Every parliamentary written question tabled by Greg Smith this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 341–360 of 363 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British citizens were taken hostage during the attack on Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
Two British nationals were taken hostage during the attack on Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023. The UK Government was greatly saddened to hear about the death of Nadav Popplewell who had been held in captivity and was declared deceased in June 2024. For ...
Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Charity Commission on the potential merits of opening an investigation into the eligibility for charitable status of (a) Dar Alhekma and (b) the Abrar Islami
The Charity Commission for England and Wales ('the Commission') has a statutory function to identify and investigate misconduct and mismanagement in charities, and we are confident that it has the expertise to do so effectively. The Commission assesses co...
Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with mobile network providers to accelerate the delivery of the Shared Rural Network.
The Shared Rural Network has already delivered substantial improvements to outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the UK.I’m pleased to report to the House that 4G coverage across the UK now stands at 94.9% which is an increase from 91% in March 2020 when the ...
What the level of inward foreign direct investment was in each of the last 10 financial years.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th September is attached.
Whether her Department plans to fund independent research into the potential safety implications of headlight glare.
Yes. The government is in the process of commissioning independent research to better understand the root causes of headlamp glare and help identify potential countermeasures.
What steps she is taking to mitigate the impact of population density on the allocation of road safety funding.
The allocation of general road safety funding does not take into account population density as a funding requirement unless specified. The majority of our funding for road safety improvements is based on collision data, including killed and seriously injured statistics as well as road length. Targeted road safety improvements are devolved to the local authorities.
Whether her Department plans to spend £8.3 billion on local roads.
The government is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network, and to enabling local highway authorities to fix up to a million more potholes a year. The previous government made a number of funding commitments, the affordability of each of which is being examined closely as part of the Spending Review.
Whether she plans to review the safety of (a) all-lane running and (b) smart motorways.
The safety of everyone travelling on our roads is the Government’s priority, which is why we are committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. We will set out next steps on smart motorways in due course.
What steps she is taking to improve the (a) frequency and (b) quality of bus services.
The government knows that Britain needs a modern transport network to help kickstart economic growth. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities, and the government is committed to working at pace with local transport authorities, bus operators and passengers to ensure that our vital bus services truly reflect the needs of the local communities.As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, to ensure networks can meet the needs to the communities who rely on them, including in Buckinghamshire. We also plan to empower local transport authorities through reforming bus funding. By giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities.
Whether it is her policy to build new smart motorways.
The Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority and that is why we are committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy. We will not roll out new smart motorways.
If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines.
We are committed to delivering greener transport by accelerating the transition to electric vehicles.This includes re-instating the phase out date of new cars that rely solely on internal combustion engines by 2030. We will set out further details in due course.
Whether her Department plans to respond to the closed consultation entitled Street works: fines and lane rental surplus funds.
The Government is currently analysing responses to this consultation.
Whether her Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Pavement parking: options for change, published on 29 June 2023.
In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. We are considering the views received to inform the Government’s next steps for pavement parking policy. The formal consultation response will be available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking
What steps she is taking to improve bus services in rural areas.
The government knows that Britain needs a modern transport network to help kickstart economic growth. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the Government will introduce the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, to ensure networks can meet the needs to the communities who rely on them, including in rural areas. We also plan to empower local transport authorities through reforming bus funding. By giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities. The Department will work closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on the government’s ambitions.
If she will use money from the cancellation of the A27 to repair potholes.
This Government is committed to ensuring that people have access to transport and transport infrastructure that enables them to travel to the destinations they want to reach and meets their needs. As my Right Honourable Friend the Chancellor has set out, decisions must be made based on the assessment of the spending inheritance from the previous Government. Tackling the poor state of our local roads is a priority for this Government, to ensure they are safe and serve all road users, and we will set out how we will achieve this in due course.
What plans she has for (a) retaining and (b) amending her Department's statutory guidance entitled Implementing low traffic neighbourhoods, which was published on 17 March 2024.
The low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) guidance is not in force as it was published in draft. The Government will be considering next steps with this guidance.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to respond to Hezbollah military activity against Israel.
We are working in lockstep with our allies to deescalate tensions and urge all parties to refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence. All sides must show restraint and work to prevent escalation. The Prime Minister spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 20 August. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Aragchi on 23 August, and with Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Dermer on 25 August. The Foreign Secretary has also had calls with other key partners including Egypt, Jordan and the UAE to press these messages. The Government will continue to support Israel's security and to urge Israel and Lebanon to engage with the US-led discussions to resolve their disagreements diplomatically and reach a political settlement.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to roll out the not for sale in EU labelling scheme in October 2024.
The Government is committed to implementing its obligations under the Windsor Framework in good faith, including commitments on the use of 'Not for EU labels', as well as taking all steps necessary to protect the UK internal market. As per guidance published on GOV.UK, from 1 October 2024 milk and dairy products moving under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme will need to be individually labelled. The previous Government held a consultation on extending the ‘not for EU’ labelling requirements across Great Britain earlier this year and this, as well as further discussion with business, will inform our future approach.
Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the future of the UK Food Resilience Forum.
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. Defra maintains a collaborative relationship with industry which allows us to effectively respond to disruption. This includes a Food Resilience Industry Forum, which can be stood-up at short notice should the need arise.
If he will take steps to review the proposed closure of RAF Halton.
There is no planned review of the proposed closure of RAF Halton. Defence continues to work towards the planned closure of RAF Halton, which forms part of a major investment project in RAF Cranwell to enhance the initial Air training capability.