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 assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of bonfires involving non-garden waste materials on (a) the environment and (b) public health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Existing laws prevent burning household waste if it will cause pollution or harm people’s health. Local authorities may also issue an abatement notice if smoke from bonfires causes a nuisance. We have published further guidance on this issue Reducing air pollution from outdoor burning.
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 his Department will make an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of Surfers Against Sewage's publication entitled Water Quality Report 2025, published in April 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is taking significant steps to improve water quality and reform the sector.
The Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, closed its public call for evidence in April with over 50,000 responses. An interim report is due in May and will focus on strategic direction, regulation, ownership, and infrastructure. The final report will follow in June.
In parallel, the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which gained Royal Assent in February, introduces stronger regulatory powers and improved financial transparency for water companies. Implementation is underway and has been widely welcomed.
Additionally, the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan outlines clear targets to reduce pollution. By 2035, all overflows near bathing waters must be improved, and by 2050, storm overflows should operate only during unusually heavy rainfall, without harming ecosystems.
Together, these measures aim to restore public confidence through investment, tighter regulation, and better environmental outcomes.
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 she has made an assessment of the potential impact of he rule which prevents mixed-age couples from claiming pension-age benefits until the youngest partner reaches State Pension age on the number of people in poverty.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The requirement that both members of a couple need to have reached State Pension age to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit was introduced by the previous conservative government from 15 May 2019. Benefit support for couples where only one partner has reached State Pension age is provided through Universal Credit instead.
This change was made to ensure that the working age partner gets the right support and incentives to remain in contact with the labour market – and where appropriate moves into work – subject to their individual circumstances. No work-related conditionality applies to the pensioner partner.
This does not affect when the pension-age partner in a mixed-age couple can access their State Pension or eligibility for other benefits such as Attendance Allowance.
This Government’s priority for pensioners has been to increase the State Pension, including by 4.1% last April. Pensioners on a low income may still qualify for help with their rent and Council Tax, and from this winter, pensioners whose annual taxable income is at or below £35,000 will receive the Winter Fuel Payment. They may also benefit from free prescriptions and eye tests and free off-peak local bus travel. Further information on the help available can be found on: GOV.UK
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her correspondence to the Interim Chair of the Office for Students, dated 19 May 2025, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the reprioritisation of high-cost subject funding away from journalism courses.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We have made difficult decisions, driven by the challenging fiscal inheritance, regarding the allocation of Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding. We are protecting support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our Industrial Strategy and protecting core funding to support access to higher education for disadvantaged groups.
Subjects that will no longer receive high-cost subject funding (media studies, journalism, publishing, and information services) are valued by the government, but they are not as expensive to deliver. We acknowledge their importance alongside numerous other subjects that do not attract SPG high-cost subject funding, which include mathematics, history and languages.
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, how many mixed-age couples are impacted by the rule which prevents them from claiming pension-age benefits until the youngest partner reaches State Pension age.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested information is not held
The requirement that both members of a couple need to have reached State Pension age to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit took effect from 15 May 2019. Income-related benefit support for couples where only one partner has reached State Pension age is provided through Universal Credit instead.
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, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of flying ring frisbees.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No, the Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of flying ring frisbees.
This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. We will publish the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England this autumn. It will include a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. One of the five sectors we will start with is the chemicals and plastics sector.
As a part of the transition to a circular economy, managing and reducing plastic waste will be crucial. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions.
Defra’s Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code for England provides guidance on how to act responsibly around marine wildlife when visiting the coast, including the need for the public to take all litter home with them. We would encourage anyone who sees a sick, injured or entangled seal to contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546.
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, whether fines received for environmental breaches are hypothecated back into environmental schemes.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the Spending Review, this Government has confirmed that water company fines and penalties will be allocated to projects and programmes across the country which contribute to water quality. Over £100 million in fines levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters which could include local environmental programmes to address pollution.
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, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that planning decisions made by the Planning Inspectorate account for local housing need in (a) areas where there is (i) acute demand for affordable homes and (ii) community opposition to retirement-only developments and (b) other areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning Inspectorate is an arm’s length body, responsible for examining local development plans impartially to ensure they are legally compliant and sound, and for considering appeals against planning decisions.
Inspectors will make decisions in light of the policies in the given adopted Plan, of relevant policy in the National Planning Policy Framework, and of all other factors material to a particular planning case and its location including the evidence and concerns of local people.
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local authorities should assess the size, type, and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including those who require affordable housing (including Social Rent) and older people, and reflect this in their planning policies.
Plan making authorities should also set clear policies to address the housing needs of older people and, where there is an identified unmet need for specialist housing for older people, local authorities should take a positive approach to schemes that propose to meet this need.
The needs of different groups should be taken into account in making planning decisions. This includes an expectation that major development should provide the affordable housing required to meet identified local needs.
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 is taking to increase the uptake of HPV vaccines.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Rotherham on 5 March 2025 to Question 31921.
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, whether he plans to combine the proposed (a) Nature Restoration Fund and (b) Marine Recovery Fund.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Recovery Fund is being established as a voluntary mechanism to deliver strategic compensation for offshore wind developers.