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, what assessment his Department has made of the additional costs of delivering local government services in rural areas, and how these costs will be reflected in the Fair Funding Review.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas.
As part of this, we will continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for the different costs faced in delivering services, including in rural and urban areas. The Area Cost Adjustment considers differences in labour and rental costs, as well as the cost impact of longer journey times. We will also apply a remoteness adjustment to the Adult Social Care Formula. Our cost adjustment methodology has been subject to a technical peer review by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December, which will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.
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 the Department plans to review the Area Cost Adjustment.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas.
As part of this, we will continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for the different costs faced in delivering services, including in rural and urban areas. The Area Cost Adjustment considers differences in labour and rental costs, as well as the cost impact of longer journey times. We will also apply a remoteness adjustment to the Adult Social Care Formula. Our cost adjustment methodology has been subject to a technical peer review by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December, which will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.
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 investigations her Department has made into alternative to the culling of healthy flocks of caged birds in areas of wider avian flu outbreak.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Culling is the most effective means of controlling and stamping out an avian influenza outbreak together with movement restrictions, high standards of biosecurity, separation of poultry from wild birds and surveillance.
Preventative vaccination for avian influenza may be an option for the future but will not be viable for the 2025/2026 risk season. Defra has established a cross government and industry taskforce to explore future vaccination options. The taskforce published its initial report on 24 July. The report recommends a series of actions, including a vaccination trial in turkeys, before a final recommendation can be made.
Currently, vaccination of poultry and captive birds against avian influenza, excluding those in licensed zoos in England, is not permitted. Defra continue to invest in avian influenza research, and we continue to monitor vaccine usage both in Europe and globally, as well as the effectiveness of other disease control measures taken.
Any future decisions on disease control measures, including the use of vaccination, will be based upon the latest scientific, ornithological, and veterinary advice.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is His Department's standard response time for resolving official complaints submitted to Access to Work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Complaints received about Access to Work are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. We aim to contact customers within 15 working days to clear the complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted “Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines” as cases where a customer has challenged a decision and requested a reconsideration.
From November 2024 to October 2025:
Some overturned decisions will be due to customers providing additional information, rather than the decision not aligning with Access to Work guidelines. We do not hold data that identifies how many overturned decisions were specifically due to misalignment with the guidelines. The remaining 509 cases are still under consideration
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
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, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make public toilet provision a statutory duty for local authorities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Government does not propose to introduce a statutory duty at this time.
We recognise the importance of toilet provision and have taken steps to support local leaders. At the 2025 Spending Review, we committed over £5 billion in new grant funding over the next three years for essential local services such as toilets. In addition, we continue to provide 100% mandatory business rates relief for separately assessed public toilets.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the number of telecommunication landlords that have ceased to host infrastructure since the Electronic Communications Code 2017 was implemented.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has not undertaken comprehensive monitoring of the number of active Code agreements following the 2017 reforms. However, based on Ofcom reporting, 4G geographic coverage from at least one operator has increased from 78% in 2017 to 96% in July 2025. Ofcom also reports that 5G geographic coverage from at least one operator has reached 65% in July 2025 from the start of its rollout in 2019.
Landowners can terminate agreements governed by the Electronic Communications Code for a number of reasons, including if they intend to redevelop the land. Any data on the number of terminated agreements alone would therefore not be indicative of the effectiveness of the 2017 reforms.
Government has no plans to conduct a formal review of the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code before commencing the remaining sections of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.
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, pursuant of the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 58761; how will the government support unparished areas in Devon like a) Exeter and b) Torbay in the Local Government Re-organisation process.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All two tier authorities and their neighbouring unitaries must have regard to the statutory guidance on local government reorganisation. Criterion six states that new unitary structures should enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment.
We understand communities should have their say on the future of local government in their area and we have been clear on the importance of councils engaging with local residents and organisations as they develop their proposals.
The power to create and restructure town and parish councils is devolved to principal local authorities, which can review and make changes to local governance arrangements through Community Governance Reviews. In doing so, they are expected to take the views of local people into account, and they should also consider the financial and administrative requirements.
Following the submission of proposals for unitary local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay on 28 November, it will be for the government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute. Responses from residents, town and parish councillors and local businesses to that consultation will be welcome.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support patients with pulmonary fibrosis in Devon.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Royal Devon University Hospital provides a regional interstitial lung disease service covering Devon. The team provides clinical care, support, and access to services such as pulmonary rehabilitation. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis may attend pulmonary rehabilitation services in Exeter, North Devon, Torbay, and Plymouth.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to move funding away from being centered in the London and the Home Counties and towards research projects in (a) Devon and (b) other areas of the UK.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research infrastructure spans England in order to build research capacity, including in Devon.
The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) is the main vehicle for clinical research delivery and will introduce a new national funding model in 2026/27 to ensure fair, transparent, and consistent funding across all regions, reducing variation, and supporting underserved areas.
Devon hosts four NIHR-funded infrastructure: the Regional Research Delivery Network South West Peninsula; the Exeter Biomedical Research Centre and Clinical Research Facility; the HealthTech Research Centre for Sustainable Innovation; and the Applied Research Collaboration for the South West Peninsula, which supports the whole of Devon. In line with prior commitments, the Department has increased funding for infrastructure developing and delivering research outside the greater South East.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care from across England and the United Kingdom. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Additionally, by investing in career development initiatives through the NIHR Academy, NIHR Infrastructure, and the RDN, the NIHR continues to fund high quality applied health and care research and training across England.