Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that planned (a) national and (b) local infrastructure is coordinated to ensure minimal disruption to local communities from (i) roadworks and (ii) traffic delays.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to supporting the effective planning and management of road works to mitigate disruption. Local highways departments play a crucial role in maintaining and managing the road network within their local areas during development to minimise disruption. As set out in national planning guidance, developers are encouraged to engage with local issues at the earliest opportunity during the application process for national and local infrastructure projects to identify potential impacts of road closures.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking with international partners to help tackle irregular migration to the UK.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We engage regularly with our international partners on irregular migration, with a commitment to tackling people trafficking and the gangs profiting from it. In July we announced steps to reinforce our cooperation with Europol and, through our new Border Security Command, we will intensify efforts in transit countries to break the business models of these gangs.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle dog attacks; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing dog licences, in the context of recent increases in the number of dog attacks.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to help prevent dog attacks by encouraging responsible dog ownership, making sure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate and that the full force of the law is applied.

We have no plans currently to reintroduce a mandatory dog licence. The old licensing system was repealed by the Local Government Act 1988 because it cost more to administer than the revenue it generated. The old licensing system was in effect an ownership registration scheme. Now that microchipping is mandatory, this is no longer necessary.

Found: debate relating to holidays during school term time on 25 November 2024 at 4:30pm , opened by Dave Robertson