Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 merits of including enhanced protection of chalk streams in planning reforms.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside meeting development needs. We are considering how best to reform environmental assessment processes with that objective in mind, including whether to utilise powers in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act to introduce Environmental Outcomes Reports. Those powers make specific reference to chalk streams in the context of the environmental outcomes to be taken into account.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce delays by local authorities in delivering education, health and care plans.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Eastleigh to the answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7369.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to include the protection of chalk streams the review of the water sector.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers are currently working through priorities and options for future reform.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide additional funding for a pay award for teachers in sixth form colleges that are not part of academies.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government does not set or recommend pay in further education (FE), including in sixth form colleges. The pay and conditions of FE staff remains the responsibility of individual colleges and providers who are free to implement pay arrangements in line with their local needs.
The department recognises the vital role that sixth form college teachers play, as well as other FE Colleges, in developing the skills needed to drive the government’s missions to improve opportunity and economic growth. That is why the department is investing around £600 million across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years. This includes extending retention payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers in key subject areas, including in sixth form colleges. The department also continues to support recruitment and retention with teacher training bursaries worth up to £30,000 tax-free in certain key subject areas, and with support for industry professionals to enter the teaching workforce through the Taking Teaching Further programme.
My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced a Budget on 30 October to be followed by a multi-year spending review in the spring of next year. Decisions about future post-16 funding and capital programmes will be subject to the outcomes of these fiscal events.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions has she had with the Migration Advisory Committee on the review of the minimum income requirement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Home Secretary wrote to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to commission a review of the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules and the MAC have accepted the commission. The letter to the MAC and their reply can be found here: Response letter from Professor Brian Bell to the Home Secretary, 10 September 2024 (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).