Steff Aquarone Portrait

Steff Aquarone

Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk

2,585 (5.5%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024



Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Steff Aquarone has voted in 247 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Steff Aquarone Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Jerome Mayhew (Conservative)
Opposition Whip (Commons)
(17 debate interactions)
Simon Lightwood (Labour (Co-op))
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
(13 debate interactions)
Chris Bryant (Labour)
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(9 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Legislation Debates
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL] 2024-26
(10,964 words contributed)
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
(2,223 words contributed)
Universal Credit Act 2025
(1,640 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Steff Aquarone's debates

North Norfolk Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.


Latest EDMs signed by Steff Aquarone

4th September 2025
Steff Aquarone signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 8th September 2025

First female Astronomer Royal

Tabled by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
That this House congratulates Professor Michelle Dougherty on her recent appointment as Astronomer Royal, becoming the first woman to hold the post in its 350 year history advising the monarch on astronomical issues; recognises the important contribution which she has made in her career to astronomy and physics and in …
24 signatures
(Most recent: 16 Sep 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 18
Green Party: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Labour: 1
Conservative: 1
1st September 2025
Steff Aquarone signed this EDM on Tuesday 2nd September 2025

Humanitarian situation in Gaza

Tabled by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
That, given the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe taking place in Gaza, the ongoing captivity of hostages by Hamas, and the planned expansion of the Israeli military's operations into Gaza City, an humble Address be presented to His Majesty that he will be graciously pleased to give directions that there be laid …
52 signatures
(Most recent: 15 Sep 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 47
Plaid Cymru: 4
Green Party: 1
View All Steff Aquarone's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Steff Aquarone, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Steff Aquarone has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Steff Aquarone has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Steff Aquarone has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Steff Aquarone has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
22nd Jul 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her Answer of 21 July 2025 Question 68537 on Emergencies: Sirens, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that communities in (a) coastal areas and (b) that have limited or no phone signal receive those alerts.

The Emergency Alert system is a UK Government capability that allows time critical life saving information to be broadcast to phones within a certain area.

This was introduced in April 2023, and has now been used five times. Emergency Alerts are instantaneous and the Government can send alerts directly to all compatible mobile phones within a geo-targeted area. A list of compatible mobile phones can be found on https://www.gov.uk/alerts/how-alerts-work. A second national test of the Emergency Alerts system will take place on Sunday 7 September around 3pm in the afternoon.

This is just one of many capabilities available to first responders in order to warn and inform the public of a risk to life. Broadcast media including local radio and online news websites disseminate important information, and specifically for adverse weather, warning methods include flood alerts via the Flood Warning Service, Met Office weather warnings and knocking door-to-door when safe.

16th Jul 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 66761 on Emergencies: Mobile Phones, what steps she is taking to support communities who have (a) no emergency sirens and (b) had their emergency sirens removed.

In the UK, we have a number of public warning and informing mechanisms that can be used in different situations when there is a risk to life. This includes the Emergency Alert system, introduced in April 2023, which has been used five times. Emergency Alerts are instantaneous and the Government can send alerts directly to all mobile phones within a geo-targeted area. A second national test of the emergency alerts system will take place on Sunday 7 September around 3pm in the afternoon.

Other warning methods include flood alerts via the Flood Warning Service, Met Office weather warnings and knocking door-to-door when safe.

10th Jul 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the publication entitled UK Government Resilience Action Plan published on 8 July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of emergency alert systems in rural areas with (a) poor and (b) no mobile signal.

Emergency Alerts are broadcast through mobile phone masts, and will be received by phones connected to the targeted masts. 95% of the UK landmass has 4G/5G coverage.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is continuing to work with the UK telecommunications industry to deliver 4G and 5G mobile connectivity to places where there is limited or no coverage.

Emergency alerts are part of a collection of warning and informing systems that we use in the UK for emergency response scenarios. Other methods include local sirens and knocking door-to-door when safe, as well as providing advice through media such as TV and radio.

8th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues attending the UK-EU summit on 19 May 2025 on access to a cross-border carbon storage market.

