves considering representations from a range of stakeholders on various taxes and tax issues, including motoring taxes.

What the (a) full title, (b) estimated cost of production and (c) organisation responsible is for each item of external research that Highways England has commissioned but has yet to publish.

The Department for Transport does not hold complete information on this.

What the (a) full title, (b) estimated cost of production and (c) organisation responsible is for each item of external research that her Department has commissioned but has yet to publish.

Details of all Government contracts, including research contracts, are published on Contracts Finder, and FTS, for contracts awarded from Jan 2021 over a certain threshold.

Innovation and Technology, whether (a) UK Research and Innovation and (b) its associated bodies has funded research into pay per mile road charging in the last five years.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have not funded any specific projects on pay per-mile road charging.

What the (a) full title, (b) estimated cost of production and (c) organisation responsible is for each item of external research that Active Travel England has commissioned but has yet to publish.

Executive agencies regularly commission research and once published it is available on gov.uk or on the commissioned organisation’s website.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department what his Department's timetable is for its consultation into amending environmental permitting regulations to ensure that battery energy storage systems have appropriate mitigations in place against fire risk.

The Government agrees with the need to have robust measures in place to manage the risks associated with facilities that use large numbers of lithium-ion batteries. Defra is considering further options, including environmental permitting, for managing the environmental and public health risks from fires at BESS sites.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the review to increase fairness in the fresh produce supply chain.

The Government will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness in the supply chain across all sectors, including the fresh produce supply chain. Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling contractual unfairness wherever it exists. Defra will continue the work closely with stakeholders from the fresh produce sector on the best way to achieve this.

Pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2024 to Question 2445 on Tolls, if she will commission research on pay per mile charge schemes.

There are no pay-per-mile road charges in the UK, and the Department has no plans to commission research into pay-per-mile road charging schemes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2024 to Question 2438, whether her Department has issued guidance on the use of automatic number plate recognition by local authorities as a parking enforcement tool.

The Department does not issue specific guidance pertaining to the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). ANPR technology is not certified for the purpose of civil enforcement of road traffic contraventions by local authorities. In contrast to the restrictions placed on local authorities, which cannot use ANPR technology to enforce a parking charge once a vehicle has left the car park, private operators are allowed to use ANPR technology as the sole means of enforcement for parking on controlled land.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS dental appointments.

The 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 to 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.

Pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2024 to Question 2443 on Roads: Speed Limits, whether she plans to encourage more councils to adopt 20 mph speed limits.

Decisions on whether to adopt 20mph limits rests with the local authority.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on private schools on state schools in Kent.

In line with research from the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, the government does not anticipate the ending of the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy to prompt notable movement into the state sector, and any movement is expected to take place over several years. This research can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending. The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the school capacity survey and this data shows that in May 2023, 11.7% of primary capacity and 11.5% of secondary capacity was unfilled nationally, meaning school places are available in many parts of the country. The department will monitor demand and capacity using its normal processes and continue to work with local authorities to meet any pressures.

What the next steps are for schools which have been approved for funding under the Rebuilding Schools programme.

All the schools selected for the School Rebuilding Programme have been notified of indicative start dates and are either in delivery or ensuring they are prepared for when they do start delivery.

Whether he plans to free up more GP appointments.

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP), and we are committed to fixing this crisis in GPs.Our plan to do so will require both investment and reform. Firstly, we will increase the proportion of funding for GPs in primary care, starting with a commitment to recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. This will increase the number of GP appointments delivered, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and will take pressure off those currently working in the system.Additionally, we will train thousands more GPs across the country, beginning with the training places set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which will be key in increasing GP capacity.

What plans she has to ensure sufficient school places in Kent; and what support she plans to provide to help children in (a) towns and (b) rural areas get to and from school by public transport.

