Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 July 2024 to Question 1488 on Agriculture: Food Supply, if he will have discussions with the Prime Minister on holding a farm to fork summit at 10 Downing Street in 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra will work side-by-side with industry and stakeholders across the food system to deliver lasting change and will consider options for specific events as appropriate.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support businesses that provide services to the NHS in rural areas, in the context of changes to the level of employer National Insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course, including through NHS Planning Guidance, and the usual consultations.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) GP surgeries, (b) dentists, (c) pharmacies and (d) care homes in rural areas to tackle workforce pressures, in the context of changes to the level of employer National Insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support business advisory services such as (a) Business Information Point West Devon and (b) the Future Farming Resilience Program.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Farming Resilience Fund (FRF) was developed to help farmers through the early years of the Agricultural Transition, specifically to assist farm businesses to adapt to the initial reductions in the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
Feedback about the FRF has been overwhelmingly positive, including about the services offered by Business Information Point on behalf of Devon County Council.
Defra will carefully consider the findings from the Farming Resilience Fund, alongside other advisory programs, to shape what any future support might look like.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support innovation in epilepsy research.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
UK Research and Innovation’s Medical Research Council spends around £3 million each year on epilepsy research, spanning discovery science and fundamental understanding of the disease through to new approaches for diagnosis and intervention. Such as £2.64 million to University College London for A Network Approach to Gene Therapy for Refractory Epilepsies.
Between April 2019 and March 2024 Innovate UK has awarded a total of £8.38 million of grant funding to 25 projects relating to epilepsy.
In addition, the 2023/24 Early Career Researchers fund allocated over £1.6 million of funding towards epilepsy research, mainly through the Epilepsy Institute to advance research into the causes, prevention and treatment of epilepsy and its associated conditions.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether it is his Department's policy that properties in hard-to-reach hamlets in rural areas (a) must receive gigabit-capable broadband or (b) can receive slower-speed broadband to ensure connectivity.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Project Gigabit is delivering gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Our goal is for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030, ensuring at least 99% of UK premises can access a gigabit-capable connection.
Although the vast majority of premises will receive a gigabit capable broadband connection through commercial activity or Project Gigabit, it will be prohibitively expensive to provide a gigabit capable fibre connection to a very small proportion of premises. These very hard to reach premises may require additional government intervention by alternative means to help provide them with ultrafast connections.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will provide interim funding for hamlets in remote areas to improve broadband coverage before his target date.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No, providing a lesser interim service that would be replaced in the near future would involve the government providing a subsidy in some areas twice over, which would not be an efficient use of public funding.
The Torridge and Tavistock constituency is included in BDUK’s cross regional framework which has been signed, under which we expect infrastructure will start being deployed in early 2025.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) Harland and Wolff is able to carry out the construction of Fleet Solid Support vessels and (b) Appledore Shipyard remains open.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Harland and Wolff is a subcontractor to Navantia UK on the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme and the successful delivery of this programme remains a priority. There is extensive engagement with Navantia UK, as the Prime Contractor, to understand what steps the company is taking to ensure delivery of the FSS contract and management of its supply chain.
We continue to work with all parties to find an outcome for Harland & Wolff that protects shipbuilding and manufacturing, including Appledore.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet with hon. Members representing constituencies in Devon to have discussions on the (a) conservation of Dartmoor moorland and (b) protection of Dartmoor ponies.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I will meet with hon. and Rt hon. Members representing constituencies in Devon, and key stakeholders, to discuss these issues.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to coordinate efforts with local groups to protect Dartmoor ponies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The new Moorland Offer, as outlined on the Government website, includes 10 new actions to be included in Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and two new and one amended action to be included in Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). The new offer will provide payment for grazing with both cattle and ponies and will make both cattle and ponies eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. The competition between the two has been removed as recommended in the Dartmoor review. In the new offer, ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, in recognition that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances.
Full details of the expanded and improved SFI offer available to farmers were published by the government on Tuesday 21 May 2024. Expressions of interest have now opened for those wishing to apply through the Sustainable Farming Incentive controlled roll out. The application window for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) will be confirmed shortly. Farmers and other eligible land managers can apply for an SFI agreement to run alongside their existing agreement, if:
They will not be paid twice for a similar activity or outcome on the same area of land at the same time (known as ‘double funding’). It should be noted that those managing land designated as SSSI will need to obtain Natural England consent for their grazing management actions; this is part of Natural England statutory duty regarding the protection of SSSIs. Those managing land not designated as a SSSI will not need to discuss their grazing management with Natural England to enter into a Sustainable Farming Incentive agreement.
The new moorland offer will be subject to monitoring and evaluation, particularly in the first year. Any change in the pony population during this time will be investigated and further mitigations will be explored if necessary.