As part of the EU Reset we are working with the EU to identify areas to strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit including on energy. We are aligned with the EU ambition to support industry to deploy CCUS at scale and we both see CCUS as essential to meeting our respective net zero emissions.

We see a strong opportunity to collaborate with the EU on CCUS; our global early mover status, comparative regulatory regimes such as similar CO2 storage licensing and safety standards and our extensive offshore experience mean we can be a valuable partner to the EU. This includes establishing cross-border CO2 transport and storage networks across the continent.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
7th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the use of lower layer super output areas to define eligible postcodes for the Warm Homes Local Grant; and whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of that criteria in supporting households in poverty.

Lower layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) have been used to identify Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Income Decile 1-2 eligible postcodes for the Warm Homes: Local Grant.

The IMD Income Deprivation domain measures the proportion of the population experiencing deprivation relating to low income. Income Decile 1 represents the most economically deprived areas of the country and 10 the least.

I am therefore confident that use of IMD Income Deciles 1-2 to establish income eligibility for Warm Homes: Local Grant maintains a focus on low-income households. It will also support area-based delivery by Local Authorities – who have welcomed this eligibility route.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to publish an updated Community Benefits Protocol for England.

The Government is planning to publish updated community benefits guidance for onshore wind in England in due course.

Michael Shanks
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with infrastructure providers about the compatibility of fibre-to-the-premises broadband and telecare products.

Yes, the Government engages regularly with communication providers and network operators to ensure that the industry-led transition from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) proceeds safely.


I have written to all telecare suppliers with Stephen Kinnock MP (Minister for Care, DHSC) urging them to stop selling analogue telecare devices that are reliant on the PSTN and do not function over fibre-to-the-premises broadband. On November 18th I hosted a roundtable specifically to discuss the protection of telecare users during the PSTN migration. At this meeting major communication providers agreed to extra safeguards to protect telecare users ahead of restarting non-voluntary migrations.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations from the Commission on Crime and Gambling Related Harms, published in April 2023 on the use of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Under the licensing objectives of the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission requires operators to prevent gambling being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime and disorder, or being used to support crime.

The Home Office has introduced legislation in the Crime and Policing Bill to make improvements to the confiscation regime, including to ensure that a confiscation order more accurately reflects the benefit from crime. The draft bill contains no specific provisions for certain sectors, including the gambling sector. However, the Home Office will engage the gambling sector on how the legislative changes will be implemented in their sector in due course.

The introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators will, however, represent a generational change to funding arrangements and a renewed commitment to improving efforts to further understand, tackle and treat harmful gambling. As set out in our public consultation, the prevention stream could see investment directed for projects to build capacity and expertise in frontline settings to increase responsiveness to gambling harm, including criminal justice settings.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
15th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of cutting VAT for grassroots music venues.

The Government response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report on grassroots music venues sets out our commitment to working across the music sector to support the sustainability of grassroots music. In particular, the Government is urging the live music industry to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector. As part of our support for the sector, we are continuing to fund Arts Council England’s successful Supporting Grassroots Music Fund which provides grants to grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals of live and electronic music in England.

As set out in the Government response, we have no plans to introduce a cut to VAT based on venue capacity or to undertake a bespoke economic analysis of the impact of a VAT cut to 10% on tickets.

In July 2024 the Government published an audit of public spending. This set out £22 billion of in-year pressures. These pressures were not limited to 2024–25, with the vast majority recurring in future years.

The Government is now fixing the foundations by delivering economic and fiscal stability, supporting public services, boosting investment, and setting the public finances on a sustainable path. These are essential foundations for long-run economic growth, and require tough decisions on tax, spending and welfare.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the funding formula on the viability of small schools in rural areas.

The government recognises the essential role that small schools play in their communities, many of which are in rural areas. The schools national funding formula (NFF) accounts for the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the lump sum and sparsity factor.

In the 2025/26 financial year, the sparsity factor provides eligible primary schools up to £57,400, and all other eligible schools up to £83,400. In addition to this, all small and rural schools have benefited from the increase to core factors in the NFF in 2025/26, including the NFF lump sum set at £145,100. The lump sum provides a fixed amount of funding that is particularly beneficial to small schools, as it is not affected by pupil numbers.

