Gideon Amos

The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that over 85% of UK premises can now access a gigabit-capable connection. We are committed to delivering nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030.

Earlier this week we announced the signing of four additional Project Gigabit contracts with Openreach to extend gigabit connectivity to over 130,000 premises, including in the Hon. Gentleman’s constituency.

As a result, there is now more than £2 billion available in our live contracts to connect over a million premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These are premises that fall predominantly in rural areas.

The Government is currently consulting on land use in England, the outcome of which will inform the publication of a Land Use Framework, planned for later this year. The Government is committed to building 1.5 million homes and the new infrastructure needed to deliver resilient and sustainable growth and clean energy; the Land Use Framework will play in a key role in delivering these commitments.

The Land Use Framework will provide the principles, advanced data and tools required to support national and local government, landowners, businesses, farmers, and nature groups in making the right decisions to meet the demands on their land.

By law, planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. What constitutes a material consideration is broadly defined and is for the decision-maker to determine based on the circumstances of the case, as is the weight to give to each material consideration.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. This Government is committed to holding water companies to account to protect the environment.

Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. This will deliver substantial, lasting improvements for customers and the environment through a £104bn delivery plan for the water sector, including around £12bn to reduce spills from storm overflows.

Under these plans, Wessex Water will investigate and invest to improve water company assets along the River Tone, including those discharging to the French Weir designated bathing water, which will also benefit Hook Bridge. They committed to ensuring their spills will have no adverse ecological impact by 2050 through the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, with the most sensitive sites prioritised for early action.

The Water (Special Measures) Bill will also drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

Business planning is ongoing, so we are currently unable to confirm Defra grant allocations to National Landscapes, including the Quantock Hills and Blackdown Hills, for the 2025-26 financial year. We understand the uncertainty around resourcing remains a challenge and recognise that the Defra core grant is vital to support our Protected Landscapes.

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the most recent available full tax year. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Use of historic income ensures a stable calculation, which we know from customer feedback is valued as it enables parents to rely on maintenance for financial planning purposes.

Parents in receipt of benefits (including Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit without earnings) or who have gross weekly income between £7 and £100, are required to pay the flat rate of £7 a week. This rate makes sure that parents contribute financially to their children's upbringing. It also protects the welfare of the paying parent and any children in their household.

The Department is currently reviewing the calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This has included updating the underlying research and considering how we ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the county.

More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help people manage their conditions, prevent deterioration and improve survival rates.

There are no current plans to increase funding for medicines supplied through early access programmes. The early access to medicines scheme (EAMS) was formed in 2014 and aims to give patients with life threatening or seriously debilitating conditions access to medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation when there is a clear unmet medical need. In 2022, EAMS was introduced into the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. EAMS products are classed as unlicensed medicines within the regulations. Additionally, within the regulations, there is no comment on the ability to charge for supply, however, it is stated in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) guidance that there should be no charge for supply of these medicines under the EAMS programme.

Outside of EAMS, companies may put in place early access programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation. These are not approved by the MHRA and participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. Under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both patients taking part in it, and to the NHS, but NHS trusts must still cover administration costs.

NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as EAPs, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has no record of his correspondence being sent to us and has not received a response on contacting his office. Once the correspondence has been received, we will prioritise a response.

As set out at the Budget, the removal of the VAT tax break from private schools is expected to raise £460 million in 2024/25 and £1.7 billion a year by 2029/30.

At the Budget the Government also announced a £2.3 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2025/26 in England, increasing per pupil funding in real terms.

The most recent changes relating to the Skilled Worker immigration rules will apply to all applications made using a certificate of sponsorship issued from 8 October 2024. These changes were corrections to the salary going rates for the Skilled Worker route which came into force in April 2024.

Changes made to the rules for partner and dependent child of a person will apply to all outstanding applications by Skilled Workers, and their dependents, regardless of the dates the applications were made, so they can benefit from the new provisions.

These changes only affect applications which have yet to be decided. They do not apply to applications which have already been granted.

MHCLG and Building Safety Regulator (BSR) have taken significant steps towards reducing delays relating to the Gateways construction processes. We have put in place a range of mitigations including additional funding aimed at boosting BSR capacity for additional building control caseworkers, who are being trained and have started to make an impact on reducing processing times. This has already resulted in some green shoots of improvement including BSR reporting a reduction in processing times of newly submitted applications. BSR are now informing new applicants to plan on 16 weeks to clear Gateway 2.

Older and more complex applications which were transferred from private building control companies that ceased to trade present a particular challenge to the processing time of new applications, but please be assured that the BSR are focused on clearing this backlog as quickly as possible.

It is important to recognise that BSR is a newly established operational regulator which is critical to upholding the standard of building regulations to industry. We are working closely with BSR to support their plan for improved delivery and guidance to the sector whilst maintaining the building safety standards. If applications for buildings do not meet this standard and pose a risk to life BSR will not approve them.

The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.

As set out in its Terms of Reference, which can be found on gov.uk here, the New Towns Taskforce will work in partnership with local leaders and communities, but its selection of sites will be made in the national interest.

Not least because construction of the next generation of new towns will only begin toward the end of this Parliament, the government has been clear that they will deliver over and above the targets produced by the standard method. However, we will make sure that the right incentives are in place to support proactive local authorities to work with us to bring new towns forward and will keep under review how the Taskforce’s forthcoming recommendations on new towns interact with housing targets across England.

New towns will be well-connected, well-designed, environmentally sustainable, and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities, including a gold standard aim of 40% affordable and social housing, with an emphasis on social rent.

The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.

As set out in its Terms of Reference, which can be found on gov.uk here, the New Towns Taskforce will work in partnership with local leaders and communities, but its selection of sites will be made in the national interest.

Not least because construction of the next generation of new towns will only begin toward the end of this Parliament, the government has been clear that they will deliver over and above the targets produced by the standard method. However, we will make sure that the right incentives are in place to support proactive local authorities to work with us to bring new towns forward and will keep under review how the Taskforce’s forthcoming recommendations on new towns interact with housing targets across England.

New towns will be well-connected, well-designed, environmentally sustainable, and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities, including a gold standard aim of 40% affordable and social housing, with an emphasis on social rent.

The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.

As set out in its Terms of Reference, which can be found on gov.uk here, the New Towns Taskforce will work in partnership with local leaders and communities, but its selection of sites will be made in the national interest.

Not least because construction of the next generation of new towns will only begin toward the end of this Parliament, the government has been clear that they will deliver over and above the targets produced by the standard method. However, we will make sure that the right incentives are in place to support proactive local authorities to work with us to bring new towns forward and will keep under review how the Taskforce’s forthcoming recommendations on new towns interact with housing targets across England.

New towns will be well-connected, well-designed, environmentally sustainable, and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities, including a gold standard aim of 40% affordable and social housing, with an emphasis on social rent.

The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.

As set out in its Terms of Reference, which can be found on gov.uk here, the New Towns Taskforce will work in partnership with local leaders and communities, but its selection of sites will be made in the national interest.

Not least because construction of the next generation of new towns will only begin toward the end of this Parliament, the government has been clear that they will deliver over and above the targets produced by the standard method. However, we will make sure that the right incentives are in place to support proactive local authorities to work with us to bring new towns forward and will keep under review how the Taskforce’s forthcoming recommendations on new towns interact with housing targets across England.

New towns will be well-connected, well-designed, environmentally sustainable, and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities, including a gold standard aim of 40% affordable and social housing, with an emphasis on social rent.