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 721–740 of 741 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of replacing Ofwat with a clean water authority on sewage dumping.
The Government and regulators work together to drive improvements that benefit both customers and the environment and hold water companies to account where necessary through strong enforcement action. We have set clear expectations of the sector, includin...
What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of NHS England's review entitled General Practice Premises Policy Review, published on 27 June 2019; and whether his Depar
The GP Premises Policy Review suggested the need to simplify the Premises Costs Directions (PCDs). The PCDs were revised and published on 9 May 2024 and came into force on 10 May 2024. They are available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.ser...
Whether her Department plans to help restore direct off-peak Paddington services to (a) Hungerford and (b) Kintbury.
There are no current plans to increase the number of direct services between Paddington and Hungerford/Kintbury, as this would require additional rolling stock which is currently unfunded.
What steps his Department plans to take to support NHS services in Newbury, in the context of his Department's review of the New Hospital Programme.
The Government recognises that delivering high quality National Health Services requires the right facilities and support systems in the right places. We understand that investment in capital projects, whether through allocations prioritised locally or th...
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the proportion of the UK's national income spent on education.
The government recognises the importance of education and is committed to transforming the education system so that young people get the opportunity they deserve. At the Spending Audit in July, DfE received an additional £2.1 billion in 2024-25, including...
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the claim career allowance eligibility rules on individuals already receiving existing benefits.
Carer’s Allowance cannot normally be paid with another income replacement benefit. It has been a long-held feature of the GB benefit system, under successive Governments, that where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst...
If he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of social work vacancy rates in Newbury.
We do not hold information for specific localities, and therefore no assessments have been made. We are committed to the recruitment and retention of social workers, through our existing initiatives like bursaries and the Assessed and Support Year in Empl...
Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rural broadband coverage.
It is inadequate, but we are working on it. According to figures published by Ofcom earlier this year, 88% of premises in rural areas can get superfast broadband speeds, and 47% have access to a gigabit-capable connection.Under Project Gigabit, almost £2 ...
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of funding on Fire and Rescue services; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional
MHCLG published the final Local Government Settlement on 5 February 2024 setting out the referendum principles for Local Authorities in 2024/25. All standalone FRAs will be able to increase their council tax by the core referendum limit of 3%. Standalone ...
What steps he plans to take to increase hospice funding.
We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their fami...
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a discounted railcard for people aged 30 to 60 years old who earn below the average.
There are several Railcards that people aged 30 to 60 are eligible to hold, including the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card that offers 50 per cent off selected rail fares. Affordability of rail travel is one of our key objectives. However, any concessi...
Whether his Department plans to prohibit light bulbs with an energy efficiency below 45 watts; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of this ban on animals that requir
The previous Government consulted on new minimum energy performance standards for lighting products, which would ban the most inefficient lighting products from being sold on the GB market. Officials are analysing the feedback received including, for exam...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce a ban on all live animal exports.
The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 came into force on 22 July 2024. The Act bans the export of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses for fattening or slaughter from Great Britain, stopping stress, exhaustion and injury caused by this unnecess...
Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of the homes her Department aims to build during this Parliament will be affordable; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that these homes meet
The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and we will update Parliament on our progress. Our proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework aim to ensure that decisio...
What steps she plans to take to improve the (a) cost, (b) accessibility and (c) appeal process of visa applications.
The Government regularly reviews the cost and accessibility of visas and process of appeals to ensure that public services are efficient and provide value for money to the taxpayer.
Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to promote the safe use of artificial intelligence.
The Government wants to see AI adopted widely to realise its potential productivity benefits, and regulatory clarity will help drive this adoption. That is why we committed in our manifesto to introduce binding regulations on the handful of companies deve...
What guidance her Department issues on the amount of time a level crossing may be down each day; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays caused by crossings being down on (a) commuter
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its capacity as the independent safety regulator for Britain’s railways, works closely with the rail industry to improve level crossing safety, including by issuing guidance on managing level crossings and minimising ...
Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help improve voter turnout in national elections; and what assessment she has made of the impact of voter ID on the 2024 general election.
To encourage participation in our democracy, the Government will improve voter registration and address the inconsistencies in voter ID rules. We will be bringing forward firm proposals in due course.In September the Electoral Commission published its int...
What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of changes in the number of 18-24 year olds claiming jobseeker’s allowance in Newbury constituency; and what steps she plans to take to
Our plan to get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support. This will sit alongside; a new public employment and car...
What steps her Department is taking to help (a) reduce waiting times for driving tests and (b) ensure people can take their driving test locally.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. To increase the number of available test slots, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners. Driving examiners from areas with lower waiting times continue to travel and test in those centres with longer waiting times. This is in addition to DVSA recruiting additional examiners across the country into areas where waiting times are highest. To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests. Such apps or bots are not approved by DVSA. They make it harder for candidates to get a test and can also result in people paying more for a test. DVSA will continue to take steps to block cancellation services from accessing the booking system, which are having a positive impact. In January 2023, DVSA changed the terms and conditions for using the booking service to help prevent anyone from selling tests at profit. Since then, DVSA has issued 283 warnings, 746 suspensions, and closed 689 businesses for misuse of its booking service. To ensure its booking system is used correctly, DVSA has also:stopped accepting new automatic online registrations to use its tests booking service – any new applications must be made by email, where they will be thoroughly checked by DVSA.stopped accepting any new registrations from companies who do not directly employ a driving instructor.removed registrations not linked to driving instructors.reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed from 10 to the pre-pandemic limit of 6. Following these changes, there has been a significant drop in traffic to these services because DVSA is successfully identifying and blocking apps or bots.