Lord Berkeley

There are no plans to amend the name of the Order of the British Empire.

Work continues to secure a Final Investment Decision (FID) for Sizewell C. Any decision to take FID will consider all relevant factors and be supported by the Full Business Case (FBC) and a Value for Money Assessment, in line with HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance.

The government recognises the challenges faced by Isles of Scilly students and their families in the transition to post-16 education and has contributed over £300,000 (£6,365 per student) in the 2024/5 academic year to support the Council of the Isles of Scilly, as it seeks to help families meet the cost of travel and accommodation on the mainland.

The department keeps all its student financial support policies under review, including through the ongoing Spending Review process. This will consider funding arrangements for all post-16 students in England from 2025 to 2026.

Food security is national security, and a sustainable fishing industry is an important part of that. Decisions on future funding for the fishing industry will be taken through the Spending Review processes. Discussions on the opportunities and challenges facing the industry over the last two months have been helpful in gaining an understanding of what other types of support or Government action may be appropriate. These discussions will continue.

Train cancellations including those caused by a lack of available train crew are recorded by Network Rail and published by the Office of Rail and Road. However, the reason for the crew’s absence is not recorded. The Department works closely with its operators to secure improvements where they are not meeting expectations but does not routinely record cancellation data by day and cause.

This Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. That is why we have announced our intention to publish a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. We will set out next steps on this in due course.

There is strict enforcement and tough penalties are in place for those who choose to put lives at risk by drink driving, with repeat offenders placed on a High-Risk Offender (HRO) scheme. If you are a HRO, you will not get your new licence after a driving ban until you can prove you are fit to drive again. You will need to pass a medical examination with one of DVLA’s appointed doctors.

The Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in England and Wales by changing attitudes and behaviours among those at highest risk. This includes regular THINK! campaigns to tackle drink driving, primarily targeting male drivers aged 17-24 who are overrepresented in drink-drive casualties.

This government is currently reviewing the position it has inherited on rail infrastructure, and will consider how we address capacity needs whilst maintaining financial discipline. We will set out our plans in due course.

Great Western Railway and Hitachi as manufacturer and maintainer of the Class 802 fleet, are working together to understand the reasons behind the loss of traction on two services on the sea wall at Dawlish, and to minimise incidents like this in future.

Bi-directional signalling installed at Dawlish enables trains to operate on the landward track in both directions which can provide some protection for rolling stock from storms.

The Northern Powerhouse Rail accounting officer assessment summary published on 30 July set out that £54m has been budgeted for development work on the scheme in 2024/25. Expenditure of a further £34m is anticipated on the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, excluding purchase costs for land and property.

There are around 40 full-time equivalent officials in the Department for Transport working on Northern Powerhouse Rail. This is reflective of the current stage of development and proposals. The Department for Transport is supported in its development of Northern Powerhouse Rail by Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and Transport for the North.

The Duchy of Cornwall is not liable to pay inheritance tax as it is a Crown body subject to Crown exemption.

The Prince of Wales receives the annual income generated by the Duchy of Cornwall, but is not entitled to the capital of the Duchy. While the Crown exemption applies to income received from the Duchy, the Prince of Wales pays tax voluntarily on his income received from the Duchy of Cornwall to the extent that is not used to meet official expenditure. The Prince of Wales is otherwise subject to taxation in the normal way. These arrangements are set out in The Memorandum of Understanding on Royal Taxation, which is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/memorandum-of-understanding-on-royal-taxation-2023

As required by the Duchy of Lancaster and Cornwall Accounts Act 1838, the Annual Accounts of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall are laid before Parliament every year. Copies are accessible through the Vote Office and Printed Paper Office. Copies of the accounts for recent years from both Duchies are also available on their respective websites.

All the requirements contained in the Duchy of Lancaster and Cornwall Accounts Act 1838 have been met in each of the past ten years, with one exception. The exception was the Duchy of Cornwall Accounts for 2023-24, which could not be presented to Parliament by the 30 June 2024 deadline, due to Parliament having been dissolved ahead of the 2024 General Election. Those accounts were instead presented to the new Parliament on 23 July 2024.

The previous administration initiated an Islands Connectivity Project to investigate transport barriers faced by islands across the UK, which was to be funded with underspend identified elsewhere in the department. The project was paused due to the election and, as part of the recent savings exercise, the Treasury requested the return of underspends from this financial year, including those earmarked for this project.

As funding cannot be extended beyond this financial year, we cannot guarantee the viability of continuing the project. My department is working closely with the Cabinet Office and Department for Transport to establish certainty over the future of the Islands Forum and the projects associated with it.

The Council of the Nations and Regions on 11 October brought together the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities and County Combined Authorities in England.

The following Mayors from English regions are invited to attend the Council of Nations and Regions: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Greater London, Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, the North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, the West Midlands, the West of England, West Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire.

Islands are a vital part of the UK’s geography, culture and heritage. Ministers will be considering options for future engagement between island representatives and government to address key challenges and promote shared opportunities.

I refer my noble Friend to the undertaking given by the Crown authorities during passage of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 at Volume 838: debated on Friday 24 May 2024, column 1368.

The Crown authorities confirmed that the Crown would act in accordance with the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and the statutes it amends, subject to specific specified conditions set out in the undertaking.

We expect the Crown bodies to work with its tenants as they develops their policies.

A preventative and risk-based decision to not allow the internal storage of e-bikes and their batteries on HMCTS premises was made in early 2024 pending further assessment of the risks and mitigations available.

This decision took into consideration emerging national fire service data and a serious fire incident that had occurred in the Royal Courts of Justice related to an e-bike battery.

A survey is being undertaken to establish where e-bikes may be safely stored within interior areas of HMCTS buildings. If a site has the physical capacity to store the e-bikes internally, building fire risk assessments are being reviewed to consider whether e-bikes can be safely stored.