Written questions by Patel.

When she plans to review the impact of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Requisite and Minimum Custodial Periods) Order 2024.

As set out in the Statutory Instrument to Amend the Standard Determinate Sentence Automatic Release Point Impact Assessment published on 17 July 2024 (available at the link below), the Government has been clear that this is a temporary change which will be reviewed after 18 months. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/117/pdfs/ukia_20240117_en.pdf.Further statistics will also be published in due course on a quarterly basis.

If he will have discussions with National Grid on the potential impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury project under the great grid upgrade on local communities in the East of England.

It is the responsibility of the developers of electricity network projects – in this case National Grid Electricity Transmission - to propose a route and obtain planning permission for that route. The government sets the rules for a robust and independent planning process that communities can participate in, with consultation being a central element of the planning process. Any engagement by Ministers must consider the role of the Secretary of State in deciding on planning applications for energy projects, and the limitations on discussing live projects in the development process which have not come to the Planning Inspectorate.

Communities and Local Government, how her Department calculated revised housing targets affecting (a) Braintree District Council, (b) Colchester City Council and (c) Maldon District Council.

The proposed methodology to calculate local housing need figures for each local authority, including Braintree District Council, Colchester City Council and Maldon District Council is set out in the ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’ consultation documents. These can be found at gov.uk.

What modelling assumptions her Department has made of revenue to the Exchequer arising from fuel duty in each of the next five financial years.

Fuel duty applies to petrol, diesel and other fuels for road and non-road uses, such as construction. The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events. Full forecasts for fuel duty revenue, certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), will be published at Budget on 30 October. HMRC regularly publish statistics relating to the direct effects of illustrative tax changes, including fuel duty. The most recent version of this publication can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes.

Whether he plans to consult on regulations relating to the introduction of a renewable liquid heating fuel obligation.

Renewable liquid fuels could play a limited role in heating. As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expect to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation, and potentially homes that are not readily suitable for heat pumps, as these offer the greatest opportunity to reduce emissions and have fewest alternative options to decarbonise. The price of renewable liquid heating fuels is higher than fuels that are currently used off the gas grid. The Government would need to ensure they are affordable before making any decisions on whether to support wider deployment, including the introduction of any obligations.

Whether he has a planned timetable for the (a) development and (b) publication of Strategic Spatial Energy Plans.

We are committed to a more strategic approach to energy planning and will shortly commission NESO to produce the first Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). The commission is the first step in the process, setting out our expectations for how the SSEP will be produced and governed. It will also include details on timelines for development, consultations and publication. The SSEP will build upon independent advice provided by NESO on the pathway to delivering clean power by 2030 commissioned in August 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Polish counterpart on international parental child abduction.

This Government takes International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) extremely seriously and I recognise the impact that it has on families, particularly the affected children. I raised the issue with my Polish counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Prawda, during a meeting on 12 July. IPCA remains a priority for this government and we will continue to use every available opportunity to register our serious concerns and seek updates on the steps the Polish government are taking to address outstanding issues.

What estimate he has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) commercial premises that have oil heating (i) in Witham constituency, (ii) in Essex and (iii) nationally.

The Office for National Statistics publish 2021 Census estimates of occupied household spaces in England and Wales by central heating type, at lower tier local authority level: https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS046/editions/2021/versions/4 The evidence base for non-domestic buildings is being developed by this Department through the Non-Domestic Building Stock project. Analysis of a survey of large off-gas grid buildings shows national-level estimates of energy source in Tables 26 and 27: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65c3bc2c28a4a00012d2ba61/non-domestic-building-stock-large-off-gas-grid-premises.pdf The Department also publishes non-domestic building statistics in England and Wales. Tables 3A and 10 include data on the number of off-gas grid buildings, broken down to lower authority and constituency level: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d605b52197b200117fa7ad/nd-need-2023-geographical-annex-data-tables.xlsx

How much energy is (a) generated by each offshore wind farm (i) off the coast of the East of England and (ii) across the UK and (b) forecast to be generated by each (A) consented offshore wind farm scheme not yet operational, (B) proposed offshore wind farm scheme under consideration and (C) location identified for future offshore wind farm schemes.

