Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether funding for the Scouts will be extended beyond March 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is committed to continued funding for Uniformed Youth Organisations in 2025/26. Funding allocations for specific programmes will be communicated in due course.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have registered for Pension Credit since the announcement of changes to the eligibility requirements for the Winter Fuel Payment in Waveney Valley constituency.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The latest statistics on Pension Credit application volumes were published on 27 February 2025. This provides an update to the Applications and Awards data, including those awarded and not awarded and also statistics on the number of outstanding Pension Credit applications. The statistics provide weekly information for the period 3 April 2023 up to 23 February 2025. Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK.
We do not hold data at regional or constituency level for applications made.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women born (a) on or (b) after April 6 1950 have been impacted by the changes to pension age in Waveney Valley constituency.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As of the 2021 census, there were approximately 33,700 women who were born in 1950 or later, in the Waveney Valley constituency. Of these, approximately 6,900 were born in the 1950s.
It is not possible to accurately calculate the exact number of women born after April 6, 1950.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the development of a national methane action plan.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We do not believe we need a methane action plan, as it is already covered in our existing delivery Plan for Carbon Budgets. We will publish an updated Plan that will outline the policies and proposals needed to meet Carbon Budgets 4-6 and the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution on a pathway to net zero in due course. This will include key methane policies covering the period up to 2030 that will contribute towards the Global Methane Pledge.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero work closely together on common climate change and environmental issues including around methane.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of comments made by US President Trump about Gaza on the current schedule for the release of hostages under the Gaza ceasefire.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The new US administration played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement, alongside Qatar and Egypt. The Prime Minister reiterated his thanks for these efforts in his call with President Trump on 26 January. The government will continue to work with the US to sustain the fragile ceasefire, ensure that all the hostages are released, increase the supply of aid, and break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a permanent, sustainable peace. As the Foreign Secretary has emphasised, we continue to call for the immediate release of all hostages
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on President Trump's proposals for the US to (a) takeover and (b) own Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary had a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 27 January, prior to President Trump's comments on Gaza. The readout is available on gov.uk. We will continue to engage with the US Administration across the spectrum of foreign policy issues, including the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Our priority in Gaza remains sustaining the fragile ceasefire, ensuring that all the hostages are released, increasing the supply of aid, and breaking the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a permanent, sustainable peace
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) its arms length bodies have made of the potential impact of the Water Industry National Environment Programme on carbon emissions.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 (PR24) on 19 December, which included a confirmed £104 billion of water company expenditure between 2025 and 2030. £24 billion will be invested to improve the environment and Ofwat have confirmed this will put the sector on track to meet net zero targets by 2050.
For the period between 2025-2030, Ofwat have provided percentage estimates of the emissions reductions water companies are expected to deliver. These can be found within Ofwat's publicly available PR24 company specific documents available on their website: Final determinations in the 2024 price review - Ofwat. Water companies will report on the emission reductions from schemes, using real time data to demonstrate the impact.
Ofwat have also introduced price control deliverables (PCDs) for PR24 – a financial incentive mechanism to incentivise companies to deliver projects on time, and if projects are not delivered, funding is returned to customers. This includes a PCD on climate change resilience to incentivise delivery by companies.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what notice general dental practice contract holders will receive on changes to the new patient premium; and what the Government's policy is on notifying contract holders of changes to their contractual arrangements.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any changes made to the New Patient Premium will require directions from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. If any changes are agreed, contract holders will be notified by integrated care boards via NHS England.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to extend the New Patient Premium scheme.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has no plans to extend the New Patient Premium scheme. The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) hospitals and (b) other publicly owned healthcare settings are compliant with the UK Health Security Agency guidance entitled Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace, updated on 10 June 2022.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the Prevention and Control of Infections, NHS England health and social care providers are required to implement measures that protect patients, residents, and staff while providing assurance to trust boards regarding infection risks and outcomes. This obligation extends to the application of national pathogen-specific guidance, including the UK Health Security Agency’s Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace, which is available at the following link:
The Code of practice outlines 10 criteria used to assess how registered providers meet regulatory requirements for infection prevention and control, including cleanliness.