Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2024 to Question 4038 on Pension Credit: Expenditure, what estimate she has made of the additional cost to the public purse of the associated allowances for Pension Credit if all people eligible for claiming it did.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
No estimate has been made by the department as the requested information is not available. We are unable to quantify the value of all passported benefits.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was for Pension Credit in the latest year for which information is available.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The total government expenditure in nominal terms for Pension Credit awards was £4.9 billion in 2022/23.
This figure does not include other operational and administrative costs, such as the government’s campaign to increase take-up of Pension Credit, as well as supporting customers and sending letters.
Source: outturn-and-forecast-tables-spring-budget-2024.xlsx
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Ministerial Code to specifically include (a) commercially sensitive statements and (b) personal boycotts.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to PQ 9328 of 22 October 2024.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work (a) has been undertaken and (b) is planned on the creation of a long-term strategy for rolling stock.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As part of our reforms to the railway, the Government will develop a long-term strategy for rolling stock promoting a longer-term, whole-system approach. This strategy will seek to provide a strong and steady pipeline of orders, supporting British manufacturing and ending the volatility in demand that we have seen over recent years. It will also consider the best financing structures for future orders in partnership with private capital.
Officials are working to develop this strategy alongside the creation of Great British Railways.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6166 on East Anglia Rail Franchise, what are the contractual conditions for termination of rail operator contracts.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The events under which an operator would default on its National Rail Contract with the Secretary of State, and events under which termination of the contract would be applicable, are set out in the National Rail Contracts, in particular in Chapter 9.4.1. National Rail Contracts are published as part of the Public Register of Rail Passenger Contracts and are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-register-of-rail-passenger-contracts
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had direct discussions with her Scottish counterpart since July 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has had direct discussions with her Scottish counterpart since July 2024.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Network Rail has made on the access charge discount scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To date, under Network Rail’s Access Charges Discount Policy for Control Period 7, two applications have been approved. The first, which has commenced operations is a five day per week service between Tilbury and Manchester. The second is a twice a week service from Southampton to London Gateway that will be starting in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had direct discussions with her Welsh counterpart since July 2024.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has had direct discussions with her Welsh counterpart since July 2024.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has met with representatives from GoAhead Ltd.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State visited GoAhead in July, and plans to meet representatives again in the near future.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate healthcare provision in areas with high (a) housing targets and (b) population growth.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class NHS infrastructure across the entire NHS estate. Beyond hospitals, we know we need the right infrastructure in the right place to deliver on our commitment of creating a Neighbourhood Health Service and ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve.
We recognise the challenges facing local areas of rapid housing and population growth, including the challenges such growth can place on health care infrastructure. Whilst the Government has big ambitions to further boost house building, we recognise it must be sensitive to local need.
The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how the local authority and developer contributions from new housing developments can support the vision for health services and infrastructure locally.
The relevant integrated care board is responsible for deciding how the NHS budget for its area is spent, and allocates funding according to local priorities. Any further support for NHS organisations will be set out at the Autumn Spending Review.