Every parliamentary written question tabled by Max Wilkinson this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 341–360 of 420 · this parliament
Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to renew funding for the Park Tennis Courts programme.
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.All future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Park Tennis Court project on encouraging more people to take up tennis.
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. We recognise that everyone should have access to high quality facilities and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The previous Government commissioned an independent impact evaluation assessment of the Park Tennis Court Programme in August 2023, with a key focus being the impact of the programme on participation. We expect the full evaluation impact report to be published during April 2026.
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of deep geothermal energy on energy bills for hospitals.
The Department recognises that deep geothermal has the potential to be valuable part of the National Health Service’s energy mix. The clean, consistent energy offered by successful geothermal projects could make a significant contribution to the NHS’s 2040 Net Zero target, whilst supporting the NHS’s overall energy security and resilience.However, there are barriers that must first be addressed, including the United Kingdom sector’s lack of relative maturity, the geological risks posed by deep bore projects, the extensive payback periods, project failure rates, and the high upfront capital demand of such projects. These issues are outside of the competence of the Department of Health and Social Care and would be for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to explore further as the lead energy department.
If he will make an assessment of the impact of social media addiction on (a) (i) adult and (ii) children's mental health and (b) the cost of mental health provision in the NHS.
In 2019, the UK’s Chief Medical Officers reviewed the evidence on the relationship between screen time and mental health in children. The commentary found an association between the two but could not establish a causal relationship.In 2023, The National Institute for Health and Care Research commissioned a longitudinal study exploring the potential causal impact of social media use on young people’s mental health in the United Kingdom. The study found little evidence to suggest that spending more time on social media is associated with more mental health problems in young people.Our focus is on keeping young people safe, while also benefitting from the latest technology. By the summer, robust new protections for children will be in force through the Online Safety Act to protect them from harmful content and ensure they have an age-appropriate experience online.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology recently announced a feasibility study on methods and data to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children; this began on 2 December 2024 and will be completed in May 2025.
Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for the provision of padel courts.
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for padel tennis in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.All future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
Communities and Local Government, whether the potential for deep geothermal energy for new housing developments is being considered in her planning reforms.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that when determining planning applications, local planning authorities should give significant weight to the benefits associated with renewable and low carbon energy and the contribution of the proposal in question to a net zero future. The Framework also states that plans should identify opportunities for development to draw its energy supply from decentralised, renewable or low carbon energy supply systems and for co-locating potential heat customers and suppliers, to help increase the use and supply of renewable and low carbon energy and heat.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) structural and (b) social causes of obesity.
Obesity is a complex public health issue with multiple interacting factors impacting over a life course. Genetic and physiological factors, growth and development early in life, eating and physical activity behaviours, individual beliefs and attitudes and broader environmental (structural), economic and social drivers play a role in determining obesity. As such, the assessment of social and structural factors influencing obesity, diet and physical activity has been, and will continue to be, integral to our assessments. This includes, for example: assessment of National Diet and Nutrition Survey data by index of multiple deprivation (IMD); assessment of Health Survey for England and National Child Measurement Programme data on overweight and obesity by region and IMD; assessments set out within Theme 4 of the UK food security report; assessments of Active lives adult survey data and Active lives children and young people survey on physical activity by local authority, region and England, and by IMD; assessment of data on fast food outlets in the built-up environment by local authority, region and England, and by IMD; impact assessments including regulations restricting the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online; and consideration of vulnerable groups, racially and ethnically diverse groups and health inequality underpins all risk assessments undertaken by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, which advises the Governments of the four United Kingdom nations on nutrition related matters. Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to prevention and to tackling obesity, creating a fairer and healthier food environment.
Media and Sport, with reference to her Answer to the hon. Member for Cheltenham of 27 February 2025, Official Report, column 919, what the content was of her discussions with EU commissioners on reducing bureaucracy for artists touring EU countries.
The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Chris Bryant, met the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, on 26 February.The Minister communicated the UK’s commitment to seeking a closer, more cooperative relationship with the EU, including by supporting UK creative professionals to tour in Europe. By ensuring artists and crew can move efficiently, we can support economic growth, job creation, and artistic innovation across the continent. The Minister and the Commissioner agreed to meet again to continue these discussions.
What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of qualified occupational therapists in (a) health, (b) social care and (c) community settings.
The refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan, which will be published in summer 2025, will deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, including qualified occupational therapists, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.The Department supports occupational health students in training with the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF), providing eligible students with a non-repayable grant of £5,000 a year. Further financial support is also available for childcare, dual accommodation costs and travel.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of mandating principal occupational therapist roles within (a) local authorities and (b) NHS trusts.
Whilst the Department is not responsible for decisions about the principal occupational therapist roles in adult social care or National Health Service trusts, the role of mandating would sit with employers and the regulator of principal occupational therapists, which is the Health and Care Professions Council.
What steps he is taking to better integrate occupational therapists in primary care; and whether occupational therapists will be included in any plans for a neighbourhood health service.
