Lincoln Jopp

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 9 May 2025, Official Report, PQ 48177

We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements.

The Government is developing an ambitious regulatory reform agenda to ensure that future regulation, or reforms to regulation, work for businesses and supports the Government’s growth mission. It is essential that we continue to identify areas where the costs of regulations may be unnecessarily high and burdensome for businesses. As part of this, we are working across government to identify regulatory reforms that will support the Industrial Strategy and Small Business Strategy. Our plans for the government’s overall regulatory vision will be set out in due course.

Small businesses are vital to our high streets and communities, and an essential part of the government’s mission for economic growth.

Financial support for small businesses is available through the British Business Bank. Further advice and support are available through the Business Support Service, local Growth Hubs, and the Help to Grow: Management scheme. The Government is also taking forward a package of measures to tackle late payments, helping to improve the cash flow for small businesses across the UK.

The Clean Power Action Plan calls for the rapid acceleration of solar deployment to 45-47 GW by 2030, which will require significant increases in all types of solar.

The UK has already seen successful floating solar PV projects, such as the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir. The Government is following with interest the ongoing research into floating solar PV deployment, whilst recognising current challenges with regards to technology and cost.

The joint Government/Industry Solar Taskforce is looking at this technology and other innovative solar solutions. These will be highlighted in the Solar Roadmap, due for publication in Spring.

The Government response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report on grassroots music venues sets out our commitment to working with the sector to support the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. In particular, the Government is urging the live music industry to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector.

The Government has also announced £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for music lovers across the UK.

Yes, ministers are keen to visit studios across the country, including Shepperton, and to continue to support the UK’s incredible film and HETV sector, which contributes billions to our economy, fuels tens of thousands of jobs and is a huge source of soft power on the global stage.

The department is committed to improving access to educational opportunities for all young people by ensuring that they can access a quality educational offer that adds value and helps them to achieve their long term career aspirations and goals.

There are six state-funded mainstream secondary schools in the Spelthorne constituency area, two of which have sixth forms: St Paul’s Catholic College (Ascension Catholic Academy Trust) and The Bishop Wand Church of England School (Instanter Learning Trust). St Paul’s is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with a high performing sixth form, and Bishop Wand is rated Good. Spelthorne residents also attend Salesian School, another Ofsted rated Outstanding school, in neighbouring Runnymede.

While these schools account for most of Spelthorne’s 16-18 year-olds, significant numbers also attend nearby further education colleges: Strode’s College in Egham (rated Good by Ofsted) and Esher Sixth Form College (rated Outstanding by Ofsted). Smaller numbers travel to Woking College and Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge College.

In terms of the oversight of local provision, local authorities have a statutory duty to identify and track the participation of 16 and 17 year-olds in education. This includes supporting those who are not participating to do so and making sure that there is sufficient and suitable education and training provision to meet their needs. If a local authority identifies a need for additional provision, they can negotiate with existing providers to expand their provision. Where that provider is an academy, the academy trust can then make a ‘significant change’ request for the department to consider.

The local authority can also approach the department to submit a case to address a gap in post-16 provision for young people. The department has not received such a request from Surrey County Council, nor any significant change requests from Spelthorne schools.

The department works closely with stakeholders representing the autistic community, including Ambitious about Autism, to understand the issues faced by autistic children and young people and develop solutions.

We know that consistent, meaningful co-production is vital to improving the experiences of all children, young people and their families, and we are committed to listening to and working with autistic children and young people. As such, I would be happy to consider an invitation to meet with Ambitious about Autism’s youth network.

We have recently announced the establishment of a Neurodivergence Task and Finish group which will bring together a group of leading neurodiversity experts who will work closely with the department. The group will work to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings, in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.

This group will carefully listen to the views and experiences of neurodivergent children and young people. The department is eager to hear their views on how we can improve systems and the support that is offered to them to ensure we make positive changes.

Defra has made no such assessment. The Government takes the quality of all of our waterways very seriously; cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a top Government priority and that is why we have commissioned an independent review to fundamentally transform how our water system works.

While Defra is responsible for policy on water, including on reservoirs, it is not responsible for the legislation that is likely to apply concerning the installation of solar panels on a reservoir.

When considering the risk designation of reservoirs, the Environment Agency looks at the volume of water that could be stored by the reservoir, along with the potential loss of life that could occur should there be an uncontrolled release of that water. The use of the reservoir for things such as solar panels does not affect the risk designation.

If solar panels were to be installed on a reservoir, the Environment Agency would recommend that a qualified Panel Engineer is consulted to assess any associated reservoir safety risk. It is worth noting that there is other legislation that may apply which could impact on what can and cannot be done.

Where watercourse maintenance is the responsibility of the Environment Agency (EA), it focuses its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest benefit in terms of protecting people and property from flooding. This includes dredging, which the EA will undertake an assessment of, working in close consultation with local communities.

For many locations, there are more effective ways to protect land and communities from floods as part of a catchment-based approach.

South Western Railway’s performance has been impacted by the late introduction of their Class 701 ‘Arterio’ fleet, leading to a reliance on older, less reliable trains. Officials are meeting regularly with the operator to discuss performance, and the Secretary of State met with FirstGroup and MTR on 13th May to discuss recent failures in the introduction of the new fleet and what they are doing to speed up next steps.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s travel distance criteria service level agreement, states that most customers live within a certain distance of a driving test centre (DTC) dependent on the population density of the local authority they live in. For example, in more densely populated areas of the country where the population is equal to or greater than 1,250 persons per square kilometre, such as Spelthorne, the practical test centre should be located so that most customers travel no more than seven miles to a test centre.

