Blake Stephenson

The third statutory review of the Pubs Code will commence following the end of the current three-year review period on 31 March 2025. It will consider the extent to which the Code is consistent with the principles of fair and lawful dealing of tied pub tenants by pub-owning businesses and that those tenants should not be worse off than they would be if they were not subject to any product or service tie.

The review will consider a range of evidence and notes that the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and the Campaign for Real Ale raised the issue of guest beers in their responses to the last statutory review. The Government also notes that the Pubs Code in Scotland will not come into force until March 2025.

The third statutory review of the Pubs Code will commence following the end of the current three-year review period on 31 March 2025. It will consider the extent to which the Code is consistent with the principles of fair and lawful dealing of tied pub tenants by pub-owning businesses and that those tenants should not be worse off than they would be if they were not subject to any product or service tie.

The review will consider a range of evidence and notes that the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and the Campaign for Real Ale raised the issue of guest beers in their responses to the last statutory review. The Government also notes that the Pubs Code in Scotland will not come into force until March 2025.

The third statutory review of the Pubs Code will commence following the end of the current three-year review period on 31 March 2025. It will consider the extent to which the Code is consistent with the principles of fair and lawful dealing of tied pub tenants by pub-owning businesses and that those tenants should not be worse off than they would be if they were not subject to any product or service tie.

The review will consider a range of evidence and notes that the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates and the Campaign for Real Ale raised the issue of guest beers in their responses to the last statutory review. The Government also notes that the Pubs Code in Scotland will not come into force until March 2025.

The UK tech ecosystem achieved a record combined market valuation of $1.08 trillion in 2023. Supporting its continued development across the UK is a priority for my department, and vital to this government’s mission to kickstart economic growth.

As set out in the industrial strategy consultation, the UK has world-leading innovation and tech clusters across the country. This includes aviation technology around Cranfield, with Cranfield University acting as a magnet for talent and investment and anchor institution for its local innovation ecosystem.

Through the industrial strategy, we will explore how best to continue supporting high-potential clusters across the UK through R&D investment.

No. Project Gigabit is designed to subsidise the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans.

These premises will predominantly be in rural areas, but the evidence from our regular engagement with the market indicates that we will also need to intervene in some urban areas in order to achieve the target of full gigabit coverage by 2030.

Tourism is a significant driver of economic growth and employment and the government is committed to growing this sector and enabling more inbound and domestic visitors to experience the full diversity of the UK tourism sector across the country. Bedfordshire boasts attractions such as The Panacea Museum, and welcomes 273,000 visits with a spend of £108 million according to the latest estimates. The Government is committed to ensuring that it remains attractive to inbound and domestic visitors across its towns and rural areas.

The department has made no estimate of the number of pupils in Bedfordshire who will leave the independent school system as a result of VAT on school fees.

The government predicts that, in the long-run steady state, there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private sector in the UK as a result of the removal of the VAT exemption applied to school fees. This represents around 6% of the current private school population. This movement is expected to take place over several years.

Of the 37,000 pupil reduction in the private sector, the government estimates an increase of 35,000 pupils in the state sector in the steady state following the VAT policy taking effect, with the other 2,000 consisting of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system, and domestic pupils moving into homeschooling. This state sector increase represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over 9 million. This movement is expected to take place over several years.

The impact on individual local authorities will interact with other pressures and vary. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide full-time education for all children of statutory school age in their area, suitable for their age, aptitude, ability and any special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The department works with local authorities to help them fulfil their duty to secure school places. Requirements for state-funded places for children that would have attended a private school will be addressed in each local authority through normal processes.

The government wants to ensure children achieve and thrive in education, whatever type of school they are in, including free schools. School capacity varies from place to place, and demand for places varies from area to area and year to year, so the department will continue to ensure the opening of new schools only where they are needed.

Departmental officials are working with local authorities, academy trusts and other partners to take forward work on the review of mainstream free school projects over the autumn and have written to them, setting out the next steps in relation to individual projects.

The department has written to the responsible bodies to encourage them to reapply to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), which opened for applications for the 2025/26 round on 22 October 2024. The bodies should closely review the guidance and all the documents provided in support of their application to ensure their appropriateness as evidence of project need.

In cases of an urgent building condition issue that cannot wait for funding in the current CIF round, schools can apply for Urgent Capital Support funding. More details on both funding routes are available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund.

The average class size for state-funded primary schools in Bedford is 26.8 pupils and in Central Bedfordshire it is 25.7 pupils, which is broadly in line with the national average of 26.6 pupils. The average class size for state-funded secondary schools in Bedford is 21.5 pupils and in Central Bedfordshire it is 22.6 pupils, which again is broadly in line with the national average of 22.4 pupils.

Secondary schools can decide how to organise classes based on local needs and circumstances, ensuring they are consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve and thrive. Legislation limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher.

It is local authorities who have responsibility to ensure that there are sufficient school places in their area. The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places. Bedford Borough Council will receive £15.1 million and Central Bedfordshire Council will receive £3.3 million in 2024/25 to support the provision of new school places needed by September 2025.

