Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help support small independent lifeboat organisations.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) chairs UK Search and Rescue (UKSAR) on behalf of the Department for Transport. UKSAR supports national volunteer search and rescue groups, including independent lifeboat organisations, on a wide range of issues.
The MCA's Rescue Boat Code introduced in 2013 is a key foundation for the safe and effective operation of independent lifeboats. The Code is currently being revised in consultation with all lifeboat operators to better support these organisations and to help clarify the responsibilities and requirements for all rescue boats to safely operate across the UK.
Since April 2015, search and rescue charities, including independent lifeboats, may recover VAT on the purchase of goods and services used for their non-business activities.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure the timely completion of payments for Countryside Stewardship agreements.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) understands the importance of cashflow for farmers and rural businesses. For the 2025 scheme year they have once again paid a higher proportion of Countryside Stewardship payments earlier in the payment window.
The RPA has taken steps to improve the flow of payments for the schemes they deliver, and the Countryside Stewardship scheme continues to be administered with payment frequency and timeliness in mind.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proportion of fertiliser that is imported on food security.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The fertiliser market is a global one, and the market price in the UK is strongly influenced by international prices for fertiliser and by the value of the pound.
We are aware of the current price increase for fertiliser due to the conflict in the Gulf. We are in close contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and are monitoring overall supply to the UK.
Food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a national rollout of parenting programmes, such as Triple P and Incredible Years, on levels of stigma associated with seeking parenting support.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to expanding access to high-quality, evidence‑based parenting and home learning support as part of the Best Start in Life Strategy, delivered through the national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs.
Local authorities are expected to commission from departmental menus of programmes with the strongest evidence base, which include both in-person and digital options.
Delivering these programmes through open-access models within Best Start Family Hubs, aims to normalise parenting support by making it widely available and integrated within a broader system of help for families. This approach is intended to broaden access, ensure families can seek support in a non‑judgemental, accessible environment and reduce barriers, including stigma.
The department will continue to evaluate the impact of Best Start Family Hubs to ensure they are delivering positive outcomes for children and families and informing future policy development.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK is committed to ensuring inclusive and effective international tax cooperation, and has been actively engaging in negotiations at the UN over a future Framework Convention.
The UK believes a UN Tax Framework Convention has the potential to further advance international tax cooperation, but to be successful, it needs to be clear in its aims, avoid duplicating initiatives, and seek to secure the broad support and participation of members.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using parenting programmes such as that implemented in Australia to support parents in managing their children’s screen time.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is monitoring policies put in place in other countries, including Australia, and we are working with counterparts there to share learnings and best practice. Ministers at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will also be visiting Australia to understand the approach taken.
Last month, the government announced a package of measures to improve children’s relationship with mobile phones and social media, including a commitment to produce evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged 5 to 16. This builds on ongoing work to develop screen time guidance for parents 0 to 5 year-olds.
The government also announced that we will be launching a consultation and national conversation on further measures to ensure technology is enriching children’s lives. The consultation will include exploring the option of banning social media for children below a certain age, alongside a range of other measures.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, a) in what way her Department plans to measure the impact of the Enrichment Expansion Programme, b) what indicators of success her Department will use, and c) what support the 400 selected schools will be given, beyond funding, to ensure effective implementation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As part of the government’s ambition to halve the participation gap, DCMS, in partnership with DfE,will invest £22.5 million through the Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP). This funding will support up to 400 schools provide youth-voice led, tailored, and high-quality enrichment offers.
Whilst the design of the EEP is ongoing, the department is taking learnings from the Enrichment Pilot Programme around how to ensure long term change in the way schools develop their enrichment offer. DCMS is also working closely with DfE to ensure other programmes complement the EEP and avoid duplication.
The EEP will work in tandem with other government initiatives, and participating schools will be supported to link up with local authorities and other local providers and initiatives. As the programme is currently being designed, further details on evaluation plans, impact measurements and indicators of success will be shared in due course and we will commission an evaluation contractor to monitor and assess the EEP.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department plans to take with local authorities to (a) join up local enrichment and youth offers and (b) support the implementation of the Enrichment Expansion Programme.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As part of the government’s ambition to halve the participation gap, DCMS, in partnership with DfE,will invest £22.5 million through the Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP). This funding will support up to 400 schools provide youth-voice led, tailored, and high-quality enrichment offers.
Whilst the design of the EEP is ongoing, the department is taking learnings from the Enrichment Pilot Programme around how to ensure long term change in the way schools develop their enrichment offer. DCMS is also working closely with DfE to ensure other programmes complement the EEP and avoid duplication.
The EEP will work in tandem with other government initiatives, and participating schools will be supported to link up with local authorities and other local providers and initiatives. As the programme is currently being designed, further details on evaluation plans, impact measurements and indicators of success will be shared in due course and we will commission an evaluation contractor to monitor and assess the EEP.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Enrichment Expansion Programme; and how will selected schools be supported to continue their enrichment offer once the programme concludes.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As part of the government’s ambition to halve the participation gap, DCMS, in partnership with DfE,will invest £22.5 million through the Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP). This funding will support up to 400 schools provide youth-voice led, tailored, and high-quality enrichment offers.
Whilst the design of the EEP is ongoing, the department is taking learnings from the Enrichment Pilot Programme around how to ensure long term change in the way schools develop their enrichment offer. DCMS is also working closely with DfE to ensure other programmes complement the EEP and avoid duplication.
The EEP will work in tandem with other government initiatives, and participating schools will be supported to link up with local authorities and other local providers and initiatives. As the programme is currently being designed, further details on evaluation plans, impact measurements and indicators of success will be shared in due course and we will commission an evaluation contractor to monitor and assess the EEP.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that households in areas with poor mobile signal are not excluded from smart meters.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Data Communications Company (DCC) - the licensed body that is responsible for the provision of communication and data services for smart metering in GB - is obligated under the conditions of its licence to provide smart meter network coverage to at least 99.25% of premises across Great Britain, and to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of coverage.
The Government is working closely with the DCC and energy suppliers to ensure smart meter connectivity can be extended to currently unserved properties as soon as reasonably possible. One such solution, due to be trialled imminently, will involve VWAN - a new option that, with their consent, uses customers’ broadband connections to carry smart metering communications.