Ben Obese-Jecty

This government is committed to ending the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy. Projections by the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicate that the number of pupils who may switch schools as a result of these changes is likely to represent a very small proportion of overall pupil numbers in the state sector, with any displacement expected to take place over several years. This research can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.

On the matter of home to school travel in the state sector, the department’s policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home to school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. Local authorities have the discretion to arrange travel for other children, but are not required to do so.

Where a child is not eligible for free home to school travel from the local authority, it is the parent’s responsibility to make the necessary travel arrangements.

The special educational needs (SEN) publication publishes data on pupils in schools in England with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. The data file titled “School level underlying data 2024 (csv, 10 Mb)” under the section “Additional supporting files” includes the figures at school level, including the school‘s parliamentary constituency. As these figures are taken from the January 2024 school census, the parliamentary constituencies are based on pre-election boundaries. Where statistics were published prior to the changes in parliamentary constituency boundaries, they will be updated to reflect the new boundaries in the next publication of statistics. This is expected to be in June 2025 for statistics on schools and pupils, including SEN.

It may be useful to note that as the data requested is published at school level, it can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS) to identify parliamentary constituency. GIAS currently reflects the changes made following the general election parliamentary constituency changes and is accessible here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. Updates to geographical data are made on a quarterly basis using data published by the Office for National Statistics.

Information on the number of children in Huntingdon who do not have a school place is not readily available. Information is however available on the placements of children and young people with EHC plans, for the Cambridge local authority in the publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

An extract showing the number with placements other than in school or further education establishments, is given at this link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/75145e5f-3b4f-4e79-4100-08dce44cbd16.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing children’s eligibility for free home to school travel and for arranging free travel for eligible children. The department does not currently collect data on the number of children who receive free home to school travel from local authorities.

The annual cost of home to school travel is not collected at constituency level. Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 requires local authorities to submit information about their education expenditure, including expenditure on home to school travel to the department. The information collected from local authorities is published on GOV.UK. Further details are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

The government has already taken decisive action by announcing in the King’s Speech that, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, every primary school with primary aged children will offer a free breakfast club. Legislating for breakfast club provision will give schools the certainty they need to plan for the future.

Future spending commitments will be set out as part of the Spending Review process.

This government is committed to ending the VAT exemption that private schools enjoy. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) indicates that the number of pupils who may switch schools as a result of this change is likely to represent a very small proportion of overall pupil numbers in the state sector and any displacement would be expected to take place over several years. This research can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.

The department cannot be certain of the precise level, if any, of transfer from private to state sectors additional to the movements between schools, and between the private and state sectors, which happen each year in all parts of the country. However, there is significant spare capacity in existing state schools. The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the School Capacity survey and this data shows that in May 2023, 11.7% of primary capacity and 11.5% of secondary capacity was unfilled nationally, meaning school places are available in many parts of the country. The department will monitor demand and capacity using our normal processes and continue to work with local authorities to meet any pressures.

Assets in the Middle Level are primarily managed by the Middle Level Commissioners with some managed by the Environment Agency (EA).

The 2021 EA’s “Future Fens – Flood Risk Management Project Baseline Report” underscores the importance of these assets across Cambridgeshire Fens.

1. We do not have access to asset condition data for the Middle Level Commissioner’s assets. www.middlelevel.gov.uk

The majority of EAs assets are at target condition, on the Low Bank there are 6 out of 66 assets below target condition and to be brought back to target condition.

The EA’s Middle Level barrier bank, recently underwent a £44.3m embankment raising project, ensuring it remains in target condition.

1. The Middle Level Commissioners oversee flood risk with a total area of 734km² in size. Specifically for the Middle Level sub-catchment, the Future Fens baseline report has identified approximately £281m would need to be invested in both Environment Agency and Middle Level Commissioner’s assets over the next 100 years to maintain the 2021 level of service. It also estimated that these assets deliver around £10.5bn worth of benefits.

The Environment Agency’s Fens2100+ programme, with a £9.8m budget, aims to assess and develop a strategy for future asset management and investment needs.

