Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what criteria will he base the review of the Carr-Hill formula.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.
The review of the Carr-Hill formula will draw on a range of evidence and advice from experts, with a focus on how health need is reflected in funding. Further detail on the review will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help make the HM Revenue and Customs helpline more accessible to customers.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HMRC publish monthly performance data, including information on their telephony service, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports.
Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC.
A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. This will reduce pressure on phone lines, freeing up HMRC advisors to help those who are digitally excluded, have complex tax affairs, or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
As of 2024-25, there were more than 5.9 million users of the HMRC app, which allows people to manage their tax affairs quickly and easily.
HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap sets out further steps to improve the customer experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses. The Transformation Roadmap can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-transformation-roadmap
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of the HM Revenue and Customs helpline.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HMRC publish monthly performance data, including information on their telephony service, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports.
Improving day-to-day performance is one of the Government’s key priorities for HMRC.
A key part of this plan is expanding HMRC’s digital services. This will reduce pressure on phone lines, freeing up HMRC advisors to help those who are digitally excluded, have complex tax affairs, or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
As of 2024-25, there were more than 5.9 million users of the HMRC app, which allows people to manage their tax affairs quickly and easily.
HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap sets out further steps to improve the customer experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses. The Transformation Roadmap can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-transformation-roadmap
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on selling energy generated by community-led renewable energy schemes directly to the community.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State previously commissioned Ofgem to explore some of the policy and regulatory barriers to local supply. The Department is working closely with Ofgem, Great British Energy and other key stakeholders to determine how best to support local generation being matched with local demand.
The energy industry has also been working to make changes to industry rules to support the local trade of energy, including code modifications to the Balancing and Settlement Code, P442, and standardising the classification of local energy sites, P441. Further updates and outcomes from this work will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department holds data on the number of (a) cycle and (b) car parking spaces at each (i) Crown and (ii) Magistrate Court.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMCTS holds data on the number of car parking spaces at each Crown and Magistrates’ Court, which can be found in the attached spreadsheet. HMCTS does not hold equivalent data on the number of cycle parking spaces at each Crown and Magistrates’ Court.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to prevent people from selling high-powered e-bikes and scooters that are not legal for use on roads.
Answered by Justin Madders
The UK’s legal framework for product safety places responsibility for the safety of e-bikes and e-scooters on the businesses manufacturing or importing them. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and Local Authority Trading Standards enforce the regulations.
Vehicles sold for a legitimate and permitted use but which are used on public land illegally is an enforcement matter for the police, under the Department for Transport’s road safety regime.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that self-employed delivery riders are included in mandatory training obligations designed to protect (a) themselves and (b) the public.
Answered by Justin Madders
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, self-employed people have duties with regards to health and safety where they employ others, or where their work creates a risk to others who are not their employees. Existing UK laws also require that all consumer products must be safe before businesses can place them on the market, including those sold online.
We recognise that new technologies and ways of working have made it more complex for businesses and workers to apply the law, which is why the Government has committed to consulting on a simpler framework for employment status.