Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of shortening the application period for extending biometric residence permits from three months to 28 days on (a) all biometric residence permit holders and (b) biometric residence permit holders with children who are (i) taking exams and (ii) applying for university or apprenticeships.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme will open applications on 4 February 2025, with applications being accepted within 28-days of an individual’s current permission expiring.
Applications under most immigration routes are only accepted 28 days before the expiry of the current permission. This ensures sufficient time to apply to the scheme before existing permission expires. Provided an application is made before the date of expiry of existing permission, the applicant will continue to benefit from ongoing permission in the UK (and associated access to benefits and services) until a decision is made on their UPE application.
The scheme will provide the same rights and entitlements as the existing Ukraine Schemes, to access work, benefits, healthcare and education. Further details on eligibility and application processes can be found at: Applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support Ukrainian biometric residence permit holders whose jobs may be affected by the revised biometric residence permit extension application period.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme will open applications on 4 February 2025, with applications being accepted within 28-days of an individual’s current permission expiring.
Applications under most immigration routes are only accepted 28 days before the expiry of the current permission. This ensures sufficient time to apply to the scheme before existing permission expires. Provided an application is made before the date of expiry of existing permission, the applicant will continue to benefit from ongoing permission in the UK (and associated access to benefits and services) until a decision is made on their UPE application.
The scheme will provide the same rights and entitlements as the existing Ukraine Schemes, to access work, benefits, healthcare and education. Further details on eligibility and application processes can be found at: Applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of funding school trip coach costs for visits to Parliament.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to creating opportunities for all children to achieve and thrive. The department has not made an assessment of the merits of funding school trips to Parliament. It is for schools to decide whether to offer school trips to their pupils and what trips to offer. Schools receive pupil premium funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and may use this funding to support extracurricular activities, including school trips and associated transport costs. Schools may also ask parents to contribute towards the cost of school trips but may not make compulsory charges for trips which take place during school hours, or are part of the national curriculum, religious education or the syllabus for a public exam the pupil is being prepared for at the school.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that people entitled to (a) Pension Credit uplifts and (b) other pension uplifts receive them automatically; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a system that allows those uplifts to be applied without requiring additional claims from eligible recipients.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Pension Credit award can include additional amounts for:
These additional amounts can increase or uplift the value of a Pension Credit award.
When a new Pension Credit claim is made, any additional amounts are applied to the award, as a matter of course, based on the claimant’s circumstances. A separate claim for these additional amounts is not needed.
If an existing claimant’s circumstances change, their Pension Credit award can be adjusted to reflect the change – for example including or removing additional amounts. A new claim is not required as the adjustment can be made either by the claimant reporting a change of circumstance or on the initiative of the Department.
Following the Secretary of State’s statutory annual review of state pension and benefit rates in the Autumn, the rates for the basic and new State Pension and the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 4.1%. Other state pension and benefit rates covered by the statutory review will be increased by 1.7%. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the new rates will take effect from 7 April 2025 and will be applied automatically without the need for a claim.
The full list of proposed benefit and pension rates can be found at Benefit and pension rates 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many scheduled trains with destinations in Cornwall were cancelled due to lack of crew in the last 12 months.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold cancellation data at this level of detail. However, we acknowledge that performance is not where it needs to be on Great Western Railway or Cross-Country services. This is due to a range of issues including infrastructure and fleet reliability, as well as traincrew availability. The Department is working closely with both operators to improve performance.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of applying a working farm test which would exempt estates actively being used for farming from changes to Inheritance Tax rules at the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The longstanding rules already mean agricultural property relief is currently only available if the property includes agricultural land that is occupied for agricultural purposes. It may be occupied by the owners of the land or others, such as a tenant farmer. More information on the qualifying uses of land can be found at www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual/ihtm24061.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of maintaining the personal tax allowance on (a) pensioners and (b) low-income households in each of the next three years.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to keeping taxes as low as possible for working people and pensioners while ensuring fiscal responsibility, which is why it is not extending the freeze on personal tax thresholds that was implemented by the previous Government and is instead allowing them to rise with inflation from April 2028.
The Government provides additional support for both pensioners and low-income households. At the Autumn Budget, the Government announced that the basic and new State Pension will increase by 4.1% from April 2025. This means those on a full new State Pension will be getting an additional £470 a year. The Government also announced a 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage (NLW) from April 2025. This represents an increase of £1,400 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW and is expected to benefit over 3 million low-paid workers.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Mawgan Porth Beach.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.
The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.
On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or Good
South West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Hawkers Cove.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.
The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government's commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.
On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or Good
South West Water's plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
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 (a) tackle and (b) prevent sewage dumping at Constantine Bay.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority.
The Water (Special Measures) Bill will deliver on the government’s commitment to put water companies under special measures. It will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.
On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
With respect to the areas mentioned, data does not show widespread releases of raw sewage from the sites raised; pollution incident reports from beach users are very low and water quality data remains consistently high. All the designated bathing waters raised are classified as Excellent or Good
South West Water’s plans for Asset Management Period 8 (covering 2025-2030), include improvements to sewage treatment infrastructure and storm overflows in the area to further reduce pollution in the area.