Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of a devolution deal for Wessex on the economy of Wessex.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The evidence is clear that to drive improved economic outcomes, we must devolve core levers over growth – like transport, skills, employment support and strategic planning – and align these across functional economic areas in which people live and work. Decisions on future devolution, including for Wessex, will be confirmed in due course, subject to further ministerial review and local conversations.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance on the application of pavement licence caps in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 across highways maintainable at public expense regardless of the owning authority.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Pavement Licence (Fees) Regulations 2023, made under the Business and Planning Act 2020, set national fee caps of £500 for new pavement licences and £350 for renewals. The guidance (Pavement licences: guidance - GOV.UK) sets out that licences can only be granted in respect of highways listed in section 115A(1) of the Highways Act 1980, that section does not refer to ownership. Generally, these are footpaths restricted to pedestrians or roads and places to which vehicle access is restricted or prohibited. Highways maintained by Network Rail or over the Crown land are exempt (so a licence cannot be granted).
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the savings to local authorities in the Wessex area from a devolution deal.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The evidence is clear that to drive improved economic outcomes, we must devolve core levers over growth – like transport, skills, employment support and strategic planning – and align these across functional economic areas in which people live and work. Decisions on future devolution, including for Wessex, will be confirmed in due course, subject to further ministerial review and local conversations.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of online safety protections for vulnerable residents in West Dorset.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act has come into effect. As of March this year, services must remove illegal content such as child abuse material or terrorist content. As of July this year, children must also be protected from age-inappropriate content such as pornography and self-harm content. Children and others will be starting to see the effects of this.
Monitoring and evaluation are key to understanding how effective the online safety regime is. DSIT and Ofcom have developed a framework to monitor the implementation of the Act and evaluate its core outcomes.
This monitoring and evaluation work is already tracking the impact of the online safety regime and will feed into a Post Implementation Review of the Act.
We are committed to making the online world safe, particularly for children, so people can seize the opportunities it brings.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to keep people safe online in West Dorset.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act has come into effect. As of March this year, services must remove illegal content such as child abuse material or terrorist content. As of July this year, children must also be protected from age-inappropriate content such as pornography and self-harm content. Children and others will be starting to see the effects of this.
Monitoring and evaluation are key to understanding how effective the online safety regime is. DSIT and Ofcom have developed a framework to monitor the implementation of the Act and evaluate its core outcomes.
This monitoring and evaluation work is already tracking the impact of the online safety regime and will feed into a Post Implementation Review of the Act.
We are committed to making the online world safe, particularly for children, so people can seize the opportunities it brings.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an estimate of the costs incurred by police forces and courts as a result of the recent mistaken release of three prisoners.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address the issue.
Locating and re-apprehending suspects relate to policing and are a matter for the Home Office. There is no inherent court cost involved in the release in error cases.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps has his department has taken to mitigate the financial impact of the mistaken release of prisoners.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address the issue.
Locating and re-apprehending suspects relate to policing and are a matter for the Home Office. There is no inherent court cost involved in the release in error cases.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of proposed reforms to exit fees charged on retirement properties.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the importance of helping older people to live independently at home for as long as possible and is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market, including retirement or sheltered housing.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People's Housing Taskforce report, including its recommendation that the government should implement the Law Commission’s 2017 recommendations to regulate event fees.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to ban exit fees on retirement flats.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the importance of helping older people to live independently at home for as long as possible and is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market, including retirement or sheltered housing.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People's Housing Taskforce report, including its recommendation that the government should implement the Law Commission’s 2017 recommendations to regulate event fees.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of differences in legal protections between co-habiting and married couples on families in West Dorset.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government shares concerns that existing protections for cohabiting couples are limited and the weakness of these protections can disproportionately affect women, children and the vulnerable. The Government considers this to be an issue that affects communities across England and Wales, including in rural constituencies like West Dorset.
Cohabitation reform is a matter of utmost importance. That is why the Government committed in its manifesto to strengthen rights and protections for cohabiting couples. We will be launching a public consultation by Spring next year to explore how best to strengthen cohabitants’ rights, while maintaining marriage as one of our most important institutions.