Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 review the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is finalising its post-implementation review of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The report into the review will be published in due course.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of forthcoming changes to business rate relief on the viability of grassroots music venues.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Autumn Budget, the Government announced that retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties will receive 40% relief (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business) for 2025-26. Under the plans we inherited from the previous government, RHL relief would have ended entirely in April 2025.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report on grassroots music venues recommended that RHL relief should not be wholly withdrawn in April 2025.
The Committee’s report also highlighted the sector's desire for certainty and long-term stability. The government has also announced its intention to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27.
The Government’s full response to this report was published on 14th of November and is available online: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8227/grassroots-music-venues/publications/.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support she plans to provide to the Early Years sector to help manage the impact of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the right hon. Member for Daventry to the answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12804.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase investment into the children's mental health system to (a) reduce waiting times for and (b) increase access to support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult and children and young people’s mental health services. We are discussing our future investment in children and young people’s mental health services.
The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education to consider how to deliver our manifesto commitment of accessing a specialist mental health professional in every school. We need to ensure any support meets the needs of young people, teachers, parents, and carers. This includes considering the role of existing programmes of support with evidence of a positive impact, such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.
Alongside this we are working toward rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.
The Mental Health Bill currently before Parliament will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983, so that it is fit for the 21st century. The Bill will amend the Act, which applies to England and Wales, and give patients detained under the Act greater choice, autonomy, rights, and support.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department will continue to support the continuation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which is due to expire in March 2025.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes, such as the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to extend the lease on the Motorway Service Area at Watford Gap.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I am able to confirm that lease extension options at the Motorway Service Areas in which the Secretary of State has an interest are the subject of current, detailed discussions with the third parties concerned, including Roadchef who operate Watford Gap Service Area. However, because these are sensitive, on-going commercial negotiations in which value for the taxpayer is being sought, I can share no further details at this time.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Motorway Service Area operators on the renewal of leases for those areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I am able to confirm that lease extension options at the Motorway Service Areas in which the Secretary of State has an interest are the subject of current, detailed discussions with the third parties concerned, including Roadchef who operate Watford Gap Service Area. However, because these are sensitive, on-going commercial negotiations in which value for the taxpayer is being sought, I can share no further details at this time.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to resolve the status of lease renewals of Motorway Service Areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I am able to confirm that lease extension options at the Motorway Service Areas in which the Secretary of State has an interest are the subject of current, detailed discussions with the third parties concerned, including Roadchef who operate Watford Gap Service Area. However, because these are sensitive, on-going commercial negotiations in which value for the taxpayer is being sought, I can share no further details at this time.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the contribution of the betting and gaming industry to the UK economy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Official statistics from a range of sources provide the Government with insights into the economic contribution of the betting and gaming industry, including estimates for gross value added (GVA), employment generated and tax revenue raised.
The latest headline statistics show that the gambling sector contributed £4.9bn to GVA in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. In the financial year 2023/24, the gambling sector employed around 94,000 people in Britain (provisional), accounting for 0.2% of UK jobs and paid approximately £3.4bn in betting and gaming duty.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in machine gaming duty on high streets.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.