Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what correspondence her Department has had with Fenland District Council on their decision not to permit the passage of the Terra Marique barge on the River Nene between Sutton Bridge and Wisbech.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department sought clarification from Fenland District Council of its decision not to permit passage, and the Council confirmed that its decision had been made on the basis of a risk assessment by qualified advisers. The Department remains committed to its ‘water-preferred’ abnormal load movement policy.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on tackling online misogynistic radicalisation.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Tackling misogyny, both online and offline, is central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade and we will address the drivers and root causes of VAWG as part of our upcoming cross-Government Strategy, due to be published this year. I have regularly engaged with VAWG stakeholders to help inform this work and held a roundtable on technological harms.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of male GCSE attainment in Stafford constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Data is available at Staffordshire local authority level, and shows that 36.3% of boys achieved grade 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSE in 2024, down from 37.2% in 2023. Attainment 8 for boys in 2024 was 41.0, down from 41.9 in 2023.
Through the department’s work to deliver the Opportunity Mission, we will improve opportunities and life chances across the country for all children and young people.
High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes and closing gaps for every child and young person no matter who they are or their background, helping them to achieve and thrive.
The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.
The department’s new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams are designed to accelerate improvement in education standards across England by providing targeted interventions as well as universal support to all schools. RISE teams will be working with Staffordshire County Council and local multi-academy trusts in the county to develop the RISE Regional Plan to address gaps in attainment.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of farrowing crates on the welfare of pigs.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. Defra’s statutory welfare Code of Practice for Pigs states that the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow as well as her piglets. Whilst the farrowing crate reduces the risk of piglet mortality, it also restricts sow movement, preventing her from turning around and performing normal behaviours such as nest building. The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act on (a) Stafford High Street and (b) Eccleshall High Street.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is committed to rejuvenating high streets across the country including those in Stafford and Eccleshall. While no specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 on Stafford and Eccleshall high streets, High Street Rental Auction powers commenced by the Government in December 2024 were introduced by the Act. The Government encourages all councils, including Stafford Borough Council, to exercise these powers to tackle persistent vacancy on the high street.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of (a) Urgent Treatment Centres and (b) Accident and Emergency Departments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Urgent treatment centres and emergency departments, also known as accident and emergency, provide a different range of services to patients.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for this year will continue the expansion of urgent treatment centres that are co-located with emergency departments. This allows for the effective streaming of patients away from emergency departments, helping to reduce the number of people who spend time there, and overcrowding.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of accumulation of UK residential property by foreign investors; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the accumulation of residential property by foreign investors on the property market for UK buyers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has not conducted a specific assessment of trends in the level of residential property ownership by foreign investors in the UK.
Data on property ownership by overseas companies in England and Wales is published by HM Land Registry and is publicly available via the GOV.UK website.
We recognise concerns about the impact of overseas investment on housing affordability, particularly for first-time buyers. In response, and as part of this government’s commitment to supporting first-time buyers, we have introduced fiscal measures to level the playing field.
Non-UK residents already pay a 2% surcharge on top of the residential rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when purchasing a dwelling in England or Northern Ireland.
In addition, at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government increased the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points from 3% to 5%. The higher rates are also paid by non-UK residents purchasing additional property.
Increasing the higher rates of SDLT helps to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords and companies purchasing residential property.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with private sector organisations to expand rent-to-buy schemes to support first-time buyers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Rent to Buy is funded through the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021 to 2026.
To own and manage rent to Buy homes funded through the AHP an organisation must be a Registered Provider with the Regulator of Social Housing.
Some private sector organisations also offer rent-to-buy schemes funded by other means. The government has not made any assessment of such schemes.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State fir Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of property aggregation by wealth funds on the affordability of housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to housing affordability.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a banded tax on landlord profits.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
If landlords own properties directly, they are taxed at their marginal rate under income tax rules, and profits made on the sale of properties are charged to capital gains tax.
Where landlords operate through a company, the company will have to pay corporation tax on its profits and the owners will also pay income tax on dividends they receive. Profits made on the sale of properties are also liable for corporation tax.