Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of comments made by Sir Mark Rowley to the London Policing Board on 10 December 2024 in relation to (a) funding and (b) potential job losses in the Metropolitan Police.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Provisional Police Funding Settlement was published on 17 December. This settlement provides £19.5 billion of funding for 2025-26 which is an increase of up to £1 billion. For the Metropolitan Police, this means funding of up to £3.8 billion in funding in 2025-26, an increase of up to £226.9 million when compared to the 2024-25 police settlement.
We will continue to work closely with the force to ensure that they have the resources they need.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help support small and medium-sized businesses to compete with online retailers.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
SMEs remain a key part of the high street, and a thriving high street will need a strong retail offering.
This is why the Government is creating a fairer business rate system and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper next year.
Through the Retail Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector, including high street regeneration, skills and sustainability.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on trends in the level of growth of small and medium-sized businesses.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500 meaning, that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.
All eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no Employer NICs. Additionally, 4.1million SMEs do not employ anyone aside from the business owner and will not be affected by these tax rises.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether teachers in post-16 education will be included in the teacher pay award.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As confirmed in July, schools delivering post-16 education would be included in the teacher pay award for the 2024/25 academic year, in line with the independent School Teachers’ Pay Review Body (STRB) recommendations. The department confirmed that an additional £63 million would be provided for schools delivering post-16 education.
Further education (FE) providers are not included in the school teacher pay award and FE does not fall under the STRB’s remit. FE colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating pay within colleges. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for school teachers and are free to implement their own pay arrangements in line with their own local circumstances.
FE colleges, including sixth form colleges, were incorporated under the terms of the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.
The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the government’s commitment to skills, by providing an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department recognises the vital role that FE teachers and providers play in equipping learners with the opportunities and skills they need to succeed in their education. We will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.
In making their recommendations for 2025/26, the STRB were asked to consider the impact of recommendations on the FE teaching workforce in England. Given FE and school workforce are closely related, it is important for the STRB to consider the totality of the workforce.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with the Metropolitan Police to deploy educational awareness campaigns aimed at reducing youth-related knife crime in London.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission. We are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition. For example, we have banned Zombie style knives and zombie style machetes and are currently consulting on a ban of ninja swords. We are also creating a new Young Futures programme - intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most.
The Home Office funds the London Violence Reduction Unit, a multiagency partnership which includes the Metropolitan Police, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence. London VRU supports delivery of a range of youth initiatives across London boroughs which raise awareness of the impact of knife crime, for example the Choices Weapons Awareness Programme, delivered across Camden secondary schools to increase understanding of the consequences of knife crime on families affected and deter knife-carrying.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce youth-related gang violence in London.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the gangs that lure children and young people into crime and run county lines through violence and exploitation.
An estimated 14,000 children are identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation. That is why this Government’s manifesto included a commitment to introduce a new offence of criminal exploitation of children, which we will bring forward as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.
County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, which includes funding for dedicated County Lines Taskforce in the Metropolitan Police, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade.
The Government has also committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme (YFP), which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, to intervene earlier to ensure this cohort is identified and offered support in a more systematic way, as well as creating more opportunities for young people in their communities, through the provision of open access to mental health and careers support.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle car thefts in Sutton and Cheam constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and law enforcement to ensure our response is as strong as it can be.
We continue to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, to take forward a programme of work, focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles.
This government is committed to bringing forward legislation to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
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 is taking to help reduce the number of vacant shops on high streets in London.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is fully committed to tackling the issue of persistent vacancy in town centres and high streets.
High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) came into effect on 2 December 2024 and are a new permissive power for local authorities in England to auction the lease of commercial high street property that has been vacant for longer than 12 months in a 24-month period.
Furthermore, through the English Devolution Bill, we will introduce a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets. This measure will empower local communities to reclaim and revitalise assets that are important to them such as empty shops, pubs, and community spaces, helping to improve our high streets and eliminate the blight of vacant premises.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to take steps with local councils to help increase footfall on the high street.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Revitalising our high streets is a priority for this government. Improving footfall on the high street is essential to create strong high streets. The Secretary of State and I are working with MHCLG to consider how we can deliver a cross-government approach for high streets and supporting their businesses to thrive.
This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, working with the banking industry to roll out 350 banking hubs, reforming business rates, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network and reforming the apprenticeship levy.
Furthermore, the government is investing in local growth with local allocations for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2025-26 now announced, which places may choose to invest in rejuvenating high streets.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide extra funding to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to help tackle backlogs in driving tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
Measures in place to reduce waiting times include the recruitment of new driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from DEs. DVSA also continues to deploy DEs from areas with lower waiting times into those where waiting times are longer.
DVSA is largely funded from the fees it charges for the delivery of its operational activities including driving tests.
DVSA keeps the fees it charges for all of its statutory services, including driving tests, under continuous review. Any proposals to change any fees would be subject to HM Treasury approval and public consultation.