27th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of drop-outs from vocational courses; and what steps she is taking to increase course completion rates.

The department's Qualification Achievement Rates (QARs) include official statistics on levels of achievement for a range of qualifications, including vocational learning. Latest published statistics show overall achievement rates within the 19+ education and training cohort have increased from 86.8% in 2022/23 to 87.4% in 2023/24, an increase of 0.6 percentage points. Compared with 2021/22, they are up by 1.2 percentage points. Links to QAR data from current and previous years is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/introduction-to-qualification-achievement-rates-qars.

Retention rates are also improving at ages 16 to 18. The retained and assessed rate for students who finished their T Level across 16 subjects in summer 2024 was up five percentage points from the previous year in over 10 subjects. The rate for large Vocational Technical Qualifications was up three percentage points. Further details on provisional T Level results for the 2023/24 academic year are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/provisional-t-level-results/2023-24.

Alongside T Levels, the department continues to develop and improve qualifications to ensure that they meet the needs of learners. Newly reformed qualifications will become available for delivery at levels 2 and 3 at the start of the next academic year, and we are in the process of approving new level 3 qualifications for delivery from August 2026. These are high-quality, aligned to occupational standards in technical routes, and offer learners clear routes to higher education or skilled employment.

27th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage more young people to undertake vocational training to become (a) plumbers and (b) electricians.

The department continues to make available education and training opportunities in electrical and plumbing sectors, including:

  • A range of apprenticeships, including the level 3 plumbing and domestic heating technician standard and the level 3 domestic electrician standard. We are also developing foundation apprenticeships in priority sectors, including construction from August.
  • A T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction provides students with the core knowledge and skills needed for entry to a range of occupations in the electrical and plumbing sectors.
  • Investment of an additional £625 million in a construction skills package, expected to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers, including in electrical and plumbing, this Parliament. This includes establishing ten technical excellence colleges specialising in construction skills, opening in September 2025.

The department continues to raise awareness amongst young people of the vocational training that is available. Secondary schools have legal requirements to provide independent careers guidance, including at least six opportunities for providers of technical education or apprenticeships to speak to all pupils. Our government-funded network of Careers Hubs, coordinated by the Careers and Enterprise Company, supports schools and colleges to maximise these opportunities.

1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled £740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND, published on 27 March 2025, how many new SEND places will be created in Norfolk.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision, sits with local authorities.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2025/26 financial year, to support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.

The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

Norfolk County Council has been allocated just over £13 million for 2025/26 and it is up to the local authority to make decisions about the places they create and to prioritise this funding to meet local needs.

13th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support early years childcare providers with their funding arrangements.

The government has been clear in our commitment to the early years. It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver the entitlements and high-quality early years provision going forward.

That is why, despite tough decisions to get our public finances back on track, this government has increased investment in the early years to drive forward progress towards our Plan for Change target of a record number of children starting school ready to learn. This government will continue to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. On top of this we are providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as they prepare to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require.

The department is also providing £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance Contributions Grant for public sector employers in the early years.

Stephen Morgan
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
1st Sep 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered developing an invasive American signal crayfish eradication strategy in (a) England and (b) Norfolk.

American signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) are listed as Species of Special Concern and actions such as their commercial use, release into the environment and transport are banned under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019.

Signal crayfish are also subject to management measures aimed at containing and controlling their populations where possible. This means that in England this species is more closely regulated through a system of Exclusion and Containment zones to prevent further spread.

Crayfish trapping in the ‘exclusion zones’ is only allowed for conservation, scientific, or fisheries management purposes, and no commercial use of any kind is permitted.

Trapping of signal crayfish is allowed in the containment zones (where an authorisation has been granted), but sale of live Signal crayfish is not permitted. Crayfish must be dispatched at the place of capture or taken to a licensed processing facility. Facilities are not licensed to obtain or receive crayfish taken from exclusion zones. To reduce the threat of this species being spread further, there is a total ban on the movement of live crayfish outside of licenced activity.

