Graham Stuart

The historic investment we recently announced in Carbon Capture and Storage in the North-West and North-East is just the start, representing a vote of confidence in this technology and burgeoning industry. To be ultimately successful, delivering on our climate commitments and protecting jobs, we need to deliver across all four corners of the UK. We have been engaging with the Track-1 and Track-2 clusters, to understand their deployment and expansion plans. We recognise that industry will be hoping for clarity as soon as possible on next steps, and we will have more to say on future projects in the coming months.

Given the large number of operational wind turbines within the UK, the Government does not hold this information centrally. Instead, this will be held by the relevant local planning authority.

Given the large number of operational wind turbines within the UK, the Government does not hold this information centrally. Instead, this will be held by the relevant local planning authority.

We understand concerns about the excessive deployment of telegraph poles, and are urgently considering options to address this.

Telegraph poles can play an important role in delivering affordable connectivity to communities, and competition can offer consumers greater choice and cheaper rates. However, it is vital that operators share infrastructure wherever possible, as the last thing anyone wants is for our towns and villages to be littered with countless unnecessary competing telegraph poles.

Existing regulations require operators to share infrastructure where practicable, and the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 made it easier to upgrade and share existing apparatus.

In addition, the Communications (Access to Infrastructure) Regulations 2016 are designed to facilitate sharing for physical infrastructure.

Future Government spending is a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.

The department will take time to consider whether to make changes to the high needs national funding formula (NFF) that is used to allocate funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The department will also consider the impact of any formula changes on local authorities, including East Riding of Yorkshire Council. It is important that there is a fair education funding system that directs funding to where it is needed.

Budgets for the 2025/26 financial year have not been set, which means that decisions on the high needs NFF and the publication of allocations for that year will not be to the usual timescales.

We are aware of the ongoing challenges farmers have been facing following the winter storms and the wet weather in late 2023 and early 2024. We are committed to maintaining food production and supporting thriving farm businesses as well as protecting communities from flooding. All spending commitments will be confirmed in the spending review. This includes the Farming Recovery Fund, more information on the expanded Farming Recovery Fund will be made available soon.

Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government, and that is why we have launched a Flood Resilience Taskforce. It will provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season. It met for the first time on 12 September to discuss preparation for the winter ahead.

The Internal Drainage Board (IDB) Fund will support our farmers and rural communities from the impacts of flooding by providing grants to IDBs. The Environment Agency has confirmed Tranche 1 allocations, which provides financial support for storm recovery following the wet weather and flooding during winter 2023/24. They are in the process of making payments to the successful IDBs. We will update the IDBs on Tranche 2 in due course.

Build Back Better (BBB) was introduced in 2022 to allow and encourage the insurance industry to provide their claimants with the opportunity to install flood resilient measures when repairs to their property are made.

Insurers representing some 75% of the domestic home insurance market have already signed up to offering BBB. Flood Re has taken several steps to encourage the take up of BBB, including running a series of workshops for insurance company staff and developing a toolkit for insurers.

I will be meeting with representatives of the insurance industry in September to explore with them how they can work with householders to encourage a high take up of the Build Back Better offer, ensuring as many householders as possible benefit.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The government recognises the importance of the scheme, which supports local bus travel, assists with access to essential local services and helps those who use it to stay active and avoid isolation. The government has absolutely no plans to withdraw the concessionary bus pass scheme.

Delivering reliable and affordable public transport services for passengers is one of the government’s top priorities as we know how important this is for passengers and for local growth. The Department for Transport is looking at the future of the £2 fare cap as a matter of urgency and is considering the most appropriate and affordable approach for the future of the scheme.

The previous government made a number of funding commitments in the Network North Command Paper and these will be examined closely by the government in the coming months.

We are currently reviewing the Dental Recovery Plan, and what elements of it can be taken forward effectively and within National Health Service budgets. It is also clear that the plan did not go far enough, and so we are also working on our Dental Rescue Plan, and prioritising initiatives that will see the biggest impact on access to NHS dental care.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

As of 30 September 2024, there were between 100-119 staff working in Legal Directorate.

Staff on inward secondment to the FCDO are not on the FCDO Payroll, however there are invoicing arrangements in place between the FCDO and some host organisations. The FCDO does not currently have any staff on inward secondment from human rights NGOs.

As of 30 September 2024, there were between 70-89 lawyers working in Legal Directorate.

The Government has published information about reforms to agricultural property relief at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief.

Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

Historic data published by HMRC shows that in 2021-22, 73% of estates making agricultural property relief claims did so on total amounts worth less than £1m.

HMRC is commissioned by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) at each fiscal event to produce Inheritance Tax receipts forecasts. More information behind this process is published on the OBR website: https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/inheritance-tax/.

HMRC analysis suggests that in 2026-27, 500 estates claiming agricultural property relief will receive a lower financial benefit as a result of the Government’s reforms, out of a projected total of 1,800 estates making agricultural property relief claims in that year. This means that around three-quarters of estates making agricultural property relief claims will be unaffected by this measure.

The Government has published information about reforms to agricultural property relief at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief.

Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

Historic data published by HMRC shows that in 2021-22, 73% of estates making agricultural property relief claims did so on total amounts worth less than £1m.

HMRC is commissioned by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) at each fiscal event to produce Inheritance Tax receipts forecasts. More information behind this process is published on the OBR website: https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/inheritance-tax/.

HMRC analysis suggests that in 2026-27, 500 estates claiming agricultural property relief will receive a lower financial benefit as a result of the Government’s reforms, out of a projected total of 1,800 estates making agricultural property relief claims in that year. This means that around three-quarters of estates making agricultural property relief claims will be unaffected by this measure.

We want to see devolution extended to every corner of England, and have invited local areas without a devolution agreement to come forward with proposals on a sensible geography.

We recognise that in some parts of the country, such as Hull and East Yorkshire, local authorities had already worked with the previous government to develop devolution deals, which were put on hold over the general election.

We will work with local leaders, members of parliament and stakeholders, including those in Hull and East Yorkshire over the coming months, to ensure that our ambition for deeper and impactful devolution is expanded across the country.