Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether funding has been secured for a rollout of Train Wi-Fi across the Great Western Railway intercity fleet.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is grateful to Peninsula Transport for supporting the successful trial of high-speed Wi-Fi on a Great Western Railway train. Building on this work, we plan to improve on-train Wi-Fi across mainline services, including Great Western Railway. The business case for this wider rollout is progressing through the Government’s normal funding and approval processes, with funding subject to the outcome of those processes. A decision will be announced once they are complete.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when funding for improvements to on-train Wi-Fi will be released to the Department for Transport for eligible projects.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The business case for improving on-train Wi-Fi is progressing through the government’s normal funding and approval processes. A decision will be announced once these are complete.
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 she has made of the potential impact of changes to Environment Agency headcount on (a) the number of apprenticeship places offered by the Agency and (b) its future workforce pipeline.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency recognises the important role apprenticeships and other career-entry routes play in developing the skills and capability it needs for the future. It currently has 544 employees undertaking apprenticeships, equivalent to 4.1% of its headcount.
The Environment Agency is considering future career-entry recruitment through its strategic workforce planning.
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, how many apprenticeship places she plans to (a) make available, and (b) fill at the Environment Agency in (i) 2027-28 and (ii) 2028-29.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has not yet finalised the number of apprenticeship places it will make available or seek to fill in 2027-28 and 2028-29. Future recruitment will be determined through its strategic workforce planning, taking account of business need, affordability and agreed headcount.
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, how much money from fines and penalties levied on South West Water since April 2022 has been (a) paid to HM Treasury and (b) spent through the Water Restoration Fund on projects in (i) Cornwall and (ii) Devon.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since April 2022, fines and penalties from Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate enforcement action against South West Water total £11.8 million.
Of this, £1.85 million in environmental fines and penalties received between April 2022 and October 2023 were reinvested in projects via the Water Restoration Fund, with details available here: Water company fines fund local restoration projects - 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, on what date she plans to publish the Government’s response to the (a) consultation entitled A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and (b) Home Affairs Committee’s report on earned settlement, published on 13 March 2026.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Today the Home Secretary set out the response to the consultation on earned settlement. These reforms will create a model where settlement is earned by those wishing to make the UK their permanent home, supporting integration and ensuring sustained contribution to this country.
I am grateful to both the Home Affairs Select Committee and the Justice and Home Affairs Committee for their reports on earned settlement, which were carefully considered alongside the more than 200,000 responses received to the public consultation as the Government developed its policy. The Government's formal response to both the Committees' reports will be provided shortly.
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 with local authorities to ensure adequate funding of direct public transport routes to hospitals and health hubs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are providing all local transport authorities with multi-year consolidated funding settlements, delivering simpler and more flexible funding to meet local priorities.
Ultimately, decisions on local transport networks are for local transport authorities who best understand their communities. Our Local Transport Plan guidance encourages local authorities to work with their communities to ensure transport planning reflects local health and accessibility needs.
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 her Department has considered the potential merits of requiring fines and penalties levied on water companies to be returned to affected customers through reductions in their bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government reinvests environmental fines from water companies into local projects that benefit our communities and environment. The Government announced on 20 January 2026 that £29 million in environmental fines will support local water improvement projects. The Government will confirm how future income from environmental fines will be spent in due course.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the geographical distribution of Arts Council England funding to the arts and dance sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Arts Council England (ACE) operates at arm's length from the government, and funding decisions are made independently by ACE on merit based published criteria. However, DCMS is committed to delivering high quality arts and cultural activity in every region of the country.
The government is working with ACE on its plans for the next National Portfolio Investment Programme. To help ensure location does not disadvantage arts organisations’ access to the Portfolio, ACE will simplify the application process to make it easier to apply for funding.
In the information published in June regarding the 2028-2033 National Portfolio Investment Programme, the Arts Council confirmed that one of its objectives is to increase investment and delivery in places with historically lower investment, engagement or both. Culture Priority Places will inform decision-making in the next Portfolio, to ensure the benefits of arts and culture can be felt where need is greatest. The Arts Council will also bring in the views of local citizens into this process, to ensure that communities across England have more input into the cultural offer in their area.
According to ACE's Area Report Cornwall received £9.43 per head in 25/26, compared to £12.75 in the South West and £14.75 in England. Total ACE funding for Cornwall across the 2023–26 investment period stands at £14,522,985. This covers a range of organisations, including NPO IntoBodmin, a community and arts organisation which received £411,992 in funding for 2023–26. Total funding for dance organisations in Cornwall for 2023–26 was £277,396.
Further, as part of the £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund, earlier this year, Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Cornwall was awarded £726,599 through the first round of Creative Foundations Fund, which allocated £14.4 million to eight arts and cultural venues across the South West to address urgent infrastructure needs. The second round of the Creative Foundations Fund is currently in progress.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment her Department has made of levels of Arts Council England funding between (a) Cornwall and (b) other parts of England.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Arts Council England (ACE) operates at arm's length from the government, and funding decisions are made independently by ACE on merit based published criteria. However, DCMS is committed to delivering high quality arts and cultural activity in every region of the country.
The government is working with ACE on its plans for the next National Portfolio Investment Programme. To help ensure location does not disadvantage arts organisations’ access to the Portfolio, ACE will simplify the application process to make it easier to apply for funding.
In the information published in June regarding the 2028-2033 National Portfolio Investment Programme, the Arts Council confirmed that one of its objectives is to increase investment and delivery in places with historically lower investment, engagement or both. Culture Priority Places will inform decision-making in the next Portfolio, to ensure the benefits of arts and culture can be felt where need is greatest. The Arts Council will also bring in the views of local citizens into this process, to ensure that communities across England have more input into the cultural offer in their area.
According to ACE's Area Report Cornwall received £9.43 per head in 25/26, compared to £12.75 in the South West and £14.75 in England. Total ACE funding for Cornwall across the 2023–26 investment period stands at £14,522,985. This covers a range of organisations, including NPO IntoBodmin, a community and arts organisation which received £411,992 in funding for 2023–26. Total funding for dance organisations in Cornwall for 2023–26 was £277,396.
Further, as part of the £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund, earlier this year, Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Cornwall was awarded £726,599 through the first round of Creative Foundations Fund, which allocated £14.4 million to eight arts and cultural venues across the South West to address urgent infrastructure needs. The second round of the Creative Foundations Fund is currently in progress.