Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to provide financial support to people on lower incomes in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to tackling poverty.

We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty so this will be the foundation of our approach. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities.

Alongside this, we are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do. We have begun this work with the announcement of the Fair Repayment Rate in the Budget and will continue to work with stakeholders closely as the review progresses. We will regularly update Parliament on progress.

We are taking the first steps to tackle poverty through our commitments to triple investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025 to boost the pay of 3 million workers. Furthermore, our plan to Make Work Pay aims to create opportunities for all by tackling low pay, poor working conditions and job security.

To further support struggling families, £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund in England by a full year until 31 March 2026, on top of the six months already announced, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent off-road vehicles used for recreational purposes from causing damage to (a) farmland and (b) the countryside in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

While many users make use of these rights in a responsible way, the Government is aware of damage and disturbance caused by excessive use of off-road motor vehicles on highways where such activities are legal, such as byways open to all traffic and on other unsealed roads which carry motor vehicle rights, often referred to as ‘green lanes’. Motor vehicle use on green lanes can damage the surface and reduce enjoyment of the route by other users. Defra consulted on banning vehicles from green lanes as part of the 2019 Landscapes Review, but a legislative ban to remove vehicular rights was not supported. Defra believes that the current Traffic Regulation Order process is legally robust enough to protect green lanes with carefully targeted local action to protect sensitive areas, while allowing vehicle users to responsibly enjoy the countryside.

It is local authorities’ responsibility to monitor and repair public rights of way, which includes green lanes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of farms in Aldershot constituency are part of Countryside Stewardship scheme.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As of the 17 November there are no Farm Businesses with a current Countryside Stewardship scheme agreement in the Aldershot constituency.

The above is based on the registered address for the business postcode.

Note: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) only holds data for the number of farms that are registered with the RPA and have Countryside Stewardship Agreement.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the affordability of water bills for people in (a) Aldershot constituency and (b) Hampshire.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As the independent economic regulator, Ofwat independently scrutinises water company business plans and ensure the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030.

The Government is committed to taking action to address water poverty and help vulnerable customers with their water bills. All water companies, including South East Water and Southern Water, have measures in place for customers who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, including measures such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support.

Furthermore, we expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the number of trees that have been planted in Aldershot constituency since 2010.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Forestry Commission publishes statistics on new planting of woodland, and trees outside woodland, in England. These can be found in Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators. These statistics are reported for each financial year in thousands of hectares. The Government does not hold data for individual constituencies but continues to work with delivery partners across England to increase tree planting rates.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of farms in Aldershot constituency are part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Sustainable Farming Incentive has a rolling application window and as of 17 November there are currently no Farm Businesses with a Sustainable Farming Incentive agreement in the Aldershot constituency.

* The above is based on the registered address for the business postcode

Note: *The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) only holds data for the number of farms that are registered with the RPA and have SFI agreement.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many degree apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in (i) Aldershot constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) London in each of the last five years.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The table below provides details of degree level apprenticeship (level 6 and 7) vacancies in Aldershot constituency, Hampshire and London that were advertised on the Find an Apprenticeship (FAA) service on GOV.UK in each of the last five years.

The department encourages employers to advertise on FAA to maximise engagement with their vacancies and to ensure that they are accessible to all potential apprentices. However, not all choose to use the service. Employers may choose to recruit apprentices through their own channels, for example via their own websites, which the department does not monitor. The figures below therefore do not represent the total number of degree level apprenticeship vacancies advertised.

To note

• Numbers are rounded to nearest 10.
• Geography is based on the postcode associated with the vacancy location.
• The data source is the Apprenticeship Service (AS).
• In 2023 the Recruit an Apprentice (RAA) service was changed to ensure that every vacancy was led by an employer to improve the service to users by giving confidence a real job existed. Previously colleges and training providers often posted vacancies before an employer had been identified leading to delays in some apprentices starting their training or leaving the programme before they started.

The table below provides details of degree level (level 6 and 7) apprenticeships that have been achieved in Aldershot constituency, Hampshire and London in each of the last five years, as published in the apprenticeships statistics publication.

To note

• These figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
• ‘Low’ indicates a value of fewer than 5.
• The source is the Individualised Learner Record.
• Geography is based on the learner home postcode.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to increase funding for renewable energy sources in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We've already had £34.8 billion of private investment announced into the UK’s clean energy industries since July.  Significant investment in our energy system is required no matter what, to replace retiring generation capacity and meet increasing demand. This investment is therefore one we cannot afford not to make. Our 2030 mission will ensure this investment is directed at the technologies, places and people that provide the most affordable, secure and prosperous future for the British public.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many high street businesses in (a) England and (b) Aldershot constituency closed in each of the last five years; and whether she plans to make changes to the business rates system.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Whilst there is no strict definition for a high street business, the Office for National Statistics publishes business demographic information on an annual basis. The latest release was published on 18 November: Business demography, UK - Office for National Statistics.

At Budget 2024, the government published ‘Transforming Business Rates,’ this sets out the government’s first steps to reform the business rates system.