The government wants to ensure all children have fair access to a school place, where they can achieve and thrive. Kent County Council is responsible for ensuring there are sufficient school places for children in Kent. The department engages with local authorities, including Kent County Council, on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional primary and pre-16 secondary school places, and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, the department offers support and advice. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities to provide the needed mainstream school places for year groups from reception to year 11, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. Kent will receive just over £134 million to support the provision of new school places needed between May 2022 and September 2026, paid across the five financial years from 2021/22 to 2025/26. This takes their total funding allocated between 2011 and 2026 to just over £462 million. Local authorities’ allocations are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities and provide access to schools and other services. This government has set out an action plan to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce the Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services in the hands of local leaders to ensure networks can meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The government also plans to empower local transport authorities by reforming bus funding to give local leaders more control and flexibility over their funding so they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities.

What steps she is taking to fund improvements to academy school buildings which are not fit for purpose.

Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of the department’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The department remains committed to improving the condition of the school estate and to the continuing School Rebuilding Programme as part of that.Responsibility for keeping buildings safe and well-maintained lies with schools and their responsible bodies, such as academy trusts and local authorities. The department supports them by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support.The department has allocated £1.8 billion in capital funding for the 2024/25 financial year to improve the condition of the estate, which is informed by consistent data on the condition of buildings. This included a capital allocation for large multi-academy trusts, large voluntary aided bodies and local authorities. Small and stand-alone academy trusts were able to apply to the Condition Improvement Fund for specific projects. Academies and other schools also received their own allocation to support small capital projects to improve facilities. Allocations and the outcome of the Condition Improvement Fund are published on GOV.UK.The department is also fixing the problem of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) as quickly as possible, permanently removing RAAC either through grant funding or rebuilding.All future decisions on spending plans, including for capital funding, remain subject to the Spending Review and further details will be set out in due course.

Whether he plans to allow Integrated Care Boards to enter into sub-leases for large non-owned GP leased premises (a) via exception and (b) by amending the rules.

Under the GP Contract, premises liabilities are the responsibility of the Contractor. Overall contractual payments reflect this arrangement, with the National Health Service also reimbursing direct premises costs including rent, business rates, water, and clinical waste.There are 8,842 practice premises across England; of these, 51% are leased premises. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are not a formal party to the leases on these properties.ICBs can hold leases for general practice (GP) or clinical premises, following the transition from clinical commissioning groups which were unable to hold such leases. However, this would require capitalisation of the lease under the International Financial Accounting Standard IFRS16, and limited NHS capital budgets would have to be diverted to offset this commitment, in addition to the payment of rents against the properties.This would provide, in effect, a double payment of costs against the asset and would commit substantial capital funds to the exercise. Currently, Primary Care Estates capital allocation to integrated care systems would not be sufficient to offset such a capital liability and so an ICB would be required to look to other system partners to provide a capital allocation, thus limiting the ability of the system to invest in primary care estate, address secondary, community care and mental health critical and address the usual infrastructure maintenance requirements.As a result, in general ICBs entering into sub-leases for large non-owned GP leased premises would not provide the best use of public funds.

Whether he plans to allow GP practices to expand in areas with planned population increases.

We understand that there is pressure on primary care estates and service provision in areas of high population growth. The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means better utilising and expanding primary care infrastructure across the NHS estate. That is why we have set out our intention to fix the front door to the NHS and bring healthcare closer to home, and the local community.At a local level, the relevant integrated care board is responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring general practice (GP) services within their health systems, through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including GPs, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.At a national level, we continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure for the community.

What steps he plans to take to ensure there is adequate healthcare provision for (a) existing and (b) new populations in (i) towns and (ii) rural areas.

The Department supports statutory integrated care systems (ICSs) in delivering National Health Services across England. ICSs are partnerships of organisations which come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, to improve the lives of the people who live and work in their area. This includes considering adequate healthcare provision for populations in towns and rural areas, and working collaboratively to plan for population change.The organisations within an ICS include the NHS, local government, social care providers, charities, and other organisations working together to provide more joined up care for people, and to improve the outcomes for their populations.