Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled, Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal, published on 22 November 2023, whether the £13.34 million per year allocation of investment funding is index linked.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Local leaders have agreed the Hull and East Yorkshire Devolution Deal, which includes an Investment Fund of £400 million over the next 30 years, equivalent to £13.34 million per annum. It will be transformative for the people of Hull and East Yorkshire. The fund is not index linked, which is standard practice across most such departmental funds. I pay tribute to Cllr Mike Ross and Cllr Anne Handley for showing the determination and leadership Hull and East Yorkshire needs.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to increase access to affordable public transport options for people aged between 16 and 24 in Newcastle.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government introduced a £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London on 1 January 2023 to help all passengers save on their regular travel costs. The Government is investing nearly £600 million to deliver the scheme, including additional funding redirected from HS2 to keep the cap in place until the end of 2024. There are currently over 140 bus operators and more than 5,000 routes in the scheme, including routes in Newcastle.
The Government is also providing over £2 billion to help local transport authorities (LTAs) deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP). This includes the announcement by the Prime Minister in October 2023 that a further £1 billion would be redirected from HS2 to deliver better bus services in the North and the Midlands.
The North East has so far been allocated £175 million to deliver their BSIP, which can be used to support any bus service improvements that the local authority – working with local bus operators – know their community needs, including introducing local fares initiatives in addition to the Government’s £2 bus fare cap. Thanks to this funding, Transport North East has launched a £1 fare for the under 22s and a £3 daily ticket for under 22s offering unlimited travel on bus, Metro and Ferry throughout the region.
More widely, the North East is now eligible for the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement following their Devolution Deal and, upon election of a Mayor, we will work with them on their delivery plans to support local transport within the region. Up to £563m is available from their CRSTS 1 funding settlement (from 2022 – 2027). CRSTS 2 allocations were announced as part of Network North in October, with the North East indicatively allocated a further £1,849 billion from 2027/28 -2031/32.
Additionally, there are a range of discounts available to 16 to 24-year-olds to help with the cost of rail travel - in 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver, meaning that a 50% discount is available to children throughout their period of compulsory education and training. For those aged 16-25, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel.
In England, the majority of bus services outside London operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about offering reduced or discounted fares for commercial bus services are predominantly for operators to take. Many bus operators currently offer discounted travel cards for younger people. Our most recent set of statistics shows that at least one commercial operator in 71 out of 84 travel concession authority areas in England, outside London, offered some form of discounted travel for young people.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held discussions with the West Midlands Mayor on increasing the level of devolved powers for local bus services.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In March 2023, HMG announced the agreement of the trailblazer devolution deal with the West Midlands Combined Authority, marking further progress in delivering our 2030 levelling up mission on local leadership and to enhancing transport connectivity across the country. The deal was the result of close working and frequent meetings between the West Midlands and the Department for Transport. This commits to the transfer of more control and influence to the WMCA including for local bus services – for example in relation to the Bus Service Operators Grant.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) further education and (b) skills development in less economically productive regions.
Answered by Robert Halfon
This government has introduced long-term structural reforms and investment, which is designed to give people the skills they need to get good jobs and boost productivity across the country, including in less economically productive areas.
Last year HM Treasury launched a public sector productivity review which found that the department has a crucial role to play in driving up productivity in the economy as a whole. Skills are responsible for a third of productivity growth between 2001 and 2019. As a result of its efforts to drive up education standards since 2010, the department has improved pupil and learner outcomes and thus contributed to wider productivity gains. The department also contributes to wider productivity in other ways, such as through support with childcare costs that helps new parents to take up jobs that fully utilise their skills. Moreover, the education sector is one of the UK’s largest construction customers, representing around 17% of total construction output.
Last year, the government also published its Levelling Up White Paper aimed at tackling geographical inequality and skills gaps. The department’s skills mission is for 200,000 more people to successfully complete high-quality training each year in England by 2030, with 80,000 more in the lowest skilled areas. Achieving this will require strong and dynamic local leadership.
The department has committed to devolving core adult education budget (AEB) to every new area of England that wants a devolution deal by 2030. The department has already devolved over 60% of the AEB to ten areas, with new deals agreed with a further eight areas. This enables devolved authorities to use the AEB to shape education and skills provision in a way that best fits the needs of their residents and local economy, including in disadvantaged areas.
In summer 2023, 38 local skills improvement plans (LSIPs) were rolled out across all areas of the country. These employer-led, locally-owned plans have galvanised and brought together businesses, providers, local leaders and stakeholders everywhere, to help better align provision of post-16 technical education and training with local labour market needs.
In disadvantaged areas and communities, LSIPs are also supporting the identification and removal of specific local barriers. For example, in some rural areas, the LSIP has reviewed ways that local and regional stakeholders can collaborate to leverage funding to help resolve the impact of a lack of accommodation and transport on the recruitment and retention of employees, tutors and students. The department has also made it clear in statutory guidance that LSIPs should add value to relevant local strategies and effectively join-up with other parts of the local skills system, including universal credit claimants via Job Centre Plus. This will mean that any new proposed skills provision is also suitable for people who may encounter additional barriers to gaining the skills needed to fill local job vacancies and ensure all learners are able to unlock their full potential and progress in work.
