Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's definition is of a strategic supplier; and what criteria his Department uses to designate strategic suppliers.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
A Ministry of Defence strategic supplier is a supplier whose goods or services are critical to the delivery of Defence objectives, and where a more structured and senior level of engagement is required to manage risk, performance and value for money.
Strategic suppliers are identified through a structured supplier segmentation process, aligned with cross‑Government Strategic Supplier Relationship Management (SSRM) best‑practice criteria. These criteria include considerations relating to risk, the scale and scope of engagement with the supplier, contract duration, the opportunity to deliver additional value, and strategic alignment. Spend is considered as one factor among several and is not, in itself, determinative.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the resilience of South West Water’s infrastructure serving the village of Ashcombe.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Decisions on sewer provision sit with South West Water, but if the community believes a mains connection is needed, a Section 101A application can be submitted for assessment. The EA can support residents with guidance on compliance with the General Binding Rules, their Environmental Permit and Section 101A application.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance governs the recording and publication of meetings between Ministers and private‑sector suppliers held during overseas visits.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member back to the answer given in UIN 103308.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of stewardship payments in delivering measurable biodiversity outcomes on upland commons.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Stewardship payments through Environmental and Countryside Stewardship help support restoration of nature and ensure habitats are resilient including on upland commons. Through the recently published Environmental Improvement Plan, the Government is committed to improving these sites with a target that by December 2030 50% of Sites of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) features have actions on track to achieve favourable condition.
Defra’s Agri-Environment Evidence Programme conducts research that improves our schemes with targeted projects to explore Agri-environment scheme (AES) impacts over an ecologically meaningful timescale. One recent study of AES impact on SSSI upland dwarf heath sites identified that two primary factors affecting condition are burning frequency and stock management. AES are crucial to supporting farmers and land managers in taking action to improve the condition of SSSIs, such as addressing water pollution, changing grazing regimes and tackling invasive species.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on 3 June 2025, HC 523, whether her Department plans to pilot enhanced device‑blocking and cross‑platform verification tools with the Metropolitan Police and other police forces.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Mobile phone theft causes significant distress to victims and fuels wider criminality, and the Government is determined to reduce it. We recognise the important role that technical solutions, such as options aimed at preventing stolen devices from accessing cloud services, can play in reducing the market value of a stolen device.
The Metropolitan Police Service is currently leading collaboration with technology partners, including mobile operating system providers, to explore the quickest and most effective ways of achieving this. The Home Office is supporting this important collaboration between law enforcement and technology partners.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has reviewed the outline planning permission for the NA3 Wolborough Barton development, including safeguarding conditions relating to Wolborough Fen SSSI.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Due to the quasi-judicial role of MHCLG Ministers in the planning system, neither the Secretary of State nor I are able to comment on the details of specific planning proposals, including discussing them with the relevant local planning authority.
Enforcement against breaches of planning control and non-compliance of imposed conditions are matters for individual local planning authorities.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of settlement terms for loan charge liabilities in place (a) before and (b) after 2021 on the finances of people affected.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The focus of the Independent Review of the Loan Charge was on taking action to help those individuals who do not yet have certainty about their liabilities, or who still owe money, to move on from this matter. The review identified affordability as a key barrier preventing some individuals from settling and made recommendations to remove this barrier.
The Government has gone further in supporting people on the lowest incomes by providing an additional £5,000 deduction for those in scope of the review. This entirely removes approximately 10,000 individuals from the charge. This will come at a substantial Exchequer cost over the next five years.
It represents the Government’s attempt to provide a fair route to resolution for those who have not settled with HMRC. In turn, those people need to come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has issued guidance on the statutory limits that apply to the number of unplanned water supply interruptions permitted in a single locality within a calendar year.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has doubled compensation payments and introduced a range of new standards to the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) which requires companies to automatically make a payment to all affected customers if it fails to meet the standards set out in the scheme. An unplanned water supply interruption would be one such example. GSS payments are triggered for each interruption, and further automatic payments incurred for a continued lack of supply.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued to water companies on installing backup systems to prevent pump failures following short-duration electricity outages.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Security and Emergency Measures Direction (SEMD), water companies are required to maintain a supply of water during emergencies, including short‑duration power outages. The SEMD obliges companies to assess risks and implement appropriate measures, and Defra works with them to monitor compliance and preparedness for short‑term risks.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on 3 June 2025, HC 523, what steps her Department has taken with mobile operating system providers to prevent stolen devices from accessing cloud services internationally.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Mobile phone theft causes significant distress to victims and fuels wider criminality, and the Government is determined to reduce it. We recognise the important role that technical solutions, such as options aimed at preventing stolen devices from accessing cloud services, can play in reducing the market value of a stolen device.
The Metropolitan Police Service is currently leading collaboration with technology partners, including mobile operating system providers, to explore the quickest and most effective ways of achieving this. The Home Office is supporting this important collaboration between law enforcement and technology partners.