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 assessment he has made of the (a) accessibility and (b)) ease of access of online consultations held by his Department.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Consultations at MHCLG are published on GOV.UK using the ‘consultations’ content type. This page type has been designed by Government Digital Service (GDS) to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standards.
Teams are supported to follow GDS guidelines for creating accessible web documents when creating consultations. Wherever possible, MHCLG publish consultation documents in HTML format to maximise accessibility.
Respondents can comment on a consultation via an online survey that is hosted on MHCLG’s consultation platform, Citizen Space. The Citizen Space platform has been developed to meet WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards and is commonly used by central and local government to conduct accessible consultation processes.
Most consultations at MHCLG also give users the opportunity to make enquiries and to respond to the consultation via email and/or by post.
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 resilience of NHS services to disruptions within the commercial laundry sector.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS England estates, commercial, and emergency preparedness, resilience, and response teams are undertaking an assessment of the provision of laundry services, in-house and out-sourced, in the National Health Service. This includes the NHS requirements for laundry services, available capacity, and the most efficient approach to their provision.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with (a) national sporting bodies and (b) cricket governing bodies on changes to Corporation Tax Return filing arrangements for Community Amateur Sports Clubs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I have assumed this is a reference to the closure of the joint-filing web-based service offered by HMRC and Companies House, which Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) can use to file Company Tax Returns should they need to.
HMRC announced the closure of the service in February 2025, adding messaging within the service to all users. During April and May 2025 HMRC also wrote to those impacted with support on how to transition.
HMRC have engaged directly with users of the service and with representative bodies about its closure.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential financial impact of requiring the use of commercial software to submit Corporation Tax Returns on Community Amateur Sports Clubs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I recognise some Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) have raised concerns about the requirement to use commercial software to submit Company Tax Returns.
HMRC does not expect these requirements to impose significant ongoing costs. CASCs are not required to file a Company Tax Return every year. They only need to submit a return if HMRC issues a notice to deliver one, or if they have taxable income or gains that give rise to a Corporation Tax liability.
HMRC will continue to work with providers to explore low-cost options for the very smallest organisations needing to file Corporate Tax Returns, including CASCs.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Investor-State Dispute Settlement claims arising from climate-related planning and regulatory decisions on public finances.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means for investors to resolve disputes with states where they believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory, or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation.
An independent Tribunal determines the level of liability, if any, in any Investor State Dispute proceedings. The Government has never faced a successful ISDS claim.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The provisions in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 are kept under review and updated through primary legislation. We are currently seeking to make updates through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including in part II of the act, which makes provision for the employment of children in England and Wales.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to assess the compatibility of existing bilateral investment treaties containing Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions with the UK’s (a) net zero commitments and (b) climate policy objectives.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK draws on the full range of investment commitments and international best practice in our international investment agreements to promote growth, deliver our clean energy goals, and continue to uphold the UK’s right to regulate.
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation. ISDS does not remove governments’ right to regulate in the public interest, including with respect to the environment.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to undertake an assessment of the potential economic impacts on (i) Cornwall, and (ii) the wider UK economy, arising from capacity constraints in the commercial laundry sector during peak seasonal demand in areas with high levels of tourism.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises that commercial laundries provide an essential service that supports the daily operations of the UK’s hospitality and tourism industries.
The Department for Business and Trade has not made a formal assessment, nor does it have any current plans to, on the contribution of the commercial laundry industry to the economy.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of the commercial laundry industry to the economy.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises that commercial laundries provide an essential service that supports the daily operations of the UK’s hospitality and tourism industries.
The Department for Business and Trade has not made a formal assessment, nor does it have any current plans to, on the contribution of the commercial laundry industry to the economy.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the role of commercial laundries in the resilience of the hospitality supply chain, including the extent to which hotels and the wider hospitality sector depend on them for the supply of linen.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS recognises that commercial laundries provide an essential service that supports the daily operations of the UK’s hospitality and tourism industries.
DCMS has not made a formal assessment of the role of commercial laundries in the resilience of the hospitality supply chain. However, officials maintain regular engagement with a wide range of business stakeholders and trade associations to monitor the health of the hospitality supply chain and to understand the interdependencies between service providers and the wider economy.
The Government remains committed to ensuring a resilient business environment and continues to keep the challenges facing these interconnected sectors under review.