The Government’s new Floods Resilience Taskforce marks a new approach to preparing for flooding and developing policy. It brings together a range of partners in national, regional and local Government, including the Environment Agency (EA), Devolved Administrations, selected Regional Mayors and Lead Local Flood Authorities.

Membership of the Taskforce from national, regional and local partners is flexed to meet the specific agenda and priorities but the Taskforce will also work with a wider range of flood risk partners as needed.

The EA also has ongoing engagement with the 12 Flood Liaison Action Groups which operate across the constituency, and it also conducts regular maintenance, inspections, conveyance, and public safety assessments along the River Great Ouse and its tributaries.

It is a water company’s duty to assess water available to meet demand and protect the environment. Water companies do this in their statutory water resources management plans every 5 years.

Approximately £6 billion is planned for spending across England between 2025 and 2030 to provide secure, sustainable water resources. In East Anglia this investment includes 2 new reservoirs and a network of pipelines to improve the supply and distribution of water across the region.

Huntingdon has 81 publicly available chargepoints as of 1 July 2024. The number of future public chargers required in a local area is dependent on a number of factors, such as electric vehicle (EV) uptake, levels of off-street parking and types of charging option. Local authorities play a key role in ensuring an area has a clear EV charging strategy.

The Government is supporting local authorities through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. Through the fund, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which includes Huntingdon, has been allocated £5,437,000 capital funding to transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were also allocated almost £542,000 in capability funding to secure dedicated in-house expertise to plan and procure the delivery of local chargepoints across their area.

At present, the majority of bus services in England outside London are provided on a commercial basis by private operators. The government does not hold information on individual bus routes. The government is determined to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. It has set out a plan to achieve this, based on giving local leaders the tools they need to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities they serve.

As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce a Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England. We also plan to empower local transport authorities through reforming bus funding. By giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities. The Department will work closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on these ambitions.

The government is determined to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions. It has set out a plan to achieve this, based on giving local leaders the tools they need to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities they serve, including those in rural or isolated areas.

As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, ensuring networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will increase powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership.

The Department is aware of long-standing local aspirations for an East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald that would align with the new housing being developed in the area. The Secretary of State announced that she has commissioned an internal review of the Department's capital portfolio. This will support the development of a long-term strategy for transport, that delivers a modern and integrated network with people at its heart. It will consider a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects, to ensure that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time, supporting our strategic objectives. I encourage any project proposal to consider how the scheme links to wider government commitments concerning economic growth, but regret that I am not yet able to comment on individual schemes or proposals at this time.

The Government has already begun work to reform the pensions system:

• The Pensions Bill, confirmed in King’s Speech, could boost pension pots by over £11,000 for an average earner saving over their career, with further consolidation and broader investment strategies to potentially deliver higher returns for pensions.
• Our landmark Pensions Review, launched in July, is considering how to drive efficiencies and boost investment to help increase pension pots.
• The second phase of the review will begin later this year, looking at further steps to improve pension outcomes, including assessing pension adequacy. This will consider options to build on the success of Automatic Enrolment, which has turned millions of people into pension savers.

The Pension Credit data is based on the 2010 Westminster Parliamentary constituencies, not 2024 in order to be comparable with the Winter Fuel Payments statistics.

The estimated number of pensioners in Huntingdon constituency who will lose Winter Fuel Payments is 21,148, this equates to a proportion of 93%. This is based on Feb-24 Pension Credit statistics and 22/23 Winter Fuel Payment statistics, (sources below).

The estimation is calculated by subtracting the number of Pension Credit recipients for Huntingdon Constituency (2010 boundary) from the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients for Huntingdon constituency. Please note that Pension Credit claimants are the majority of those that will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments, not all. There are other pensioners who are eligible for Winter Fuel Payments (as they claim other means tested benefits) but they are not considered in these figures as it is not possible to do so.