More information about the public consultation which led to this policy can be found here.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
3rd Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing penalties to local government for delays in implementing food waste collections due to (a) market congestion for vehicles and (b) other external factors.

We are working closely with local authorities and other key stakeholders across the waste sector to support implementation of food waste collections under Simpler Recycling in England. We are aware of concerns about delivery timelines, pressure on supply chains for vehicles and containers, and the need to upgrade waste and recycling infrastructure. Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) on interventions to address bottlenecks in supply chains, including recently published guidance by WRAP to support local authorities procuring food waste services: Weekly food waste implementation supplementary procurement guidance | WRAP.

Public authorities (such as waste collection authorities) are expected to comply with their statutory duties. If they do not comply, they are at risk of judicial review. Local authorities are independent bodies and are accountable to their electorate rather than to Ministers or Government departments.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
19th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support communities affected by coastal erosion through the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is committed to supporting coastal communities and providing a strategic plan to manage flood and coastal erosion risks including the use of Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs).

The new £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will provide investment in our coastal communities to help revitalise communities and support tourism. We will be engaging with local authorities, coastal community groups and local industry associations to understand how we can best target this funding to where it matters most.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the mandatory housing order for poultry in Norfolk to be lifted.

Mandatory Housing combined with stringent biosecurity measures provides greater risk reduction and together these measures have been key in mitigating the risk of spread of avian influenza and keeping the case rate down in the face of extensive wild bird infection during the recent higher risk winter periods.

The need for Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) is kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza. Any decisions on introduction or amendment of AIPZs, including on addition or removal of mandatory housing measures, are based on risk assessments that take full account of the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice.

27th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce a re-insurance scheme for properties at risk due to coastal erosion.

The £36 million coastal transition accelerator programme is supporting communities and businesses at risk of coastal erosion to transition and adapt to a changing coast.

This includes working with the finance and property sectors to explore innovative finance or funding mechanisms to help move communities away from rapidly eroding areas, for instance schemes to incentivise the relocation of at-risk infrastructure for businesses and homeowners.

The Environment Agency administers the Coastal Erosion Assistance Grant on behalf of Defra. The grant provides £6,000 per property to assist local authorities with the demolition and removal costs associated with homes at imminent risk from coastal erosion.

There are currently no plans to extend the scope of the Flood Re scheme, however Defra regularly reviews all policies, including eligibility for Flood Re.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
20th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to make an assessment of the potential (a) cultural and (b) historic merits of protecting areas from flooding and coastal erosion in a future review of the flooding formula.

We will launch a consultation in the coming months which will include a review of the existing flood funding formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection. Feedback will be sought on the advantages and disadvantages of potential reforms to the flood funding formula.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
6th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of costs for statutory external audit fees levied on National Park authorities on those authorities; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) levels of those fees and (b) breadth of those statutory requirements.

Defra acknowledges that rising costs, including to fees required to fulfil statutory obligations, increase the funding pressures on National Park authorities.

Public Sector Audit Appointments Limited (PSAA) independently sets fees for eligible bodies defined in the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, including National Park authorities. PSAA is responsible for setting the scales of fees for the audit of accounts of authorities who have opted into its services. PSAA consults on and publishes its fee scales - 99% of eligible local bodies opted into its national scheme for the appointing period 2023/24 to 2027/28, including all National Park authorities in England.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government launched a strategy in December to overhaul the local audit system in England. The strategy commits to a series of measures to fix the broken system and consults on several specific proposals.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-audit-reform-a-strategy-for-overhauling-the-local-audit-system-in-england

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) progress towards risk-reflective pricing for insurance in areas of high flood risk and (b) market readiness for the scheduled exit of Flood Re in 2039.

Flood Re have a statutory purpose to manage the transition to risk-reflective pricing of flood insurance for household premises between 2016 and 2039. Flood Re published their most recent Transition Plan in July 2023, outlining its progress and action on moving to affordable risk-reflective pricing by 2039. Flood Re’s next Transition plan (Transition Plan 4) will be published in summer 2028.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
25th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of swallowtail butterfly numbers in (a) North Norfolk constituency and (b) England.

