Every parliamentary written question tabled by Lee Dillon this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 661–680 of 741 · this parliament
Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to update hon. Members on the progress of the implementation of the Section106 Affordable Housing Clearing Service.
The government will continue to monitor the implementation of the Section 106 Affordable Housing Clearing Service that was launched in December and will update parliament in the usual manner.
What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of benefits for disabled people.
The extra costs disability benefits, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. The extra costs benefits are non-contributory, non-means-tested and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use their benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing penalties for water companies that discharge sewage into (a) watercourses and (b) coastal waters.
For too long, water companies have pumped record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the Government’s commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. The Bill will provide the most significant increase in enforcement powers for the regulators in a decade, giving them the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies in the next investment period. This includes giving environmental regulators powers to impose penalties on the civil standard of proof, in addition to new automatic penalties. The regulators will also be able to recover costs for a much greater range of enforcement activities. In October 2024, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good. In August 2024, Ofwat proposed that Thames, Yorkshire and Northumbrian Water be fined a total of £168 million for failing to manage their wastewater treatment works and networks. These proposed fines were subject to a public consultation and so are currently draft; Ofwat are reviewing responses before making their final decisions.
Whether her Department holds plans for supporting rail networks affected by flooding.
Network Rail and other operators are responsible for planning for flooding events and have contingency plans in place. The Department keeps in close contact with these operators in such events and would take appropriate action as necessary.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with Ofwat on the potential impact of the levels of Thames Water's (a) debt and (b) dividend payments on its customers.
Water companies are commercial entities, and it would be inappropriate to comment further on the specific situation of any individual company. We understand the financial pressures hardworking families are currently facing and we are pushing the sector to...
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made on Project Groundwater in Lambourn Valley.
Project Groundwater is funded by the £150 million Flood & Coastal Resilience Innovation programme, managed by the Environment Agency (EA). The programme includes 25 local projects around the country that are testing practical ways of bolstering resili...
If he will take steps to support pharmacies in Newbury constituency with the increased cost of employers National Insurance contributions.
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget 2024, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The em...
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of preventing planning inspectors from overturning decisions made in line with neighbourhood plans.
Appeal decisions by planning inspectors must be taken in accordance with policies in the development plan for the area, including any neighbourhood plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, wh...
Innovation and Technology, what plans hi Department has expand the roll out of Project Gigabit in (a) Kintbury, (b) Boxford, (c) Lambourn, (d) Great Shefford and (e) Newbury constituency.
According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, 99% of premises in the Newbury constituency can already access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps), and almost 87% can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection.To extend gigabit-capable c...
What steps his Department is taking to support research in the pharmaceutical sector in Newbury.
The Department funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research across the United Kingdom, through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).Development and delivery...
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing separate inheritance tax thresholds for (a) agricultural land and (b) business equipment for farmers.
The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. It is expected that up to around 2...
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to ensure that the Lifelong Links programme can be extended to all children in care.
The department is committed to helping children thrive and wants the best for every child and family. We know that a stable support network and loving relationships are crucial to supporting children in care and care leavers to thrive.To support this, the...
Communities and Local Government, what her Department's timescales are for bringing forward secondary legislation in relation to the Leasehold Act 2024.
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing measures to reduce the hope value of land.
The government recently brought into force regulations that provide for the removal of ‘hope value’ from the assessment of compensation in compulsory purchase cases, where there is justification in the public interest. Guidance and a fact sheet on the mea...
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing measures to prevent households that have chosen not to install smart meters from higher energy tariffs.
The mechanism for protecting consumers from disproportionate energy prices is the Price Cap, which ensures default tariffs are priced efficiently. This protects households who are on their supplier’s default tariff. The level of the price cap is the same ...
Whether he has had discussions with energy suppliers on continuing the Voluntary Debt Commitment after winter 2023-24.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have had regular discussions with suppliers on a range of issues, including the Voluntary Debt Commitment. Following these discussions, the Government and industry have worked together to deliver a £500m Win...
Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2024 to Question 11698 on Sports: Children, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of access to grassroots sports facilities for children under
Our mission-led Government puts children and young people at the heart of our priorities. This includes breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be ac...
What steps her Department is taking to reduce unemployment among people aged 50 to 65 in Newbury constituency.
Improving employment outcomes for people of all ages will play an important part in the government’s economic growth and opportunity missions. We are reforming jobcentres, so they match people, including older workers, to the right job and combine employm...
What steps he is taking to ensure the provision of adequate (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care in Newbury.
Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, which covers the Newbury constituency, must commission. This promotes a more consistent nation...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to secure a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the EU to facilitate the movement of thoroughbred horses across borders.
The Prime Minister and President of the European Commission met on 7 November at the European Political Community in Budapest, where they discussed the strength of the UK-EU partnership and the need to work together to tackle the challenges facing Europe....