The department has provided a £165 million local skills improvement fund to help respond to the skill needs identified in the LSIPs. LSIF funded projects will enable learners and employers across all areas of the country to access new innovative technology and industry standard teaching and facilities, with allocations to each area taking account of existing attainment and productivity levels. LSIF projects were announced in November 2023 and include training to plug key skills gaps identified by employers through the local skills improvement plans as priorities. Together, LSIPs and LSIF are a great tool to spread opportunity across the country and boost local economies to the benefit of all.
The department has committed to supporting freeports in England, which are special areas within the UK’s borders where different economic regulations apply aimed at stimulating growth. The department will do this through establishing linkages between key partners and freeports to strengthen the skills offer available to freeports, championing joint working between freeports, local colleges and institutes of technology and raising the profile of freeports and investment zones, when established, with relevant provider sector bodies.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to protect the Cornish language.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is committed to supporting and preserving Cornwall’s rich language, heritage and culture. This is reflected through the recent devolution deal agreed with Cornwall in December 2023, which provides £500,000 of funding to support Cornish distinctiveness through the protection and promotion of the Cornish language.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide for a referendum on the continuation of the Government of Wales Act 1998.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The UK Government has no plans to hold a referendum on the continuation of devolution in Wales. People in Wales voted in support of devolution in two referenda – in 1997 to establish the National Assembly for Wales and in 2011 to provide it with full law-making powers.
Rather than reopening the question of devolution via a referendum, I would encourage anyone unhappy with the laws being passed by the Senedd to make their voice heard through the ballot box at the next Senedd election.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Welsh Ministers and officials of the Welsh Government concerning the implications of the Victims and Prisoners Bill for the devolution settlement.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has engaged closely with the Welsh Government at ministerial and official level throughout the drafting and passage of the Victims and Prisoners Bill to ensure the Bill reflects the current devolution settlement. The legislative consent motion process is engaged for clause 15 and Part 2 of the Bill.
A consultation ran on proposals for Part 1 of the Bill from December 2021 to February 2022. Following this consultation, Ministry of Justice officials engaged with Welsh Government officials on the proposals and sought their view on areas which relate to devolved matters. It was agreed between the Ministry of Justice and Welsh Government that clauses 12-14 would not apply to Wales due to existing commissioning arrangements for victim support services, however, clause 15 would apply to Wales.
The Bill was published in draft in May 2022 reflecting this position. A letter was sent from the First Minister of Wales to the then Secretary of State in December 2022 regarding the draft Bill stating that a legislative consent motion would be laid when the Bill was introduced confirming the Welsh Government were content with the devolution position in the Bill and no changes would be required. This letter also praised the engagement between the UK Government and Welsh Government on the Bill.
Following pre-legislative scrutiny, further measures (Parts 2 and 4) were added to the Bill. The Victims and Prisoners Bill was introduced to Parliament on 29 March 2023. Conversations took place with the Welsh Government, in particular on Part 2 of the Bill (creation of the Independent Public Advocate), to determine how Welsh Ministers would be included in the standing up of an advocate following a major incident in Wales.
Following introduction of the Bill, the Welsh Government informed Ministry of Justice officials that their position on devolution had changed and that they would lay a legislative consent memorandum stating that they would no longer consent to clause 15 applying to Wales in the form it was drafted, and that they considered that the clauses pertaining to the Victims’ Code engage the devolution process. This was laid in May 2023.
Letters have been exchanged between UK and Welsh Government Ministers and conversations have taken place between officials to seek to agree an updated position on devolution that satisfies both administrations. Following the changes made to Part 2 of the Bill during Commons Report Stage, conversations continue between officials on the application of these clauses to Wales.
A final position will be set out during Lords amending stages of the Bill.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2023 to Question 2844 on Animal Experiments: Cosmetics, whether animal testing of chemicals used exclusively as cosmetics ingredients is being conducted in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The regulation of animals in science under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is a transferred matter under the Northern Ireland devolution settlement.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, for what reason he did not jointly sign the letter from the First Minister of Wales on the release of location data for Category C and D disused coal tips, dated 7 November 2023.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
As coal tips are a devolved matter and out of respect for the devolution agreement, I felt that the letter would be best coming from the First Minister.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many meetings the Minister for Defence Procurement has had with the devolved Administrations to discuss the Refresh to the National Shipbuilding Strategy since his appointment; and on what dates those meetings took place.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Responsibility for engaging the Devolved Administrations is principally a matter for Ministry of Defence’s Lords Minister, currently the Earl of Minto. His predecessor, Baroness Goldie, regularly engaged with the Devolved Administrations on a range of issues including the National Shipbuilding Strategy and that the current incumbent will endeavour to engage where relevant in the future. Whilst Defence is a reserved issue, I engage regularly with a range of different stakeholders in all parts of the Union. For example, to date I have held SME forums in Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as visited key Defence assets in Scotland.