David Morris

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Southampton Test on 11 November 2015 to Written Parliamentary Question 15221:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-11-06/15221.

The Government sees new nuclear power stations as an important part of the low-carbon energy mix which we need to secure our energy supplies and meet our international obligations to reduce carbon emissions. We will continue to ensure through Electricity Market Reform, the planning system for major infrastructure projects and independent regulation of reactor technologies that we encourage companies to bring forward successful applications to build new nuclear power stations.

The Government also maintains an interest in future and emerging technologies. In particular, following a feasibility study on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), we are undertaking a deeper financial and technical analysis to establish a robust evidence base to inform policy decisions.

The costs of decommissioning onshore wind farms are met by developers of the projects in question. The consenting authority is able to include requirements for decommissioning and restoration of land to an acceptable condition as part of the planning approval process, which can include a requirement for developers to make adequate provisions to meet the costs of decommissioning a project.

Offshore, there is a statutory decommissioning scheme which allows the Secretary of State to compel wind farm developers to submit costed programmes for the removal of their projects with funds set aside for that purpose.

We have said that onshore wind projects wishing to access the grace period allowing them entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond our closure date of 1 April 2016 will, by 18 June 2015, have to have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements.

We have said that onshore wind projects wishing to access the grace period allowing them entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond our closure date of 1 April 2016 will, by 18 June 2015, have to have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

As was the situation under previous Administrations, the Cabinet Office accounts do not break down expenditure by constituency.

The Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023, with the intention to enter negotiations with the most credible projects to enable a potential Government award of support as soon as possible.

The Government will also develop a new National Policy Statement, which will cover the siting and policy framework for nuclear electricity generating infrastructure, including SMRs, beyond 2025 and will consult on this in due course.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensures eligible businesses, including sport or leisure facilities, which receive their energy from licensed suppliers, are protected from high energy costs. The Treasury-led review of the EBRS took account of many contributions from the private sector, trade associations, the voluntary sector and other organisations. It recognised that leisure facilities may continue to experience high energy bills, which is why we will continue to provide support to non-domestic customers through the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will run from April until March 2024.

The Government is committed to growing the UK space sector. Yesterday's inaugural meeting of the reformed National Space Council Inter-Ministerial Group was an important moment for taking forward the National Space Strategy and developing a single Government voice on space.

The STEP programme aims to develop and build a prototype fusion power plant in the UK by 2040. The UKAEA has made great progress and are on track to deliver a concept design by 2024, as planned.

The process to select a site for STEP is underway and there have been high levels of engagement from potential sites across the UK, including one in the constituency of my hon Friend.

No such assessment has been made, but the Government is considering options to ensure that our system of consumer protection provides a robust response to both local and national threats for the Consumer White Paper.

The Government has endorsed the TrustMark scheme to reduce the number of rogue and incompetent builders; and to identify local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. This scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards.

TrustMark is actively involved with Trading Standards to provide further protection to consumers affected by rogue builders.

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of rogue and incompetent builders in the construction sector. However, the Government has endorsed the TrustMark scheme to reduce the number of rogue and incompetent builders; and to identify local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. This scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards.

TrustMark is actively involved with Trading Standards to provide further protection to consumers affected by rogue builders. Where a company has committed a criminal breach of consumer law, Trading Standards can prosecute in the criminal court and the court can impose a fine or imprisonment for a serious offence.

The Department has not issued guidance to consumers on identifying competent builders. However, the Government has endorsed the TrustMark scheme, which identifies local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. This scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards.

Further information is available for consumers on the Citizens Advice website at: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/find-a-trader-and-check-you-can-trust-them/.

For free information on their rights and how to take a complaint forward, consumers should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/).

The Government’s Consumer White Paper is due to be published later this year.

As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, HM Government is committed to ensuring that funding for arts and culture is more fairly distributed across the country. Arts Council England’s 2023–26 investment programme (the ‘National Portfolio’), worth over £444 million per year, has seen investment to cultural organisations in rural areas increase to £44.6 million, benefiting 110 organisations across the country.

