Rebecca Pow

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport and I agree about the vital contribution of road and rail infrastructure to national and local economic growth and resilience. In the Spending Review, the government committed to £7.2 billion of transport investment in the South West, including projects with benefits for the Heart of the South West area such as the £2 billion investment to dual the A303. The government also confirmed that:

• Projects such as the North Devon Link Road will be able to bid for the new £475 million Local Majors Fund.
• It is investing £20 million in the New Stations Fund, which will look at bids including the proposal for a stop between Castle Cary to Taunton.
• The new South Western rail franchise will incentivise bidders to increase capacity and improve passenger satisfaction.
• Existing £195.5m Growth Deal commitments, including transport infrastructure, have been confirmed.

The Department has had no specific discussions about the establishment of a Marine Geospatial Innovation Centre but I am aware of discussions happening locally, building on a regional initiative to establish a Digital Innovation Centre in Taunton. The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has been working with the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Taunton Deane Borough and Somerset County Councils, and local academia to scope the feasibility of developing a Marine Geospatial Innovation Centre. The Department is engaged in discussions led by the Defence Growth Partnership to better coordinate and enhance local and regional expertise. Both the UKHO and the Heart of the South West LEP have been engaged in these discussions.

Energy from waste (EfW) plays an important role in diverting waste from landfill sites, however we are working across Government to ensure that it does not compete with greater recycling, reuse and prevention.

EfW technologies, including EfW with combined heat and power, and waste gasification, are eligible for support under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. To date the CfD scheme has supported two EfW projects and nine waste gasification projects.

The Clean Growth strategy announced that up to £557 million will be available for future CfDs and that the next CfD auction is planned for spring 2019.

Apprenticeships are our priority for equipping people with the skills this country needs. Apprenticeship starts on the horticulture framework increased by almost 50% between 2009/10 and 2014/15 and there are 2 new trailblazer standards approved and 2 in development.

We are also reforming post-16 provision to ensure that it meets the needs of local labour markets and learners. We have asked Landex, the organisation which represents 36 FE colleges and universities offering land-based programmes and supports agri-food, land and animal science education and training, to undertake a review of post-16 land based provision in England.

This will draw on data and analysis of all land based provision through specialist and general further education colleges, and other providers, and will feed into local steering group discussions and deliberations and into the wider review process.

Their review will highlight national as well as local provision which serves particular sectors across the land based industries. It will take account of for example, the Agri-food industry and Agri-Tech strategy to identify skills needs, and potential gaps in provision, including for higher level skills.

UK Export Finance has supported five coal mining projects in Russia since 2011, as follows:

UK Export Finance is currently providing support to five coal mining projects, as follows:

As the Prime Minister stated in her Mansion House speech, the UK is committed to continuing cultural collaboration between the UK and EU. Where possible, the UK will continue to participate in EU programmes where there is mutual benefit to the UK and the EU, ultimately, this will be determined as part of the future partnership negotiations between the UK and the EU. The British Film Institute (BFI) and its partners offer extensive support to the film industry - from development and skills to distribution and audiences - and this will continue independently of Creative Europe.

We are responsible for ensuring that England’s historic environment is properly protected, promoted and conserved for the benefit of present and future generations. The principle way in which Government protects buildings of special architectural or historic interest is through the listing system.

In addition, our arm’s length bodies provide valuable support to those looking after heritage and we continue to work closely with them to protect buildings all over the country.

Throughout the year officials from DCMS have engaged with counterparts from local projects in the South West region over a variety of issues, including roll-out of superfast broadband, and will continue to do so.

Last week, both the Secretary of State and the Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries wrote to MPs concerning superfast broadband, and BDUK director Raj Kalia wrote to local bodies as well.

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The apprenticeship funding rules set out eligible costs that the government will pay to support the training and assessment required to deliver an apprenticeship.

The funding rules do not set out the different skills required for each apprenticeship as these are different for every standard or framework. The knowledge, skills and behaviours required for each apprenticeship are set out in the standard and its assessment plan or in the framework that the apprentice undertakes. Where these include communication as an essential element of the skills needed for an apprentice to be competent, the costs of this training can be covered.

