Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve road safety for vulnerable road users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help increase the availability of GP appointments in North Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to improving capacity and access to local services across the country, including in the North Cornwall constituency. North Cornwall sits within the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board. Since June 2024, there has been an 18.2% increase in appointments delivered, higher than the national average increase of 17.8% in the same period.
In October 2024, we injected £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to enable the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified general practitioners (GPs) across England, which will increase the number of appointments delivered, and care for thousands of patients
The Government has delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. For the first time in four years, the General Practitioners Committee England backed the new 2025/26 contract, which includes key reforms to improve access, for instance by making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring housing developers to consult with water companies at every stage when building new homes, in the context of establishing sewage infrastructure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner. Sustainable development should be pursued both through the preparation and implementation of local development plans, and the application of policies in the framework.
The government is clear that housing must come with appropriate infrastructure, including appropriate water infrastructure. We believe that strategic issues such as water capacity are best dealt with at a strategic level through the plan-making process, rather than through individual planning applications.
A key function of local development plans is to guide development to the most suitable and sustainable locations and to ensure that the associated infrastructure requirements are addressed. Effective co-operation early in the plan-making process is essential to ensuring not only that housing and infrastructure need is appropriately planned for, but that they are aligned with each other. The NPPF makes it clear that local planning authorities should collaborate with each other and with other public bodies, including infrastructure providers, to identify relevant strategic matters to be addressed, including providing for sustainable water supplies.
Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewerage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of water resource management plans, and drainage and wastewater management plans. The water resources planning guidance published by the government set out how those companies should forecast demand for water based on existing customers and planned levels of household and non-household growth, with the number of planned developments being based on published local plans.
Relevant planning practice guidance sets out that good design and mitigation measures should be secured during development, both through site-specific and non-site-specific policies on water infrastructure. The revised NPPF published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that developments of all sizes should use sustainable drainage techniques when the development could have drainage impacts and should have appropriate maintenance arrangements in place. We continue to explore whether more needs to be done to ensure sustainable drainage technologies are taken up more widely in new development, either through planning policy or by commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, and a decision on the best way forward will be made in the coming months.
Ensuring that we take a strategic spatial planning approach to the management of water, including tackling pollution and managing pressures on the water environment at a catchment, regional and national scale, is a core objective of the ongoing independent review into the regulatory system of the water sector, launched in October 2024 by the UK and Welsh Governments. The review is expected to report next year, and we will carefully consider its findings.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of legal aid provision.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government has inherited a justice system in crisis, and the previous administration left the legal aid sector is under significant strain. We are committed to restoring our justice system and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the legal aid sector.
We recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to some areas of civil legal aid fees. Once fully implemented, this would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year. We are currently reviewing consultation responses and will publish the Government response in due course. We will continue to consider the fees paid in other categories of civil legal aid, and the wider themes from the Review, in order to support the long-term sustainability of the civil legal aid sector.
On criminal legal aid, in November 2024 we announced our response to the Crime Lower consultation, confirming an uplift to the lowest police station fees, introducing a new Youth Court fee scheme, and paying for travel time in certain circumstances. Together, these changes amount to a £24 million investment for criminal legal aid providers.
In addition, in December 2024, we announced that criminal legal aid solicitors will receive up to £92 million more a year to help address the ongoing challenges in the criminal justice system, subject to consultation. We are also committed to continuing to work with the criminal legal aid profession, including the Bar, on further opportunities for reform this Parliament and to support the overall sustainability, diversity, and efficiency of the system.
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, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to (a) add all resident pinniped species to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and (b) protect all pinniped and cetacean species from each offence under Section 9 of that Act.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We continue to consider the evidence for legislative change. This includes the proposals submitted by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to the previous Government for amending the lists of species afforded protection by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Nature recovery is one of my main priorities, so Defra is working to review whether we have the right tools in place including developing a revised Environmental Improvement Plan to protect and restore our natural environment, which will be published later this year.
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 the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions on high street hair salons.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions (NICs).
The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note on 13 November which sets out the impact of the employer NICs changes.
The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of specialist (a) paediatric and (b) transitional healthcare services for teenagers in the South West.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. This involves ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.
Supporting children and young people as they transition into adulthood, especially those with long-term or complex conditions and/or vulnerabilities, including those with mental health issues, is a priority in the South West, and work is underway in some National Health Service trusts.
Currently, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust’s paediatric department delivers care to children up to the age of 16 years old. Work in some pathways, such as eating disorders and diabetes, has started to address transitional arrangements. A review of the transition arrangements in place for children over 16 years old is underway with the local community and acute hospital trust, as this has been identified as an area for improvement by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.
In the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England committed to delivering a service model for zero to 25 year olds where appropriate, to enhance children and young people’s experience of health, continuity of care, and outcomes, and their experience of the transition between services.
A national transition framework is currently awaiting publication to help local areas set up this model, or to strengthen an existing one. The principles of age-appropriate services set out in this document apply to young adults receiving care for the first time, as well as those already on a transition pathway.
While this framework focuses on the broad principles of transition, future work will focus on specific considerations and conditions. Training is also being developed for healthcare staff to develop their skills in providing the best standard of care.
Improving transitional care for young people is a South West regional priority, and the national transition framework and core competencies, once published, will support integrated care boards with implementation.
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, set to be published later this year, will outline the broader measures to shift England’s health and care systems toward preventing ill health. The Department will also publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care that patients, including teenagers, need when they need it.
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, if he will publish his response to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee's 7th Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 relating to marine mammals; and whether he plans to consider the potential impact of this review on his review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are carefully reviewing the proposals, including for marine mammals, from the 7 Quinquennial Review, taking into account our nature recovery ambitions. The Government has concluded a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) and published a statement of the rapid review’s key findings on 30 January 2025. We are developing a new EIP to protect and restore our natural environment, it will be published later this year. We will publish our response to the Quinquennial Review in due course.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including mental health waiting lists in the targets outlined in the Plan for Change.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Waiting lists for those referred for support are too high across England, including in rural communities. People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.
Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in communities.
We recognise the unique challenges for mental health services across England, the growing treatment gap, and the spectrum of interventions required, from prevention to early intervention and treatment for mental ill-health. Early engagement from our 10-Year Health Plan has indicated that early mental health support and community-based interventions are critical in delivering substantial long-term health benefits to the public.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that waiting times for mental health treatment are no longer than waiting times for treatment for physical health conditions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need when they need it, which is why we are committed to ensuring we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.
This includes recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers, introducing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, rolling out Young Futures hubs, and modernising the Mental Health Act.
We have also committed £26 million in capital investment to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing the pressure on busy emergency mental health and accident and emergency services and ensuring people have the support they need when they need it.