Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing a customs union with the EU on retail prices of consumer goods.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
No. The Government is working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. But we have been clear that there will be no return to the customs union.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing a customs union with the EU on the cyber security sector in Cheltenham.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
No. The Government is working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. But we have been clear that there will be no return to the customs union.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing a customs union with the EU on town centre businesses in Cheltenham.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
No. The Government is working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. But we have been clear that there will be no return to the customs union.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to improve the regulation of electrically assisted pedal cycles to (a) assist police with enforcement and (b) clarify the law for the public.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no immediate plans to amend the regulations on electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs). The previous administration consulted on potential changes to regulations, including increasing the maximum power of an EAPC from 250 to 500 Watts, but the Government has decided against this.
More broadly, the Government’s White Paper on English Devolution, published in December 2024, included proposals for greater powers for Local Transport Authorities to manage EAPC rental schemes and to tackle the scourge of badly parked cycles and e-cycles.
In addition, the Government will be bringing forward new legislation to enable the police to take vehicles, including EAPCs, off the road more quickly where they are being ridden in an anti-social manner, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing them.
Finally, the Department published updated information for the public in December 2024 on the legal use of EAPCs, which is available on gov.uk. It is for the police to take enforcement action where these rules are not followed.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to consult (a) disabled people and (b) relevant organisations on the future of disability benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are working to develop proposals for health and disability reform in the months ahead and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement later this year. This will launch a public consultation on the proposals.
This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, so we will consult on these proposals, with disabled people and representative organisations.
Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we have already started to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives, including through stakeholder roundtables and public visits. We look forward to progressing these initiatives over the coming months.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department (a) is undertaking research projects and (b) has issued recent guidance on best practice on pothole repairs.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew the local highway network.
As well as providing highway maintenance capital funding allocations to local highway authorities in England, it also funds the Transport Research Innovation Grant (T-TRIG) programme, run jointly with the Connected Places Catapult, and is funding the £30 million “Live Labs” Decarbonising Roads programme, which enables local authorities to trial innovative low-carbon ways of maintaining their highway networks.
In addition to the funding that the Department provides to local highway authorities, it endorses guidance such as the UK Roads Leadership Group’s Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure. This recommends that local highway authorities take an integrated, risk-based approach to managing their highway infrastructure, and offers advice on all aspects of highway maintenance, including the frequency of inspections recommended for various types of structures. The Department has committed to updating this guidance and has begun scoping changes with the UKRLG.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of pupils who have been absent from school due to a lack of provision of SEND services.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold information on the number of pupils who have been absent from school due to the lack of provision of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services. However, we recognise that rates of absence are generally higher for pupils with SEND and children attending special schools.
We also recognise that barriers to attendance are wide and complex, and this is particularly true for pupils with SEND. Addressing these barriers requires a support-first approach and strong relationships between families, schools, local authorities and other relevant local services.
This is why the department has published the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which became statutory in August 2024. The guidance promotes a support-first approach and provides detail on additional support for pupils with SEND. Where a pupil is not attending due to unmet or additional needs, this guidance sets out clear expectations on how schools, local authorities and wider services work together to access and provide the right support to improve attendance.
The department is working closely with schools and local authorities to ensure that education settings are able to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, including announcing £1 billion investment in high needs at the Autumn Budget 2024. This funding will help to ensure all children can access the high quality education that should be their right.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a customs union between the UK and the European Union on (a) the creative industries and (b) the sports and recreation industry.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government has been clear that there will be no return to the EU’s Customs Union so we have made no such assessment.
As agreed between the Prime Minister and President of the European Commission in October 2024, we are committed to strengthening the relationship between the UK and EU to find constructive ways to work together and deliver for the British people.
I am proud of the international reputation of our sports and creative industries. Notably, this Government has committed to address issues facing our brilliant musicians, artists and their support staff. We are already working hard with our sectors and engaging with the EU and EU Member States to this end.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure new GP surgeries are included as part of strategic housing developments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class NHS infrastructure across the entire NHS estate. Beyond hospitals, we know we need the right infrastructure in the right places to deliver on our commitments of creating a true Neighbourhood Health Service and ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve.
We are aware of the additional demand and challenges placed upon primary care infrastructure by significant housing developments. The Department of Health and Social Care has worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to address this issue in the recently published updated National Planning Policy Framework, clearly outlining the importance of health infrastructure. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government on updating guidance and ensuring that all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure.
The relevant integrated care board is responsible for deciding how the NHS budget for its area is spent, and allocates funding according to local priorities. Any further support for NHS organisations will be set out at the Autumn Spending Review.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of relocating civil service offices to Cheltenham via the Places for Growth Scheme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We are working with departments on their future workforce and location plans as part of the upcoming Spending Review.