Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with HMRC on improving customer service in response to queries on self-assessment paperwork.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Treasury Ministers meet with HMRC officials on a regular basis to discuss HMRC’s performance.
HMRC publishes its performance on a monthly and quarterly basis:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to (a) implement the Future of Transport Rural Strategy and (b) consult on reforming grant funding for bus operators.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport published its ‘Future of Transport: supporting rural transport innovation’ guidance in early October, and will now work to implement its pledges, such as working closer with local leadership to help deploy and scale innovative new technologies in rural communities. As part of this guide, the Department is making up to £3 million of funding available for rural innovation. This will help explore innovative solutions to long-standing issues, such as loneliness and isolation, poor access to services and economically challenging business cases for rural transport services.
The Government committed to reforming the Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) in the National Bus Strategy and intends to publish a consultation later this year. The consultation will seek views from bus operators and local authorities on several measures to modernise and future-proof the BSOG. We intend to include proposals for distance-based payments that may help rural operators and simplify the administration of the grant.
Our support for buses includes community transport too. We have just announced that the Government will continue to provide increased financial support to these community transport operators to help protect these key services by uplifting their bus service operator grant claims by 60%. This significant support will be available to operators for claims from 1 July 2023 to the end of March 2025.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2023 to Question 192201 on Dogs: Smuggling, what actions points her Department has recorded in the context of her Department's discussion with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) third-party stakeholders on policy formation to tackle puppy smuggling.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues about a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
The Department continues to engage with third party stakeholders on the issue of tackling puppy smuggling to gather views on this subject as part of routine engagement.
The Government is committed to delivering its manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with Cabinet colleagues on (i) accessible and (ii) affordable offline access to nationally-provided public services.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has affordable access to public services, whether online or offline. Government departments are required by the Government's Service Standard to provide support via alternative channels for all their online services. Every service on GOV.UK must fulfil a requirement that is confirmed through service assessments.
The Service Standard requires government teams to make sure that services are accessible to all users, including disabled people, people with other legally protected characteristics, people who do not have access to the internet and/or lack the skills and/or confidence to use the internet.
Point 3 of the Service Standard requires Departments to provide a joined-up service that meets users’ needs across all channels, including online, phone, paper and face to face. Point 5 of the Service Standard requires Departments to make sure everyone can use the service.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2023 to Question 165420 on Broadband: Leicestershire, what recent progress her Department has made on delivering fast and reliable broadband in (a) Bosworth constituency and (b) Leicestershire.
Answered by John Whittingdale
We continue to make good progress in delivering fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Over 69% of premises in Bosworth can now access a gigabit-capable broadband connection. This is up from 67% in March 2023. Gigabit-capable coverage across Leicestershire has risen from 70% to over 72% in the same period.
On 23 March 2023 Building Digital UK (BDUK) launched a procurement, as part of Project Gigabit, inviting broadband suppliers to bid for a contract to bring gigabit-capable broadband to premises in Leicestershire, including in Bosworth, that are currently not in broadband suppliers' commercial plans.
Leicestershire County Council is also continuing to deliver a GigaHubs project, funded by BDUK, which is due to be completed in March 2024. This project includes the delivery of gigabit-capable broadband to 12 public sector sites in Bosworth that are not due to be covered commercially. To date, a connection has already been delivered to two of these sites; Barlestone CE Primary and Desford Library.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to support active travel in (a) Leicestershire and (b) Bosworth during the (i) covid-19 pandemic and (ii) subsequent years to 2023.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In 2020, as part of the Emergency Active Travel Fund and Active Travel Fund 2, Leicestershire County Council was awarded £1,235,164 in capital and revenue funding to take forward their active travel schemes.
In January 2023, the Government awarded Leicestershire County Council £191,787 of Capability Funding for 2022-23 to carry out community engagement activities, develop infrastructure plans and designs, undertake public consultation, and collect evidence. This builds on the £168,500 that Leicestershire was awarded in Capability Funding in 2021-22.
ATE has assigned all authorities in England, excluding London, a Regional Manager and is committed to working closely with local authorities to help support active travel programmes and capability across England.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the level of understanding among road users of the changes to the Highway Code introduced in January 2022.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The January 2022 changes to The Highway Code to help improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding have been communicated via:
The campaign has been supported by significant media spend, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.
- The percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the Highway Code changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to 58% in August 2022, with 83% of road users having heard of the changes by August 2022.
- The percentage of people who agreed that motor vehicles do have priority on the roads fell from 68% in January 2022 to 61% in August 2022.
- 78% of road users correctly identified the need for a 1.5m gap when passing cyclists in January 2022, rising to 84% in August 2022. Understanding that cyclists may ride two abreast also increased from 30% to 46%. The percentage of drivers reporting that they always leave a 1.5 metre gap when passing cyclists rose from 50% in January 2022 to 58% in August 2022.
- Recognition among the target audience of at least one of the campaign assets was 57% at Phase 1 and 53% at Phase 2. Of the respondents that recognised the 30 second hero assets from Phase 2, nearly nine in ten (84%) said they had done something as a result.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's policy paper Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published on 30 August 2023, what discussions she plans to have with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity on the inclusion of the (a) legal and (b) health impacts of the use of (i) anabolic steroids and (ii) image and performance enhancing drugs in the development of a (A) national registration scheme and (B) structured career pathway for coaches.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is hugely important. This includes the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs and the significant impact of these substances on the physical and mental health of those who use them.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is collaborating with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to embed clean sport content in CIMSPA’s professional standards for personal trainers and coaches.
The government’s call for evidence on sport integrity opened on 30 August 2023 alongside the publication of “Get Active”. It covers the handling of a range of sport integrity issues, including doping.
We will continue to support the work of UKAD and other partners to protect and promote clean sport and to look beyond the sporting community to shine a spotlight on the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published by her Department on 30 August 2023, whether she is taking steps to ensure that UK Anti-Doping considers the (a) legal and (b) health impacts of the use of (i) anabolic steroids and (ii) image and performance enhancing drugs as part of its work.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is hugely important. This includes the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs and the significant impact of these substances on the physical and mental health of those who use them.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is collaborating with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to embed clean sport content in CIMSPA’s professional standards for personal trainers and coaches.
The government’s call for evidence on sport integrity opened on 30 August 2023 alongside the publication of “Get Active”. It covers the handling of a range of sport integrity issues, including doping.
We will continue to support the work of UKAD and other partners to protect and promote clean sport and to look beyond the sporting community to shine a spotlight on the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published by her Department on 30 August 2023, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the call for evidence on sport integrity will include focus on the potential use of (a) anabolic steroids and (b) image and performance enhancing drugs.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is hugely important. This includes the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs and the significant impact of these substances on the physical and mental health of those who use them.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is collaborating with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to embed clean sport content in CIMSPA’s professional standards for personal trainers and coaches.
The government’s call for evidence on sport integrity opened on 30 August 2023 alongside the publication of “Get Active”. It covers the handling of a range of sport integrity issues, including doping.
We will continue to support the work of UKAD and other partners to protect and promote clean sport and to look beyond the sporting community to shine a spotlight on the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs.