Robert Goodwill

There has been significant interest in the UK Community Renewal Fund across the four investment priorities and bids are being assessed in line with the published assessment process. Outcomes will be announced shortly and bidders informed. We will provide further guidance on UK Community Renewal Fund as soon as possible, to enable bidders to plan for delivery once decisions have been announced.

With the exception of legal costs which were awarded to Defra by the High Court following the unsuccessful Judicial Review in 2019 and the owner’s failed appeal against the granting of a warrant, the costs associated with the compulsory slaughter of the twice-TB-test positive alpaca have not been separately accounted for.

Fire and rescue services will not have a general exemption from the requirements of the regulations. We consider that our most protected sites are not the place for wildfire training, and that other more suitable locations exist. We will engage with the Chief Fire Officers Association to understand whether this will impact on their ability to retain their expertise.

The request for a Minor and Temporary Adjustment to Higher Level Stewardship Schemes is a matter for the Rural Payments Agency in consultation with Natural England, who will take into consideration any wider circumstances surrounding that adjustment where it is made known to them.

In relation to the Moorhouse National Nature Reserve, there have been no representations to perform any future burning. There is no specific ban on burning for scientific purposes, but any such burning would need to be undertaken in accordance with the legislation.

The request for a Minor and Temporary Adjustment to Higher Level Stewardship Schemes is a matter for the Rural Payments Agency in consultation with Natural England, who will take into consideration any wider circumstances surrounding that adjustment where it is made known to them.

In relation to the Moorhouse National Nature Reserve, there have been no representations to perform any future burning. There is no specific ban on burning for scientific purposes, but any such burning would need to be undertaken in accordance with the legislation.

The proposed licensing regime for managed burning on protected blanket bog will include the ability to obtain a licence to burn for the purposes of wildfire mitigation where no other practicable management technique is available. We are currently drafting guidance that will be published in advance of the start of the burning season in 2021.

As set out in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 £355 million of new funding has been made available for zero emission buses. £150 million of this funding has been made available for 2021-22. The Department intends to allocate this funding to support to the Zero Emission Bus Region Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, taking the total funding available for the scheme to £270 million in the financial year 2021 to 2022.

£70.8 million of this funding has been awarded from the ZEBRA to five local transport authorities: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Leicester City Council, Kent County Council, Milton Keynes Council and Warrington Borough Council. The Department is in the process of formally awarding funding to these areas. A further 17 local transport authorities are working to produce business cases under the standard process of the scheme. The Department will award funding to successful business cases under the standard process in Spring 2022. As set out in guidance for the ZEBRA scheme all zero emission buses should come into service no later than two years after funding has been awarded.

The remaining £205 million funding announced in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 will be available over the Spending Review period. The Department will provide further details on how this funding will be used in due course.

As set out in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 £355 million of new funding has been made available for zero emission buses. £150 million of this funding has been made available for 2021-22. The Department intends to allocate this funding to support to the Zero Emission Bus Region Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, taking the total funding available for the scheme to £270 million in the financial year 2021 to 2022.

£70.8 million of this funding has been awarded from the ZEBRA to five local transport authorities: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Leicester City Council, Kent County Council, Milton Keynes Council and Warrington Borough Council. The Department is in the process of formally awarding funding to these areas. A further 17 local transport authorities are working to produce business cases under the standard process of the scheme. The Department will award funding to successful business cases under the standard process in Spring 2022. As set out in guidance for the ZEBRA scheme all zero emission buses should come into service no later than two years after funding has been awarded.

The remaining £205 million funding announced in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 will be available over the Spending Review period. The Department will provide further details on how this funding will be used in due course.

As set out in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 £355 million of new funding has been made available for zero emission buses. £150 million of this funding has been made available for 2021-22. The Department intends to allocate this funding to support to the Zero Emission Bus Region Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, taking the total funding available for the scheme to £270 million in the financial year 2021 to 2022.

£70.8 million of this funding has been awarded from the ZEBRA to five local transport authorities: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Leicester City Council, Kent County Council, Milton Keynes Council and Warrington Borough Council. The Department is in the process of formally awarding funding to these areas. A further 17 local transport authorities are working to produce business cases under the standard process of the scheme. The Department will award funding to successful business cases under the standard process in Spring 2022. As set out in guidance for the ZEBRA scheme all zero emission buses should come into service no later than two years after funding has been awarded.

The remaining £205 million funding announced in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 will be available over the Spending Review period. The Department will provide further details on how this funding will be used in due course.