If an individual requires additional learning support that includes developing communication skills in order to successfully complete an apprenticeship, we will also pay up to £150 per month to support this.

The apprenticeship funding rules are published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules.

The Department publishes information on the number of pupils with special educational needs in each Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) by primary need type. This can be found in the underlying data of the “Special education needs in England” statistical releases found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-special-educational-needs-sen.

In January 2018, 365 pupils in PRUs who were identified with special educational needs, had speech, language and communication needs as their primary type of need. This is 2.2% of the 16,730 pupils with special educational needs in PRUs. These figures relate to pupils on special educational needs support and those with a statement or Education, Health and Care Plan who are registered to local authority maintained PRUs and Academy or Free School alternative provision as their main educational provider.

The role of the Designated Senior Leads for Mental Health in schools will be to take a strategic overview of a school or college’s approach to children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The Department is currently working towards a procurement of training for Designated Senior Leads, to be provided from the 2019/20 academic year. This will set out the broad areas that the training should cover to enable leads to put in place whole school approaches that incorporate the promotion of good mental wellbeing and resilience amongst pupils and staff. Where a school puts a lead in place, their role should complement existing statutory roles, including the Special Educational Needs coordinator to ensure that all pupils get the right support to meet their needs.

To increase support, the Government is also funding new Mental Health Support Teams working in or near schools. The teams will include a new trained workforce which can provide treatment and support to help reduce mental health problems worsening or developing in the first place. These new teams will be tested in ‘trailblazer’ areas from January 2019.

The government is committed to ensuring that children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) get the support they need to lead safe, fulfilling lives and to reach their potential.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice makes clear that local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and relevant others are responsible for commissioning specialist support locally using their high needs funding budgets. This includes support for SLCN. We have given an additional £250 million to high needs funding across 2018-19 and 2019-20 to help them fulfil these duties, on top of the £6 billion already provided for the high needs budget. Local authorities are required to develop and publish their local SEND offer based on an analysis of local need and we expect details of services for SLCN, including how they can be accessed, to be included.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has set out his ambition to halve the 28% of children who finish their reception year without the early communication and reading skills they need to thrive by 2028. The Department for Education is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England to support health visitors and early years practitioners to identify and support children’s early SLCN. We are investing £26 million to set up a network of English hubs, £20 million to provide professional development for early years practitioners, and £7.5 million to understand what works in partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation. We are investing £6.5 million in voluntary and charity sector grants supporting the home learning environment.

Where children are at risk of harm, it is particularly important that they are supported to communicate their needs. The statutory guidance 'Working together to safeguard children' (2018) is clear that special provision should be put in place to support dialogue with children who have communication difficulties. This child-centred approach is supported by the Children Act (1989) and emphasised further in the interim findings of the children in need review.

Protecting our pollinators is a priority for this Government. They are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production.

Our National Pollinator Strategy sets out comprehensive measures to support pollinators and identifies actions for everyone, be they land managers, councils, or window-box gardeners, to do their bit.

The “Bees’ Needs” campaign (www.beesneeds.org.uk) is included in the Strategy and explains what action can be taken to provide food, shelter and nest sites for pollinators. It contains a series of information sheets providing practical advice to local authorities, businesses and gardeners about managing urban or industrial green spaces and gardens for bees and other pollinators.

Defra’s Pest Risk Analysis for the small hive beetle, including an assessment of its potential impact, has been published and can be found at www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=945. The species risk analysis for the Asian hornet is also available online at www.nonnativespecies.org/downloadDocument.cfm?id=643.

With the establishment of the Asian hornet in south-west France and its spread into northern France alongside the Channel, as well as the presence of the small hive beetle in southern Italy, the National Bee Unit has increased the number of risk based exotic pest inspections. It routinely provides advice and training to beekeepers to raise awareness of the threat and the need for vigilance.

Protecting our country from plant and tree pests and diseases is important for our economy, the environment and our health. Defra is committed to protecting our borders from pests and building the resilience of our trees and plants.