Flood risk is an important consideration in the planning system. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains.

Where development needs to be in locations where there is a risk of flooding as alternative sites are not available, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, and will not increase flood risk overall.

In July 2024, the Government issued a consultation inviting views on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework in order to achieve sustainable growth. The consultation, which closed on 24 September, invited views on potential improvements to planning policy for flood risk. The Government will respond in due course.

We are aware of the ongoing challenges farmers have been facing following the winter storms and wet weather in late 2023 and early 2024. We are committed to maintaining food production and supporting thriving farm businesses as well as protecting communities from flooding. All eligible farmers that were identified in the original fund from April have been offered payment. More information on the expanded Farming Recovery Fund will be made available soon.

The more recent flooding seen in September 2024 is not at the scale where we would expect to open the Flood Recovery Framework, Property Flood Resilience Grant of Farming Recovery Fund Schemes.

The Secretary of State and I have secured agreement that funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment.

There are several schemes at sewage treatment works in the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency that have been or will be completed during Asset Management Period (AMP) 7 (2020 – 2025). This includes a 0.5 mg/l Phosphate limit at Marston Mortaine STW to be delivered by 22/12/2024.

A groundwater investigation into water quality at Upper Sundon has been completed. Five other works have also had investigations into storm overflows, flows within the works and storm and flow monitors installed.

Other improvements to the infrastructure, including the sewer network and at sewage treatment works will be carried out by Anglian Water through a part of their AMP. We do not have sight of this.

Planning policy requires that Sustainable Drainage Systems are included in all new major developments, unless there is clear evidence that this would be inappropriate.

The Government is currently assessing how best to implement its ambitions on sustainable drainage, while also being mindful of the cumulative impact of new regulatory burdens on the development sector.

We are carefully considering the best approach to accessibility at stations across Britain. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

An equality analysis was produced as part of Ministerial decision making in line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. This was published on 13^th September. By convention, such analyses are not published alongside secondary legislation. However, in view of the close public interest in this issue Ministers decided, exceptionally, to publish in this case.

Our commitment to the Triple Lock means that both the basic and new State Pensions will increase in line with the highest of earnings growth, price inflation or 2.5% in each year of this Parliament. This will benefit over 12 million pensioners.

We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, and we urge those people to apply. This will passport them to receive Winter Fuel Payment alongside other benefits – hundreds of pounds that could really help them.

Since September the Department has been running a campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit. This national marketing campaign is running on a range of channels, including national and local print media and radio. The campaign also highlights that a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit made by 21 December will also qualify a pensioner for a Winter Fuel Payment, as long as they satisfy the other eligibility criteria.

The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.  An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare services requires safe, resilient, and effective infrastructure.

As part of the management of their estate, NHS trusts regularly assess the physical condition of their estate. The Estates Related Information Collection survey collects data from trusts on the quality of their estate annually, including the projected cost of bringing all the buildings on each NHS site into acceptable condition, recorded as backlog maintenance. The latest data on backlog maintenance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/estates-returns-information-collection-summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-202223.

GPs have been neglected for too long. They are under-resourced, struggling to cope, and patients pay the price.

We know that there is pressure on primary care estates and service provision in areas of high population growth.

General practice provides high quality care, and we are committed to shifting the focus of care out of hospitals and into the community.

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 opportunity to scrutinise the Agreement with Mauritius in the usual manner following its signature.

The Border Security Command is funded from within the Home Office’s Spending Review settlement, as announced at the Budget.

On 30th October, at Budget, the Government confirmed that, as of 1 January 2025, all education, boarding, and vocational training provided for a charge by a private school in the UK will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent.

International schools make an important contribution to the connections between the UK and its international partners, which the Government remains committed to strengthening and deepening further. While they can be subsidised by foreign governments, depending on their funding structure, many international schools still charge fees comparable to that of a lot of British private schools, many of which do not necessarily follow the UK curriculum, nor teach exclusively in English. It would therefore be unfair to carve international schools out of policy changes whilst comparable independent schools remain within scope.

On 30th October, at Budget, the Government confirmed that, as of 1 January 2025, all education, boarding, and vocational training provided for a charge by a private school in the UK will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent.

International schools make an important contribution to the connections between the UK and its international partners, which the Government remains committed to strengthening and deepening further. While they can be subsidised by foreign governments, depending on their funding structure, many international schools still charge fees comparable to that of a lot of British private schools, many of which do not necessarily follow the UK curriculum, nor teach exclusively in English. It would therefore be unfair to carve international schools out of policy changes whilst comparable independent schools remain within scope.

In the October 2021 Economic and Fiscal Outlook the OBR set out “a central forecast to 2026-27 taking account of recent data and Government policies announced up to and including the October 2021 Budget and Spending Review”. The Government does not speculate on tax changes outside of fiscal events.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) is an ambitious reform that will support modernisation of the tax system.

The government is working collaboratively with HMRC and external stakeholders to bring the first businesses and landlords into MTD for Income Tax.

Reflecting its status within the Government Major Projects Portfolio, the MTD programme is subject to strong governance and independent assurance by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.