The Department publishes total and regional breakdowns of UK electricity generation by renewable technology here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics. Breakdowns of generation for each offshore wind farm cannot be provided as this is commercially sensitive information.The Department does not publish generation forecasts for future projects - these will depend on specific factors such as precise site design and turbine size (among others) which may not yet be publicly known. Some individual developers will publish estimated output on their project websites.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the level of funding that her Department will provide to local authorities in each of the next five years.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 524 on 26 July 2024.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing fuel duty by between one and 25 pence per litre by each one penny increment on (a) revenues to the Exchequer, (b) costs to businesses and (c) household finances.

Fuel duty applies to petrol, diesel and other fuels for road and non-road uses, such as construction. The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events. Full forecasts for fuel duty revenue, certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), will be published at Budget on 30 October. HMRC regularly publish statistics relating to the direct effects of illustrative tax changes, including fuel duty. The most recent version of this publication can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes.

What plans she has for further funding under the Access for All scheme; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating such funding to provide step-free access at Marks Tey railway station.

We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

What estimate he has made of the potential cost of including a package of community benefits in the proposal for the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade.

As details of the guidance on community benefits are still under development, we are not in a position to estimate the costs of providing such benefits to communities affected by the Norwich to Tilbury grid upgrade. We will provide an update at the appropriate time.

What assessment he has made of the impact of new onshore energy infrastructure on local communities.

Full account is taken of potential local community impacts when determining an energy infrastructure application. The Planning Act 2008 requires developers to engage with the local authority (or authorities) and consult the local community on a proposed development before submitting an application. Developers must take into account local community views when developing their proposals. It is the government’s priority to build support for developments by ensuring communities directly benefit.

Communities and Local Government, how many households receive a single person discount on their council tax liability; and what the total value was of that discount in the latest period for which data is available.

The latest available data for October 2023 shows there were approximately 8.6 million households in receipt of a single person discount. This data is available here: Council Taxbase 2023 in England. The Government does not collect data on the revenue foregone to provide the discount.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has for the adult social care precept in the next five years.

Decisions on future local authority funding will be a matter for the Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. Ahead of any decisions taken on the tax, the Government will carefully consider the impact on councils and taxpayers. The Government is committed to keeping taxes on working people as low as possible.

If he will make an estimate of the cost to (a) the public purse and (b) energy bill payers of providing a scheme of community benefits to communities affected by the Norwich to Tilbury great grid upgrade.

We are committed to ensuring that communities who live near new clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this and are currently considering how to most effectively deliver this. This includes developing guidance on community benefits for electricity transmission network infrastructure, which we will publish in due course. Whilst details of the guidance are still under development we are not able to estimate the costs of providing community benefits to communities affected by the Norwich to Tilbury grid upgrade. We will provide an update at the appropriate time.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Hong Kong on the process of securing a Certificate of No Criminal Conviction for people residing in the UK under the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa.

The Government will continue to stand with, and support members of the Hong Kong community and we continue to engage with the Hong Kong authorities on a range of issues. We encourage all those seeking to apply for a CNCC to follow the process as set out by the Hong Kong Police Force, for which further information can be found on their website.

What modelling assumptions her Department has made of the rate of fuel duty in each of the next five financial years.

Fuel duty applies to petrol, diesel and other fuels for road and non-road uses, such as construction. The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events. Full forecasts for fuel duty revenue, certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), will be published at Budget on 30 October. HMRC regularly publish statistics relating to the direct effects of illustrative tax changes, including fuel duty. The most recent version of this publication can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes.

If he will meet local community representatives in the East of England to discuss the potential impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury project under the great grid upgrade on those communities.

It is the responsibility of the developers of electricity network projects – in this case National Grid Electricity Transmission - to propose a route and obtain planning permission for that route. The government sets the rules for a robust and independent planning process that communities can participate in, with consultation being a central element of the planning process. Any engagement by Ministers must consider the role of the Secretary of State in deciding on planning applications for energy projects, and the limitations on discussing live projects in the development process which have not come to the Planning Inspectorate.