Furthermore, the above does not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up we might see as a result of the policy change (means testing Winter fuel payments to those on Pension Credit and other means tested benefits). We do not have data on those additional Pension Credit claims by Parliamentary constituencies or local authorities.

Also, the published Pension Credit figures refer to households rather than individuals, so the number of individuals claiming Pension Credit, will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where it is a couple claiming Pension Credit).

Sources used:

winter-fuel-payments-caseload-2022-to-2023.ods (live.com)

Stat-Xplore - Table View (dwp.gov.uk) (Feb-24 data)

The information is not collected in the format requested. However, the National Health Service collects data for all of England in the Estates Returns Information Collection, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/england-2022-23

We do not hold the information in the format requested.

We must reset the New Hospital Programme to put it on a sustainable footing, however we are clear that replacing hospitals built wholly or mostly with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, including Hinchingbrooke Hospital, is the priority.

We are undertaking a full review of the programme to provide a thorough, costed, and realistic timeline for delivery, and to ensure we can replace the crumbling hospital estate in England. The review will be completed this autumn, and once concluded, Parliament will be updated on the next steps for the programme.

The Department does not currently hold this information. However, the national guidance for the National Health Service’s clinical waste strategy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-clinical-waste-strategy/

Organisations across integrated care systems, such as NHS trusts, would have their own policies on how to enact this guidance.

In 2021/22, the Department and NHS England jointly commissioned a detailed structural assessment of the five hospitals built mostly using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) to assess the condition and rebuild options, which included Hinchingbrooke Hospital. The report estimated that the remaining life of the RAAC panels across the five hospitals would generally extend until approximately 2030, following the installation of fail-safe steelwork.

We are clear that hospitals built wholly or mostly with RAAC, including Hinchingbrooke Hospital, will be replaced through the New Hospital Programme as a priority. We are undertaking a full review of the programme to provide a thorough, costed, and realistic timeline for delivery, and to recognise the particular needs of the RAAC hospitals. The review will be completed this autumn, and once concluded, Parliament will be updated on the next steps for the programme.

Like all National Health Service sites in England with confirmed RAAC, Hinchingbrooke Hospital is part of NHS England’s national RAAC programme, backed by £954 million since 2021/22. Hinchingbrooke Hospital has received over £39 million to deliver required mitigation, safety, and eradication works, to keep facilities safe and open in line with the current recommendations of the Institution of Structural Engineers.

The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius on 3 October will, for the first time in 50 years, secure the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The base plays a crucial role in regional and international security. It is not normal practice for the UK to reveal the value of its payments for military bases anywhere across the globe. To do so could put at risk their future secure operation. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the underpinning Treaty as part of the ratification process.

The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius on 3 October will, for the first time in 50 years, secure the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The base plays a crucial role in regional and international security. It is not normal practice for the UK to reveal the value of its payments for military bases anywhere across the globe. To do so could put at risk their future secure operation. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the underpinning Treaty as part of the ratification process.

In January, the UK paused funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) following allegations that 19 staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attack.

Catherine Colonna conducted an independent review that found the existing UNRWA framework was "robust", but neutrality issues persisted. UNRWA committed to implementing all recommendations. The Foreign Secretary was subsequently reassured that UNRWA is committed to the highest standards of neutrality. The Foreign Secretary called the UN Secretary-General on 18 July to discuss funding to UNRWA. He then announced resumption of funding to UNRWA on 19 July. The UN's Office of Internal Services Oversight (OIOS) led an investigation into the specific allegations against individual staff members. On 5 August, OIOS findings concluded that nine members of UNRWA may have been involved in the atrocities. We welcome UNRWA's action to terminate the contracts of these individuals.

The creative industries play a key role in driving economic growth. The Government is committed to supporting the creative industries as a key part of its plan to fix the foundations of the economy, creating good jobs and accelerating growth in film, music, gaming, and other creative sectors.

The Government keeps all tax policy under review and regularly receives proposals for sector-specific tax reliefs. When considering a new tax relief, the Government must ensure it supports businesses in a fair way and that taxpayer money is effectively targeted.