For customers in Spelthorne, depending in which part of the constituency they live, Isleworth, Chertsey, Slough, Tolworth, and Uxbridge DTCs respectively are within this travel distance criteria.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient. It currently has no plans for any additional driving test centres (DTCs) in Spelthorne.

Isleworth, Chertsey, Slough and Tolworth DTCs are all accessible test centres for customers in the Spelthorne area. More information for customers booking a practical test who have a disability, health condition, or learning difficulty, can be found on GOV.UK.

Ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London on a variety of issues. Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL is responsible for operational decisions. Operators can consider and propose zonal changes where a positive business case can be demonstrated.

We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities, and the importance of raising awareness of SUDC among relevant professionals, communities, and parents. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids.

Additional information for parents on SUDC is available in the form of the booklet, When a Child Dies. Health visitors and school nurses also play an important role in promoting health literacy to families. There are no plans at present to launch a public awareness campaign on SUDC.

Individual providers are responsible for the content in the leaflets they produce, and trusts have the freedom to decide what to include in their local leaflets.

Information on febrile seizures can be found on the NHS.UK website, which contains the nationally recommended guidance, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/febrile-seizures/

All information provided to patients should be accurate and reflect the best possible advice, in line with guidance published by the Department, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-practice-guidance-on-patient-information-leaflets

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Clinical Knowledge Summary on autism states that the precise cause of autism is unknown, but that genetic factors play a substantial role in the aetiology, and a number of environmental factors are also thought to play a part in development. Further information is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/autism-in-adults/background-information/causes-risk-factors/

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Clinical Knowledge Summary on autism states that the precise cause of autism is unknown, but that genetic factors play a substantial role in the aetiology, and a number of environmental factors are also thought to play a part in development. Further information is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/autism-in-adults/background-information/causes-risk-factors/

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Clinical Knowledge Summary on autism states that the precise cause of autism is unknown, but that genetic factors play a substantial role in the aetiology, and a number of environmental factors are also thought to play a part in development. Further information is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/autism-in-adults/background-information/causes-risk-factors/

Russia's increasing recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in its illegal invasion of Ukraine demonstrates its underlying weakness. We have noted recent reports of Chinese citizens deployed by Russia in Ukraine. We have seen no evidence of state sponsorship in relation to these recent reports, but we continue to monitor the situation.

The Government is carrying out an Audit of the UK's interests with regards to China, to bring a long term and strategic approach to managing our relations. The timeline for the Audit is driven by the need for sufficient consultation, not just across government, but also business, academia, civil society, and Parliamentarians [including those sanctioned by China], to inform its analysis. The Audit's findings, which will also inform other important developments such as the forthcoming National Security Strategy and Industrial Strategy, will be shared with Parliament and other stakeholders in due course.

The Home Affairs Select Committee’s pre-appointment hearing with the Government’s preferred candidate took place on 11 February.

Once Ministers have finalised the appointment and the terms of appointment have been agreed, the new ICIBI will be announced in the normal way.

Ministers agreed to extend David Bolt’s appointment term as interim ICIBI for a further period of up to three months, to enable sufficient time to conclude the recruitment process for a permanent ICIBI and ensure a smooth transition.

The information requested is not available from published statistics.

The Home Office are working with the City of London Police to replace Action Fraud with a new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cyber crime.

The new service will provide better support services and reporting tools for victims, provide greater intelligence to law enforcement, and allow for greater prevention and disruption at scale.  This will include an upgraded call centre and a new user-friendly, accessible website for reporting fraud, offering simpler pathways to support and guidance.

A phased introduction of the new service is underway and will continue throughout 2025.

The first phase, completed in November 2024, saw the introduction of the new crime and intelligence management system. This will improve the analysis of reports, the quality of intelligence drawn from them, and how quickly this is sent to police forces for investigation.

VALOUR is a new commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support. A new VALOUR HQ within the Ministry of Defence, a network of field officers, regional VALOUR-recognised support centres, and development funding to support local delivery will be established, overseen by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs. VALOUR will foster the enterprising spirit of veteran charities, better connect local and national services and ensure veterans’ support is data driven. With new funding for veterans from the Ministry of Defence budget, the detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR will be designed in collaboration with relevant partners and further details will be announced in due course.

I have interpreted your question to be asking for the number of foreign personnel on exchange or embedded with the UK Armed Forces.

The table below shows the number of foreign exchange personnel that were on strength with an active assignment, as at 15 Oct 2024, by assigned location country in either overseas or the United Kingdom.

It is my personal responsibility to represent veterans at Cabinet and I am proud to do it.

With the Office for Veterans Affairs now part of the MOD and the Minister for Veterans and People working across Government and with veteran groups, we are determined to bring forward a range of action to better serve our veteran community, including ensuring HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards to be used as voter identification, waiving visa fees for non-UK veterans who have served for four or more years and their dependents, and putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law.

The government has no plans to legislate to require planning decisions, including those related to change of use, to be overturned.

Local planning authorities have the power to revoke or modify planning permission under section 97 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

However, such action can only be taken before a planning permission has been implemented and the local authority may be liable to pay compensation to the developer.

Last November, we extended magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months. It is premature to assess the impact of the policy due to the time it has been in place.

The change enables more cases to be retained in the magistrates’ courts, freeing up capacity in the Crown Court for other cases to be heard. In general, magistrates’ courts hear cases more quickly than the Crown Court, therefore these cases will be dealt with faster, helping deliver swifter access to justice for victims.

We will be able to properly assess the impacts of extending these sentencing powers once the policy has been in place for a sufficient period of time. This will allow sufficient cases to have worked through the system with outcomes and the data associated with those outcomes.