We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longerAchieving our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service will involve health and care services, including social care, wider local government services, and statutory services such as housing and employment, and the voluntary sector. There will be a strong focus on how they collaborate with system partners to prevent people spending unnecessary time in hospitals or care homes. The full vision for the health system will be set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society during the debate on gambling harms of 5 February 2025, Official Report, columns 373-377WH, if she will outline the conditions under which her Department would intervene to replace the self-regulating system in the gambling industry.
Gambling in Great Britain is independently regulated by the Gambling Commission.The independent Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK. There are robust rules in place to ensure that advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible. Gambling operators must comply with the advertising codes of practice, which are enforced by the ASA, as part of their licence conditions. The ASA has the power to take action where there is evidence of advertising in breach of the Codes, and can also refer operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission for possible regulatory action. However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making building regulation M4(2) Category 2 accessible and adaptable standards mandatory for new homes.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 12990 provided on 25 November 2024.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a lower rate of VAT for the hospitality sector.
To support hospitality businesses, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with Rateable Values below £500,000, from 2026-27. Ahead of these changes being made, the Government recognises that businesses will need support in 2025-26. As such, the Government has prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and we have frozen the small business multiplier. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of occupational therapy-led vocational rehabilitation services in helping people to remain in work.
Evidence shows that expert support such as Occupational Health services (including vocational rehabilitation services) can be a critical component in helping individuals remain in and return to work, reducing unnecessary sickness absence, increasing productivity and enabling individuals to live better for longer. This Government set out our plans to tackle economic inactivity driven by ill health and increase participation in the labour market in the Get Britain Working White Paper last year. These included an independent review which is considering how to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with a health condition or disability, promote healthy workplaces and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of community rehabilitation services on (a) people’s well-being and (b) the prevention of ill-health.
The Government understands the importance of having effective rehabilitation services available to help people recover. By providing an alternative to hospital or care home admission, community rehabilitation supports the Government’s shift from hospital to home and from sickness to prevention.Successful intermediate care and reablement support services are better for service users, promoting faster recovery, improving independence, reducing risk of physical deconditioning associated with long stays in hospital, and providing a joined-up experience of health and care.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing the maximum mandatory disabled facilities grant and (b) reviewing means test arrangements for that grant.
In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes. We are providing an immediate in-year uplift of £86 million in 2024/25. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for 2025/26 at the Autumn Budget 2024, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million.To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant under consideration. As part of this, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit and will set out further detail in due course.
Whether her Department has a policy on Uber taxi drivers operating outside the local authority area in which those drivers have a licence.
Legislation allows taxis and private hire vehicles to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed. Taxis can only ply for hire (pick up passengers at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street) in the area in which they are licensed. Pre-booked work by private hire vehicles and taxis can be undertaken anywhere. This allows the sector to work flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.The Government however recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI on employment opportunities for freelance press journalists.
Journalism plays an invaluable role in the fabric of our society and we are committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape. At the same time, the UK is well placed to seize the transformative opportunities presented by AI and is committed to the responsible adoption of AI across all parts of the economy. In this context, we recognise concerns from the press sector that recent developments in generative AI pose risks, as well as opportunities, to journalism, including those who work freelance. We are engaging with the press sector on these concerns, including through a recent ministerial roundtable with major UK publishers and broadcasters. We have also provided funding to the Bridging Responsible AI Divides research programme at The University of Edinburgh, which produced the report ‘Generative AI and Journalism: Mapping the Risk Landscape’. We will continue to monitor developments here to inform future policymaking, including with regard to employment opportunities for freelance journalists.We recognise that particular concerns have been raised with regard to the use of copyrighted news content in the training of AI models and how this interacts with UK copyright law. Our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime has now closed. We will consider all the responses we have received and continue to develop our policy approach in partnership with creative industries, media and AI stakeholders. Addressing this is an urgent priority for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, but no decisions will be taken until we are confident we have a practical plan that delivers for the media and creative industries.
Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI on (a) print journalism and (b) the online media industry.
Journalism plays an invaluable role in the fabric of our society and we are committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape. At the same time, the UK is well placed to seize the transformative opportunities presented by AI and is committed to the responsible adoption of AI across all parts of the economy. In this context, we recognise concerns from the press sector that recent developments in generative AI pose risks, as well as opportunities, to journalism, including those who work freelance. We are engaging with the press sector on these concerns, including through a recent ministerial roundtable with major UK publishers and broadcasters. We have also provided funding to the Bridging Responsible AI Divides research programme at The University of Edinburgh, which produced the report ‘Generative AI and Journalism: Mapping the Risk Landscape’. We will continue to monitor developments here to inform future policymaking, including with regard to employment opportunities for freelance journalists.We recognise that particular concerns have been raised with regard to the use of copyrighted news content in the training of AI models and how this interacts with UK copyright law. Our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime has now closed. We will consider all the responses we have received and continue to develop our policy approach in partnership with creative industries, media and AI stakeholders. Addressing this is an urgent priority for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, but no decisions will be taken until we are confident we have a practical plan that delivers for the media and creative industries.