Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
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 to Lead Local Flood Authorities on the application of Section 245 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 when assessing Flood Risk Assessments accompanying planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (LURA) 2023 amended Section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act to create a new duty for relevant authorities to ‘seek to further’ the statutory purposes of Protected Landscapes.
In December 2024, the government published guidance setting out broad principles to support relevant authorities in complying with this duty. This can be found on gov.uk here.
My Department has not issued guidance specifically for Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) on applying LURA Section 245 when evaluating Flood Risk Assessments (FRAs) in planning applications.
However, LLFAs can make use of other guidance, including planning practice guidance on flood risk and coastal change which can be found on gov.uk here and national flood risk standing advice for local planning authorities which can be found on gov.uk here. They can also utilise the FRA template on the Planning Portal here.
A particular focus of the guidance in question is supporting LLFAs with advice on sustainable drainage provision within major development proposals given that this can be an essential means of achieving the requirements of LURA Section 245, for example, through green and blue space provision or nature-based features that benefit the water quality of rivers and streams.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure public authorities are aware of and comply with Section 245 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has published guidance on the Protected Landscapes duty to ensure public bodies operating in these areas deliver better environmental outcomes working together with Protected Landscape organisations, and will consider what further support this Government can offer to ensure the duty is appropriately applied.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people diagnosed with SOD 1 MND are currently unable to access tofersen.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
Companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines which have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, but which do not yet have National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. The manufacturer of tofersen, Biogen, has established an EAP for people diagnosed with SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria set out by the company.
Under EAPs, the cost of the drug is free both to patients taking part in it and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the costs of administering the medicine. NHS England does not therefore have any involvement in directing EAP enrolment by trusts and the Department has no plans to issue any national direction to trusts to participate in such programmes.
Many NHS hospitals have been able to identify the extra staff and resources needed to take part in the EAP and safely provide tofersen to as many eligible patients as possible. Neither NHS England nor the Department holds any data on the number of NHS trusts or patients accessing tofersen through the company led EAP.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure tofersen can be administered to MND patients under the early access programme.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
Companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines which have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, but which do not yet have National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. The manufacturer of tofersen, Biogen, has established an EAP for people diagnosed with SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria set out by the company.
Under EAPs, the cost of the drug is free both to patients taking part in it and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the costs of administering the medicine. NHS England does not therefore have any involvement in directing EAP enrolment by trusts and the Department has no plans to issue any national direction to trusts to participate in such programmes.
Many NHS hospitals have been able to identify the extra staff and resources needed to take part in the EAP and safely provide tofersen to as many eligible patients as possible. Neither NHS England nor the Department holds any data on the number of NHS trusts or patients accessing tofersen through the company led EAP.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the total cost was of the new security arrangements at carriage gates; how many tenders were received for those works; and what the sign-off procedure was.
Answered by Nick Smith
The total cost of the New Palace Yard works is expected to be £62million and includes security works, significant ground-work and heritage works. Of this, the main construction works contracts were worth £42.6million.
The main works contract was tendered as a two-stage tender, under the Southern Construction Framework. BAM were awarded the main construction works contract for each of the two stages.
Three competitive tenders were received for the first stage and the second stage of the tender was a direct award to the contractor successful at the first stage (BAM) as set out in the first stage tender documents. Evaluation was conducted in accordance with procurement regulations.
The tender award report for the second stage was prepared by the Commercial Lead and approved by the Director of Procurement, the Managing Director of Strategic Estates, HOC Finance Director and Clerk of the House, and the HOL Director of Finance, Director of Estates and Facilities and the Clerk of the Parliaments, in accordance with Parliament’s Finance Regulations, during the period June to July 2022.
The updated Business Case for the New Palace Yard works was also considered by the Commons Finance Committee in February 2023, prior to Accounting Officer approval to award BAM the contract for the second stage.
A briefing note on the New Palace Yard project was published by the Finance Committee in December 2025.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what the budget is for the restoration and renewal of the parliamentary estate in the next financial year.
Answered by Nick Smith
The funding for work related to Restoration and Renewal comes from several budgets.
The majority of R&R funding is provided through the R&R Delivery Authority’s Main Estimate which is subject to various stages of parliamentary scrutiny and approval. The funding approval process is partly set out in the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019. The House Commissions are required to set a limit on how much the Delivery Authority can spend in phase one of the programme (the phase before Parliament has approved the scheme and full funding for the works). The Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission is required under the Act to review the Estimate and consult HM Treasury and is responsible for laying the Estimate before the House of Commons. Prior to this, the Estimate is also scrutinised by the R&R Client Team and House finance teams, R&R Delivery Authority Board, R&R Programme Board and the R&R Client Board.
The budget for the R&R Delivery Authority for the next financial year (2026–27) is scheduled to be considered by the Client Board on 2 March 2026 as it progresses through the agreed governance approval stages.
The budgets for the R&R Client Team, Strategic Estates and the House of Lords R&R Team for the next financial year are contained within the wider House Administration Estimates and are formally scrutinised by the House Commissions, as advised by their respective finance committees. These budgets are also progressing through their approval stages.
In the current financial year (2025–26), the agreed budget for the R&R Delivery Authority is £53.2 million, £7.7m for the R&R Client Team, £0.4m for the House of Lords R&R Team, and £13m for Strategic Estates’ costs of developing the enhanced maintenance and improvement (EMI) option.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the budget is for Strategic Estates in the next financial year.
Answered by Nick Smith
The Commission expects to consider the Administration’s Estimate for 2026/27 in February 2026, which will include the final budget for Strategic Estates.
In 2025/26 the Strategic Estates budget is £104m resource and £201.2m capital. This is a bicameral budget and House of Commons share is £79.3m resource and £171.6 capital.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Treasury has reviewed its 2020 forecast of the fiscal impact of extending the VAT RES to EU residents.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OBR’s estimate is that the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will save the Exchequer around £540 million per year by 2025-26.
The Government has also noted recent external data, which shows that tourism numbers and spending for the UK has recovered at a similar rate following the pandemic to other European economies that offer tax-free shopping
The Government has carefully considered external analysis estimating that a new tax-free shopping scheme would generate more revenue than cost for the Exchequer, as well as supporting data from a wide range of business stakeholders across the UK. However, these do not provide sufficient evidence that a new tax-free shopping scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs.
The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a new tax-free shopping scheme in Great Britain.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the OBR has reviewed the Treasury’s 2020 forecast of the fiscal impact of extending the VAT RES to EU residents.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OBR’s estimate is that the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will save the Exchequer around £540 million per year by 2025-26.
The Government has also noted recent external data, which shows that tourism numbers and spending for the UK has recovered at a similar rate following the pandemic to other European economies that offer tax-free shopping
The Government has carefully considered external analysis estimating that a new tax-free shopping scheme would generate more revenue than cost for the Exchequer, as well as supporting data from a wide range of business stakeholders across the UK. However, these do not provide sufficient evidence that a new tax-free shopping scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs.
The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a new tax-free shopping scheme in Great Britain.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of brown hares shot in England between February and October each year.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra holds no official statistics on the number of brown hares shot in England between February and October each year. We are however aware of a number of estimates made by stakeholder groups which range markedly from the low tens of thousands to the low hundreds of thousands.