The swallowtail is a nationally rare butterfly and is restricted as a breeding species to the Norfolk Broads. The species was categorised as Vulnerable in the 2022 International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Regional Red List for Great Britian, moving from the near threatened category in 2010. This was due to a substantial population reduction in England of more than 30% in the previous 10 years. We have no separate trend data for the North Norfolk constituency.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect the coast in North Norfolk constituency from erosion.

Over £200 million has been invested in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) projects in Norfolk since 2010, protecting 15,500 properties. Two major coast protection schemes are currently underway in North Norfolk, at Mundesley and Cromer, funded through Government FCERM Grant in Aid. These two schemes, with a forecast total cost of £30 million, will better protect 600 homes from coastal erosion and climate change over this century.

Funding for these schemes have come about through a close working partnership between North Norfolk District Council and the local Environment Agency team who work together to find affordable and environmentally sound solutions to the challenges facing the coast. They also work together on the Anglian Coastal Monitoring Programme which began in 1990 and is one of the longest running regional scale Government funded coastal monitoring programmes in the world. The output of this programme is essential for both the technical design of engineering solutions and providing robust, evidence-based policies for sustainable coastal management into the long term.

North Norfolk is also benefitting from approximately £15 million funding through the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme, delivered locally through the Coastwise project, trialling innovative approaches to adapt to the impacts of climate change and coastal erosion. The Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme aims to speed up strategic and action planning on how coastal local authorities, partners and communities will address the long-term plan of moving communities, businesses and resources away from the coast at risk. The programme is supporting the trial of early on-the-ground actions for medium and long-term plans. This will allow coastal areas at serious risk to address the challenges a changing climate creates.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
22nd Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of visual field testing for driving license holders diagnosed with glaucoma in (a) North Norfolk constituency, (b) Norfolk and (c) England.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) vision testing supplier, Specsavers, currently has 360 stores across England that provide visual field testing for DVLA purposes. In Norfolk six stores offer this service with the closest stores to North Norfolk constituency in Norwich or Wisbech.

Specsavers is contractually required to ensure that an optometrist is available within a 25-mile radius of a customer applying for a licence. Where this is not possible Specsavers engages with local independent stores to provide the necessary services (typically this has only been in the Highlands of Scotland)

Lilian Greenwood
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
16th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of the availability of glaucoma testing for driving license renewal in (a) North Norfolk constituency, (b) Norfolk and (c) England.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not require driving licence holders or applicants to be tested for glaucoma. However, drivers are legally required to inform the DVLA if they have been diagnosed with glaucoma in both eyes, or if they have been advised by their optician or optometrist that they do not meet the eyesight standards for driving.

When the DVLA is notified of a glaucoma diagnosis, the driver will be referred for a visual field test. The results of this test will be used to determine whether the individual concerned meets the required eyesight standards for driving.

Lilian Greenwood
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
8th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues attending the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025 on UK-EU rail interoperability.

Rail interoperability is not a focus area for the UK-EU Summit on 19 May and the Secretary of State has not had discussions on this topic with colleagues attending.

Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will widen the payment methods which can be used when making a payment to the DVLA.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) offers a range of payment options, including direct debits, cheques and debit and credit cards.

The DVLA keeps its range of payment options under review, taking into account the associated costs and benefits of potential new options.

Lilian Greenwood
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
16th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of HMRC confidentiality rules on the ability of the Child Maintenance Service to (a) suspend and (b) revise liability, where possible fraudulent child benefit claims are under investigation by HMRC.

To qualify for maintenance payments a child must meet the Child Maintenance Service's criteria. They must be:

  • under 20 years of age and
  • in full time non-advanced education or approved training, and
  • eligible for Child Benefit.

They must also be habitually resident in the UK and usually living in the same household as the receiving parent. Child maintenance defines a child the same way as Child Benefit does to offer consistency across rules. Child benefit is not used as a blunt tool in determining who may be considered a receiving parent and the CMS can consider multiple different forms of evidence when determining who is the primary carer.

