Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the change in the number of miles of (a) public footpaths, (b) bridleways, (c) restricted byways and (d) other public (i) walkways and (ii) cycleways in the UK since 2015.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The public rights of way network provides approximately 140,000 miles of linear access in England and Wales, with 83% found in England and 17% in Wales. In England this consists approximately of:

• 91,000 miles of footpaths
• 20,000 miles of bridleways
• 3,700 miles of restricted byways
• 2,300 miles of byways open to all traffic (BOATs).

In addition, when both the King Charles III England Coast Path and Coast to Coast National Trail are complete, the total length of National Trails in England will be 4,952 miles. Permissive paths also give the public access to large amounts of the English countryside.

The National Cycle Network spans 12,000 miles of signed routes for walking, wheeling and cycling including over 5,000 miles of traffic free paths. There are 2,000 miles of canal towpaths in England and Wales.

Information on overall lengths of publicly maintainable cycleways and footways, along with changes to the public rights of way network and other walkways and cycle paths since 2015 in England is held by the respective local authority. Further information on public rights of way and other public paths or routes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Welsh and Scottish Governments and Northern Ireland Executive respectively.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of miles of (a) public footpaths, (b) bridleways, (c) restricted byways and (d) other public (i) walkways and (ii) cycleways in the UK.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The public rights of way network provides approximately 140,000 miles of linear access in England and Wales, with 83% found in England and 17% in Wales. In England this consists approximately of:

• 91,000 miles of footpaths
• 20,000 miles of bridleways
• 3,700 miles of restricted byways
• 2,300 miles of byways open to all traffic (BOATs).

In addition, when both the King Charles III England Coast Path and Coast to Coast National Trail are complete, the total length of National Trails in England will be 4,952 miles. Permissive paths also give the public access to large amounts of the English countryside.

The National Cycle Network spans 12,000 miles of signed routes for walking, wheeling and cycling including over 5,000 miles of traffic free paths. There are 2,000 miles of canal towpaths in England and Wales.

Information on overall lengths of publicly maintainable cycleways and footways, along with changes to the public rights of way network and other walkways and cycle paths since 2015 in England is held by the respective local authority. Further information on public rights of way and other public paths or routes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Welsh and Scottish Governments and Northern Ireland Executive respectively.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39774, what assessment she has made of the medium-long term impact of the closure of (a) grassroots and (b) cultural nightlife businesses on tax revenue.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street. That is why we have announced our intention to introduce permanently lower rates for high street RHL properties, with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27, which we intend to fund through a higher rate for high-value properties (those with a rateable value of £500,000 and above).

Ahead of these changes being made, the Government recognises that businesses will need support in 2025-26. As such, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year to ensure that over 250,000 RHL properties see a full 40 per cent reduction on their liability, and we have frozen the small business multiplier. Taken together with small business rates relief, freezing the small business multiplier has protected over one million properties from inflationary bill increases.

To recognise the economic and cultural importance of British pubs, the government also announced a duty cut on approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) of all ages and (b) under 22 years of age receive the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity element of Universal Credit in the (i) London Borough of Merton and (ii) the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Quarterly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work in Great Britain are published on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides figures up to December 2024 which can be broken down by ‘Age (in bands and single year)’, Westminster Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) of all ages and (b) under 22 years of age receive the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity element of Universal Credit in Wimbledon constituency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Quarterly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work in Great Britain are published on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides figures up to December 2024 which can be broken down by ‘Age (in bands and single year)’, Westminster Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a targeted VAT relief to 15% for (a) food, (b) alcohol and (c) tickets for (i) grassroots and (ii) cultural nightlife businesses.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.

At Autumn Budget the Chancellor announced a duty cut on approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of energy costs on nightlife businesses.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We recognise the impact that high energy costs are having on nightlife businesses. Through the Clean Energy 2030 Action Plan, we are providing a foundation to build an energy system that can bring down energy bills for businesses for good.

To further support businesses including those in the night-time economy, Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and our forthcoming Small Business Strategy will set out our plan for further supporting small businesses on the high street and beyond. We are also constantly testing our planning, regulatory and licensing regimes to ensure they remain proportionate and don’t unnecessarily burden night-time businesses.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will publish a response to her Department's consultation entitled, Design standards for accessible railway stations: a code of practice, published on 23 August 2023.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This consultation was conducted under the previous government. The Department for Transport is currently considering publication of a response.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact Appendix B of the PRM NTSN on the availability of step-free Access at Railway Stations.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State for Transport has no plans to remove Appendix B from the Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM) NTSN.

The PRM NTSN is one of several measures that help make the railway more accessible and should be considered in conjunction with relevant National Technical Rules, Rail Industry Standards and operators’ Accessible Travel Policies amongst other measures. My Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of Appendix B on the availability of step free access at stations, but we keep all NTSNs under regular review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to remove Appendix B of the PRM NTSN.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State for Transport has no plans to remove Appendix B from the Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM) NTSN.

The PRM NTSN is one of several measures that help make the railway more accessible and should be considered in conjunction with relevant National Technical Rules, Rail Industry Standards and operators’ Accessible Travel Policies amongst other measures. My Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of Appendix B on the availability of step free access at stations, but we keep all NTSNs under regular review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many railway stations underwent development where (a) full step-free access and (b) only passive provision was provided between 2019 and 2024.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

During the period 2019 – 2024, 66 major accessibility interventions were delivered at 63 different stations under the Access for All Programme, 4 of which were fixed funding contributions through the Access for All mid-tier programme.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support leaseholders with the cost of lease renewal.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes provisions that will make it cheaper and easier for existing leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold.

As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the Act’s provisions.

These include an amended valuation scheme that leaseholders must follow to calculate how much they should pay to enfranchise. The method set by the Act for the valuation process removes the requirement for marriage value to be paid, caps the treatment of ground rents in the valuation calculation at 0.1% of the freehold value and allows Government to prescribe the rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium. Rates will be set by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation, and we will consult on valuation rates this summer.

The Act also includes a new statutory right to a 990-year lease extension for leaseholders of both houses and flats and makes extending a lease cheaper for leaseholders by requiring each side to pay their own process costs, such as valuation and solicitor's fees.

The implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will require an extensive programme of secondary legislation and we will set out the details in due course.

Blockade of aid to Gaza

Prevent strategy

Injury on Duty Award Scheme

Introduction of the Hillsborough Law and the 36th anniversary

Protecting children from data exploitation

Israeli Defence Force attacks on humanitarian workers

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Humanitarian response to the Myanmar earthquake

Wellbeing benefits of outdoor education to young people

Found: Karen Bradley (Conservative; Staffordshire Moorlands) (Chair) Shaun Davies (Labour; Telford) Mr Paul Kohler

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Karen Bradley (Chair); Mr Paul Kohler; Robbie Moore; Margaret

Found: Home Affairs Committee member also present: Paul Kohler.

Found: Negatived on division_490 Munira Wilson Mr Paul Kohler Gideon Amos Monica Harding Anna Dixon Calum

Found: _490 Munira Wilson Mr Paul Kohler Gideon Amos Monica Harding Anna Dixon Calum Miller Rachael