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 ensure that gambling harm (a) prevention and (b) early intervention services will receive support following the transition of gambling harm treatment commissioning to the NHS (i) in isolated communities and (ii) for vulnerable and higher-risk groups in Cornwall.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.

OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made in determining which body will be responsible for (a) commissioning and (b) providing strategic direction for (i) community engagement, (ii) prevention and (iii) early intervention for gambling harms.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.

OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to allocate funding for community-based programmes for gambling harm (a) prevention and (b) early intervention in (i) rural, (ii) hard-to-reach and (iii) other areas.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.

OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle delays caused by (a) tolls and (b) traffic to emergency service vehicles on the Tamar (i) bridge and (ii) ferries.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government acknowledges that the Tamar Crossings are an important local issue. Toll management is a matter for local determination through the Tamar Joint Committee and we recognise the benefits of the recently formed Tamar 2050 Programme Stakeholder Panel which will help oversee key decisions.

It is, of course, essential that emergency vehicles are able to travel swiftly to deal with urgent incidents. The Joint Committee maintains a very close working relationship with the emergency services. Although it is not possible to offer a dedicated emergency route on the bridge, this close level of engagement helps to ensure that emergency vehicles can cross as quickly as possible.

Ferry crews are given clear guidance when managing access for emergency vehicles and their subsequent departure.

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 help people in South East Cornwall constituency to access healthcare services in Devon using the Tamar Crossings.

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

The Government acknowledges that the Tamar Crossings are an important local issue. We are determined to work with the National Health Service to ensure that everyone can access a general practice and other healthcare services, and we will move towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities.

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 potential impact of the Tamar Crossing tolls on economic growth in (a) South East Cornwall constituency and (b) Plymouth.

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

The government recognises the importance of the Tamar crossings to South East Cornwall, Plymouth and also to the wider area, providing a vital link between Cornwall and Devon for local residents and businesses.

The tolls for the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry are set locally by the Tamar Joint Committee, a local government committee made up of elected representatives from Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council. It is for this local committee to determine the right level of toll to meet the day-to-day running costs and ongoing maintenance of the Torpoint Ferry and Tamar Bridge.

The government has not carried out an assessment of the potential impact of the Tamar crossing tolls on economic growth but does recognise the importance of the crossings and that is why the Cornwall Level 2 devolution deal, that this government committed to progressing in September 2024, committed to work together with Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council to consider options for future legislation to enable a more efficient toll revision process.

Looking ahead, the government recommends local authorities from both sides of the Tamar consider the opportunities that devolution would bring for increased transport powers and supporting local growth.

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 made an assessment of the potential impact of beaver reintroductions on flood resilience in areas where they have been trialled.

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

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Yes, the Government has assessed the impact of reintroducing beavers on flood resilience. This includes an evidence review of the impacts of beavers on the natural and human environment in England, which shows beavers can reduce the risk of flooding.

Beavers can bring a range of benefits including contributing to flood risk mitigation, by using their dams and creating complex wetland habitats to slow the flow of water and to store water (a form of natural flood management). Appropriately managing the reintroduction of beavers in England helps to mitigate the impact they can have.

Building on the approach that we have already developed for wild release and management; we will collaboratively develop a management plan for the long-term reintroduction and recovery of beaver populations in England.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of toll charges at the Tamar crossings on the (a) profitability and )b) sustainability of local businesses in South East Cornwall constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Transport Charges &c. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1954 sets out that when considering applications for changes to tolls, the Minister must “have regard to the financial position and future prospects of the undertaking and shall not make any revision of charges which in his opinion would be likely to result in the undertaking receiving an annual revenue either substantially less or substantially more than adequate to meet such expenditure on the working, management and maintenance of the undertaking and such other costs, charges and expenses of the undertaking as are properly chargeable to revenue, including reasonable contributions to any reserve, contingency or other fund.”

In respect of the current application for changes to the tolls at the Tamar crossings, local businesses will have been able to make their views known during the consultation process and during the public inquiry.

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 made an assessment of the potential impact of wild beaver releases on the (a) economy and (b) environment.

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

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Yes, Natural England have conducted assessments on the impact of beavers on the environment. This has primarily been done through the River Otter Beaver Trial and an evidence review of the interactions between beavers and the natural and human environments, published in 2021. The government recognises that beavers can bring many benefits for the environment, including boosting biodiversity, creating and restoring wetland habitats, and reducing downstream flooding.

The Government has not directly assessed the impact of beaver wild release on the economy. However, applications for beaver wild release licences must consider the socio-economic effect of their project, including conducting a risk assessment. Licences will only be granted for projects which are economically feasible and there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment.

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 made an assessment of the potential merits of making Cornwall a priority location for a wild beaver release.

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

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way. Any wild beaver reintroductions in Cornwall must therefore meet the criteria.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to hold a public consultation ahead of the reapproval process for glyphosate in December 2025.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) acts as competent authority for pesticides under delegated powers from Defra and Devolved Governments. As part of the process for all pesticide active substances being considered for renewal in Great Britain (GB), HSE will hold a public consultation ahead of any renewal decision being made. This is a statutory requirement in GB pesticide legislation.

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 set a timeline for the approval of wild release licences for beavers in England.

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

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

On 28 February 2025, Defra announced its new approach to beavers, including opening a licensing scheme for beaver wild release.

Applicants must first submit an Expression of Interest, which will be assessed by Natural England (NE). Projects likely to meet the licensing criteria will be invited to make a full application.

NE aim to assess Expressions of Interest within 45 working days. Full application assessments are likely to take a minimum of four months. All applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and assessment may take longer for complex projects or if there is high demand.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve (a) education and (b) training for sustainable jobs in the renewable sector in South East Cornwall constituency.

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

Areas right across the UK are benefitting from the transition to low carbon energy. The government’s investments in the skills system are promoting education and training that creates meaningful opportunities for all, including in areas such as renewable energy for South East Cornwall.

The department funds a range of programmes that develop green skills, including:

• T Levels in construction, engineering and land management, which can lead to careers as a civil engineering technician or countryside officer, for example.

• Over 200 occupational standards that include green skills, such as civil engineer, low carbon heating technician and professional forester.

Moreover, green energy will be eligible for the first round of shortened apprenticeships that we recently announced as part of our skills reforms.

The recently created Skills England is working with partners to map out and address skills needs linked to clean energy.

Addressing local renewable energy and green skills needs are a priority set out in Local Skills Improvement Plans, including the plan covering South East Cornwall. With support from the department, local colleges are actively addressing green skills needs through various initiatives and programmes in key areas such as green construction, heat pump technologies and electric vehicles.

Found: Q57 Anna Gelderd: That would be wonderful.

Found: Strood) • Vicky Foxcroft (Lab, Lewisham North, Lord Commissioner of His Majesty's Treasury) • Anna Gelderd

Found: Strood) • Vicky Foxcroft (Lab, Lewisham North, Lord Commissioner of His Majesty's Treasury) • Anna Gelderd

Submit Evidence (by 24 Apr 2025)

The Environmental Audit Committee is undertaking an inquiry on airport expansion and climate and nature targets. In this inquiry the Committee is seeking to:

Submit Evidence (by 26 May 2025)

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a large, complex group of about 14,000 synthetic chemicals used in a wide variety of everyday products. For example, PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective.