Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support developers to comply with biodiversity net gain policy for large housing developments when credits (a) are and (b) are not available.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has published extensive guidance on biodiversity net gain (BNG), alongside the statutory biodiversity metric tool, which supports developers in calculating the biodiversity value of their developments.
Defra are also funding the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) to support LPAs administer biodiversity net gain in their areas and support the development of local biodiversity markets. The biodiversity gain sites register operated by Natural England at a national level and allows developers to record off-site gains and evidence that they will achieve BNG.
Where developers are not able to achieve BNG on the development site, or through the purchase of off-site habitat enhancements, the statutory biodiversity credits scheme, also operated by Natural England, is available. The intention is for statutory credits to be a last resort, enabling developers to meet their biodiversity net gain if other options are not possible. Revenue generated from statutory credits will be used to support habitat creation in England.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on expediting and expanding the Online Safety Act 2023 to tackle violence against women and girls.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.
Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government, and that's why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve these crimes in a decade.
We will go further than before to deliver a cross-Government transformative approach, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year. On 22 January 2025, the Government introduced new legislation which will make creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images a criminal offence.
The Online Safety Act 2023 designates material relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority offence. Platforms must put in place systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Illegal Harms Codes, laid before Parliament in December and coming into force from 17 March this year, sets out the steps companies must take to meet their duties under the Act to tackle this content.
On 31 January 2024, the Act's new offences of cyberflashing and the sharing and threatening to share intimate images including 'deepfake' pornography without consent came into effect. These are also priority illegal offences.
In addition, the Act requires Ofcom to produce guidance which summarises in one clear place measures that can be taken to tackle the abuse that women and girls disproportionately face online. Ofcom has begun developing this guidance and will consult on it this month.
I regularly meet with the Minster for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety to discuss these matters, and my officials also engage regularly with DSIT on technology-facilitated VAWG.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what guidance she plans to issue to combined authority mayors on ensuring (a) clear accountability for the implementation of new devolved transport powers and (b) that regional transport planning (i) aligns with the work of Great British Rail and (ii) helps to deliver a cohesive national rail strategy.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English Devolution Accountability Framework and Scrutiny Protocol set out the accountability requirements for all Combined Authorities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s English Devolution White Paper set out the government’s commitment to work with the sector to explore a number of measures to enhance local scrutiny and accountability.
Where a Mayoral Combined Authority is in receipt of an integrated funding settlement, this will be underpinned by the Memorandum of Understanding, available at Integrated Settlements for Mayoral Combined Authorities - GOV.UK, and an individual outcomes framework for delivery, to be agreed with government.
For the transport measures that require implementation guidance, this is being developed and will be published in due course. Devolved leaders in Mayoral Combined Authorities will have a statutory role in governing, managing, planning and developing the Great British Railways (GBR) network. GBR will be organised to work collaboratively with mayors and local stakeholders, ensuring rail better meets local needs. Supporting this, GBR will agree partnerships with mayors, demonstrating a change in how the railway engages locally.
Local influence and control will need to be balanced with Great British Railways (GBR) taking decisions in the interest of the wider regional and national network in line with the Long-Term Rail Strategy that will be put in place.
On 18th February we launched the 8-week public consultation into the Government’s proposals for the Railways Bill. This consultation seeks views on the key legislative proposals that will form part of the upcoming Railways Bill and make that vision a reality.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's White Paper, English Devolution, published on 16 December 2024, when she will publish guidance on the (a) powers and (b) implementation accountability of Metro Mayors on transport; and how Metro Mayors' powers will align with Great British Railways' (a) role and (b) responsibility to deliver a national rail strategy.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English Devolution Accountability Framework and Scrutiny Protocol set out the accountability requirements for all Combined Authorities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s English Devolution White Paper set out the government’s commitment to work with the sector to explore a number of measures to enhance local scrutiny and accountability.
Where a Mayoral Combined Authority is in receipt of an integrated funding settlement, this will be underpinned by the Memorandum of Understanding, available at Integrated Settlements for Mayoral Combined Authorities - GOV.UK, and an individual outcomes framework for delivery, to be agreed with government.
For the transport measures that require implementation guidance, this is being developed and will be published in due course. Devolved leaders in Mayoral Combined Authorities will have a statutory role in governing, managing, planning and developing the Great British Railways (GBR) network. GBR will be organised to work collaboratively with mayors and local stakeholders, ensuring rail better meets local needs. Supporting this, GBR will agree partnerships with mayors, demonstrating a change in how the railway engages locally.
Local influence and control will need to be balanced with Great British Railways (GBR) taking decisions in the interest of the wider regional and national network in line with the Long-Term Rail Strategy that will be put in place. Further detail is outlined in an 8-week public consultation into the Government’s proposals for the Railways Bill, published on 18th February. This consultation seeks views on the key legislative proposals that will form part of the upcoming Railways Bill and make that vision a reality.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to reduce the time taken for planning applications to commence for developments for which biodiversity net gain credits are required.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Biodiversity net gain is a post-permission matter, meaning a Biodiversity gain plan needs to be submitted and approved once planning permission has been granted and before the commencement of development.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of available sites for biodiversity net gain credits in south west Devon.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Biodiversity net gain is a post-permission matter, meaning a Biodiversity gain plan needs to be submitted and approved once planning permission has been granted and before the commencement of development.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is taking steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to enable banking hubs to offer postal services.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade continues to engage with His Majesty's Treasury on the Government’s commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs. Banking hubs are a voluntary service which were developed by the financial services sector to protect access to cash under the Financial Services Act 2023. Their rollout is overseen by Cash Access UK and funded by the banks for the purpose of coordinating banking hub delivery.
The Government-set Access Criteria ensures that however the network changes, Post Office delivers essential services, including banking and cash services, within local reach of all citizens.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has has made of the potential impact of (a) Young Futures Hubs and (b) Young Futures Prevention Partnerships on tackling violence against women and girls.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening altogether.
This focus on prevention also sits at the heart of the Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships.
Young Futures Prevention Partnerships will bring local partners together to intervene earlier to ensure that vulnerable children at-risk of being drawn into a variety of crime types (including anti-social behaviour, knife crime and violence against women and girls) are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.
Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.
Officials from across a range of departments are working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape how the Young Futures Hubs will work in practice.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of youth services on (a) preventing and (b) tackling violence against women and girls.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening all together.
The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will set out our strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver this ambition. We are considering a range of policy options across government to prevent these crimes including education for young people around healthy relationships and consent, community interventions and tackling online VAWG.
That includes looking at how we can work most effectively with youth services and through the Young Futures programme to deliver this ambition.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report by Sustrans entitled The Cycling Opportunity, published on 11 September 2024, what steps she is taking to improve access to cycles for disabled people.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government agrees that everyone, including disabled people, should be able to make the most of the health and wellbeing benefits which cycling can bring. The Government has announced an additional £100 million of capital investment in cycling and walking infrastructure for the financial year 2025/26, and will say more on this shortly. As the Department develops its future plans for active travel, it will consider, alongside Active Travel England, options for enabling more disabled people to access adapted cycles, which are often much more expensive than other cycles. In the meantime, the Cycle to Work scheme already enables many disabled people to access adapted cycles at a reduced cost.