Since 2014, all Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) weighing more than 12 tonnes pay a levy to use United Kingdom roads. While this levy has been suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is responsible for a drop in income since August 2020, £306 million has been raised by foreign registered vehicles. A breakdown of foreign registered vehicle revenue per year is set out below:

£7.4bn (excl. construction VAT) has been spent on delivering the HS2 project up to 31 March 2019. Expenditure in relation to the 2020/21 financial year, will be released as part of HS2 Ltd’s and the Department’s annual accounts publication. These are subject to audit processes to ensure accuracy. The Oakervee Review has been tasked with rigorously examining HS2 Ltd’s costs and schedule. The Review findings and Government’s assessment of the likely costs of High Speed 2 will be published shortly.

The Department is working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals which will allow it greater flexibility to expand and improve on the registration options open to international applicants, which includes the Overseas Registration Exam. We aim to launch a public consultation on these proposals later this year.

The Department is working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals which will allow it greater flexibility to expand and improve on the registration options open to international applicants, which includes the Overseas Registration Exam. We aim to launch a public consultation on these proposals later this year.

The Department is working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals which will allow it greater flexibility to expand and improve on the registration options open to international applicants, which includes the Overseas Registration Exam. We aim to launch a public consultation on these proposals later this year.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet local need. While available data suggests that the number of dentists providing NHS services in England is sufficient, the interim NHS People Plan commits to addressing geographic shortages.

We are working both on improving career pathways and the current dental contract. In the summer, Health Education England will publish the report of their ‘Advancing Dental Care’ programme which has explored opportunities for flexible dental training pathways and the Department will publish a report on the learning from dental contract reform programme.

The Department has asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to work with the British Dental Association to bring forward implementable proposals.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet local need. While available data suggests that the number of dentists providing NHS services in England is sufficient, the interim NHS People Plan commits to addressing geographic shortages.

We are working both on improving career pathways and the current dental contract. In the summer, Health Education England will publish the report of their ‘Advancing Dental Care’ programme which has explored opportunities for flexible dental training pathways and the Department will publish a report on the learning from dental contract reform programme.

The Department has asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to work with the British Dental Association to bring forward implementable proposals.

The UK is a Party to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), which supports our objective to improve international coordination to tackle tobacco fraud at all points in the supply chain.

The UK position on the various agenda items at the coming Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Protocol is being determined in advance of the meeting and will take account of how best to achieve this objective and whether the proposals being put forward are likely to be the most effective.

No assessment has been made of any Party’s final detailed position for the MOP. However, the objectives of all Parties within the Europe region of the Protocol are often closely aligned.

The Government does not plan to make a statement.

The UK is a Party to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol), which supports our objective to improve international coordination to tackle tobacco fraud at all points in the supply chain.

The UK position on the various agenda items at the coming Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Protocol is being determined in advance of the meeting and will take account of how best to achieve this objective and whether the proposals being put forward are likely to be the most effective.

No assessment has been made of any Party’s final detailed position for the MOP. However, the objectives of all Parties within the Europe region of the Protocol are often closely aligned.

The Government does not plan to make a statement.

The Ministry of Defence has no plans to reschedule Armed Forces Day/Week in 2020. This is a timely opportunity to pay tribute to all our Armed Forces at a time of particular challenge.

Whilst the majority of Armed Forces Day events have been cancelled, we will still be encouraging the nation to show their support for our Armed Forces from their homes on 27 June.

Although there can be no National Event in Scarborough this year, I hope that its people will continue to support the day, albeit not as originally planned. I am also pleased to announce that Scarborough will be the venue for the Armed Forces Day National Event in 2021.

The Government has set out a package of measures to tackle unfair practices in the leasehold market and promote transparency and fairness for both leaseholders and freeholders.

We will bring forward legislation in the upcoming session to restrict ground rents on newly created leases to a peppercorn (zero financial value). This will be the first part of seminal two-part legislation to implement reforms in this Parliament. In line with usual practice, the government’s intention would be to publish an impact assessment on our leasehold reforms as part of taking primary legislation through Parliament.

The Government has set out a package of measures to tackle unfair practices in the leasehold market and promote transparency and fairness for both leaseholders and freeholders.

We will bring forward legislation in the upcoming session to restrict ground rents on newly created leases to a peppercorn (zero financial value). This will be the first part of seminal two-part legislation to implement reforms in this Parliament. In line with usual practice, the government’s intention would be to publish an impact assessment on our leasehold reforms as part of taking primary legislation through Parliament.