In local authority areas identified as predominantly rural, there has been a 22% increase in investment in National Portfolio Organisations and Investment Principles Support Organisations. Urban areas with significant rural portions have seen an increase of 37%.

Cultural opportunities are also provided in rural areas by organisations based in neighbouring urban areas – for instance, through touring. Public library services in the Arts Council’s National Portfolio with a base in urban areas are also important to cultural opportunities in rural locations. The National Rural Touring Forum has also had its funding increased to help build capacity in this important part of the sector.

Arts Council England has also supported approximately 30 Cultural Compacts across England – including in rural and Levelling Up priority areas – and has provided these existing Compacts with further funding to build capacity and long-term cross-sector relationships. (Cultural Compacts are partnerships between the cultural and heritage sectors, Local Authorities, and wider local partners such as universities, health agencies, and the private sector, with the aim of enhancing creatives’ contribution to local development.)

Additionally, arts and cultural organisations in rural areas are able to access Arts Council England’s project grants, an open access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects. This supports thousands of individual artists and community and cultural organisations, with over £105 million of funding awarded in 2022/23.

Meanwhile, DCMS’s £86 million Museum Estate and Development Fund has supported several museums in rural areas, including The Food Museum in Stowmarket which presents the agricultural history of East Anglia, the industrial museums Papplewick Pumping Station and Coldharbour Mill, Shandy Hall, the rural home of the writer Laurence Sterne, and Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum.

Grant-making charities must ensure that charitable funds are used to further their charitable purposes. The Charity Commission for England and Wales publishes guidance ("Campaigning and political activity guidance for charities (CC9)") on the extent to which charities can legitimately engage in non-party political activity as part of furthering their charitable purposes.

Any concerns that charitable funds are being used inappropriately, for example for party-political activities or purposes, should be raised with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, which can investigate and if appropriate take action. There are currently no plans to bring forward legislative proposals on this subject.

Following the independent Dormant Assets Commission’s report and findings, an industry blueprint for expanding the scheme was published in April 2019, setting out a long-term plan for how additional dormant assets could be included.

We are working proactively with industry partners to enable this expansion that could see hundreds of millions of additional funds being released to good causes. Under the current legislation, this money can only be used to fund initiatives relating to youth, financial inclusion or via a social investment wholesaler. We are proud of our impact to date in these areas, which has created more than 26,000 jobs and training opportunities and helped more than 2,000 vulnerable individuals into suitable housing.

Government continually assesses the resilience of the communications network and works closely with the communications industry to do this. Power is the main dependency of the communications sector, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), published in November 2015, highlighted Government’s commitment to enhancing the UK’s resilience to power disruption. Government will continue to work with industry to ensure the ongoing resilience and availability of services across the sector in the event of power loss.

The Theatres Trust administers the Theatres Protection Fund scheme, which provides funds to theatres in need and at risk. Theatres on the 'Heritage at Risk' Register are also able to apply for repair grants provided by Historic England.

In addition, the Heritage Lottery Fund may also be able to fund wider projects relating to theatres, which could cover restoration costs.

The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over this Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. We are working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors, such as engineering, digital, clean energy, and manufacturing.

The department is investing in Institutes of Technology, which are leaders in the provision of high-quality, higher level technical education and training across a range of STEM occupations and industries.

We have worked with employers to develop over 350 apprenticeship standards in STEM. There are apprenticeship opportunities available relating to careers in electric technology, for example the electrical or electronic technical support engineer apprenticeship. These same employer-led standards have shaped the design of T Levels, new Level 3 qualifications for 16-19 year olds that reflect modern industrial practice and include a 45 day industry placement. 14 of the 24 T Levels being rolled out are in STEM subjects, from Science to Digital Business Services, Engineering Design and Development to Onsite Construction.

The department is delivering supply and demand side reforms to reverse the decline in uptake of high-quality higher technical education. We’ve announced approximately £70 million to date in funding to prime further education (FE) and higher education higher technical provision across the country.

