Every parliamentary written question tabled by Sarah Bool this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 229 · this parliament
When he plans to publish the 10 Year Plan for the NHS.
Our 10 Year Health Plan will make the NHS fit for the future with three key shifts: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention.It will deliver the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change and will be published shortly.
What steps her Department is taking to help ensure effective coordination between (a) statutory bodies, (b) water companies, (c) HS2 Ltd and (d) local authorities to help reduce disruption when (i) planning and (ii) implementing road closures.
Sections 59 and 60 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 places a duty on local highway authorities and statutory undertakers (including water companies) to co-ordinate works in order minimise inconvenience for road users and for safety. This is supported by the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works produced by my Department to ensure that, although there will always be some disruption from road and street works, these are minimised. Where road closures are unavoidable as part of construction of HS2, contractors work closely with relevant local highway authorities to minimise disruption to local communities.
What steps he plans to take through the Strategic Defence Review 2025 to tackle recruitment shortfalls in the armed forces; and how these will be implemented.
The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 is clear that Defence must now meet the longstanding challenge of recruiting and retaining new generations with different requirements. We are committed to the vision that long-term success depends on reconnecting society with the Armed Forces and the purpose of Defence, and for recruitment the focus should be on speed, drastically shortening the period between applicants expressing interest and joining. To achieve this, Defence will offer novel ways of entry into the Armed Forces that attract more people from a wider range of backgrounds. The Army and Navy are developing short term employment opportunities - “gap year” schemes - for young men and women across a variety of exciting roles that will upskill, provide apprenticeships, and a flavour of life in the Armed Forces. Full plans will be announced in due course now that we have published the SDR, but we have already introduced several initiatives to improve recruitment including pay increases for new recruits and existing personnel, the scrapping of outdated medical policies, the implementation of a direct-entry cyber pathway and the setting of ambitions to make conditional offers of employment and provisional training start dates in much shorter time. All of these have achieved results; year on year there are now increased applications to the Armed Forces, increased inflow by 19% – including exceeded recruitment targets by the Royal Navy – and at the same time we have reduced outflow by 7%.
Whether HMRC has issued tax liability demands to people who have been victims of investment fraud; and what steps she is taking to review such cases to avoid penalising victims of financial crime.
HMRC is responsible for managing the tax system and is required by law to collect tax due. It must apply the law correctly and individuals are responsible for their own tax affairs.Where individuals find themselves with unexpected tax bills as a result of taking bad advice from a third party on an investments scheme, this does not mitigate any tax that is legally due.HMRC works with individuals to understand the facts of each case and only pursues tax where there is a genuine tax liability. It tailors its approach to individual circumstances and takes a supportive and proportionate approach to recovering tax due, including offering ‘Time to Pay’ instalment arrangements where appropriate, and providing extra support for customer who need it.
Whether financial incentives for service personnel on overseas deployments were considered during the the Strategic Defence Review.
Financial Incentives (FI) are offered by cohort and rank rather than geography of Service. As such there is not a singular FI for those serving overseas, but a number of Service personnel overseas are receiving a FI. Service personnel receive an allowance package to mitigate disadvantage of relocation and differing costs of living. Furthermore, Service personnel living in Service Families Accommodation overseas pay a smaller accommodation fee then those living in the UK. The Strategic Defence Review also explored the importance of pay and measures to improve retention, including recommending the Ministry of Defence prioritise delivering its 'flexible working' initiative, and providing support towards home ownership. Also announced as part of the Review was over £1.5 billion additional funding to fix forces family housing. As a new Government, we have already improved the childcare offer for those Service personnel which was announced in November 2024.
What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of redress mechanisms for victims of investment fraud.
Protecting the public and businesses from fraud requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, law enforcement and industry. The Government committed in its manifesto to introduce an expanded Fraud Strategy, and will set out further details in due course. To better protect consumers from fraud, in October 2024 the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) introduced a mandatory reimbursement requirement for authorised push payment (APP) scams, which may include investment scams, that take place over the Faster Payments System. This regime requires all Payment Service Providers in scope to reimburse victims of APP scams up to the value of £85,000. The PSR has noted that in the first three months of the regime, 86% of money lost to APP scams was returned to victims.
What steps his Department took to consult with service (a) personnel and (b) veterans during the development of the Strategic Defence Review 2025.
The MOD issued a call for evidence, explicitly inviting responses from military personnel and veterans that saw 1,700 individuals provide over 8,000 responses. We also conducted an internal survey to gather additional insights from those currently serving which saw 800 responses. The Review and Challenge Panels also included serving and retired military personnel.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on family farms in Wales.
The Government is steadfastly committed to family farms in Wales. That is why we protected the farm budget at its current level and allocated £337 million to the Welsh Government at the Autumn Budget.Furthermore, at the UK-EU Summit on the 19th of May, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would deliver a new agri-food deal with the European Union. This will make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cut costs and red tape for Welsh producers and retailers, and help keep prices down and increase choice in the shops.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans for an extensive mapping exercise identifying the most suitable sites for renewable energy sources to be carried out as part of the Land Use Framework.
In October 2024, the Secretary of State for The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), along with Scottish and Welsh governments, jointly commissioned the National Energy System Operator to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan: the first ever spatial energy plan for Great Britain, to support a more actively planned approach to energy infrastructure across both land and sea. The analysis underpinning the Land Use Consultation for England has fed into the development of the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan’s methodology. DESNZ and Defra will continue to work closely to ensure that the SSEP and the Land Use Framework work together cohesively alongside other sector plans.
