Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data he holds on the impact of the £200 million NHS Dental Recovery Plan announced in February 2024 on the availability of NHS dental appointments in the Worcestershire and Herefordshire Integrated Care Board area.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessments have yet been made on the impact of the £200 million NHS Dental Recovery Plan announced in February 2024.
The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data he holds on the number of dentists accepting new NHS patients in the Worcestershire and Herefordshire Integrated Care Board area in July (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While there is no data available for 2023, as of 10 July 2024, there were 87 dentistry practices in the Worcestershire and Herefordshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), 12 of which stated they were accepting new adult National Health Service patients, when availability allows. This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website and is matched to ICBs based on the postcode shown on the website. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in his Department are currently eligible to have their children's school fees paid by his Department.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In 2023/24, 341 FCDO staff were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) funding for their children to attend a UK boarding school. 699 FCDO staff based overseas with children were attending an overseas school funded by the FCDO. The FCDO Headcount of UK based staff at 31/3/23 was 7,601 staff.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the financial impact of a 20% VAT increase on school fees on his departmental budget in (a) 2024/25 and (b) 2025/26.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO cannot accurately estimate the impact of a 20 percent VAT increase on school fees, since we do not know if schools will transfer the costs of fees to parents, or from what date the VAT will be introduced.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials in his Department have had recent discussions with Cross Country trains on plans to add additional stops at Worcestershire Parkway station on their Bristol to Manchester services.
Answered by Huw Merriman
CrossCountry has been working with the Department on the best way to deploy the 60 additional Voyager Intercity carriages that the Department has agreed they can lease. This includes the possibility of calls at Worcestershire Parkway in CrossCountry Intercity services. Subject to these discussions and industry planning processes, such calls could be introduced from May 2025.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has received recent projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility on the potential impact of the model rules for reporting by platform operators with respect to sellers in the sharing and gig economy on (a) costs to HMRC and (b) tax revenues.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
(a)
Please see:
https://obr.uk/download/policy-measures-database-6/?tmstv=1714126499
(b)
Please see:
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the model rules for reporting by platform operators with respect to sellers in the sharing and gig economy on (a) costs to HMRC and (b) tax revenues.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
(a)
(b)
Please see:
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to sell an extension to the lease on the Motorway Service Area at Strensham Northbound on the M5.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport is in discussions with the operator of Strensham Northbound motorway service area regarding the future of the lease at that site. The nature of these discussions means they are commercially confidential. A final decision is not required soon because the sites lease does not expire until 2042.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost of decarbonising the electricity grid by (a) 2030 and (b) 2050.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department published a paper looking at the power sector in 2050 and the impact of decarbonisation on annual system costs incurred in the same year[1]. The paper identifies a range of illustrative low-cost, low-carbon electricity generation mixes that are consistent with meeting Net Zero by 2050. Total annual system costs for these mixes range from £66 to £82 billion in 2022 prices. No similar analysis was performed for 2030.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modelling-2050-electricity-system-analysis
[1] Modelling 2050 – electricity system analysis - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary during the debate on Financial Advice and Guidance: Consumer Market of 9 January 2024, Official Report, column 32WH, when he plans to provide the hon. Member for West Worcestershire with information on whether a specific vote on primary or secondary legislation is required to deal with the proposals in the joint Government and FCA review of the regulatory boundary between financial advice and guidance.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The government and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are exploring a range of regulatory and legislative options for implementation and there are elements of the package that could require amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 through secondary legislation. We will consider whether any wider changes to the existing regulatory and legislative regime would be required to deliver the proposals successfully within a coherent broader framework.