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 steps his Department is taking to help support innovation in the agricultural sector.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Farming Innovation Programme is supporting research and innovation in the agricultural sector to help English farmers and growers increase productivity, sustainability and resilience.
The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June, recognises Agri-Tech as a key growth sector and at least £200 million is allocated to the Farming Innovation Programme up to 2030. This will offer targeted funding to drive innovation in agriculture, supporting critical investment into the UK Agri-Tech innovation pipeline helping further the commercialisation of Agri-Tech.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of including CCTV systems as rateable items on businesses.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
CCTV systems fall within the relevant business rates legislation relating to plant and machinery, and as such are rateable. The presence of small systems may be reflected in the overall value of the building, although more specialist systems may be separately valued as an individual plant and machinery item.
The Valuation Office Agency does not routinely record the proportion of a property's assessment that is attributable to a CCTV system. Therefore, it is not possible to determine how much is levied each year in business rates in respect of CCTV systems.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for informing local transport authorities of their Local Transport Grant allocation.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Local Transport Grant (LTG) is a £2.3bn grant for local transport enhancements and maintenance, comprising both capital and resource funding from 2026/27 onwards. The grant is allocated to local transport authorities in England outside of London and areas that receive City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) or Transport for City Regions (TCR) funding.
In June, individual local transport authority allocations for the £2.2bn of LTG capital funding were published on gov.uk, covering the years 2026/27 to 2029/30. In September, allocations for the remaining £104m of LTG resource funding were published, covering the years 2026/27 to 2028/29.
Further transport funding allocations for local transport authorities from 2026/27 onwards, including for highways maintenance, buses and active travel, will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 17 of his Department's publication entitled Reforming elective care for patients, published on 6 January 2025, what progress has been made with reviewing local patient transport services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people.
We know there is also geographical variation in waiting times. It is important patients do not miss or cancel hospital appointments due to a lack of affordable and/or accessible transport options in their area. This is why the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, committed to reviewing, developing and increasing the uptake of existing national health inequalities improvement initiatives.
NHS England are funding and co-ordinating a range of Patient Transport projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their National Health Service travel needs.
A number of trusts (including Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust) are working on promoting, and streamlining the administration of the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) locally to better support eligible patients to access the transport support they need. A number of other trusts are offering targeted patient transport interventions, such as pre-paid bus tickets, to specific groups of patients who may need additional support to access their NHS care.
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 steps she is taking to ensure biosolids used as fertiliser do not contain (a) per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and (b) microplastics.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the need to ensure the safe and sustainable use of sludge in agriculture to help clean up our waterways and promote healthy soil. We will continue to work constructively with stakeholders on our ongoing review of the regulatory framework to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.
The Government has been working with water companies under their Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP), to improve the evidence base on the behaviour and fate of contaminants during treatment processes. CIP phase 4 will include a Groundwater, Soil and Biosolids investigation. This will explore the fate and behaviour of multiple chemical compounds, including PFAS substances and microplastics, to establish whether detected substances may pose a risk to long-term soil health, groundwater quality and the wider environment.
This work will help inform possible and future measures to mitigate contaminants in the environment. We discuss the progress of this work on a frequent basis.
Earlier this year, we published this Option Appraisal for Intentionally Added Microplastics, which provides a welcome addition to our sum of knowledge on the options to protect human health and the UK environment from the risks of microplastics. We are considering the results of this study.
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, when her Department plans to allocate funding for seafish-related (a) skills and (b) other training for the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Seafish were eligible to apply for skills and training-related funding through the recently closed Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS). The Marine Management Organisation is currently reviewing and testing eligibility of applications submitted under the scheme. Outcomes of all FaSS applications will be communicated once the assessment process is complete.
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 process her Department uses to reallocate unused licences that allow fishing for bass.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Bass authorisations are administered by the Marine Management Organisation. They are separate to fishing vessel licences and allocated to the vessel with a track record of landing bass between 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2016. Unless approved by MMO to transfer an authorisation to another vessel under specific circumstances, bass authorisations cannot be transferred between individuals. A review of the current bass authorisation system is underway.
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 her Department has considered extending temporary licences to (a) crab and (b) lobster fishers who have been affected by recent trends in the number of octopuses.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No temporary licences are issued. To fish for shellfish, fishers need a shellfish entitlement on their fishing vessel licence from the Marine Manamgent Organisation (MMO) and if fishing in the 0-6 nautical mile zone, a permit from their local Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA). In this case, applications may be made to the Devon and Severn IFCA
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 recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on levels of protection for national parks.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government remains committed to safeguarding our National Parks and National Landscapes and enabling Protected Landscapes organisations to make land greener, wilder, and more accessible to all.
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 adequacy of the guidance entitled Reliefs from VAT for disabled and older people (VAT Notice 701/7), published on 18 December 2014, for people with permanent disabilities who are reliant on care provided by organisations which fall outside the exemption regime.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC supports its customers by providing accessible digital services, tailored help for those with additional needs, and clear guidance to manage their tax affairs confidently.
VAT Notice 701/7 - Reliefs from VAT for disabled and older people explains which goods and services for disabled people are zero-rated for VAT, and which mobility aids for people aged 60 or over are reduced-rated (subject to VAT at a rate of 5%).
HMRC guidance in VAT Notice 701/2 - Welfare services and goods explains the reliefs available for individuals with permanent disabilities. The VAT exemption applies to care provided to disabled individuals by organisations that are public bodies, charities, or state-regulated institutions.
HMRC keeps its guidance under review for accuracy and usability, providing updates in relation to changes in policy and processes.