Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the decision to end the Union Learning Fund.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises the role that the Union Learning Fund (ULF) played in encouraging greater take up of learning in the workplace. Government funding for ULF ceased in March 2021.
The Adult Skills Fund is now 60% devolved to Combined Authorities. Devolving adult skills funding provides these authorities, working alongside key stakeholders, including trade unions, with the ability to direct funding to best meet their local skills needs.
The department and Skills England are committed to working with employers, providers, trade unions and Combined Authorities to ensure that high-quality qualification and training pathways are meeting skills needs, but there are no current plans to reintroduce funding for the ULF.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to promote the awareness of energy-saving benefits through regular energy examinations for (a) businesses and (b) households.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Mandatory energy audits required under the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme provide large businesses with cost-effective ways to save energy and reduce bills. Our Business Energy Advice Service pilot in the West Midlands is also delivering subsidised energy assessments and grant funding for energy efficiency measures to SMEs in the region and we are currently considering options for support for SME decarbonisation across England.
For households, the Government offers a digital service ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in your Home’ (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency) which provides tailored recommendations for home improvements to increase energy efficiency and clean heat. This service is complimented by our Energy Efficient Home website which supports consumers with wider information on energy saving tips and further investment (including grant opportunities) for energy efficient measures.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of utility companies completing street works late in each local authority in the last 12 months for which data is available.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My department does not have the data available to make a detailed assessment of the costs of congestion from overrunning works. If works do overrun, local authorities are able to impose charges of up to £10,000 per day to cover the costs of congestion. We have recently announced that these charges will also be applied to overruns at weekends and on bank holidays to reduce congestion and disruption during these times.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of direct trains from London Euston to Leighton Buzzard have been cancelled in the last six months, listed by (a) day of the week and (b) time of day.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The percentage of trains cancelled on the London Euston - Leighton Buzzard route over the last six months was approximately four per cent. Cancellations were higher on Mondays at six per cent, 235 trains cancelled out of 3653, and lower on Tuesdays and Thursdays at two per cent of direct trains on this route.
Based on the time of the day, most cancellations happened between 12:00-15:00. Proportionally, the highest percentage of cancellations happened after midnight, with three of trains cancelled.
If an operator delivers consistently poor performance, the Department can intervene to act in passengers’ best interests. We will continue to press West Midlands Trains to run the most reliable service possible.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Flood Re scheme to non-owner occupiers.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Flood Re scheme allows for insurers to offer discounted premiums to leasehold or landlord owned properties consisting of three or less units where the freeholder/landlord lives in the property. As larger blocks, of four or more units, are classified as a commercial business, the Flood Re scheme does not apply for buildings insurance. Tenants and leaseholders can obtain contents insurance supported by Flood Re, regardless of the size of the block.
There are currently no plans to extend the scope of the scheme, however Defra regularly reviews all policies, including eligibility for Flood Re.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the speed of the delivery of the school vaccination programme.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service is supporting catch-up efforts to return the coverage of school aged vaccination programmes back to their pre-pandemic levels. School aged immunisation service providers are commissioned to deliver a 100% offer for adolescent vaccine programmes, including for children not in mainstream education.
Catch-up initiatives are also in place via schools and community clinic settings, and those who miss out on the adolescent immunisation sessions remain eligible in older years. General practices are also commissioned by NHS England to deliver catch ups for school aged children and young people on an opportunistic basis, to maximise vaccine uptake.
NHS England continues to work with all key stakeholders at a regional level to strengthen local initiatives and encourage innovative models to approach the robust delivery of school aged vaccinations.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to include updating circulator pumps in the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are currently no plans to update Ecodesign regulations for circulator pumps. We are currently aligned with EU circulator regulations; however the Government will assess all new EU regulation on a case-by-case basis and will consider aligning where we see fit.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses, what the end sale date is for diesel coaches.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In spring 2022 the Department held a call for evidence about the decarbonisation of coaches, alongside a consultation on ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses. An end of sale date has not been set for coaches.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential advantages of TransXChange over the GTFS Plus format for bus Real Time Information provision.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) was launched in 2020 and requires all bus operators of local services in England to provide passengers with high-quality, accurate and up-to-date passenger information including timetables, fares, tickets and vehicle location information.
The Department for Transport ran a public consultation on Bus Open Data policy prior to the launch of BODS, which included consideration of the use of different data formats, including TransXChange and GTFS. The response to this consultation can be found on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ca4b38d40f0b625eb19dba5/bus-open-data-consultation-response.pdf.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will outline his Department’s planned timetable for reviewing the funding formula for flood defences.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will launch a consultation in the coming months which will include a review of the existing flood funding formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection. Feedback will be sought on the advantages and disadvantages of potential reforms to the flood funding formula.