Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the economic contribution of Gatwick Airport to the South East.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As this is live planning application that is yet to be decided, unfortunately I cannot comment in detail at this time. The Secretary of State will assess all evidence provided to her, by the applicant, the Examining Authority, and any parties who chose to make written representations. This will include information on economic impacts. Once the decision is made, the decision letter will set out the full rationale.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 through Fisheries Management Plans to help ensure the requirement under Article 6.3 of the Fisheries Act 2020 to restore fish populations to sustainable levels is met.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fisheries Management Plans are evidence-based plans developed in accordance with the Fisheries Act 2020. They set out short, medium and long-term actions to restore or maintain fish stocks at sustainable levels and meet the requirements of Article 6.3.
To date, Defra has developed and published six FMPs which are available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/fisheries-management-plans#published-fmps which we are now beginning to implement. For example, last year we introduced legislation to better manage fly seine fishing in the English Channel, increased the minimum conservation reference sizes for brill, lemon sole, turbot and crawfish to protect the juveniles of these species.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to provide financial support for (a) marine gliders, (b) autonomous vehicles and (c) other autonomous robots in maritime water defence.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence continuously evaluates its capabilities, including potential enhancements to the Royal Navy's fleet.
All future capability plans for the Royal Navy will be part of the Strategic Defence Review.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to review the level of the Video Games Expenditure Credit for projects with a budget of £10m or less.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of the UK’s video games sector and the key role it plays in driving economic growth. As part of our modern Industrial Strategy, we are developing a creative industries sector plan with business, local leaders, and sector experts.
The Government supports the video games sector through the tax system and through funding. Video games companies already benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), which provides a generous tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs.
In addition, companies may benefit from the £5.5 million UK Games Fund for 2025/26, which helps high-potential start-ups scale-up.
When considering new tax reliefs, the Government has to balance a wide range of factors, including the fiscal position and complexity of the tax system.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) the (i) Medway Community Healthcare and (ii) other NHS providers, (b) healthcare social enterprises and (c) community interest companies with cyber-resilience.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Last year, we provided technical support to Medway Community Healthcare to help the organisation respond to and recover from a cyber incident. In the past year we have invested £37.6 million across health and social care, building on the £338 million invested since 2017. Through our ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, we are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system.
The Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) online self-assessment tool allows organisations to measure their performance against national expectations. Guidance and regular webinars are available via the DSPT website. Further guidance and cyber alerts are published on the NHS England cyber and data security website and via the National Cyber Security Centre. Organisations can report urgent cyber security issues to the National Health Service data security helpline, which is available 24/7. We are currently reviewing our national policy on cyber security for social enterprises and community interest companies.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of people on NHS waiting lists in (a) Chatham and Aylesford, (b) Gillingham and Rainham, (c) Rochester and Strood and (d) Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency in (i) August 2024 and (ii) March 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data at the requested granularity. Tackling waiting lists remains a top priority for the Government. We are working to cut National Health Service waiting lists and to ensure people have the best possible experience during their care. As a first step, we have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over three million more appointments. We have seen a reduction in the national list of over 219,000 since July 2024.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of penalties for reselling driving tests for profit.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests and has announced further measures to review the driving test booking system.
On the 18 December 2024, a call for evidence was launched, seeking views on the current rules to book tests. This will lead to consultation on improving processes, with potential future legislative changes. On the 23 April the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced, amongst other measures, that this consultation has been fast-tracked to May 2025.
On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 25 warnings, 4 suspensions, and closed 90 business accounts.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the reliability of the Thameslink service to Rainham; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of Southeastern trains making additional stops at Higham in the event of Thameslink service cancellations to Rainham.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department is working with Southeastern, Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail to address reliability issues on the Rainham route, particularly following a rise in cancellations since the beginning of the year driven by employee sickness and training demands linked to new technology.
Higham station currently has two Thameslink services per hour with additional Southeastern services at peak times. Station coverage is monitored to ensure a minimum service of one train per hour in each direction and Southeastern services can be scheduled to make additional stops at Higham if required.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the introduction of a retailer licensing scheme, as outlined in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation—tackling the harms of smoking, breaking the cycle of addition, and paving the way for a smoke-free UK. The Bill provides powers for Ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes and nicotine products. This will strengthen enforcement and support Trading Standards to crack down on rogue retailers.
The licensing scheme will be introduced in regulations, following consultation on the details of the scheme.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, and will continue to do so as the regulations are developed, to ensure the successful implementation of the scheme.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) maintain protections for (i) habitats and (ii) species in the context of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and (b) provide adequate habitat replacement in (i) Kent and (ii) other areas with limited land availability.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will introduce a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.
Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), and the conservation measures they propose, must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. An EDP can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures will outweigh the negative effects of development.