Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of GPS navigation services on the number of heavy goods vehicles travelling through villages.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There is no legal requirement for drivers of any vehicle to have or use satellite navigation equipment and the Government currently has no plans to mandate their use.
If such equipment is provided, it is important that it is suitable for the vehicle being driven and it is updated regularly to ensure it has the latest available maps. While these systems can be useful, they cannot replace a driver’s knowledge or skill, especially in the case of diversions due to road traffic collisions or roadworks.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of heavy goods vehicles travelling through villages on (a) traffic and (b) pollution.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I recognise that heavy goods vehicles (HGV) can have negative safety and environmental impact on villages, particularly where roads and pavements are narrow.
Local traffic authorities have powers under Sections 1 & 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which allow for the restriction or prohibition of the use of HGVs on any road, for a wide range of safety and environmental reasons. These measures can be implemented by making Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) without reference to the Department for Transport.
The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 provide various signs for authorities to consider if they choose to do this, including signs informing motorists that certain roads are unsuitable for HGVs or if a weight limit is in place. The restrictions are then enforceable by the police.
Local authorities can also introduce extra controls on emissions if there are air quality problems in their area. If air quality falls below required standards, the council should declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and make plans for improvements.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to mitigate the impact of heavy goods vehicles travelling through villages.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Local traffic authorities have powers under Sections 1 & 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which allow for the restriction or prohibition of the use of HGVs on any road, for a wide range of safety and environmental reasons. These measures can be implemented by making Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) without reference to the Department for Transport.
The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 provide various signs for authorities to consider if they choose to do this, including signs informing motorists that certain roads are unsuitable for HGVs or if a weight limit is in place. The restrictions are then enforceable by the police.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the merits of outdoor education for (a) children and (b) adults.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The department believes that outdoor education can be a valuable part of a broad and balanced curriculum, for example in physical education and geography, and a school’s enrichment offer. Both form an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and to achieve high and rising standards for all children.
We are supporting research by the University of Oxford which will help us to better understand the specific benefits of spending time in nature and ascertain which nature-based activities are most impactful for which outcomes.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
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 ensure that diagnostic results shared via the NHS App for patients living with chronic conditions are accompanied by (a) tailored information for patients about their condition and (b) a clear route to contact with a health care professional where appropriate and desired by patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS App will provide an improved and personalised experience for users, empowering them to access key elements of their health conditions like test results, and providing patients with 24 hour a day, seven day a week advice and guidance that will help them to understand their health and make informed choices about what to do next.
This will be building on the current test results feature in the NHS App that is successfully used by millions of people each month to access the results of tests they have conducted with their general practice.
In the future, the NHS App will go even further and provide patients with a range of new tools that will redefine how patients engage with the health service. The 10-Year Plan outlines that patients can expect:
- fast advice, so no patient faces uncertainty about what care they need, or a needlessly anxious wait;
- increased choice between different services and different providers;
- direct access, so patients can book appointments or self-refer to tests wherever clinically appropriate; and
- accessible knowledge, so patients can find the information they need to get the most out of their healthcare, or to manage their caring responsibilities for others.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that new Mayors are accountable to their local areas.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Within Mayoral Combined Authorities and Mayoral Combined County Authorities there is an existing system of accountability and scrutiny arrangements. This system ensures that public spending is achieving value for money.
In the English Devolution White Paper the government set out how it plans to go further and the government’s commitment to strengthening the accountability and scrutiny arrangements of Mayors and the Combined Authorities as greater powers, duties and resources are devolved.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on the rollout of Project Gigabit in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 99% of premises in the Ossett and Denby Dale constituency can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 96% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).
To improve this coverage further, Quickline is delivering several Project Gigabit contracts across Yorkshire, targeted at bringing gigabit-capable broadband to premises in hard-to-reach areas that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout. Work has already commenced in parts of Ossett and Denby Dales.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth in Ossett and Denby Dale constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Kickstarting economic growth across every corner of the UK is the top priority of this Government.
We’re getting on with delivering the Government’s Plan for Change by delivering the basics of a better transport system, including in places across West Yorkshire, where we are providing £830million of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement funding to help transform their local transport network. This is funding a range of transport improvements that will benefit West Yorkshire’s economy, including development of the first phase of West Yorkshire Mass Transit.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
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 (a) prevent and (b) increase the early detection of chronic kidney disease through the 10-year health plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future, namely from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving the prevention and detection of chronic kidney disease in all parts of the country.
The 10-Year Health Plan will build on the NHS Health Check which aims to prevent heart disease, stroke and kidney disease among adults aged between 40 and 74 years old, and engages over 1.4 million people a year.
Earlier diagnosis will help people manage their conditions, prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support the early detection of many long-term conditions such as chronic kidney disease.
Asked by: Jade Botterill (Labour - Ossett and Denby Dale)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help farmers recruit people on Seasonal Worker visas.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
We know how important securing the right workforce is to the agri-food chain, for both skilled (such as butchers and vets) and temporary (such as seasonal horticulture harvesting) jobs.
The Government has confirmed the Seasonal Worker visa route for 2025, with a total of 43,000 Seasonal Worker visas available for horticulture and 2,000 for poultry. At the NFU conference, the Government announced a five-year extension to the Seasonal Worker visa route, until the end of 2030, giving farms a pipeline of workers and certainty to grow their businesses. Annual quota reviews will ensure we strike the right balance – supporting farms while gradually transitioning away from seasonal migrant labour. This will help secure the labour and skills needed to bring high quality British produce, such as strawberries, rhubarb and daffodils to market.