If a paying parent believes that the Child Maintenance (CM) liability should cease because a qualifying child (QC) no longer meets the statutory definition of a qualifying young person but checks with His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) disagree, the CM caseworker can ask the receiving parent to provide;

1. verbal confirmation of the QCs status if they agree that the paying parent’s statement is correct, or

2. where they disagree with the paying parent, a letter from the school or college confirming the QCs status, or

3. written confirmation from an employer that the QC has started work.

Where the paying parent believes that Child Benefit is claimed fraudulently, the paying parent will be signposted to report the fraud to HMRC at Gov.UK.

Child Maintenance Service make automated monthly requests to HMRC asking for all children aged 16 to 19 who are included in its caseload, to establish whether Child Benefit is still in payment.

The CMS has a Financial Investigations Unit (FIU), that can investigate complex cases. This is a specialist team which can investigate the accuracy of information the CMS is given by either parent.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
12th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure the Child Maintenance Service adheres to its debt steer principles.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in.

When a paying parent does not make maintenance payments on time or in full, the CMS will initially negotiate a payment that is feasible for the parent to pay, taking into account the individual circumstances of each case.

The Debt Steer provides a policy-based framework for arrears negotiation. Its purpose is to ensure arrears are collected as promptly and reliably as possible, taking into account all relevant circumstances i.e. full arrears payment by one lump sum, partial lump sum payment and a schedule of on-going payments to recover any remaining arrears within a maximum of two years, and a schedule of on-going payments to recover the full arrears within two years.

After investigating the paying parent’s circumstances and financial situation, discretion can be applied to negotiate an arrangement that extends beyond a two-year period, providing it is a reliable and consistent plan for the recovery of arrears.

If this is unsuccessful and the paying parent is employed, the CMS can request that ongoing child maintenance payments be deducted directly from their salary by issuing what we call a Deductions from Earnings Order (DEO). A DEO instructs an employer to make deductions from the paying parent’s earnings and pay the amounts to the CMS who will pass this onto the receiving parent. The CMS also has powers to deduct maintenance from a wide range of bank accounts including joint and business accounts.

If this is unsuccessful, the CMS will use further measures, including order for sale, where it can apply to the courts for the sale of the paying parent’s assets or property, removal of driving licences, disqualification of passports, and committal to prison.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 8343 on Universal Credit, what progress his Department has made on reviewing Universal Credit in the context of rent charging years with 53 Mondays.

The Department will be considering the issue of rent charging years with 53 Mondays as part of its wider Universal Credit Review.

The Department is committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to and meeting our objectives of making work pay and tackling poverty. We have already begun this work with the introduction of the new fair repayment rate announced in the Budget. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders as the review progresses to seek views on proposed areas of focus and untapped opportunities in UC. Parliament will be updated on progress and future changes accordingly.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
12th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the total cost of running Personal Independence Payment is spent on the provision of face-to-face and over the phone assessments.

The information requested is not held by the Department.

For both the legacy Personal Independence Payment contracts (that completed on 6 September 2024) and the new Functional Assessment Service contracts, providers do not/did not split their costs by service channel.

Under the new Functional Assessment Service contracts, the costs provided by the Suppliers are not split between the individual service elements (ie Personal Independence payments, Work Capability Assessments and Specialist Benefits).

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of 53 Mondays in this financial year on rent payments for Universal Credit claimants .

The current financial year, which runs from 06/04/24 to 05/04/25, does not contain 53 Mondays.

Universal Credit always converts weekly amounts to monthly sums using 52 weeks. The legitimacy of this approach was confirmed by the High Court having been tested via a judicial review.

Every five or six years, weekly tenants may have a rent charging year containing 53 charging days. This will not apply in all cases and some claimants will not have a 53-week charging year during the life of their benefit claim.

The rent charging year beginning 1 April 2024 and ending on 6 April 2025 is one such year and is of a period which exceeds one calendar year and is not aligned to a financial year. The 53rd payment covers the tenancy for part of the following calendar year.