As part of this reform plan, the government has announced that it intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27, and has introduced primary legislation to deliver on this commitment.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has allocated funding to flood defences in Aldershot.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

To ensure we protect the country from the devastating impacts of flooding, we will invest £2.4 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences.

The projects to receive Government funding in 2025/26 will be consented over the coming months in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees with local representation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce sewage discharges in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For too long, water companies have discharged record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will strengthen regulation, including delivering new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bringing criminal charges against persistent law breakers.

We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector to shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up rivers, lakes and seas for good.

The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) will continue to drive investment and improvement at a range of Thames Water Sewage Treatment Works and Storm Overflows. Several schemes were funded between 2020-2025 in the Aldershot constituency, including to monitor spills at storm tanks and to monitor the flow at Sewage Treatment Works from the inlet to full treatment.

The final determination for the next Price Review by Ofwat, due on the 19 December, will confirm additional investment planned by Thames Water for 2025-2030 to reduce pollution and improve storm overflows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help reduce the risk of flooding in Hampshire.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

To ensure we protect the country from the devastating impacts of flooding, we will invest £2.4 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences.

The Environment Agency, Hampshire County Council and the Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee have jointly funded a Property Flood Resilience programme to help small communities across Hampshire become more flood-resilient.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of childcare in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Giving children the best start in life is key to the government’s Opportunity Mission. Good parenting and high-quality early education provide the foundation for children to achieve and thrive. This government is determined to ensure that parents have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and childcare.

The department is rolling out more government-funded childcare entitlements to help millions of families, working hand in hand with the early years sector to build a system that works for them, parents and above all, children. This includes delivering 3,000 new and expanded school-based nurseries to make high-quality childcare accessible and available. As a first step, primary schools can now apply for up to £150,000 of £15 million capital funding for nursery places to open from September 2025. High-quality, school-based nursery provision is popular with parents, especially families with multiple children. It can help schools upgrade spare space whilst also providing early support to children and families, supporting their transition into primary school. School-based nursery settings have proportionally higher qualified staff and see lower staff turnover, providing more consistency of care for children. Proportionally, school-based nurseries also look after more children with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a higher proportion of places in the most deprived areas.

In the 2024/2025 financial year, early years providers are set to benefit from over £2 billion extra investment compared to last year, to support the rollout of 30 hours of government-funded early education from next September, rising in 2027/28 to over £4.1 billion. As announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, the department expects to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements in 2025/2026, which is around a 30% increase compared to 2024/25, as we continue to deliver the expansion to eligible working parents of children aged from nine months. Departmental hourly funding rates for Hampshire have been confirmed at, for 3 to 4-year-olds: £5.98 for 2-year-olds: £8.32 and for under 2s: £11:30.

The planned September 2025 childcare rollout of 30 funded hours per week will go ahead, but there will be challenges including providers securing enough staff and places to meet demand, with the capacity needed varying across the country. The department is supporting the sector to attract talented staff and childminders to join the workforce by creating conditions for improved recruitment. The department is urging the public to ‘do something BIG’ and start a career working with small children through our national recruitment campaign. Our dedicated website also helps people find out more about gaining qualifications and search for existing job vacancies.

Skills Bootcamps for the early years are available and lead to an accelerated apprenticeship, and we are funding Early Years Initial Teacher Training as a route for new and existing staff to gain Early Years Teacher Status. To support childminders to join and stay in the profession, the department has implemented new flexibilities to work with more people and spend more time working from non-domestic premises.

The department is working closely with local areas and the early years sector to do everything we can to ensure there are enough places and the sector has the workforce it needs to provide those places and to bridge local gaps ahead of September 2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) farmers and (b) food producers use sustainable farming methods in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government’s commitment to farmers and food producers remains steadfast. We will always champion British farming to boost rural economic growth, strengthen food security and improve the environment.

Defra has allocated £5 billion for the farming budget over two years. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector, with the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery all continuing. This funding will deliver improvements to food security as well as the environment, in the Aldershot constituency and across the country.

Publicly funded research and innovation, including investments under the Farming Innovation Programme, an innovation programme which aims to drive up productivity and enhance environmental sustainability, is enabling us to adapt to climate change more effectively, while improving levels of food security.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle illegal waste in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to tackling waste crime, which is a blight on our local communities and the environment and damages legitimate businesses. My department is considering what further measures to pursue to tackle waste crime, including regulatory reform.

The Environment Agency assesses all reports of suspected waste crime. All information and any intelligence is recorded and used to target resources where the offending poses the greatest risk and harm to people and the environment. The Environment Agency do not currently have any active high risk illegal waste sites recorded in the Aldershot constituency. Due to concerns about ongoing criminal activity in the area, a number of vulnerable landowners in the constituency have been contacted proactively to reduce the risk of thousands of tonnes of waste being illegally deposited on their land. Waste crime is borderless, those carrying waste have been stopped on multi-agency days of action in Hampshire and neighbouring Surrey to ensure they are compliant with the law.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of the number of unoccupied dwellings in (a) Hampshire and (b) Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

According to the latest published statistics, excluding second homes, there are 719,470 vacant dwellings in England. 265,061 of these dwellings are classed as Long-Term Empty Homes, meaning they have been empty for more than 6 months. These statistics are published annually and can be found on gov.uk here. They include a breakdown of vacant dwellings by local authority district. We do not hold records on vacant homes on a constituency basis.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the average increase in private rents in Aldershot constituency in the last 12 months; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those increases on people in that constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the average increase in rent. Private rents across the UK increased by 9.1% in the 12 months to November 2024 (provisional estimate), up from 8.7% in the 12 months to October 2024.