We assess the impacts of pests and disease threats on trees and plants and take a risk-based approach to ensure that our response is directed towards priority pests and diseases and their respective pathways. We have produced a prioritised plant health risk register which is used to identify risks and agree priorities for action.

The Forestry Commission has a comprehensive monitoring and surveillance programme in place for tree pests and diseases in woodlands. Maps of the latest confirmed findings are available on its website:

www.forestry.gov.uk/pestsanddiseases

Defra has funded research to ‘Assess and address the impacts of ash dieback on UK woodlands and trees of conservation importance’. The published report includes a series of case studies on sites of ancient woodland and is available at:

http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5273931279761408

Recent computer modelling has been carried out to assess the benefits of some of the works carried out under the Somerset Flood Action Plan. This indicates that, in a repeat of the weather seen in Winter 2013/14, closure of the A361 would be reduced to about three weeks instead of the nine to ten weeks in 2013/14, and the impact on the rail line from Bristol to Taunton across Northmoor would be reduced.

In terms of Hinkley C site development, licensed nuclear site operators are responsible for undertaking flood risk assessments and providing and maintaining control measures to ensure their sites remain safe from faults and damage arising from flooding. In addition Local Authorities must ensure that their off-site plan for a nuclear emergency is resilient to a range of weather conditions (e.g. those leading to, or involving, flooding or heavy snow).

Natural England estimates that 15% of ancient woodlandis located within national parks and 30% is located within areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs). In national parks, 29%of this woodland has site of special scientific interest (SSSI) status; in AONBs, 13% of this woodland has SSSI status.

We continue to have regular conversations with ministerial colleagues across Government on all aspects of exiting the EU, including agricultural policy.

The Agriculture Bill is part of the Government’s programme of critical legislation to deliver a smooth Exit from the European Union and seize the opportunities of a green Brexit. It will allow us to break from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and free farmers to continue producing world-class produce.

My predecessors in Government have made huge progress in improving British aid by creating an independent aid watchdog, introducing much tougher value-for-money controls and making DFID’s spending even more transparent.

The Government’s vision is to have one of the best infrastructure networks in the world for electric vehicles, and we want chargepoints to be accessible, affordable and secure. The Government’s grant schemes fund chargepoints at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. The £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will add thousands more public chargepoints to the 17,000 already installed. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act gives Government new powers to regulate the chargepoint market and improve the experience for consumers.

The UK was a leading participant in the April 2018 negotiations that led to the Initial International Maritime Organization Greenhouse Gas Strategy. The UK continues to play a leading role in efforts to address carbon emissions from international shipping.

Domestically, we will be launching our Clean Maritime Plan in Spring 2019. This will set out plans to address both greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions from shipping, and will underpin our long-term vision of zero emission shipping.

No such assessment has been made. Network Rail is currently assessing the case for further electrification of the rail network. It plans to publish a draft update to the industry electrification strategy in early 2016, taking into account the outcome of the review by Sir Peter Hendy of Network Rail’s programme of rail investment.

The Department has provided £2.8m funding to Somerset Council to upgrade transport links before construction begins. It will help guide the Council on the development of business cases for road, rail and public transport changes and on bidding for funding to support this, including seeking an appropriate contribution from third parties.

The Department for Transport continues to meet regularly with Somerset County Council to discuss a number of issues related to transport, including resilience. The Minister with responsibility for roads, my Hon Friend, the Hon Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones), recently sent a letter to all local highway authorities in England with respect to this including reminding councils of their duties in respect to clearing drains and gullies to prevent the risk of surface water flooding on the local road network . In addition the Department for Transport provided over £22 million, as part of the Government response to the flood events of 2013/14 and the Somerset Flood Action Plan. This funding helped in raising the main road into Muchelney and also installing four culverts at Beer Wall to reduce the risks of flooding and local communities being cut-off in the future.

Following flooding incidents in 2012-14,Network Rail iscurrently implementing a £31million package of schemes to improve the resilience of the Great Western route through the Thames Valley and the West of England. Work has already been completed at Whiteball Tunnel, near Taunton.