The removal of the VAT exemption for private school fees will not impact pupils with the most acute additional needs, where these can only be met in private schools. Local Authorities (LAs) fund pupils’ places in private schools where their needs can only be met in a private institution. In England, where attendance at that private institution is required by a child’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), LAs will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC. This includes at post-16 special colleges.

Where a single fee is paid for students at special schools or colleges to cover all aspects of the service they provide (including health and social care), the VAT status of that fee will be determined by whether the predominant element of the supply is education. HMRC will publish further guidance to assist schools before the Budget.

The Government will confirm the introduction of these tax policy changes at Budget, at which point the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will certify the Government’s costings for these measures. We expect the changes to raise significant amounts of revenue, securing additional funding to help deliver the Government’s commitments relating to education and young people.

The Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. Currently, over 80 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by Christmas.

The specific location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network. Criteria that LINK consider include whether another bank branch remains nearby, local population, number of cash-accepting businesses and the financial vulnerability of the community.

The government is committed to delivering a fairer business rates system by levelling the playing field between the high street and online giants, better incentivising investment, tackling empty properties and supporting entrepreneurship.

Any decisions on future tax policy will be announced by the Chancellor at a fiscal event.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll-out 350 banking hubs across the UK, which will provide individuals and businesses with critical cash and banking services.

Over 60 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by the end of the year.

The specific location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network. LINK considers criteria such as whether another bank branch remains nearby, the local population, the number of cash-accepting businesses and the financial vulnerability of the community.

Under the Government’s Safer Streets Mission, we have committed to ambitious plans to halve knife crime in a decade. As part of this ambition, we are committed to going after the gangs who incite and commit violence on our streets.

The use of social media platforms by Urban Street Gangs to keep ‘scoreboards’ of serious acts of violence is inhumane and will not be tolerated.

Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom will have significant powers to help stem the spread of content on social media that incites violence or threats to kill. Once fully implemented, the Online Safety Act will require platforms to take robust action to address illegal content.

We are clear that tech companies must take proactive action to embed public safety in their system designs and prevent users encountering harmful material on their platforms. To ensure companies comply with the legislation, Ofcom will have powers to issues large fines of up to 10% of annual qualifying turnover.

The prevailing evidence indicates there is a diversity of factors that influence asylum seeker decision-making in seeking to travel in the UK. This government is focused on restoring order to the asylum system.

The Home Secretary announced on 17 September up to £75 million in new investment for the Border Security Command. This will deliver cutting edge new technology, extra officers and further covert capabilities across the system. The BSC will be appropriately resourced to ensure we can disrupt organised criminal gangs and respond to a range of threats to border security.

The Home Office publishes a Police Grant Report on an annual basis. The Report sets out the Home Secretary’s determination, made under section 46(2) of the Police Act 1996, of:

• the aggregate amount of grants for police purposes paid under Section 46, and;
• the amount of grant paid to pay each local policing body in England and Wales under the same section.

The Report includes a definition of the indicators used to calculate Police Main Grant, including population. A copy of the most recent Report for 2024-25 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can be found online:

Police Grant Report (England and Wales) 2024-25 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

The Border Security Command (BSC) has been launched and will sit as a new bespoke command led by Martin Hewitt and within the Home Office, working collaboratively with colleagues across the department and beyond. Staff will have the same opportunities for career progression as all other Home Office staff in their respective agencies and Department.

Capabilities from across the Home Office have come together to build the foundational operating model of BSC. Wider recruitment is ongoing as part of the broader organisational design and any external opportunities for the BSC will be advertised on Civil Service Jobs as per existing processes.

The BSC will be appropriately resourced to ensure we can disrupt organised criminal gangs and respond to a range of threats across the border security system. The Command will collaborate with a wide range of agencies, recruiting hundreds of new specialist staff across these organisations, including investigators, to smash the criminal gangs and strengthen our borders. Our new Border Security Command is gearing up so that we can dismantle the criminal smuggling gangs who undermine our border security and put lives at risk.