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 he is taking to encourage Great British Energy to consult with local communities on the development of renewable energy projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy will support the roll out of small and medium-scale renewable energy projects, using established technologies, to develop up to 8 GW of cleaner power. To ensure Great British Energy is set up to deliver its Local function effectively, my officials will continue to engage with local and community groups as GBE continues to be developed and implemented.
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 he has made of the potential socio-economic impact of proposed quota adjustments on the (a) South West fishing industry and (b) English Channel fisheries.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Consultations with the EU to agree fishing opportunities for 2025 began in November and are expected to conclude in December 2024. A final assessment of quota changes, as a result of these consultations, will be published in spring next year.
As per requirements of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS), the UK uses the best available scientific advice in fisheries management and negotiations, this includes the annual advice from the International Council of the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) on fishing opportunities. Accepting the ICES advised headline advice in full, would lead to a reduction in UK quota in the South-West of England and English Channel compared to 2024.
However, in seeking to appropriately balance all the fisheries objectives set out in the Fisheries Act 2020 and the JFS, the UK will in some cases seek to agree an allocation with the EU, above that advised by ICES, for example for a 0 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) stock where a bycatch-only TAC may be required to prevent adverse impacts on the fishing industry, within sustainable limits.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure people without Maths and English GCSEs can access appropriate apprenticeship schemes.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not have entry requirements for apprenticeships, but we understand that employers may wish to set their own as apprentices are employees.
The department does have specific English and mathematics exit requirements which apprentices must meet, and we recognise the concerns that have been raised by learners, employers and providers about the barriers these can pose to accessing or completing an apprenticeship.
The department is considering how its English and mathematics exit requirements policy can be improved to make sure it recognises the benefits to upskilling in these subjects, while also being delivered in a way that supports people to achieve.
The department continues to fully fund apprentices who do not hold the required English and mathematics qualifications to achieve these as part of their apprenticeship.
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 he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the International Council of the Exploration of the Sea's publication entitled Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Celtic Seas and Greater North Sea ecoregions, published on 28 June 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra routinely use the best available scientific advice, including that provided by the International Council of the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), within international fisheries negotiations, where catch limits are agreed on shared stocks, and in wider policy development The best available scientific advice is considered as part of our policy approach which seeks to balance obligations and objectives, as set out in the Fisheries Act 2020 and the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS).
In line with the JFS, making use of ICES advice, the UK seeks to achieve greater environmental sustainability and provide profitable outcomes for the industry including aiming to increase over the medium term the total number of stocks fished at Maximum Sustainable Yield. As part of the annual negotiation process, Defra officials provide Ministers with an assessment of how the UK negotiating position on fishing opportunities balances these objectives on a stock-by-stock basis.
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, if he will review the proposed reduction in the sole fishery in the Western Channel.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is no reduction in the International Council of the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) advice for Western Channel (7e) sole, from 2024 to 2025. For the 2024 fishing year, the ICES advice was 1057t, for the 2025 fishing year it is 1151t. This is an 8.9% increase.
In terms of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) which was set for 2024, although ICES advised a 24% cut, the UK and EU agreed a smaller (15%) reduction, in order to mitigate the short-term economic risks potentially consequent of a such a cut.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of case backlogs in (a) criminal and (b) civil courts.
Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Criminal Courts
The Crown Court outstanding caseload remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Criminal Justice System. We have already shown we are committed to bearing down on the caseload and bringing waiting times down.
This Government has increased the number of Crown Court sitting days to 106,500, more than in six out of the last seven years. We are also in the process of extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months, freeing up 2,000 days in the Crown Court to handle the most serious cases.
Judges have been prioritising rape cases that have been waiting for over two years to go to trial. Despite this, there are some cases in the outstanding caseload which are taking far too long to progress through the system. We want to make sure every victim has the swift access to justice they deserve. This is why we have committed to fast-tracking rape cases through the courts, to deliver swift and effective justice to some of the most vulnerable victims in the criminal justice system and will say more on this in due course.
We consistently invest in the recruitment of c.1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions annually alongside continuing to use 18 Nightingale courtrooms across eight venues to hear more cases.
Civil Courts
The civil courts play a crucial role in supporting the economy and growth as well as ensuring citizens have access to justice.
Performance remains a challenge in the civil courts and the Government is committed to resolving cases quickly, as well as ensuring that claims are dealt with appropriately and proportionately according to their complexity and value.
The Ministry of Justice is working closely with the senior judiciary to improve performance across the jurisdiction by reducing demand, increasing capacity and introducing efficiencies. For example, we continue to explore the expansion of integrated mediation in certain disputes, to enable the swift and cost-effective resolution of disputes. The county courts use a ‘national and virtual region pool’ which enables judges to hear cases outside their regional circuit, to ensure that available judicial resource can be deployed to areas of significant demand elsewhere when needed.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to negotiate reciprocal agreements with Commonwealth countries on uprating UK pensions.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The department has no plans to negotiate reciprocal agreements with Commonwealth countries on uprating UK pensions.
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, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for South Devon during the Oral Statement of 7 October 2024 on Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage, Official Report, column 79, whether reviews of full-lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for carbon capture and storage scheme projects will be completed before final investment decisions are taken on such projects.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Value for Money assessments already undertaken by the Department follow HMT guidelines in the appraisal of carbon abatement, comparing the emissions of the capture projects with and without CCUS technology. Hydrogen projects seeking support from Government are assessed in respect of their compliance with the Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard, developed to ensure hydrogen production contributes to our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the Climate Change Act.
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, with reference to the Environment Agency guidance entitled Water companies: environmental permits for storm overflows and emergency overflows, published on 13 September 2018, how exceptional circumstances, in which the use of storm overflows is permitted, are defined.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The guidance document referred to in the question does not define ‘exceptional circumstances’ for storm overflows.
‘Exceptional circumstances’ were not referenced in either the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive or the regulations which transposed this Directive in England and Wales: the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994. The term ‘exceptional circumstances’ was, however, used in relation to storm overflows by the Court of Justice of the European Union in the European Commission v UK (Re Storm Water Overflows) case, where ‘situations such as unusually heavy rainfall’ were characterised as ‘exceptional circumstances’.
In its 2018 Storm Overflow Assessment Framework guidance, the Environment Agency (EA) sets out a methodology for assessing ‘exceptional rainfall’.
Defra, the EA and Ofwat are currently reviewing and updating the guidance on the regulation of storm overflows and sewerage. This will include further clarification on how 'exceptional circumstances' may be defined.
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 his expected timetable is for implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to deliver standardised sustainable drainage systems in new developments.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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.