Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the recent performance of HMS Protector in addressing threats to sovereign interests in the British Antarctic Territories.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains committed to supporting the UK’s sovereign interests and wider commitments in the Antarctic and South Atlantic. HMS PROTECTOR routinely deploys to the Antarctic Peninsula to undertake activities in support of the UK’s interests, including Antarctic Treaty inspections and station visits in support of the British Antarctic Survey.
The MOD keeps all operational activity under regular review to ensure that the UK’s interests in the South Atlantic are supported, and sovereignty of the British Antarctic Territory is maintained. For this reason, BFSAI personnel have recently conducted an Antarctic overflight, providing a sovereign presence in the British Antarctic Territory.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the level of risk of closure of zoos and aquariums as a result of increased operating costs; and what steps she is taking to mitigate that risk.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the significant contribution zoos and aquariums make to the visitor economy, supporting local growth and global conservation. DCMS monitors the sector's performance closely through VisitBritain/VisitEngland.
The Visitor Attraction Trends in England 2024 report demonstrates the sector's resilience, with England’s attractions reporting a 1.4% increase in visits and an 8% increase in gross revenue from 2023-2024. Major zoos remain among England's most popular paid attractions; Chester Zoo and ZSL London Zoo currently rank third and ninth respectively.
To support the sector, the Government has introduced targeted measures including permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million annually.
DCMS continues to work with VisitBritain to champion visits to the British countryside and our world-class attractions to a worldwide audience. Local Visitor Economy Partnerships also have an important role to play in supporting the development of local tourism products and packages that encourage more visitors to come and stay for longer and benefit local communities.
The forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will also provide a long-term framework to increase visitor flows and deliver sustainable growth across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of current economic conditions on visitor numbers and income for zoos and aquariums.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the significant contribution zoos and aquariums make to the visitor economy, supporting local growth and global conservation. DCMS monitors the sector's performance closely through VisitBritain/VisitEngland.
The Visitor Attraction Trends in England 2024 report demonstrates the sector's resilience, with England’s attractions reporting a 1.4% increase in visits and an 8% increase in gross revenue from 2023-2024. Major zoos remain among England's most popular paid attractions; Chester Zoo and ZSL London Zoo currently rank third and ninth respectively.
To support the sector, the Government has introduced targeted measures including permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million annually.
DCMS continues to work with VisitBritain to champion visits to the British countryside and our world-class attractions to a worldwide audience. Local Visitor Economy Partnerships also have an important role to play in supporting the development of local tourism products and packages that encourage more visitors to come and stay for longer and benefit local communities.
The forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will also provide a long-term framework to increase visitor flows and deliver sustainable growth across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration her Department gives to the statutory conservation and education requirements that zoological institutions must meet when deciding business rates policy.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.
To respond to those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget.
The Government is also introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. This includes zoos and aquariums with rateable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
Further details on what is meant by “visiting members of the public” can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending business rates relief to (a) zoos and (b) aquariums.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.
To respond to those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget.
The Government is also introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. This includes zoos and aquariums with rateable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
Further details on what is meant by “visiting members of the public” can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the business rates revaluation on (a) zoos and (b) aquariums in 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.
To respond to those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget.
The Government is also introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. This includes zoos and aquariums with rateable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
Further details on what is meant by “visiting members of the public” can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to support SMEs based in the UK to bid for defence contracts.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has already committed to spending £2.5 billion more with defence SMEs. Central to driving this pledge is the recent establishment of the new Office for Small Business Growth which will help simplify and speed up cumbersome processes, provide advice to SMEs and encourage private sector investment. We have also recently announced a £20 million fund to offer accelerated contracts to small, innovative British startups, as well as establishing a protected budget of £400 million for UK Defence Innovation. We're breaking down barriers and opening new avenues for innovation, ensuring that our SMEs can play a vital role in strengthening our defence capabilities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to improve the (a) cost and (b) time efficiency of armed forces procurement processes.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy and Strategic Defence Review set out plans to overhaul procurement. Our new segmented approach to procurement, supported by accelerated commercial pathways, is designed to enable programmes to get to contract faster and be more cost efficient. We are making progress towards the target date of 1 April 2026 for establishment of the segmented approach in line with the Strategic Defence Review.