Every parliamentary written question tabled by James Wild this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 341–360 of 473 · this parliament
Pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 23863 on Department for Education: Disclosure of Information, what recent progress her Department has made on the inquiry; and whether special advisers have been interviewed as part of the inquiry.
The investigation remains ongoing and the department is unable to comment further on the progress or specifics of an ongoing investigation.
What steps she is taking to improve access to public transport in North West Norfolk.
The government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to providing access to services and keeping communities connected. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Norfolk County Council has been allocated £15.9 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services across the area. Rail services in North West Norfolk are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. The government commitment to public ownership through Great British Railways will also help to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient transport services, whilst also ensuring safety and accessibility. Under public ownership, passenger services can be operated in the interests of passengers, not shareholders. The government also launched its plan to develop an Integrated National Transport Strategy which will set the long-term vision for transport in England. It will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve all people who use it, including those in North West Norfolk.
What the 40 most expensive substitute (a) service family accommodation and (a) single living accommodation properties were by (i) monthly rental and (b) location in each of the last 12 months.
Since 1 April 2022, substitute accommodation has been delivered under the Rented Living Accommodation Project (RLAP). Under RLAP, Mears Group provide both Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) and Single Service Substitute Accommodation (SSSA) including the occupation management of the substitute accommodation portfolio, repairs and maintenance. For all substitute accommodation, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) pays a contractual rate in lieu of rental cost. The contractual rate is commercially sensitive, and its disclosure would prejudice Ministry of Defence's commercial interests and relationship with its contractor, Mears. The 40 most expensive SSSA properties are all located in London. For SSFA, the table below provides details of the 40 locations with the highest contractual rate for properties, by month, from April 2024 to March 2025: DateLocation LondonSouth EastScotland / NIMidlandsEastNorth-East Yorkshire / HumbersideSouth-WestNorth-WestWalesApr 24517164142 May 24517164142 Jun 24616164142 Jul 24616263142 Aug 24716261143 Sep 24617261143 Oct 246162101113 Nov 246162101113 Dec 24616251163 Jan 25614251183 Feb 256225202003Mar 25614251282
Whether she plans to end the Great Northern franchise at the core term expiry date.
Great Northern services are operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), whose core term expiry date was 1 April 2025. The date on which GTR’s franchise will end, and its services transfer to public ownership, has not yet been decided. The Rail Minister and Secretary of State meet with all the Train Operating Companies and their Network Rail counterparts regularly to discuss performance and staffing amongst other topical issues.
How much has been spent on (a) maintenance and (b) refurbishment of 36 Whitehall in each of the last three years.
Whilst 36 Whitehall is currently unoccupied, the Government Property Agency (as owner of the freehold) has an obligation to maintain essential health and safety systems. Essential fire maintenance costs at 36 Whitehall totalled £5k in 2022-23, £3k in 2023-24 and £1.5k in 2024-25. In 2024-25, £362k was allocated to replace the fire alarm system as part of the GPA’s Lifecycle Replacement (LCR) programme, which replaces office assets that are at the end of their useful life. Costs related to professional fees for project management and design to develop a scheme to bring the building back into use totalled £661k in 22/23 and £763k in 23/24 with £0 in 24/25. Options for the future use of the building continue to be discussed as part of plans for the Government’s London office estate, with any final decisions being made as part of the ongoing Spending Review process.
What plans his Department has for the use of 36 Whitehall.
36 Whitehall is a GPA freehold building currently unoccupied. Options for the future use of the building continue to be discussed as part of plans for the Government’s London office estate, with any final decisions being made as part of the ongoing Spending Review process.
What progress has been made on negotiating a partnership agreement between the Crown Estate and Great British Energy.
The Crown Estate and Great British Energy have maintained a continuous dialogue as the Great British Energy Bill progresses through Parliament. The partnership agreement will be finalised following the conclusion of legislative scrutiny to ensure all amendments are accounted for and the agreement aligns with the final legislative framework.
What discussions her Department has had with the Crown Estate on using the borrowing powers in the Crown Estate Act 2025.
The Treasury and The Crown Estate continue to have regular dialogue, including on The Crown Estate’s business plan and the use of the borrowing powers contained in the Crown Estate Act 2025.
Whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of the environmental clean-up operation to (a) charities and (b) local authorities, following the North Sea vessel collision on 10 March 2025.
Liability for the pollution sits with the shipowner, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Local Authorities will work with them once clean-up operations are concluded to recover costs. The ‘polluter pays’ principle is a dominating principle in international environmental law and under this principle it is not the responsibility of a government to meet the costs involved in prevention or remedial action for environmental damage.
Whether (a) local authorities and (b) charities can claim financial compensation for environmental clean-up costs.
With regards to marine pollution, liability sits with the polluter. Local Authorities and other responders should work with the responsible party and its insurer to recover costs once clean-up operations are concluded.
What estimate his Department has made of the total cost of the environmental clean-up operation, following the North Sea vessel collision on 10 March 2025.
Both ships were insured by reputable insurance companies and UK authorities have spoken with both. Liability for the pollution sits with the shipowner and their insurers. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Local Authorities will work with them once clean-up operations are concluded to recover costs.
