Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing minimum bus service levels for communities of 300 people or more.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the importance of reliable bus services in keeping communities connected. On 17 December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform.
The aim of the Bill is to give power back to local communities to ensure that bus services reflect the needs of those who rely on these services. We believe that mandating an arbitrary level of service takes power away from communities, and that local leaders are best placed to make decisions about how to improve services. That is why we are providing £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, including £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
The Bill also includes a socially necessary local services measure. Under the new measure, local transport authorities will need to identify bus services which they consider socially necessary and put in place requirements that must be followed before they can be substantially changed or cancelled. This includes a review to consider the needs of the local community, as well as taking on board the views of bus passengers who use the service. They will also need to consider any alternative options that are available to preserve vital connectivity.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a minimum standard of bus service for communities of 300 people or more.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the importance of reliable bus services in keeping communities connected. On 17 December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform.
The aim of the Bill is to give power back to local communities to ensure that bus services reflect the needs of those who rely on these services. We believe that mandating an arbitrary level of service takes power away from communities, and that local leaders are best placed to make decisions about how to improve services. That is why we are providing £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, including £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.
The Bill also includes a socially necessary local services measure. Under the new measure, local transport authorities will need to identify bus services which they consider socially necessary and put in place requirements that must be followed before they can be substantially changed or cancelled. This includes a review to consider the needs of the local community, as well as taking on board the views of bus passengers who use the service. They will also need to consider any alternative options that are available to preserve vital connectivity.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the proportion of projected additional funding for the Affordable Homes Programme that will be allocated to homes for social rent in the next three financial years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme averages £2.3 billion of grant capital funding per year.
The Spending Review 2025 policy paper (which can be found on gov.uk here) makes clear that spending on our new £39 billion, 10-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme (2026-27 to 2035-36) will reach £4 billion per year in 2029-30 and rise in line with inflation subsequently.
As such, government spending on affordable housing investment will have almost doubled by the end of this Parliament.
Government does not usually publish year-by-year spend on specific programmes in advance. We will continue to publish past year’s expenditure figures in the department's Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the projected percentage increase in nominal funding for the Affordable Homes Programme in each of the next three financial years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme averages £2.3 billion of grant capital funding per year.
The Spending Review 2025 policy paper (which can be found on gov.uk here) makes clear that spending on our new £39 billion, 10-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme (2026-27 to 2035-36) will reach £4 billion per year in 2029-30 and rise in line with inflation subsequently.
As such, government spending on affordable housing investment will have almost doubled by the end of this Parliament.
Government does not usually publish year-by-year spend on specific programmes in advance. We will continue to publish past year’s expenditure figures in the department's Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the real-terms percentage change in funding for the Affordable Homes Programme in each of the next three financial years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme averages £2.3 billion of grant capital funding per year.
The Spending Review 2025 policy paper (which can be found on gov.uk here) makes clear that spending on our new £39 billion, 10-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme (2026-27 to 2035-36) will reach £4 billion per year in 2029-30 and rise in line with inflation subsequently.
As such, government spending on affordable housing investment will have almost doubled by the end of this Parliament.
Government does not usually publish year-by-year spend on specific programmes in advance. We will continue to publish past year’s expenditure figures in the department's Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role will organically certified produce have in achieving 50 percent of public sector catering contracts from British producers or those certified to higher environmental standards.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
We have published a new national procurement policy statement, which sets out expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards. We are currently considering the policy options available to deliver further on our ambitions for public sector catering, including the role of organic produce.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of Personal Independence Payment claimants who use some of their Personal Independence Payment to pay for housing costs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended to provide a financial contribution towards the extra costs faced by disabled people and people with long-term health. Claimants are free to use PIP according to their own needs and priorities. Information on how claimants spend their benefit is published in The Uses of Health and Disability Benefits, and, for a subset in receipt of the Support Group rate of Employment and Support Allowance and its Universal Credit equivalent, in chapter 3.4 of The work aspirations and support needs of claimants in the ESA Support Group and Universal Credit equivalent.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme on electricity bills for non-exempt consumers.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is looking to fund this support by bearing down on levies and other costs in the energy system, alongside revenues from the strengthening and expansion of carbon pricing.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposed exemptions for certain industrial users from (a) Feed-in Tariffs, (b) Renewables Obligation Certificates and (c) the Capacity Market ion levy costs for other industrial, commercial or domestic consumers.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is looking to fund this support by bearing down on levies and other costs in the energy system, alongside revenues from the strengthening and expansion of carbon pricing.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
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 impact of the Nature Restoration Fund proposed by the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the Marine Recovery Fund.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Recovery Fund is being established as a voluntary mechanism to deliver strategic compensation for offshore wind developers.
The Nature Restoration Fund will offer a new way for developers to discharge existing environmental obligations related to protected sites and species, using resources strategically to maximise positive outcomes for nature.
There are currently no plans to combine the two funds.