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.

The Euston tunnels' scope is being delivered as part of the SCS Main Works Civils contract, and there are no plans for a new procurement process for this work. Due to commercial sensitivities, the department is unable to provide a specific cost breakdown for the Euston tunnels.

Previously published cost ranges for HS2 Phase One included the costs associated with the Euston tunnels. The Department is currently working with HS2 Ltd to review the Estimate at Completion (EAC) for HS2 Phase One. The results of this review, which include considerations of the Euston tunnels, will report to Parliament in due course.

HSE’s advice on the risks associated with the MV Ruby contained information relevant to national security. It is currently preparing a redacted version of the advice. As soon as it is available I will ensure a copy is placed in the Library of the House.

Old Oak Common station design has been reviewed, and it was concluded that considering programme, cost, and railway impacts as well as required operational flexibility, the best and only viable option is to continue with the existing design. The 8 platforms within the conventional station include the four fast line platforms, principally to be used for the Great Western Railway, and four relief line platforms principally used for Elizabeth Line passengers. Detailed modelling and analysis are ongoing to determine the optimum service pattern under different scenarios, and to inform decisions on calling patterns and frequencies at Old Oak Common.

The scope of Phase 1 is being reviewed to make sure the HS2 scheme is delivered at the lowest reasonable cost, including the revised approach to Euston. Once this work has been done, we will publish to Parliament a revised cost range for the revised HS2 scheme.

Within the Target Cost for Phase One, the budget allocated by HS2 Ltd for Old Oak Common station, including contingency for risk, is £1.67bn (2019 prices). As Old Oak Common is being designed and delivered as a single, integrated station this budget includes the costs for delivering both the HS2 and conventional rail elements.

The New HS2 station will consist of 6 platforms, which can support up to 10 HS2 trains per hour. No decisions have been made on the train services that will run when HS2 opens, and this will be subject to future consultation.

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.

Section 127 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 requires that court proceedings must commence within six months from the time when the offence was committed.

Endorsement and disqualification are always at the court's discretion and it remains open to the court not to disqualify or to disqualify for a shorter period than that specified, if it considers there are special circumstances.

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.

The Government is committed to legislating to enhance court powers to require offenders to attend their sentencing hearings. This measure will be included in the Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill which the Government intends to introduce in the first parliamentary session.

Further details will be made available as part of the Bill’s introduction into Parliament.

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.