Central to our reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These are current (and new) level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE) as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. HTQ rollout is on track. They began teaching from September 2022, starting with Digital HTQs, and all occupational routes are due to be rolled out by 2025, where relevant occupational standards are available. To date, 106 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across Digital, Construction, and Health & Science routes, for teaching this year or next. Over 70 providers were able to deliver HTQs from September 2022, with the majority being FE colleges. We have introduced an HTQ brand and are improving communication, advice, and guidance. From 2023/24, HTQ student finance will be on a par with degrees.

On 2 March 2023, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, which sets out the next steps we will take to deliver a more positive experience for children, young people and families.

The department will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment. For those children and young people with SEND who do require an education, health, and care (EHC) assessment, we have set out our vision for a reformed and consistent EHC plan process which will include early years education. This will ensure that children and young people with SEND get prompt access to the support they need, and that parents don’t face an adversarial system to secure this.

The department recognises the important role of the early years sector in the early identification of needs and in building up effective working relationships with parents about their child’s needs.

Early intervention is crucial, which is why, as part of the £180 million early years recovery programme, we are funding up to 5,000 early years staff to gain an accredited level 3 Special Education Needs Coordinator qualification to support the early years sector, help identify children who need support, and provide expert advice.

High needs funding will also be at £10.1 billion in 2023/24 which is an increase of over 50% from the 2019/20 allocations.

Local authorities will be able to use this funding to support children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools and elsewhere, including those in early years and requiring an EHC plan or assessment.

The early years pupil premium currently provides 60 pence per hour additional funding to support better outcomes for disadvantaged three and four-year-olds. This is equivalent to up to £342 per eligible child per year.

On 16 December, the department published the 2023/24 hourly funding rates for local authorities for early years. We also announced in a written ministerial statement that the early years pupil premium for 2023/24 will be increased to 62 pence per hour. This is equivalent to up to £353 per eligible child per year.

The full ministerial statement is available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-12-16/hlws447.

The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education (FE) and skills over this Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. We are working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors, such as engineering, digital, clean energy, and manufacturing.

The department is investing in Institutes of Technology, which are leaders in the provision of high-quality, higher level technical education and training across a range of STEM occupations and industries.

We have worked with employers to develop over 350 apprenticeship standards in STEM. These same employer-led standards have shaped the design of T Levels, new Level 3 qualifications for 16-19 year olds that reflect modern industrial practice and include a 45 day industry placement. Fourteen of the 24 T Levels being rolled out are in STEM subjects, from Science to Digital Business Services, Engineering Design and Development to Onsite Construction.

We are delivering supply and demand side reforms to reverse the decline in uptake of high-quality higher technical education. We’ve announced approximately £70 million to date in funding to prime FE and higher education higher technical provision across the country. Central to our reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These are current (and new) level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE) as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. HTQ rollout is on track. They began teaching from September 2022, starting with Digital HTQs, and all occupational routes are due to be rolled out by 2025, where relevant occupational standards are available. To date, 106 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across Digital, Construction, and Health & Science routes, for teaching this year or next. Over 70 providers were able to deliver HTQs from September 2022, with the majority being FE colleges. We have introduced an HTQ brand and are improving communication, advice, and guidance. From 2023/24, HTQ student finance will be on a par with degrees.

The department is investing to widen participation in STEM education in schools and increase the number and quality of STEM teachers. Since autumn 2022, early career teachers have been able to claim a levelling up premium (£3,000 tax free per year for up to three years) for teaching mathematics, physics, chemistry or computing in state-funded secondary schools that have been identified as having a high need for teachers. The department is funding tailored maths support for students and teachers through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, investing £84 million into National Centre for Computing education to drive increased participation in computer science and funding research programmes on how to tackle gender balance in STEM subjects.

It is the responsibility of Local Authorities to ensure that all children receive a suitable education, including those who are electively home educated. The Government’s view is that existing powers, if used in the way set out in the Government’s guidance, are enough for a Local Authority to determine whether the provision at home is suitable.