How many Extended Determinate Sentences have been handed down in England and Wales in the last 10 years (a) in total (b) by specific offense.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of offenders in England and Wales found guilty and given an extended determinate sentence, up to December 2024.This data is available by offence from the Outcomes by Offence Data tool accessed from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2024.
Whether his Department has commissioned research into the potential impact of toxic emissions from battery storage fires near residential areas on public health.
The Department has not formally commissioned research into this topic. However, on 14 March 2025, the Environment Agency published the paper, Net zero: Environmental and social implications of energy storage technologies: summary, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-environmental-and-social-implications-of-energy-storage-technologies/net-zero-environmental-and-social-implications-of-energy-storage-technologies-summary On 3 June 2025, a paper was also placed in the House of Commons library which has details of Battery energy storage systems; this is available at the following link: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7621/CBP-7621.pdf Despite the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) not currently undertaking research per se on fires involving lithium ion batteries, UKHSA draws upon previously published Public Health England guidance on products of combustion, for example, Combustion products: a toxicological review, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/combustion-products-a-toxicological-reviewIn addition, practical guidance has been developed by the Waste Industry Safety and Health forum, Fire Risk and Lithium Batteries at Waste Transfer, Recycling and Recovery Operations, which is available at the following link:https://www.wishforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/INFO-08.pdf
What steps her Department is taking to improve rural bus services in South Northamptonshire.
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including in rural areas in South Northamptonshire.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. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council have been allocated £5.2 million and £5.4 million respectively. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
What steps her Department plans to take to improve road safety on the A5 in South Northamptonshire.
The Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. National Highways is currently progressing a safety study on the A5 in South Northamptonshire. The study covers the stretch of the A5 from A508 Roundabout in Stony Stratford to Fosters Booth Junction. Work is funded for the study and early feasibility design phase within the 2025/26 financial year. Funding for the detailed design and on-site implementation would be considered as part of planning the next Road Investment Period. For the A43, a further three studies are being carried out during the 2025/26 financial year. If a cost-effective improvement that reduces injury collisions is deemed feasible at these sites, funding to deliver the interventions would also be considered as part of setting the next Road Investment Period. The three study locations are as follows:A43 J/W A421 Barleymow RoundaboutA43 Evenley RoundaboutA43 J/W C188 Towcester Road Junction
What steps her Department is taking to improve road safety on the A43 in South Northamptonshire.
The Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. National Highways is currently progressing a safety study on the A5 in South Northamptonshire. The study covers the stretch of the A5 from A508 Roundabout in Stony Stratford to Fosters Booth Junction. Work is funded for the study and early feasibility design phase within the 2025/26 financial year. Funding for the detailed design and on-site implementation would be considered as part of planning the next Road Investment Period. For the A43, a further three studies are being carried out during the 2025/26 financial year. If a cost-effective improvement that reduces injury collisions is deemed feasible at these sites, funding to deliver the interventions would also be considered as part of setting the next Road Investment Period. The three study locations are as follows:A43 J/W A421 Barleymow RoundaboutA43 Evenley RoundaboutA43 J/W C188 Towcester Road Junction
Whether she plans to provide additional funding to support community transport services in market towns and villages in South Northamptonshire constituency.
The Government recognises the vital role community transport operators play in connecting people with their communities, enabling access to employment, education, and other essential services such as healthcare. The Department makes available up to £3.8 million each year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to community transport operators. An uplift of 60% has been added to BSOG claims for community transport operators until 31 March 2026. This means community transport operators will receive £1.60 for every £1 claimed, reflecting the increased costs faced by the sector.
How many public electric charging vehicle points there are in South Northamptonshire.
As of 1st April 2025, there were 112 public electric vehicle charging devices in the South Northamptonshire constituency.Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK are held by the Department for Transport, and are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. Charging devices not recorded on Zapmap are not included and the true number of charging devices may be slightly higher than recorded in these figures.
What assessment her Department has made of the safety of Battery Energy Storage Systems used for solar farms located close to rural communities.
The Government considers that the safety risks posed by BESS are small and well managed under the robust regulatory framework overseen by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This framework requires responsible parties to take measures to ensure health and safety throughout all stages of a battery system’s deployment. The safety standards framework for BESS is kept under review to respond to changing circumstances. Government, working alongside the industry-led Electricity Storage Health and Safety Governance Group, will continue to monitor events in the sector to ensure that a robust framework is sustained.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers in South Northamptonshire with sustainable agriculture practices.
At February’s National Farming Union Conference, the Secretary of State announced a raft of new policies to put money in the pockets of farmers in South Northamptonshire and across the country. We remain committed to investing £5 billion of funding in the farming budget over two years and are on track to do so. This is the highest budget for sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our history. We will be working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further details about the re-formed SFI offer will be announced following the spending review in summer 2025. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome; and we are making £110 million available for new grant competitions to support research and innovation, technology and equipment for farmers.
What support his Department is providing for rural households to transition to low-carbon heating systems.
As part of our Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency measures, including those in rural communities. This includes supporting property owners in England and Wales through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, offering grants up to £7,500 for heat pumps and £5,000 for biomass boilers. This also includes £1.8 billion to support low-income households through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. Additional support is also provided through the Energy Company Obligation which offers insulation and low-carbon heating to GB households.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement on fertiliser (a) regulation and (b) availability for farmers in the UK.
Fertiliser product regulation does not fall within the scope of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement. Fertiliser is a global market. Ensuring a resilient supply chain involves maintaining diverse sources, domestically and through international imports. The UK sources fertiliser from a wide range of countries including the EU. The UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement has not changed this situation.