Most people in work are paid monthly, as is Universal Credit, and they budget for their outgoings on a monthly basis. Weekly rental liabilities do not map directly onto a monthly cycle and this creates budgeting complexities for tenants. They will be required to make only four payments of rent in some months but five payments in others even though their monthly income remains constant. This problem exists in all rent charging years, not just those with 53 Mondays.

The Government will consider this issue as part of its wider work on Universal Credit.

Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
10th Sep 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support community-based preventative services for older people in Norfolk.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
10th Sep 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the availability of research into less survivable cancers; and what steps his Department is taking to incentivise people to undertake research into this area.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Zubir Ahmed
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
8th Sep 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted any regional modelling of dental workforce planning in (a) Norfolk and (b) the East of England.

NHS England data shows that as of December 2024, 2,810 general dentists were working in the East of England, including 1,108 National Health Service full time equivalent (FTE) general dentists. The vacancy rate for NHS dentists was 17%. On the same date, 365 general dentists were working in Norfolk and Waveney, including 149 NHS FTE general dentists. The vacancy rate for NHS dentists was 18%.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. Staff will be more empowered, more flexible and more fulfilled. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when patients need it.

Integrated care boards are also recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
8th Sep 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many payments under the dental recruitment incentive scheme have been allocated to North Norfolk constituency.

Data is not held on how many payments under the Dental Recruitment Incentive Scheme have been allocated at the constituency level. The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

Further information on the dental recruitment process can be found in guidance issued by NHS England, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/dental-recruitment-incentive-scheme-2024-25/

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
8th Sep 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ringfencing funding for cycle paramedic services.

No such assessment has been made.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
8th Sep 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that dental patients in Norfolk will be included in NHS tie-in periods for newly qualified dentists.

It costs £200,000 of taxpayer’s money to train a dentist. We believe it is right and fair to taxpayers to expect graduate dentists to invest their skills and expertise in the National Health Service for at least some amount of time.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health. We intend this minimum period to be at least three years.

We will be working closely with the sector on the detail of the tie-in scheme and will consult on the detail and design of the model in due course.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
16th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support the establishment of a dental school at the University of East Anglia.

We would like to congratulate the University of East Anglia on its newly awarded dental school status and its ambitions to train the future dentistry workforce. Tackling the geographical disparities in access to National Health Service dentistry is vital, and the Government welcomes efforts to help to deliver this ambition.

Government approval or funding is not required to establish a new dental school. Provided that a prospective dental school meets the requirements of the General Dental Council and the Office for Students, it would be considered for any future Government-funded training places.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. It will be more empowered, more flexible, and more fulfilled. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places, and with the right skills, to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. From now on, we will ensure that staff will be better treated, and have better training, more fulfilling roles and hope for the future, so that they can achieve more.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
19th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 16285 on Methylphenidate: Shortage, what recent progress his Department has made on improving the supply of methylphenidate in (a) Norfolk and (b) the UK.

The supply of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets has greatly improved. However, some issues persist. We are continuing to work to resolve these remaining issues by engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and capsules to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to build further capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. The Department is also working with new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and capsules to improve the supply and resiliency for the United Kingdom’s market.

The Department continually updates a list of currently available and unavailable attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This helps ensure those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients. This list is available at the following link:

www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Norfolk is not held centrally.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce cost inefficiencies in purchasing medical supplies.

NHS England’s new Operating Model, published on 30 January, sets out in Section 4 how it will support National Health Service bodies to deliver efficiencies by improving commercial arrangements. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/our-new-operating-model-supporting-you-to-deliver-high-quality-care-for-patients/

These include supporting them to make full use of the products, goods, and services available through the NHS Supply Chain, when best value exists, to procure from frameworks operated by an accredited framework host, to use the NHS Spend Comparison Service to identify savings, the Health Commercial System, also known as Atamis, to undertake commercial activity, and the NHS procurement value and savings methodology to track and report on procurement savings and benefits.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
27th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of when he will meet his target of providing an extra 62,000 neurology appointments in England in each year.

Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. Currently, the waiting list stands at 7.48 million patient pathways, with over 6 million people waiting, including 235,000 on neurology waiting lists.

We will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029, increasing performance to 65% by March 2026, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan. We will deliver an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments across all specialties, including neurology appointments, during our first year in Government, as a First Step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.