While there is no data available on Aldershot specifically, Aldershot is located in Rushmoor. The ONS found that the average monthly rent in Rushmoor was £1,257 in November 2024, an annual increase of 6.9% from £1,176 in November 2023.

The government recognises that paying rent is likely to be a tenant’s biggest monthly expense. The Renters’ Rights Bill will empower private rented sector tenants to challenge unreasonable within-tenancy rent increases.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the prevalence of damp and mould in social housing in (a) Aldershot constituency and (b) Hampshire.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Housing Survey includes data on dwelling condition, including damp and mould. It can be found on gov.uk here. In 2022/23 the survey found that 11% of homes in the South East of England did not meet the Decent Homes Standard. Nationwide, 10% of private rented households, 7% of local authority rented households, 4% of households renting from housing associations and 2% of owner occupier households were living with damp and mould.

The government is committed to working with social housing providers to ensure that homes are safe, decent, warm, and free from damp and mould. We have committed to bringing forward the regulations necessary to introduce Awaab’s Law in the Social Rented Sector this Autumn. This will set new time limits for social landlords to fix dangerous hazards, including damp and mould. We have also committed to extending Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector.

Social rented sector homes must also meet the Decent Homes Standard and all rented homes must be free of serious ‘category 1’ hazards, including damp and mould, as defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. The government has published consolidated guidance on the health impacts of damp and mould.

We also intend to consult on and implement a new Decent Homes Standard and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards early next year.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has taken recent steps to increase the construction of (a) social housing and (b) affordable homes in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

On 30 July we announced a number of changes in planning policy designed to support the delivery of affordable homes. We also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts, and a further £450 million for councils through the Local Authority Housing Fund enabling councils to grow their housing stock.

At the Budget on 30 October, the Chancellor set out details of an immediate one-year cash injection of £500 million to top up the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. This comes ahead of the multi-year Spending Review next spring, where the Government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme.

The Chancellor also confirmed that we will reduce Right to Buy discounts to their pre-2012 regional levels and allow councils to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales.

In addition, the government will consult on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement to provide the sector with the certainty it needs to invest in new social housing.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of adapted housing for (a) adults and (b) children with disabilities in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Housing Survey includes data on adaptions within the home at a national level. Data is not held at constituency level.

The right housing arrangements are crucial in supporting people to live independently and well. The National Planning Policy Framework outlines that it is for local planning authorities to assess the housing needed for different groups in their area, including disabled people, and reflect this in their local plan.

Local housing authorities also have a statutory duty to provide Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding for home adaptations to disabled people of all ages and tenures subject to a means test, eligibility criteria and a needs assessment.

Government provided funding of £1,312,512 to Rushmoor Borough Council which covers the town of Aldershot for the DFG for 2024 – 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the proportion of houses that have an EPC rating of (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D and (e) E in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All EPC data is available for download by parliamentary constituency at https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Mental Health Support Teams there were in (a) Aldershot constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) London in each year since 2010.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold the data requested at a constituency level. Nationally, the Mental Health Support Team (MHST) pilot programme commenced in 2018. The number of MHSTs in each integrated care board, from 2018, is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students receive free school meals in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department publishes the number of pupils in primary and secondary schools in the Aldershot constituency who receive free school meals. This data is available in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, based on the January 2024 school census. The most recent figures can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The publication webpage includes a school-level data file, listed under the dropdown heading ‘Additional supporting files’ as ‘School level underlying data - 2023/24 (csv, 22 Mb)’.

This file contains one row per school, and you can filter the data by school phase and constituency. Data on parliamentary constituencies use boundaries as they were when the statistics were published. The most recent constituency boundaries will be updated in the next ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics publication’ in June 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) protect and (b) enhance green spaces in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is firmly committed to creating better access to parks and green spaces for all sections of society. They are an essential part of local social infrastructure which supports more connected, stronger communities. Two green spaces in the Aldershot constituency, Wellesley Woodlands and Farnborough Business Park, have been recognised for their quality through the MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award. The Green Flag Award scheme sets the national quality standard for parks and green spaces.

Furthermore, changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will bolster environmental requirements that are already in place for new developments, including an objective for new residents to be able to access good quality green spaces within a short walk of their homes. Local authorities are mainly responsible for the provision and maintenance of green spaces and they are best placed to identify how to direct their resources. The Autumn Budget announced over £4 billion in additional funding for local government services, £1.3 billion of which will go through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Mr Calvin Bailey; Alex Baker;