Every parliamentary written question tabled by Sarah Dyke this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 194 · this parliament
What assessment she has made of the impact the change in VAT status has had on private schools.
HM Treasury’s Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) provides a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of the removal of the VAT exemption on private schools. The TIIN is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fe...
What data her department holds on the number of pupils with an EHCP in Glastonbury and Somerton, who had a special school as their first preference and were subsequently allocated a place in a mainstream settin
Placements at special schools are usually made through education, health and care (EHC) plans. The department does not hold figures on whether a mainstream setting named on an EHC plan was the setting preferred by the parents of the child.
Media and Sport, a) whether listed places of worship will be able to reclaim VAT on essential repairs under the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund and b) when she will publish the finalised details of the fund.
The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund (PWRF) is a capital grant scheme. Where capital grants have been awarded, VAT on eligible works and costs will be rebated where it is not otherwise reclaimable.The PWRF is open for Expressions of Interest, and furthe...
If she will make a comparative assessment of transport expenditure per capital in the South West with other English regions in each of the last five financial years.
The following table provides comparison data for each region for transport expenditure per head by the Department for Transport for recent years:Per Capita Spend (£) Based on DfT spend for 2021-2022 to 2024-2025ITL Region2021-222022-232023-242024-252025-2...
What assessment he has made of the financial impact of mandatory outbound delivery refunds costs under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 on smal
The department currently has no plans to undertake a review of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellations and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) as we believe that the current rules balance the interests of businesses and consumers.The CC...
What discussions he has had with local police forces on ensuring that goods sold by pedlars comply with safety standards, including requirements for CE and UKCA marking.
Under the UK’s product safety framework, anyone who distributes consumer products in a commercial capacity, including pedlars, has a duty not to supply products that they know, or should be aware, are unsafe or non-compliant. Local authorities, rather tha...
If he will undertake a review of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellations and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 in relation to the requirement for retailers to refund delivery charges for
The department currently has no plans to undertake a review of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellations and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) as we believe that the current rules balance the interests of businesses and consumers.The CC...
Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that online marketplaces selling into the UK are held accountable for listings that may infringe upon intellectual property rights of UK ba
The Government is committed to protecting intellectual property rights and supporting UK businesses and consumers against online infringement. In the UK, enforcement action is led by Trading Standards and the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, which...
Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with major online marketplace operators regarding their responsibilities in preventing the sale of copied or infringing products to UK consumers.
The Government is committed to protecting intellectual property rights and supporting UK businesses and consumers.The Intellectual Property Office regularly engages with many of the major digital platform operators in the UK and overseas to discuss and de...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in interpretation by local authorities of requirements for farmed reindeer licensing on farm business viability.
Licences for reindeer in England may be required where they are exhibited to the public. The type of licence needed will depend on the nature of the display (permanent or temporary) and whether the reindeer are being exhibited as part of a business. There...
Food and Rural Affairs, how many flooded homes there were in the last year by region.
The table below represents properties flooded in Environment Agency (EA) Operational Areas from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. This information has been collated by EA Area teams and is based on information received from the public, flood partners and EA ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration they have made to adding exemption guidance to farmed reindeer in the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027.
The Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, published in May 2025, apply to all zoos in Great Britain licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act). The 1981 Act provides for exemptions or dispensations for small collections dependi...
Food and Rural Affairs, what conversations they have had with local authorities on the interpretation of the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027.
This Government published new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain on 24 May 2025. The Standards will come into force from May 2027 and will replace the current 2012 Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice. One of the objective...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the classification of farmed reindeers as zoo animals.
For the purposes of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act), Defra considers that reindeer are not a species normally domesticated in Great Britain and therefore to be considered “wild animals”. Any establishment, including farms, where “wild animals” a...
Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance and reassurance they have offered to local authorities in interpreting the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027 in regard to farmed reindeers.
The Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, published in May 2025, apply to all zoos in Great Britain licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act). The new Zoo Standards contain requirements that are applicable to all licensed zoo ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of British grown cauliflower and other brassicas in spring 2026.
The UK’s food security is built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors and assess UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments. This includes consideration of the adequacy of the supply of both domestically grown cauliflower and brassicas, and where necessary, imports.
Whether her Department has issued guidance on the application of the ‘Act of War’ clause for customers of travel agents and airlines; and whether there are regulatory protections in place to ensure passengers receive appropriate refunds.
In the UK, Regulation 261/2004 sets out the rights of passengers in the event of cancellations, long delays and denied boarding. Where UK law applies, if a flight is cancelled by the airline, then passengers would be entitled to a choice between a full refund or to be re-routed. These rights would apply if disruption were linked to war. Information on air passenger rights is already available in the Department’s Air Passenger Travel Guide, and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently provided specific advice to passengers in response to the Middle East disruption.
How many new defence procurement contracts have been awarded to domestic manufacturing companies so far Parliament; and what percentage have been outsourced to companies overseas.
The Department can confirm that a total of 4,130 new defence procurement contracts, with start dates on or after 5 July 2024, have been awarded. Of these, 3,680 contracts (89%) were awarded to companies located or headquartered in the UK, while 450 contracts (11%) went to companies based outside the UK.
Whether she has had discussions with the travel agent sector on the processing of refunds where an airline has cancelled a flight and confirmed that passengers are entitled to a refund without a penalty fee.
The Department has had discussions with travel agents and airlines on a range of issues. In the UK, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (“Regulation 261”) sets out the rights of passengers in the event of flight cancellations. Where UK law applies, if a flight is cancelled by the airline, passengers are entitled to a choice between a full refund or re-routing. Where a flight booking has been made through a travel agent, passengers should, in the first instance, contact the agent in cases such as flight cancellations. The Department’s Air Passenger Travel Guide provides passengers with information on their rights and responsibilities when travelling by air, including a dedicated section on cancellations.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Iran conflict on the supply of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Some of the UK’s trade partners import fertilisers from the Middle East, either for onward shipment to the UK or for production inputs, creating indirect dependencies. Defra is in close contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply to the UK.There is no immediate risk to UK supply. However, the fertiliser market is a global market, and the market price in the UK is strongly influenced by international prices for fertiliser and by the value of the pound. The Government is aware of the current price increase for fertiliser and remains ready to support businesses as effectively as possible in these challenging times.