Alongside the breadth of reforms and productivity efforts in the plan, we will increase activity, deliver improvements in patient experience, and reduce waiting times for neurology patients across the country.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a cross-Government strategy on the health and wellbeing of coastal communities.

We are taking action across Government to address the environmental and socio-economic determinants of health, and are aiming to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions. We know that targeted action to tackle health inequalities will facilitate economic opportunities, and support a National Health Service fit for the future.

Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. We have established 11 working groups to take forward policy development that will feed into the plan. This includes working groups focused on how care should be designed and delivered to improve healthcare equity, alongside ensuring that access to healthcare services is effective and responsive.

22nd Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) data for and (b) research into coastal communities.

The National Institute for Heath and Care Research (NIHR) has funded a range of research specifically focusing on coastal populations, including investing in local authority and higher education partnerships, as well as studies that focussed on health care in these areas. Further information about this research is available at the following link:

https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/pages/homepage/

The NIHR has a Research Inclusion Strategy which, amongst other objectives, aims to widen research access and participation for greater diversity and inclusion, including for populations in coastal communities. Further information on the strategy is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/who-we-are/research-inclusion/strategy-2022-27

The NIHR’s research funding guidance requires researchers to show how they will make sure their research is inclusive and addresses inequalities in health and care, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/who-we-are/research-inclusion/funding-application-guidance

21st Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy were dispensed by Norfolk and Waveney (a) integrated care board and (b) clinical commissioning group in each year between 2019 and 2024.

The Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) provided by the NHS Business Services Authority gives the total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England. The following data relates to prescriptions for products that fall within the definition as set out in Paragraph 010904, related to pancreatin, in the British National Formulary.

The following table shows the total number of National Health Service prescription items that were dispensed in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, regardless of where prescribed, from January 2019 to November 2024

Year

Number of prescription items

2019

14,291

2020

13,587

2021

13,933

2022

13,933

2023

14,460

2024

14,698

Note: data for 2024 is from January to November.

The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) relates to the prescribing organisation, so the following statistics are consistent with the English Prescribing datasets rather than the dispensing organisation shown in PCA.

The following table shows the total number of NHS prescription items that were prescribed by cost centres linked to the Sub Integrated Care Board Location (SICBL), or prior to 2020 the CCG area of Norfolk and Waveney, from January 2019 to November 2024:

Year

Number of prescription items

2019

14,290

2020

13,727

2021

14,238

2022

14,387

2023

14,904

2024

14,935

Note: data for 2024 is from January to November.

Historical data has been re-presented using the latest NHS organisation structure. These two tables are not directly comparable as the data available for integrated care boards relates to dispensing, whereas the data available at the SICBL or CCG level relates to items prescribed.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
13th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21526 on Methylphenidate: Norfolk, how many prescriptions for methylphenidate were dispensed by Norfolk and Waveney (a) integrated care board and (b) clinical commissioning group in each year between 2019 and 2024.

The Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) from the NHS Business Services Authority provides the total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England. The following table shows the total number of National Health Service prescription items for the chemical substance methylphenidate that were dispensed in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) area from January 2019 to October 2024, latest data available, regardless of where prescribed:

Total prescription items dispensed in Norfolk and Waveney ICB

2019

33,733

2020

30,723

2021

31,320

2022

31,267

2023

32,138

2024

28,249

Note: data for 2024 is from January to October.

In addition, the following table shows the total number of NHS prescription items for the chemical substance methylphenidate that were prescribed by cost centres linked to the Sub ICB Location (SICBL), or prior to 2020, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area of Norfolk and Waveney, from January 2019 to October 2024:

Total prescription items prescribed in Norfolk and Waveney SICBL

2019

31,751

2020

29,665

2021

30,334

2022

30,431

2023

31,233

2024

27,086

Notes:

  1. data for 2024 is from January to October; and
  2. historical data has been re-presented using the latest NHS organisation structure.

The CCG relates to the prescribing organisation, so the statistics are consistent with the English prescribing datasets rather than the dispensing organisation shown in PCA.

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