Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the impact of the provision of council services in rural areas on the cost of those services in (a) North Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is absolutely committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. Places with a significant rural population will on average receive almost a 6% increase in their Core Spending Power (CSP) next year, which is a real terms increase. No council will see a reduction – and new funding will be available to rural areas in 2025-26 through guaranteed EPR payments.
For Dorset Council this represents an increase of 5.9% in CSP - making available a total of up to £451.1 million in 2025-26.
The government is currently inviting views on how best to consider the impact of rurality on the costs of service delivery, and demand, as part of our longer-term consultation on local authority funding reform. Within this, we propose continuing to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for relative cost differences between local authorities, including differences between rural and urban areas.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions on employment rates (a) nationally, (b) in Dorset and (c) in North Dorset constituency in the next 12 months.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Budget Responsibility's October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) contains forecasts and assessments of government policy, including the changes to employer National Insurance Contributions.
The OBR expects the 16+ employment rate to remain relatively flat across the forecast, falling by 0.1ppts from 60.0% in 2024 to 59.9% in 2029. Paragraph 3.11 of the EFO provides a detailed analysis of the total impact of the changes to employer National Insurance Contributions on wages, profits and labour supply.
The OBR's forecast does not disaggregate these impacts by region or constituency.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the coverage is of 5G in Dorset; and what steps he is taking to improve 5G coverage in rural areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I have raised my concerns about the reporting of mobile connectivity with Ofcom, but Ofcom reports that 5G is available outside 86% of premises across the Dorset local authority area from at least one mobile operator.
In order to realise the full economic and social benefits of 5G, our ambition is for all populated areas, including communities in rural areas, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.
We work closely with the mobile industry and are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition in the market. As part of this work, the Government intends to reform the planning system to make it easier to build digital infrastructure.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the coverage is of superfast broadband in (a) Dorset and (b) North Dorset constituency; and what steps he is taking to improve superfast broadband coverage in hard-to-reach areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 97% of premises in Dorset can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 61% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps). In the North Dorset constituency, over 98% can access superfast broadband speeds, and over 78% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection.
To improve this coverage further, Wessex Internet is delivering two contracts under Project Gigabit, targeted at bringing fast, reliable broadband to premises in hard-to-reach areas that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish the Road Investment Strategy 3; and what funding is available via that scheme.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) will cover the five-year period from April 2026 to March 2031. We expect to publish that Strategy at the end of 2025 with a draft Strategy published in the summer of 2025. An Interim Settlement for National Highways will be in place covering 2025-26.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure access to banking services in areas affected by bank closures.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets in Dorset and across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs, which will provide local residents and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services. Over 100 banking hubs are already open.
FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. This seeks to ensure that branch closures are implemented in a way that treats customers fairly.
Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of VAT changes on (a) private schools and (b) demand on the state sector in North Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has made no separate estimate of the number of pupils in North Dorset specifically who will leave the independent school system as a result of VAT impact on school fees.
Across the UK as a whole, including North Dorset, the government predicts, in the long-term steady state, there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private sector in the UK as a result of the removal of the VAT exemption applied to school fees. This represents around 6% of the current private school population.
Of the 37,000 pupil reduction in the private sector, the government estimates an increase of 35,000 pupils in the state sector in the steady state following the VAT policy taking effect, with the other 2,000 consisting of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system, and domestic pupils moving into homeschooling. This state sector increase represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over 9 million. This movement is expected to take place over several years.
The impact on individual local authorities will interact with other pressures and vary. Every year lots of pupils move between schools, including between the private and state-funded sectors.
Local authorities routinely support parents who need a state-funded school place, including where private schools have closed. Where local authorities are experiencing difficulties in ensuring there are enough school places for children that need them, the department will offer support and advice.
The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools.
Dorset Council has been allocated just below £1.5 million to support the provision of new mainstream school places needed over the current and next two academic years, up to and including the academic year starting in September 2026.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress she has made on changing licensing in the funeral home sector.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Funeral directors have a profound responsibility to treat those who have died with the utmost dignity and respect and the majority of funeral directors conduct themselves in accordance with the high standards expected of them. However, the Government recognises that there are some significant concerns about certain practices within the funeral sector, as evidenced by the incident in Hull.
This is a complex and sensitive matter that demands careful consideration to ensure a response that effectively safeguards the public. It is crucial to protect the rights and dignity of those who have died and their grieving families, while implementing measures that are proportionate.
For that reason, the Government is thoroughly evaluating all potential next steps to ensure that the high standards upheld by many within the funeral director sector are consistently reflected throughout the entire industry. This includes the possibility of introducing suitable and proportionate regulation for funeral directors. Further updates on the next steps will be provided in due course and the Government will respond to the Fuller Inquiry when its part two report is published.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution in response to the hon. Member for North Dorset during the Oral Statement of 16 December 2024 on English Devolution, Official Report, column 53, when her Department will commence a review into fair funding for rural councils.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is absolutely committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities.
We are committed to pursuing a comprehensive set of reforms for public services to fix the foundations of local government in partnership with the sector and on the principle of giving councils early certainty. As a core part of this plan, the government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27. We are inviting views on our principles and objectives for funding reform through a consultation (18 December – 12 February).
These reforms will build on the proposals set out in the previous government’s review of Relative Needs and Resources (also referred to as the ‘Fair Funding Review’), using the best available evidence to inform local authority funding allocations. We will move gradually towards an updated system and will invite views on possible transitional arrangements to determine how local authorities reach their new funding allocations.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the additional costs of providing council services in rural areas.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural councils in England. Places with a significant rural population will on average receive around a 5% increase in their Core Spending Power next year, which is a real terms increase. No council will see a reduction – and new funding will be available to rural areas in 2025-26 through guaranteed EPR payments. The government is keen to hear from councils about how best to consider the impact of rurality on the costs of service delivery, and demand, as part of our longer term consultations on local authority funding reform.