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 assessment of the adequacy of the level of funding for waterways.

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

The Canal and River Trust is the largest inland waterway navigation authority in England and Wales, responsible for the 2,000 miles of canals and rivers it owns. The Government is currently providing the Trust with a 15-year grant (2012-2027) totalling about £740 million to support maintenance of the canal network infrastructure. A review of the grant funding concluded that the Trust is providing value for money and there was a good case for continued grant funding. A further substantial 10-year grant from 2027 of £401 million was announced in July 2023, reconfirmed by the Government in August 2024, reflecting the importance of the country’s inland waterways and supporting the Trust in the long-standing objective of reducing reliance on public funding while developing alternative funding sources.

The Government also provides grant-in-aid funding to the Environment Agency to support its 630 miles of navigations. This totalled around £70 million over the last three years. Future funding will be determined as part of the current spending review.

There is no other general Government funding available for inland waterways, and the other navigation authorities responsible for smaller waterway networks raise funds through their boat licensing regimes and other activities working with local communities.

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 restore the license for ASOLUX; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the restoration of that license on the growth of bracken in (a) the Quantocks and (b) Exmoor within the Tiverton and Minehead Constituency.

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

Asulox is a herbicide containing the active substance asulam, which is not approved for use in the UK. For some years, use of Asulox to control bracken has been allowed under strictly controlled conditions under emergency authorisation arrangements. In 2023 the company behind asulam decided to cease supporting further applications for emergency authorisation and has not applied for UK approval of asulam. There are therefore no plans to restore the licence for Asulox or assess the potential impact of its restoration.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to (a) review the planned changes to alcohol duty rates before their implementation in February 2025, notwithstanding an extension of the current duty freeze and (b) publish an impact assessment of the planned changes (i) on the (A) hospitality and (B) wine production sectors and (ii) more broadly.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As with all taxes, the Government keeps alcohol duty rates under review during its Budget process. Any substantive tax changes would be accompanied by a relevant Tax Information and Impact Note.

The current temporary duty easement for wine is due to end on 31 January 2025.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has provided to youth groups in Tiverton and Minehead constituency in the two latest periods for which data is available; and if she will take steps to increase that funding.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

This government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving young people’s life chances and wellbeing. As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. This is funded through the Local Government Settlement which amounts to over £60 billion this year.

This is in addition to the DCMS investment of over £500 million in youth services to ensure every young person has access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. Within the Tiverton and Minehead constituency, DCMS has directly provided funding for Duke of Edinburgh to be run within schools, encouraging young people to develop skills, build confidence, and make a difference in their communities through volunteering, access to the outdoors, and skills development.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the National Care Institute for Health and Care Excellence severity modifier in 2022 on the (a) appraisal of Enhertu for HER2-low secondary breast cancer and (b) availability of new treatments for secondary breast cancer over the next (i) five, (ii) ten and (iii) twenty years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for developing the methods and processes it uses in its evaluations independently, and in consultation with stakeholders. The severity modifier that the NICE introduced in 2022 is based on evidence of societal preferences, and was introduced as part of a comprehensive review of the NICE’s methods and processes, following extensive public and stakeholder engagement. The severity modifier was designed to be opportunity cost neutral in relation to the end of life modifier that it replaced, and to apply to a broader range of conditions than had benefited from the end of life modifier.

The NICE was unfortunately unable to recommend Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) for the treatment of HER2-low secondary breast cancer in its final guidance published in July 2024, despite the topic being awarded a severity weighting. Other drugs for advanced cancer, including breast cancer, have been approved using these methods.

No assessment has been made on the likely impact on appraisals of future breast cancer medicines. However, since its introduction, the severity modifier has resulted in a higher approval rate for cancer medicines than under the NICE’s previous methods, and has also allowed greater weight to be applied to non-cancer medicines that address a broader range of severe diseases, enabling the NICE to recommend medicines for conditions such as cystic fibrosis and hepatitis D. The NICE is keeping the impact of the severity modifier under review and is scoping further research into society’s preferences on how much additional weighting to give to health benefits for people with severe diseases.

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 hold discussions with the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead on the (a) Exmoor Farmers' Network and (b) farming community in Tiverton and Minehead constituency.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

My Defra private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead on the (a) condition of Tiverton High School and (b) school community.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is unable to meet at present due to constraints on her diary. However, departmental officials will be in touch with you shortly to arrange a meeting with the honourable member who are best placed to provide detail on the condition of the school.

Frozen pensions for UK citizens overseas

Social care workers and National Insurance

GWR Sunday timetable

Ban trophy hunting imports

UN Special Rapporteur's report on atrocity crimes in Iran

World Mental Health Day 2024

Establishment of the Women’s Caucus in Westminster

Value of grasslands

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel

Found: Miller Brian Mathew David Chadwick Anna Sabine Rachael Maskell Richard Foord Nadia Whittome Rachel