Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason York was not chosen as the location for the Great British Railways National Headquarters; and what weighting was given to the level of industrial skills among the local workforce in each candidate location in deciding the final location.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The decision was made by the Secretary of State for Transport based on the assessment of EOI applications against the six published selection criteria (alignment to levelling up principles; connected and easy to get to; opportunities for GBR; value for money; railway heritage and links to the network; and public support) and the result of the public vote. Derby’s application scored the highest in the critical assessment conducted by officials and attracted the most public votes.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Department has made of the (a) feasibility and (b) contribution to the national heritage of continuing the use of stamps without barcodes after 31 July 2023.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The development of stamp products is an operational matter for Royal Mail. The Government is not involved in the operational decisions of Royal Mail, a private business.
Royal Mail is not barcoding special stamp issues, which are printed to commemorate a person or event.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January to Question 126656 on Parks, for what reason the Park Action Group has not met since 2019; when it is scheduled to meet; and if he will publish the membership of the Group.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
As per my answer of 26 January 2023, the Government recognises that parks and green spaces are vital to communities and the people they serve, which is why the £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund (LUPF) announced in August 2021 as part of the Levelling Up agenda will help to increase accessibility to quality green space across the UK, and level up areas which are most deprived of green space and provide communities with a place to come together.
The department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders.
The membership of the Park Action Group were: Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE), Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Home Office (HO), Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE), Fields in Trust, Local Government Association (LGA), Parks Alliance, Natural England, National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces (NFPGS), Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Groundwork, National Trust, Keep Britain Tidy, National Association of Local Councils (NALC), Parks Practitioner, Public Health England and Sport England.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answers of 28 September 2022 and 8 November 2022 to Questions 51588 and 74620 on Coal: Mining, what the evidential basis is for stating that there may continue to be domestic demand for coal in industries such as steel, cement and for heritage railways in the context of his Department having not produced estimates of future coal use by industry.
Answered by Graham Stuart
A breakdown of coal usage trends can be found in Chapter Two of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes-2022.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the answer of 28 September to Question 51588 on Coal: Mining, what estimate he has made of how much coal is needed (a) up to and (b) after 2024 for (i) heritage railways and (ii) cement; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department has not produced estimates of future coal use by industry. There are statistics on supply and demand for coal and manufactured solid fuels published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-chapter-2-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes.
The Hon. Member may also be interested in the House of Lords debate on the heritage steam sector from May this year: https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2022-05-18/debates/A688680D-19C8-4893-8FE3-2AB9D452F511/HeritageSteamSectorCoal.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2022 to Question 39801 on the Coal Authority, for what reason it is his policy to conclude that a low demand for new coal extraction projects does not require a revision of (a) the Coal Authority’s duties with respect to licensing coal extraction and (b) the statutory duty to promote an economically viable coal industry, as set out in the Coal Industry Act 1994; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is committed to phasing out coal from electricity generation by 2024. Demand for new coal licences has fallen away as a consequence. Parliamentary time is precious and the coal extraction industry is already in decline in the UK without further interventions. Although coal will soon no longer be part of our electricity system, there may continue to be domestic demand for coal in industries such as steel, cement and for heritage railways. The current licensing regime leaves room for projects to come forward that could potentially meet that demand.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to provide support to the (a) hospitality and (b) tourism sectors to help improve the energy efficiency of (i) heritage and (ii) other buildings.
Answered by Graham Stuart
A Government review of the practical planning barriers when installing energy efficiency measures in heritage buildings will be completed by the end of 2022.
The Government is bringing forward an exemption on business rates for green technology, and providing tax discounts through the Climate Change Agreements scheme in return for businesses meeting energy reduction targets. Small businesses are eligible for grants under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and can search for other local grant and advice schemes on gov.uk.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of rising inflation on the heritage and culture sector; and whether her Department has plans to increase funding to (a) museums, (b) galleries and (c) other heritage organisations to (i) support their continued operation and (ii) ensure their employees are paid an adequate wage.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As the Prime Minister stated to Parliament on 8 September, and as the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy set out in a written ministerial statement on the same day, the government is acting to protect the UK from the spiralling costs of energy. The Government will support all business, charities and public sector organisations with their energy costs this winter, offering an equivalent guarantee to that for households for six months.
The written ministerial statement can be found here.
The Government continues to support the UK’s world-leading culture and heritage sectors, building on unprecedented support during the pandemic, and our long-term investment in these areas. My department is currently engaging with museum and heritage stakeholders to understand the impact of energy and inflation increases on the sector.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they intend to take to ensure that seabird colonies, such as colonies of gannets, are adequately protected, including in respect of (1) invasive species, (2) marine pollution, and (3) overfishing.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The UK's seabirds are an important part of our natural heritage, and we continue to support actions to address the range of threats they are facing. Defra have commissioned Natural England to assess the vulnerability of seabird species in light of the pressures they are facing and propose actions to address them. We will work closely with stakeholders to understand the best way to implement and prioritise these actions in early 2023.
To protect the UK's 42 seabird island Special Protection Areas, Defra is funding work through the RSPB's Biosecurity programme which seeks to address the need for biosecurity measures through the removal of introduced predatory mammals.
The UK is a global leader in tackling plastic pollution that enters our waterways, rivers, and ocean. As set out in the UK Marine Strategy Part Three, the UK government is taking action to reduce pollution in the marine environment to help protect marine species, including seabirds. We aim to publish an updated UK Marine Strategy Part Three later this year, outlining the programmes of measures that will continue to move us towards Good Environmental Status in our seas.
We are also assessing the impact that fishing for forage fish species has on the marine ecosystem, including on vulnerable seabirds. Following the recent call for evidence, Defra, working with others, will be developing a policy on a future management strategy for industrial fishing in UK waters. This includes reviewing our policy for the sandeel fishery in the North Sea.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support is available for local communities to repurpose industrial heritage sites for the benefit of local economies.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Our industrial towns and cities have a proud history, and we are determined that they will have a bright future. Through our levelling up funds, we are tackling the economic differences and driving prosperity across the UK.
Every part of the country will benefit from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund - including the hon. lady's constituency of Barnsley East, which will benefit from a share of £46,162,439.
Culture and heritage are key themes of our Levelling Up Fund, which provides an important boost to local economies through providing funding for maintaining, regenerating, or creatively repurposing existing cultural and heritage assets, or creating new assets that support the visitor economy.
Further funding opportunities are available through the Community Ownership Fund, which helps communities take ownership of cultural and heritage assets at risk of closure, ensuring that small, and much-loved assets are safeguarded and can continue to benefit the local economy.