Whether his Department will be pursuing financial redress from the operators of the (a) MV Solong and (b) MV Stena Immaculate for the clean up operation, following the North Sea vessel collision on 10 March 2025.
HM Coastguard’s Counter Pollution and Salvage team are in the process of compiling a comprehensive cost recovery claim following the allision incident off the Humber Estuary between the MV SOLONG and MT STENA IMMACULATE. The claim will seek to recover the full costs of the government personnel, response equipment (including air surveillance) and the services of specialist technical advisors used in response to the incident and its aftermath.
Whether he expects fixed sum payments to be awarded to people harmed by Sodium Valproate and surgical mesh implants during 2025.
The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex area of work, involving several Government departments, and it is important that we get this right. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity.
What steps his Department is taking to create a two-stage financial redress scheme for people harmed by Sodium Valproate and surgical mesh implants.
The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex area of work, involving several Government departments, and it is important that we get this right. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity.
What steps he is taking to reduce the (a) number and (b) administrative costs of arms length bodies.
The Prime Minister has commissioned departments to assess all current and proposed arms length bodies against new principles to determine which should continue, close, merge, or have functions returned to departments. This is part of the government's mission to create a more productive and agile state, as demonstrated by NHS England's integration into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).Additionally, the Chancellor has initiated Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which will zero-base all public spending, including ALBs. This involves a detailed evaluation to assess priorities and value for money for taxpayers. Departments and ALBs are tasked with identifying a minimum of 5% savings against their day-to-day spending, building on the previous 2% target.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has received any representations on fire safety guidance and the time within which care homes should aim to evacuate residents from protected areas.
The Fire Risk Assessment: Residential Care guide is being updated as part of a major work programme to update all fire safety guidance under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and will address evacuation times in premises such as care homes. This work is currently expected to run over the next couple of years given the number of guides in development, the detailed policy work required and the differing expert views regarding care home evacuation times.
Pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 40654 on Income Tax: Pensioners, what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners that will be affected in each year.
HMRC publish the number of income tax payers by age. This information can be found in Table 2.1 of the collated income tax liabilities statistics tables for the years up to 2024-25, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66798d4797ea0c79abfe4b83/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods. Data on future years will be published in the usual way. As I set out in my previous answer, the Personal Allowance - the amount an individual can earn before paying tax - will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in the coming tax year. This means pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay any income tax.
How many applications to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds were made in each year since 2019.
It is not possible to provide information on the numbers of applications for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds as Court of Protection data is not broken down by the type of asset held.Locally collected management information relating to Child Trust Funds does not include those cases where a Child Trust Fund may be one of several assets owned by the young person lacking capacity and therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the number of applications made.With effect from 08 April 2025, applications to the Court of Protection will cost £421. Where an application to access a Child Trust Fund is made before the child reaches 18, no fee is payable if the child has savings of less than £4,250 and a monthly income less than £1,420. In addition, where the Child Trust Fund is the sole asset, an exceptional fee waiver can be applied for. When an application is made after a child turns 18, and they have savings or income above these levels, a parent or carer can apply for an exceptional fee waiver at the court’s discretion.The Ministry of Justice has published a toolkit for parents and carers to help them navigate the court process.The Department is exploring plans to facilitate the CoP process for parents and guardians applying for a deputyship, for example by alerting parents in advance of a child's 18th birthday of the need to make an application.
What the average cost of applying to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order was in cases relating to Child Trust Funds in the latest period for which data is available.
It is not possible to provide information on the numbers of applications for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds as Court of Protection data is not broken down by the type of asset held.Locally collected management information relating to Child Trust Funds does not include those cases where a Child Trust Fund may be one of several assets owned by the young person lacking capacity and therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the number of applications made.With effect from 08 April 2025, applications to the Court of Protection will cost £421. Where an application to access a Child Trust Fund is made before the child reaches 18, no fee is payable if the child has savings of less than £4,250 and a monthly income less than £1,420. In addition, where the Child Trust Fund is the sole asset, an exceptional fee waiver can be applied for. When an application is made after a child turns 18, and they have savings or income above these levels, a parent or carer can apply for an exceptional fee waiver at the court’s discretion.The Ministry of Justice has published a toolkit for parents and carers to help them navigate the court process.The Department is exploring plans to facilitate the CoP process for parents and guardians applying for a deputyship, for example by alerting parents in advance of a child's 18th birthday of the need to make an application.
What options she is considering for improving access to matured Child Trust Funds for people who lack capacity.
Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, the law requires parents or a guardian to have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This requirement to have legal authority is vital in ensuring that vulnerable people are safeguarded and protected from all forms of abuse including financial abuse. This is not specific to accessing funds held in Child Trust Funds or Junior ISAs but applies more widely to all assets belonging to vulnerable people who lack capacity. This includes in relation to accessing funds held in a Child Trust Fund or a Junior ISA.On 9 June 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the Making Financial Decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit’ explaining the process by which parents and guardians of disabled children are able to obtain legal authority if no other arrangements are in place. This can be done by making an applying to the Court of Protection for an order authorising access to monies held in a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. The toolkit is available on Gov.UK.We understand that concerns remain, and I am speaking with relevant stakeholders to explore what further can be done to help improve access to matured Child Trust Funds in a way that balances facilitating access with safeguards.